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IS LMI slowing down?
http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=31454		 Page 1 of 2
Author:  Mike Baker [ Fri Mar 11, 2011 10:34 am ]
Post subject:  IS LMI slowing down?
Two or three weeks ago I placed an order with them. That was on a Thursday. Called back that Saturday to check, since they are pretty quick at getting things out and I had yet to recieve the confirmation email, and was told the order would go out the following Monday. Really? Two business days before the order(no back orders or out of stock items) is even shipped? I thought, anyone can have a slow day, and thought nothing more of it.
However, I placed another order two days ago. In my experience, I usually get a shipment confirmation email from them the next day. I've recieved nothing from them. I'm wondering if my order will sit there another day like last time. Not trying to bash them, as I love LMI, but it just seems like, lately, they've been a little slow on the uptake. Anyone else experiencing any problems?
Author:  L. Presnall [ Fri Mar 11, 2011 10:59 am ]
Post subject:  Re: IS LMI slowing down?
That happened with my last order...not a big deal, it was only linings, but i thought it was unusual and a departure from their normal way of operating...just wrote it off as an isolated incident...
Author:  Mike Baker [ Fri Mar 11, 2011 11:38 am ]
Post subject:  Re: IS LMI slowing down?
L. Presnall wrote:
That happened with my last order...not a big deal, it was only linings, but i thought it was unusual and a departure from their normal way of operating...just wrote it off as an isolated incident...

Thanks for the reply. And it's really not too big of a deal most of the time. But right now I'm in the middle of a build challenge on TDPRI. The challenge started the first of March and runs until May 3rd. It's now the 11th, and I have yet to be able to begin, since the first LMI order, which has yet to arrive, was a wood order.
Also, it just seems really out of character for them, and I need to know if this is going to be the new norm for them, as I'll then need to adjust the way I order my parts to keep the build moving along like I need it to.
As I said, i love them. They have great service and great people. To be honest, i really have not room to complain, as their ASAP shipping says it can take up to 5 business days for the product to arrive. To quote them,

Our Accelerated Shipment Arrival Pledge is simple. Under this plan, your package is guaranteed to arrive within 3 to 5 business days. (Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays are not business days.) If it is not there on the 5th day, your shipping charges will be refunded. In most cases, our basic service is so good that you will not need to pay extra for expedited service.
For example, if you order on a Thursday, your order will usually arrive the following Tuesday (Count Friday as day one.). If it is not there by Thursday, your shipping costs are refunded.

I ordered that first package on Thursday. It did not even ship until the following Monday. It is now Thursday of the next week, and I haven't even seen my first package yet. In fact, according to tracking info, it has yet to get out of the state of California. It just seems like it might be possible I won't be able to count on this in the future. But I'm not ready to say that with certainty. They've got a great track record with me, and I'm not about to let this tarnish it. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. Just want to see if anyone else is experiencing unusual delays in shipping from them.
Author:  Daniel Minard [ Fri Mar 11, 2011 1:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: IS LMI slowing down?
Funny this thread should come up now... I placed an order on the weekend & still haven't received a shipping confirmation. Very much out of character for the great folks at LMI.
Author:  MikeyV [ Fri Mar 11, 2011 1:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: IS LMI slowing down?
I live about 60 miles from LMI. Needless to say, I enjoy getting items VERY quickly from them.

This Monday, at about 9 am, I ordered 30 kerfing clamps. I did not get a shipping notice until 6 pm Thursday night.
I enquired, and received a reply in short time indicating that my order was received but would be shipping shortly.

Usually, an order gets shipped the day I order it, and I get it the next day, since I'm so close.

I'm thinking they must have had a problem there, like a person being out, or a tragedy or something. Hopefully they'll get it ironed out.

Just this month, I've had terrible luck getting things shipped. I ordered some stuff from the east coast, and it took 2 weeks! to get here, LMI took a week to ship me something 60 miles, and Some wood I bought off eBay, took 3 weeks to come from washington state to CA. :(
Author:  Quine [ Fri Mar 11, 2011 1:23 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: IS LMI slowing down?
LMI has always been very slow to me. Even 6-8years ago when I first started building. Seems to take at least 2 days to ship an order....even if you pay for fast shipping. I try to avoid ordering from them because of their slow response.
Author:  My Dog Bob [ Fri Mar 11, 2011 1:57 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: IS LMI slowing down?
Interesting thing.. I live about 40 miles from them and it usually takes one day after they ship to get to me.. This time I really needed some stuff quick, so I paid extra for expediting.. They shipped the stuff out that afternoon as promised but for some reason it lingered in the FedEx machine for days before being delivered. Usually they do FedEx ground to me, and like I said, it takes a day to get here, but this time I payed extra for three day select and it went a different route to get to my destination taking three days.. (I guess I did pay for three day select - I just didn't expect it to take longer than Ground)

Regards, Peter Z
Author:  Brian Forbes [ Fri Mar 11, 2011 3:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: IS LMI slowing down?
I had the same experience with Grizzly as you all did with LMII. I ordered some stuff on tuesday I think, and it didnt ship until Friday of the same week, and I got it on Thursday or Friday the following week. I know we're in a recession, but this is the time when you need to take care of EVERY customer you have, because the number is sadly getting smaller and smaller. When someone opens their wallet, a business should jump at the opportunity to make that customer happy and increase their chance of coming back.
Author:  Bill Hodge [ Fri Mar 11, 2011 3:46 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: IS LMI slowing down?
Brian Forbes wrote:
I had the same experience with Grizzly as you all did with LMII. I ordered some stuff on tuesday I think, and it didn't ship until Friday of the same week, and I got it on Thursday or Friday the following week. I know we're in a recession, but this is the time when you need to take care of EVERY customer you have, because the number is sadly getting smaller and smaller. When someone opens their wallet, a business should jump at the opportunity to make that customer happy and increase their chance of coming back.


