Does Wested Not Like Me?

pinder91 · Post by **pinder91** » Sat Nov 29, 2003 4:51 pm

First let me say that this is my first experience with them. I placed my order for an authentic goat raiders in early September. I got an e-mail the next day saying that my jacket has been "processed for production." Sounds good right?
Well, a few weeks later I hear on this fine board that the goat was inferior and that no one knew what the status was of all remaining goat orders. That didn't make me very happy, but I figured I would wait and see if my jacket came on time, because I didn't get an e-mail saying that I would have to wait.
Well, a month and a half after placing my order, I received an e-mail from Gerry saying that goat was bad and I would have to wait 2 more weeks or change my leather choice. I opted to wait for the goat.
Finally, I hear on COW that the new goat is in and jackets are being made. Big surprise that I still have not received an e-mail from Wested stating that the new goat was here and my jacket will be home soon.
Anyway, after I read that a member here received there authentic goat jacket I waited a few more days to see if mine would arrive. Never happened. So, I send wested an e-mail asking why I am not being informed on the status of my jacket and why I was not given priority over some of these other authentic goats because I have been waiting longer.
This is the response:
"Dear Andrew
I can only apologise for the delay and inconvenience caused to you.
However, your jacket is being despatched tomorrow with www.airborne.com under tracking number xxxxxxx and should only take two or three days to arrive.
Again, I am very sorry for all the trouble you have experienced.
Regards Gerry"
I received this e-mail on the 27th, meaning my jacket should have been sent on the 28th, right? Well, here it is, the 29th and my tracking number is not recognized on the airborne website.
Now, I understand that things can get busy at the shop, but has anyone else felt that Wested has just forgot about you and doesn't really care?

IndyBlues · Post by **IndyBlues** » Sat Nov 29, 2003 5:01 pm

I think you may have to take into consideration the time difference from America to England. Be patient my friend. You'll get your Wested. From what I've read here at the COW, if your not happy with it when you get it, they will make it right.
Hang in there.

Cabinetman · Post by **Cabinetman** » Sat Nov 29, 2003 5:07 pm

Don't sweat Wested. I would bet 100% that it is simply too soon for your tracking number to be recognized. Further, with the holiday, it is difficult to say how Airborne is operating.

My first order was never reported to me as having been shipped, much less did I have a tracking number. It arrived 4 weeks to the day of my ordering (same with my second order, although I did have notification of the second).

I wouldn't worry about it. Easy to say, yes. If you don't have it by the end of next week, then inquire again.

pinder91 · Post by **pinder91** » Sat Nov 29, 2003 5:17 pm

Thanks for the reassurance guys. That's true about the holiday season, and slower business. It's really hard to wait since I got to college about an hour away from home and since I am not receiving e-mails, I come home every time I can just in case it arrives. I would go crazy if I get back on Sunday night and my parents call me Monday and say it finally showed up.

jts1031 · Post by **jts1031** » Sat Nov 29, 2003 9:53 pm

I live only 20 minutes from Airborne Express in Wilmington, OH, which is where the Wested's come in at. Of an evening I can watch all the planes in a holding pattern right over the house. As of Thanksgiving, the air traffic dropped significantly, but did not stop altogether. Due to the holiday, it may be around Monday before anyone is even around to put the tracking number in the computer systems...

Lindiana · Post by **Lindiana** » Sat Nov 29, 2003 11:30 pm

I got the same e-mail when I first ordered a wested. Give it time, the tracking number didn't work until the following week after the initial e-mail was sent. If they said it's coming rest assured it'll be there, just start saving your pennies for the customs fee you'll be getting in a month or so.
Lindiana

FLATHEAD · Post by **FLATHEAD** » Sun Nov 30, 2003 11:33 am

You also must remember that when the vendor (Wested) prepares the
package for shipment, and they get the forms from their shipper (Airborne)
with the tracking numbers pre-applied to them, it will take a day or two
for the actual information to make it to the shippers (Airborne) actual
website once the package is sent.

