Approved food general discussion part deux

tricki1

mcallister1 wrote: »

May be worthwhile trying FB.
As far as what was going on,although this isn't as good as reading the stuff yourself, until the last couple of days there have been various people with problems, MOSTLY from the backlog time. Also, there were also some problems with -presumably - new staff not calling about substitutions. There were some very complicated stories of people calling, emailling, getting refunds etc, but again that was predominantly from the backlog. There were also lots of people getting orders through fine, and people generally saying 'My order from blah date has come through.'
Then there is the issue of stock availability. He has implemented a live link between the website and his stock, which has made a big difference, but with some smallish glitches as he mentions earlier. However, it seems to me it is getting harder to put an order together as there is not so much availability as you might like- and also partly because not much is available, it is selling out quickly. For instance, there were heinz beans which went quickly- and I now have a stack in the garage whereas if ther had been more variety available I would have ordered fewer.

He has introduced a different carrier for heavier orders, £7.50 for 56kg which makes things like the drinks more viable, and I think it is worth looking at as the Del Monte is very good value at the moment and apparently tastes good.

Then finally in the last couple of days there were a series of posts complaining that AF were charging for goods which they did not have by charging at the time of the order- going back to the backlog from people who wre still waiting- and still are I think. There were also complaints that in communicating with mse, not all customers were being updated. Other happier customers defended AF, the whole thing became very heated and the thread was closed.
I am sure that this is an inadequate summary but thought it might help. Hope no-one feels I have misrepresented them:o but some of this stuff may be helpful.

A pretty decent summery that has covered most of the issues, and if there were any others, well I've forgotten them too.

I think Dan's reply has covered most of the issues raised, although it is not as specific about a couple of the issues than some people would like.

While blaming the problems on the pressure is not very satisfactory to those who want assurances that it will not happen again, it would be overdoing it to write down every thing that has happened and what he is doing about it, and could make things seem worse that it really is.

The issue of funds being charged too early could do with a little more work really, as while Dan may feel that when things get back to normal he will be able to ship within the normal period all the time, and not have to worry about it, it is not making some customers happy that they are being charged early at all.

Refunds are being dealt with promptly and fairly, so I do not have a problem with it. Some will however, and a statement that assures people that in the event of orders start lagging behind again AF will start charging customers 24 hours before dispatch rather than on day of order; will calm down customers who are concerned about the current policy, and they will be more likely to order even if there are order delays, as they will feel they are being treated in the correct manner.

I can understand that it could lead to a vicious cycle where AF needs the money to be able to process the order, but cannot get the funds because they have promised not to charge it etc, so I can understand some of the problems that such policies can have on someone struggling with such slender margins, but there has to be a way around this with a little planning, so I would encourage Dan to think about it, as he can cut off some of the concerns and it will help him stick closer to the terms and conditions of Google Checkout even when things are hectic, which can only help.

The rate that orders are being processed has sped up in the last few days, and while there is at least one order that missed the boat, the fact that the log-jam seems to be on the verge of breaking means they will be dealt with more quickly now.

If the problem with the missing items has been tracked down and the error fixed (and the member of staff that made the erroneous inputs given better training) then the other problems that have been caused by the order shortfalls will clear and normal service will resume.

I personally am going to wait until there are more items, I am a little short on cash anyway, so worth saving up and getting a bigger order when there is more choice.
Hopefully by the time I am ready to order again things will be better.

I just have to hope that all the others like me who are waiting for the right time to order again do not choose the same day like it seems like happened on my previous orders :rotfl:

tricki1

sarahwarren72 wrote: »

Thanks Tricki :A you took the words outta my mouth x

Better coming from a neutral third party, as she might have taken the same words and taken them as a personal attack after the previous argument. If you accept the apology and ignore the rest of what she said will work out better. Its up to you ofc.

And if sellercheckuk thinks I've stuck my nose in and directs her annoyance to me, well hey, I knew what I was in for when I wrote it, and at least its not directed straight back at you

hallnaomiuk

think it would of been better if the other thread was locked rather than deleted. But hay ho...

Now of to have a look at foodbargins.

And Just cancelled my order from approved foods.

jaytin

I just placed my third order, a big one, taking advantage of the new bulk delivery rate. I got tired of waiting for things to get back to 'normal' as the items I really wanted were all getting sold out in the meantime!
If this order is delivered in reasonable time without a lot of hassle/unavailable items then I will be totally happy about ordering in future, my second order was amazingly fast so I do have some hope, if not then I guess I will also give Foodbargains a try at some point.

sellercheckuk

tricki1 wrote: »

Pointing out to someone that you think they were rude often puts them on the defensive, so you might have been better to shoulder your pride and just stuck with the apology for addressing the wrong person. If you feel you are morally right, then why try to score points by pointing out the flaws you see of someone else? It just leads to more trouble.

Not telling you how to conduct yourself on here - just do not want Approved Foods part three so trying to help defuse any other arguments that might flare up because of silly little things like this.

It was a silly misunderstanding in the first place, you caused sarahwarren to feel picked on when you mistakenly directed your criticism at her, so her reaction was bound to be a little tetchy. Best make a clean break before it ends up in more sniping IMHO.

Peace, Out

I agree, telling someone how to conduct themselves isn't helpful, especially if it wasn't 'you' that was involved, right?

tricki1

sellercheckuk wrote: »

I agree, telling someone how to conduct themselves isn't helpful, especially if it wasn't 'you' that was involved, right?

I'll just quietly walk away then shall I? :whistle:

blaque*angel

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

blague*angel did you get my my pm?

no COOLTRIKERCHICK no PM from you dear xx

sellercheckuk

tricki1 wrote: »

Better coming from a neutral third party, as she might have taken the same words and taken them as a personal attack after the previous argument. If you accept the apology and ignore the rest of what she said will work out better. Its up to you ofc.

And if sellercheckuk thinks I've stuck my nose in and directs her annoyance to me, well hey, I knew what I was in for when I wrote it, and at least its not directed straight back at you

I am neither annoyed or a female.

blaque*angel

mummyjane wrote: »

Hi,

I have to say that I have found AF really good. They were honest about the delivery times and I was really pleased with my order. I can understand some people's gripe with being charged when ordering rather than on despatch of the order.

As far as the items were concerned, the baked beans are lovely, the lift is as good as those straight from the supermarket, and the caramel digestives are scrummy! I have already placed another order and will continue to use AF while they are offering such good bargains!

Many thanks to Dan and his team - I am sure that you will iron out any problems in the near future. :beer:

i agree i got loads of lift teas, too many baked beans, and far too much caramel digestives on my third order:beer: yummy!!!!!!!!

tricki1

sellercheckuk wrote: »

I am neither annoyed or a female.

My apologies :doh: