Had a Cutom Pipe Made, Not Happy With the Outcome, Thoughts?

[zack24]

Also we make thousand custom pipes per year but in this work we dont feel that we do the good work.

We can refund the money to you.

That seems to be a perfectly reasonable solution to the problem- When there's a problem with a custom pipe (or any pipe you buy from an artisan), communicate with them first to try to resolve the issue. 99 times out of a 100, there will be a good resolution without the need for a public flogging...

 

[easterntraveler]

In response to the Meerqueen they did send an email to me informing me of the refund. It went into my spam so I did not see it until I was notified that they sent one out. I did apologies as I do not see it. That is why I did not mention the email.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

There's a silver lining to this, because I have been thinking about getting a Meerschaum pipe made, maybe after Christmas. And, now I feel little more confident that working with these guys is safe. If the pipe doesn;t meet my expectations, I know that they will square up with me.

Even in my world of jewelry, sometimes I miss the mark on what the customer wants. It happens, even after decades of doing this. I think that I understand what a customer wants, and what I make misses, rarely, but it can happen. But, the important thing is what happens next. And, I think Bahadir is doing the right thing here.
But, we can't blame our peanut gallery either. We do what we know to do, based on the information given. But, it worked out, IMO.

 

[warren]

meerqueen: I think most here indicated that your company would make things right. And you have. Good on you! The entire incident is most likely beneficial to you. At least I hope so!
Some people like to publicize their pain for the sympathy and possible solutions. Simply one of the variables in dealing with the public. Some members like to jump to conclusions. I think this thread was more oriented to pointing out to the OP how such transactions should be structured in the future.
My personal opinion is that you are running a good business, customer oriented and fill a nice niche. More power and success to you. I've not seen any complaint with your company that was not amicably settled. If I wanted a new meer and purchased pipes on-line, your storefront would be my first stop. There are some beautiful pipes displayed on your site.

 

[easterntraveler]

Woodroad, unfortunately I disagree with you on this. I did not post this to attack there customer service. I informed the forum of my situation and asked for thoughts. I have every right as a consumer to do such things and to keep those who were interested informed of what was going on, to say no one knows the situation is false. I posted it as it happened. No one attacked the company and said anything overwhelmingly negative, other then they would want to be refunded.

 

[clickklick]

Unfortunately when you are selling a product, even a small remote negativity can tarnish reputations. So from a vendor perspective, I would be very concerned that some people may not have read this thread to conclusion and jumped to premature conclusions. With that being said, it was a fair question in starting this thread about what others would do given the circumstances.
No need to get defensive as these are honest things with good intent.
I would say after seeing meerqueen's response, there is no doubt in my mind that anyone looking for a meer should order from them and I would have no problems recommending them to friends. I just hope everyone who read the direction of this thread in the beginning has revisited to read it to it's conclusion.

 

[iamn8]

When it come to situations such as these, there's nothing wrong with seeking feedback and opinions from other pipe aficionados. This thread isn't about bashing a sponsor, it's about what to do when you're unhappy with a product. It's the reason for such a public forum in the first place. There's no attacking here. Does it hurt the sponsor? In a small way maybe, but it also gives them a chance to showcase customer service. Good for all parties involved.

 

[meerqueen]

I am very confident that our products have the highest standarts in meerschaum industry.
thank you for all of you who supports us.

Our policy is simple.if our customers are not happy than we give full refund or carve the pipe again.
We can not be 100% perfect we know that.

If someone is sad then we are sad.

I take all responsibility here.

 

[deathmetal]

There's no attacking here. Does it hurt the sponsor? In a small way maybe, but it also gives them a chance to showcase customer service. Good for all parties involved.

I agree, heartily. An open community is a good one, and this story goes from beginning to end. Which looks like it begins with:

Our policy is simple.if our customers are not happy than we give full refund or carve the pipe again.

What I learned is that there's two ways to get custom pipes: (1) on spec and (2) "interpret this as an artist" -- and if I like someone's creative work, I'd go with the latter.

 

[kola]

I would never order a commissioned pipe...and if I was a pipe carver I would never make a commissioned pipe for anyone.
Sorry ya got boogered...that pipe was not even close to your original. A promise was not met. It should never had left the shop. I'd be pissed. Send it back for a refund? Good gesture by the seller but way too late IMO, the damage was done and all trust lost.

 

[meerqueen]

Kola

I dont agree with you.

We do custom pipes 99% perfectly.

We even make portrait pipes

I made a bad decision when choosing the artisan for this pipe.we have been working 12 artisans right now.

 

[kola]

Sorry ya got boogered...that pipe was not even close to your original. A promise was not met. It should never had left the shop. I'd be pissed. Send it back for a refund? Maybe it was a good gesture by the seller but way too late IMO, the damage was done and all trust lost. I judge folks and have respect for the ones that keep their word....especially in a business transaction. A big drop of the ball and any "recovery" process doesn't erase the damage done.
I would never order a commissioned pipe...and if I was a pipe carver I would never make a commissioned pipe for anyone.
didn't know there was a time limit on editing posts? sorry bout' that.

 

[warren]

The only error I see here is the quick post of a problem to a public forum. In the end the OP did what was needed as did the vendor. There really was no need to air the situation as quickly as it was. I'm a firm believer in letting the retailer/supplier resolve a problem privately before seeking advice in such a public manner. Irreparable damage may be done.
That said, the vendor has taken a proactive and positive approach in addressing the forum and will, in the end, gain some good publicity. She has turned a negative into a positive for her operation. Good on her!

 

[easterntraveler]

Meerqueen: I have to step in here for a second. Also I do intend to bash your buisness with my statement. Your mistake was not necessarily with picking the artist. The mistake was that prior to the pipe being sent out it was known that it was incorrect. This is not, you sent me a pipe and I am just unhappy with it. This is like me coming to you and ordering a pipe with a Lion's head and someone noticing that instead of a Lions head in the pipe case it is a skull pipe and shipping it anyway. For me that frustrates me the most about the situation. Honesty is important and I am trying to figure out why I was just not informed of the situation. Anyway in the end I am happy that you have accepted responsibility and will rectify the issue. I hAve also responded to your email ofreeing me a refund. I have to agree with others in this post that your Meer pipes do look fantastic and I have not found any negative reviews regarding your products. This seems to just fall into the category of me being the 1 percent. Also thank you for addressing this on this forum.

 

[meerqueen]

We just wanted that you take the pipe in your hands and you make your own decision.

Thats all.There is nothing wrong with that.

 

[thebadkitty]

My thoughts? Whining too soon.

You asked.

 

[voorhees]

am very confident that our products have the highest standarts in meerschaum industry.

I agree. Coming from someone who had a terrible experience with another meer seller a few years ago, I can say that Meerqueen's service and product(Falcon Bowls) were great.

 

[ssjones]

I think this is a good time to close this one and let the buyer/vendor continue the resolution. (or perhaps it is done)