I need to vent!!

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Hamster

True Grumbler
Joined
Jan 10, 2003
Posts
99
Loc
Los Angeles, CA
In need to grumble about the customer service at La Marche. I ordered a moulding a week ago and it still hadn't shown up so I called. Now almost 90% of the time when I call, I get put on hold by a message saying something about them "experiencing a high number of calls...blah blah blah". They can't be that busy all the time!

When I finally got someone, they told that the item in question had been shipped the day after I ordered it. I went back through my files and found the paperwork which indicated that they had placed the item on backorder. No phone call no nothing :mad: . I called back, and again I was placed on hold grrrrrr. After about what seemed at least 5 minutes. I hung up and redialed. I told the operator not to put me on hold and to give me supervisor. She said ok....."PLEASE HOLD" AAAAHHHHH.

Someone finally comes on, I explain the situation again. I was told the moulding was in stock but that they were not releasing it because the color was different from the sample.(a common experience with them) Again...a phone call would have been nice. :mad: "We have it in our New Jersey warehouse". Wouldn't someone have told me that originally?

The moulding is on it's way, but the order will still be late. I'm kept waiting, the customer is kept waiting.

Any one else fed up with La Marche???

I'm sorry, I just had to vent :(

Hamster
 
La Marche has a way of getting my dander up from time to time. I've come close to just tossing their samples more than once.

They do have a unique line of mouldings and their saleslady has gone out of her way for me on a lot more than one occasion, so that is why I keep them.

Getting put on hold is probably my biggest complaint with them. Your right, it is ALL the time, they are ALWAYS experiencing an unusually high number of callers. I've gotten used to that, I always put them last on my list on ordering day.

I've complained quite a few times, I've even suggested that during busy times, some of the other people working there could help with the phones, THAT will never happen.

Other than making me want to rip my hair out evey now and then, they can sometimes come through and be an OK company. If they were just a bread and butter line of mouldings, I would have tossed them out years ago, great saleslady or not.

John
 
we have a fair amount of lamarche in our shop. we have the same problems. they have been bad lately. we try to order from another vendor who carries them. my boss has said that lamarche can be a bit mean and hard to deal with, and the other folks are much bettter.

we have had a couple problems with roma taking about four days extra the last two weeks. they are usually much better.

dds
 
LM's rep was in about a month ago really pushing some RM mirrors in huge profile frames, so I ordered 3 along with a smattering of samples. I got a call about 3 weeks later telling me that two of the three mirrors I had ordered were OS and it would be 3 months before they were available, so I just cancelled the whole order.

It'll be interesting talking with them in Atalnta.
 
:D I'll bet the guys at Larson are just sitting back with their hands laced behind their heads and smiling right now!! :D

<font size=1>("It's not our fault THIS time!!")</font>

Framerguy
 
Just to note:
I've had good service from La Marche here in California. I have had a couple of problems over the past couple of years, but the sales rep (same lady?) has been very good at clearing things up.

I carry their products as well as Max Moulding's and Larson Juhl's. Like them all.

I do get frustrated like everyone, when an order is messed up, for any reason.
:cool:
 
Now we see how Ron got so many posts!
Click to expand...
You're absolutely right, Deb. That comment was something you'd expect from Less, so I've deleted it.

I'd better say something about La Marche so I don't get accused of wandering.

The La Marche mouldings are the most beautiful mitered frames I've ever seen. Our rep, whose initials are MF (I think she's the rep for ALL of us. Her territory includes most of the known galaxy) is pleasant and professional.

She comes through here rarely (for the afore-mentioned reason) but stops by when she does so I can drool over the line. I know, and she knows, that I'm not likely to put it in. It comes from too far away and I've been spoiled by free weekly delivery from nearly all of my vendors.

If I were thinking about the line, would I be influenced by threads like this one? Perhaps, if I was thinking about purchasing every sample in the line and devoting and entire wall to it.

Otherwise, I'd get a couple dozen samples and see how it goes for a few months. If the service was unacceptable during that time, I'd cut my losses and move on.
 
I used to have LaMarche in my store and really do like their line... BUT for the reasons listed above, I took them off and will not re stock them until they acknowledge they actually DO have problems and actively work to correct them. I complained to the girls who take the orders to no avail and had a conversation with my rep, also to no avail. Apparently LaMarche just doesn't care enough to listen to their customers complaints. The mouldings were ALWAYS out of stock and not just for a couple of weeks but months!! Plus the colors were always changing or not even finished. I don't need that in my shop and if Roma or any other company got like that I'd drop them as well. There are way too many other companies out there who really do want our business and have excellent products. :rolleyes:
 
I'm actually relieved to hear that others feel the same way I do about LaMarche. My favorite story is the time I ordered a moulding from them and was informed that it was out of stock and they expected it in in 3 weeks or so. No problem, it was a really great frame and the customer didn't mind waiting, so we waited for it. Three weeks go by and I call to see if it's in, "2 more weeks" they say... fine, the customer already waited 3 weeks and saw no problem with 2 more, so we waited again. I call LaMarche once more and this time they inform me that the moulding has been DISCONTINUED!!!!!!!!!! They couldn't tell me that before??? I think I did take some of their mouldings down after that one, not all of them, though, some are just REALLY nice. Our rep isn't very good either, we NEVER see her, and when we do, it's like it's an inconvenience for her to show us stuff. Whatever.
 
You are so right. I really do hate to complain about a vendor publicly, always assume it's only me having the problem. Had them around for a couple of years and other than getting annoyed at the one type of moulding always being out of stock, I didn't have many problems with them.

Then a little over a year ago they messed up on a rush order I was doing for a wedding that weekend. I placed the order, it was acknowledged then when it didn't show up 2 days later the customer service person told me that I didn't place the order until a day later than I had originally said. I kindly informed her that I had a e-mailed acknowledgement dated from the day that it was placed, she called me a liar. After I came down from the ceiling there were a couple of calls made and the samples went into the trash that evening. To date the company has never apologized or even called.

So maybe some of us just aren't worth their time, who knows.

Roxanne
Langley House Gallery
 
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