This is true for even the United States Postal Service. All the numbers
that are input for Delivery Confirmation, Signature Required upon
reciept and all the other tracking numbers are pre-assigned per form, and
it has to go thru a whole bunch of people AFTER the vendor uses it, in
order for it to show up on a website for the general public to see.

It usually takes one or two days for this to happen, no matter what vendor
you are getting a package from. And when you factor in a 4 day
weekend, and people who are normally working, just like you, are on
vacation, things can slow down quite a bit.

I buy things from Lands End and LL Bean all time, and I have them
send me an e-mail when the order has been shipped for tracking.

This usually takes about two days or so from the time I place my order,
to the time I get the e-mail.

Nine times out of ten, because they use Fed-ex to ship the packages,
I will get the package BEFORE I get their confirmation e-mail message!
Thats how fast they are.

But, around the holidays, I will get the e-mail a day or two before the
package arrives.

This is all to be expected.

I will agree with Cabby, that I too got my jacket from Wested and never
got a message that said when it was being dispatched. But I too got mine
in only 4 weeks, so there was no time for Peter or Gerry to send me one.

I will say that when I had to send my first jacket back due to some errors,
they kept me very well informed as to the return status.

I can also say that if you live in the United States, you will usually get
faster responses from Wested if you e-mail them before 10:00am
Eastern Standard time. This makes it around the mid afternoon in England
and they are usually there as they are about 6 hours ahead of us in time.

But don't fret, you will hear from them. And be glad that they did indeed
stop the goat production because of inferior skins. Other places would have
just made the jackets from what ever they had, and told you to be happy
with it. Wested wants the jackets to be as close to perfect as they can
get them. And you will be very pleased once you get your jacket that
they gave you good skins, and not some really bad ones.

Flathead

IndianaJames · Post by **IndianaJames** » Sun Nov 30, 2003 12:32 pm

I beleive our jackets were sent out the at the same time. It will probably be updated Monday saying that it IS in fact sitting in OH with mine waiting for those customs jerks to finish whatever they h*ll it is they do over there.
As for Wested, Im sure they like everyone, or else they would be out of buisness. Yes sometimes they are very slow at returning emails, and keeping track of everyone, but its only because they make hundreds of jackets every month, and its now the busy season! So dont feel bad!

Give it until mid week, ill be youll have the jacket on your back....

Cheers
Indy J

Post by **Michaelson** » Mon Dec 01, 2003 11:35 am

Speaking of Gerry, has anyone heard directly from Peter for a while? I sent him an email last week, only to receive a reply from Gerry. All well and good, but he was not the person the email was sent to for an answer. Anybody?

Regards. Michaelson

Mr. Das · Post by **Mr. Das** » Mon Dec 01, 2003 11:40 am

I sent an e-mail Tuesday addressed to "Gerry/Peter" and Peter replied the next day.

Post by **Michaelson** » Mon Dec 01, 2003 11:43 am

Mine was sent directly to Peter. Gerry replied, which after all these years was a first for me.

Regards. Michaelson

Cabinetman · Post by **Cabinetman** » Mon Dec 01, 2003 1:05 pm

Recall a post of not too long ago of Peter's...Jerry is a man and is on staff there, whereas "G"erry is a woman is handling the majority of the e-mails now.

Post by **Michaelson** » Mon Dec 01, 2003 2:15 pm

'J'erry is the son-in-law. 'G'erry is the daughter, from what Peter told me a while back. Regards. Michaelson

Post by **Indy Magnoli** » Mon Dec 01, 2003 2:34 pm

Michaelson wrote:'J'erry is the son-in-law. 'G'erry is the daughter...

Don't tell me that Jerry is married to Gerry.

I guess it could be worse... Gerry married to... Tom.

Sorry, Michaelson... I HAVEN'T had my morning coffee yet.

Kind regards,
Indy

Post by **Michaelson** » Mon Dec 01, 2003 2:49 pm

Run, don't walk, to the nearest coffee pot, Indy!!!

Regards. Michaelson

Post by **Indy Magnoli** » Mon Dec 01, 2003 3:33 pm

I'm sipping it as I type... Phew! And Kathryn made it extra strong just in case I try any more early-morning humor...