Hmmm. Grizzly has been experiencing some extreme weather issues in some locations as per a notice I got from them after a recent order. That said, I ordered a new Edge Sander from them, along with a cross sliding vise, and a new filter canister for my dust evac system just last Friday. By Wednesday I had everything but the Edge Sander, which arrived yesterday. I thought their service to be just as timely as I had always experienced from them. Two thirds of the machines in my shop are Grizzly and half the other third are Shop Fox, and I've yet to be disappointed by them in either delivery or customer service. In regard to LMI, I haven't experienced any problems with them either but I haven't ordered from them for a couple of months at least. If the orders were placed online, could be issues with their order processing via the web.
Author:  Mike Baker [ Fri Mar 11, 2011 4:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: IS LMI slowing down?
Just recieved an email from FedEx that they have recieved the shipping information from LMI on my second order. Will probably physically be in the FedEx system by this afternoon their time(between 5 and 7pm my time this evening), I would guess.
Also, there is anotice on the FedEx site that they recieved some damage from an earthquake in Japan, and their Japan service would be affected. No notice that US service would be affected, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt that there is some spill over to the States. That might help explain why my package is still in Blomington, CA.
Author:  DennisK [ Fri Mar 11, 2011 4:23 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: IS LMI slowing down?
Can't comment on LMI since my last order was delayed by fault of my own (typo'd credit card info), but I will give a shoutout to Hibdon (and UPS) for an order this week. Emailed in the morning, called in to give payment info shortly before they closed, and the box showed up 2 days later :) Now I do live just across the state from them, but you can't get much better than that. And for free, even, with this month's special.

I would highly recommend anyone to snap up those $140 Honduras rosewood sets. I got 778 and the tap is incredible. Glassy and boomy and LOUD. One of the best sounding in my stack, and pretty cheap with the free shipping. Hopefully it won't ever wind up with cracks due to the flatsawn parts. It hasn't shown any desire to cup or anything at least.
Author:  Chris -LMI [ Fri Mar 11, 2011 4:35 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: IS LMI slowing down?
Hello Everyone,
Yes, we are very busy right now -but barely slowing down!
Our ASAP shipping guarantee is still in effect. If you do not receive your order within 5 business days, we will refund your shipping costs (some restrictions apply, see our policy page for more info). If we are too busy to ship same-day, then we bump up the shipping method (at no expense to you) to meet our guarantee.
If you ever have any questions about the ETA of your order, or our shipping policy, just call or email us directly (we only check in on the forums sporadically).
Best Regards,
Chris Herrod
Sales Manager -LMI
Author:  Mike Baker [ Fri Mar 11, 2011 5:33 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: IS LMI slowing down?
Thanks for the quick response, Chris. I shot you an email back.
Author:  Mike Baker [ Fri Mar 11, 2011 6:45 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: IS LMI slowing down?
Well, i need to eat a little crow. I jut recieved another email from Chris at LMI. He said my order would be recieved on Monday(but I think I'll get it sooner) and said that they were refunding my shipping. FedEx tracking shows it in Hagerstown, MD. However, he pointed out that, technically my order was special, in that I did request a dark rosewood board. That is a special request. I had forgot all about this in my stressing out to recieve my wood and begin my build on the TDPRI. I sent him an email back telling him it was not necessary to refund shipping.
This was for the most part my mistake, and i want to apologize to Chris and to LMI officially here on this forum.
Once again, i appreciate their working to get this resolved. Like I said at the outset, i love LMI. This is one of the reasons. Thank you very much, Chris. It is appreciated.
Author:  Bill Hodge [ Fri Mar 11, 2011 6:51 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: IS LMI slowing down?
Good on ya Mike!!! [:Y:]
Author:  Kim [ Fri Mar 11, 2011 8:07 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: IS LMI slowing down?
Mike Baker wrote:
Once again, i appreciate their working to get this resolved. Like I said at the outset, i love LMI. This is one of the reasons. Thank you very much, Chris. It is appreciated.


A few years back I had ordered a few things from LMI among them being a set of tuners and an adjustable bridge. When my order arrived in Australia I noticed that both these products had manufacturer based quality control issues right out of the factory sealed pack. I bought my concerns to the attention of Chris Herrod of LMI and without further question, was offered a range of options to address the issue from full refund, product replacement or credit with LMI. I chose the credit option partially because I no longer had faith in that particular band of product, but I mainly took that option because I was so please with LMI's commitment to service that I knew I would be a returning customer for years to come and would very soon clear any credit.

