In article , John
Rumm writes
Paul C. Dickie wrote:
As ordering from Screwfix is next to impossible at the moment, I was
wondering what alternative online suppliers for screws, sealant etc are
available?
Even when the idiots at Screwfux deign to let customers order from them
once more, I would suggest that folk take their business elsewhere.
Why?

Simply because they have the wrong idea of how to deal with their
customers -- and this is *not* something that has only recently
happened. The problem seems to have existed for a month or two.

Some weeks ago, I telephoned them to ask about the availability of
replacement blades for their mini cut-off saw (#26358) as I could not
find any 150mm x 3mm thick blades in the spare blades section of the
catalogue. The lady in the call centre to whom I spoke could not find
them either, so she said she'd ask someone to call me back. I gave her
my 'phone number and email address, but I've still not received a reply.

Saying "if you can't give me what I want right now, I am going somewhere
else, and will never come back, so there!" does rather smack of throwing
toys out of the pram.

No. It indicates that, when one has found an alternative supplier that
is at least as efficient and with prices as reasonable (if not better)
one would be damned silly to revert to a company that seems unable to
give the proverbial **** for servicing its customers.

Any outfit that plainly shows the utter contempt for customer "good
will" recently displayed by Screwfux does not deserve to retain any
customers at all.
Huh?

Please translate that from the Neanderthal dialect.

Other than the issue of leaving the site up and just disabling the order
capability, and given they can't cope with the level of demand at the
moment, what would you rather they did?

I'd rather they'd not taken down the old system until the new system was
fully operational.

I'd rather they reverted to using a pen and paper system -- and carrying
messages in cleft sticks, if needs be -- if they were unable to make the
new system work and if they weren't able to reinstate the old system.

I'd rather they provided the sort of service they once did -- and for
which folk would unhesitatingly recommend them -- than to try to "fix" a
system that hadn't actually broken.

I'd rather they had an ethos whereby they would try to help their
customers rather than one in which the customer appears to be considered
something of an inconvenience.

--
Paul