Kind regards,
Indy

Post by **Mike** » Mon Dec 01, 2003 3:55 pm

Just be thankful they don't have a Gary!

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Mike

Post by **Michaelson** » Mon Dec 01, 2003 4:00 pm

Sure you could! A 'Time ouf' for marosy!

Regards. Michaelson

Stefan Hills · Post by **Stefan Hills** » Mon Dec 01, 2003 4:03 pm

Oh @#$%,
I mailed some information which I wanted infused in to my new Wested order, and though I spoke to Jerry on the phone and told him to expect it in the mail, the emails which I got from Wested were signed off as Gerry and so I addressed the letter to Gerry and Peter, when infact it should have been Jerry and Peter,

Great!!!
All the best,
Stefan

Farnham54 · Post by **Farnham54** » Mon Dec 01, 2003 4:05 pm

They should have an "about us" section of the Website with information of all of their employees

Clear up this confusion!

Regards,

Farn

Stefan Hills · Post by **Stefan Hills** » Mon Dec 01, 2003 4:07 pm

I could not agree more, Farn

Kind regards,
Stefan

Post by **Michaelson** » Mon Dec 01, 2003 4:09 pm

I'm sure they'll sort it all out Stefan. There aren't that many folks actually in the shop! (grins) Regards. Michaelson

Indiana Texas-girl · Post by **Indiana Texas-girl** » Mon Dec 01, 2003 8:36 pm

Well, they could just pay to move me to England and I'll take Gerry's place so that you'd have Peter, Jerry, and Holly working there...joking of course...I love living in Texas, 8-9 months out of the year anyway.

"G"erry is a woman is handling the majority of the e-mails now.

That's what I heard as well. In this post Peter states:

For those who are getting a little confused we have a Jerry who is the
Production Manager ( my son in law) and Gerry my secretary who has taken over the email and customer realations.

http://www.indygear.com/forum/viewtopic ... sc&start=0

PETER · Post by **PETER** » Tue Dec 02, 2003 5:02 am

Hello, it is me Peter popping in to prove I am still alive and kicking.
Gerry, the lady is then wife of a friend who has taken over the email mountain because I was having a hard time dealing with 60-70 emails every day. Although she does consult with me on relevant matters.
Jerry, the man is my son in law and General Manager and runs the production.
Sally my daughter is his wife and is the Pattern Maker.

Now that is out the way I Let me thank everybody for your support and wish you all the best fgor the coming season.

Cheers
Peter

Post by **Michaelson** » Tue Dec 02, 2003 12:13 pm

Hummm. Well, that's not necessarily GOOD news, Peter, especially if Gerry is making the determination of what is revelant or not for your attention. I've sent 3 emails directly to your attention, and to date she has been the one to reply, so I can only assume that she's either not thinking them 'revelant' for your attention, or you're not replying, neither or which is very good news.

Holiday greetings to you too. Regards. Michaelson

phlatfoot · Post by **phlatfoot** » Mon Dec 08, 2003 9:45 am

I just thought that I should add that there are quite a few more steps in the oversees shipping process than there were before the war on terror. It very well may be that the slow shipping problem is due to random extra measures taken to ensure that your package is safe.I had similar trouble when mine arrived.
As for you not recieving e-mails from Wested, you need to remember that Americans are inundated with "customer service". Other countries are more laid back, and in general they may not feel that they were in any way mistreating you.
Just a thought.

Post by **Michaelson** » Mon Dec 08, 2003 10:09 am

Thank you for the thought, but I've been dealing directly with Peter since 1997. Him hiring a secretary who is now deciding what he does or does not read is not good news, as we've received replies from Wested either the same day, or within a few days of emails. I have no problems with them having a busy time and not able to respond in a respectable time, or the idea of having a new person help carry with the the email load, but to have somebody making his decisions now is information I must now take into account when sending folks his way, as I now have no idea what he is or is not reading. I sent him my thoughts and suggestions on what should be changed on the prototype cotton Raiders after actual use, on his request, only to have no response what so ever from Peter, even though my email was sent directly to him, and to his attention. All I was looking for was verification that the information was received, so once again I can only assume the message was screened and shunted away from his attention. Regards. Michaelson