Thanks again Chris [:Y:]

Kim
Author:  Mike OMelia [ Mon Mar 14, 2011 8:48 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: IS LMI slowing down?
That WAS impressive! Glad to see that the OLF sponsors are monitoring this site.

Mike
Author:  WudWerkr [ Tue Mar 15, 2011 6:51 am ]
Post subject:  Re: IS LMI slowing down?
I have purchased from LMI several times and have always had a good experience with them . Thanks for the efforts Chris . [:Y:]


Way to go Mike , we all make mistakes . Admitting it in open froum and apologizing , your respect level has gone through the roof with me ! [:Y:]
Author:  Bailey [ Tue Mar 15, 2011 9:20 am ]
Post subject:  Re: IS LMI slowing down?
I've never had a problem with LMI shipping.....but I also don't expect everything I order to be on my doorstep in less than 5 days....unless I want to pay for expedited shipping. I also order by phone...guess it's the old guy way of doing business with a real person. LMI quality and sales staff are top notch.
I may be slow....but I'm old.
Kent
Author:  ChuckG [ Tue Mar 15, 2011 11:04 am ]
Post subject:  Re: IS LMI slowing down?
My most recent order was placed Monday March 7th around noon (central time). I got the shipped email on Thursday the 10th and the package is supposed to be here today the 15th. Used to be that an order placed on Monday was on my door on Thursday.

This is a little slower than usual, but like Chris said, they've been very busy. I submit that one of the reasons they're so busy is that they're so darned good to do business with.

Chuck
Author:  Rick Davis [ Tue Mar 15, 2011 1:08 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: IS LMI slowing down?
Some years ago, LMI was faulted for being slower than the competition. It seems that they've addressed this issue very effectively. All my orders have been processed and shipped efficiently and without delay, even during busy times (like when they're getting ready for the Healdsburg Festival). My hat's off to Chris and all the other LMI'ers for doing such a good job.

Lutherie is still a small community. Even the largest suppliers are small businesses rather than big, anonymous corporations. They all deal with customers on a personal basis, providing service far beyond the norm. Let's appreciate that and return the favor: when there's a problem, contact them and explain, and give them a chance to respond to your concerns. I've not yet been disappointed.
Author:  woodbutcher50 [ Tue Mar 15, 2011 7:50 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: IS LMI slowing down?
I have always been happy with the shipping from LMI.

I just placed an order Sunday evening. It was picked up by FedEx today and will be on my doorstep on Thursday.

And, NO, I ain't tellin' you my address!!! laughing6-hehe

Just wanted to put in a positive word for them. [:Y:]

Mark
Author:  MikeyV [ Wed Mar 23, 2011 4:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: IS LMI slowing down?
wELP, here we are again. 52 hours from the time I placed my order, I have yet to get a shipping confirmation.

I ordered from LMI perhaps 6 times in the past, and every time, I got a shipping confirmation within 24 hours TOPS, it was usually withing 6 hours.

The last two times I ordered it took 72 hours, and this time, we're up to 52. Why does it take this long to put a bottle of glue and a Ibex plane into a box?
The answer is their 5 day shipping guarantee. The way they make that time constraint, is by bumping people who live close to fill orders for people who live far away. I live 60 miles from LMI, btw.

So, instead of filling orders as they're received, they cherry pick the ones going to the east coast and fill them first so they dont end up eating shipping. Meanwhile, my order languishes, because the transit time is only 24 hours. They've got 4 days to sit on my order and then ship it. Net result being that everyone gets their order in 5 days, instead of some people getting it in 2, done in 6-7.

I think this is REDICULOUS!

LMI shoudl keep in mind that people that live on the west coast, alot of the times, buy from LMI to receive items quicker than buying from StewMac. We also pay 10% sales tax if we live in CA. If it takes me 5 buisiness days to get a package from LMI, I'd rather order from StewMac, less tax, same time, and they're generally cheaper.

I'd really like to hear from someone at LMI why it takes 4 days to get my order on a UPS truck?
I just cant believe that they get orders faster than they can box them. I mean really.
Author:  Laurent Brondel [ Wed Mar 23, 2011 4:16 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: IS LMI slowing down?
I do not understand those threads. Why don't you take it up with LMI directly and give them a call? Or are people so terminally addicted to their computers that they can't pick up the phone anymore?
Author:  MikeyV [ Wed Mar 23, 2011 4:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: IS LMI slowing down?
I've communicated directly with them about this before. I asked what was up with my order and they said it was received and getting shipped, 3 days after I ordered it. Not the answer I wanted to hear...though it was nice they responded to my email. Then two days later, this thread shows up.

I just think it's uncool, and I'm letting people here know. I acutally really like LMI, ( their selection and until now, their fast service) and I'm bummed that next time I order something I'll have to decide where I order it from. Before it was straight to LMI, I wouldn't even look at SM, or anyone else for that matter. And if only LMI has the product, I just have to wait until people that ordered after me get their stuff shipped out first, all while paying the same S&H charges.

Otherwise, Laurent, I agree with you.
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