WARNING: $45 Minimum Charge applies

[Dengue]

Hello, I went to buy some hinges and screws from Veneer Inlay ( now Hardware for Creative Finishes), only to find there is now a $45 minimum charge and $12.80 flat postage rate.

Be warned in case you are looking for small quantities

[Treecycle]

Well that will help sales:roll:

[Dengue]

Not to mention his unique customer service style

[Durham Lad]

Hi all, Only dealt with them once several years ago re some Brusso hinges, the guy I spoke to was rude and sarcastic and was not pleased when I suggested he change his attitude. Never again. Brian.

[Dengue]

He hasn't changed, Brian, based on my recent very unpleasant experience. (think F** words too)

[AlexS]

Interesting. I wanted to buy a pair of thin card table hinges from Lee Valley. If there was anything else I wanted I would have padded the order, but there wasn't. Total order cost: Hinges $USD12.30, Airmail Postage $USD12.40. Still a reasonable price to get quality pieces, and no problems with the size of the order.

[Old Croc]

Hello, I went to buy some hinges and screws from Veneer Inlay ( now Hardware for Creative Finishes), only to find there is now a $45 minimum charge and $12.80 flat postage rate.

Be warned in case you are looking for small quantities
Quick way to loose your customer base as we all will find alternative sources.
I used to buy small quantities of special Allen headed bolts and metal thread screws from a local bolt shop until they put in a $10 minimum charge. Well I took all my business to another shop, so did a lot of others and that new shop grew and grew. Recently I needed a couple of Imperial thread bolts, new shop doesn't keep them but could get them in, but I need them now.
So I went back to the original shop, they had them, so I gritted my teeth to pay the $10 charge. Guy comes back, does paperwork, says $3.60 please. What about the $10 minimum I asked? Oh we had to drop that as our turnover dropped by 50% as a lot of our customers left us. They took their small quantity orders and their big orders elsewhere.
Lesson learnt.
Rgds,
Crocy.

[Wood Nut]

I was not aware of the minimum charge of $45 but that does not worry me as my orders are always more than that. A few solid brass hinges etc take me well over $45.
I have been dealing with Hardware for Creative Finishes for many years with complete satisfaction. Massive range of stock that is always available and sent out very quickly (normally within 24 hours). Great resource for brassware, sandpaper, inlays etc

[Mobyturns]

I can sympathize with both sides of this issue.

Hardware retailers have to face the economics of running their business and also the glaring fact that they are competing in a global economy. Making a living from hundreds of small orders is simply no longer viable when you work out the return in $ per hour worked, taking the order, picking stock, pack & post, checking payment, maintaining the online presence etc. IF a business has a good mix of small and larger orders things tend to balance out. That small customer today may be a very good word of mouth advocate for their business or become a more substantial customer in the future.

The "big boys" overcome much of this through their marketing and packaging, using tamper proof card packaging, minimum quantities of apparently odd quantities to maintain an "acceptable" price point that won't make the customer flinch ( well not too much!)

Customers want convenient, fast, reliable, service - always! Yes we are prepared to make some concessions but we generally aren't to happy to pay for grumpy (lack of) service.

I tend to go in the opposite direction these days - an example, I required four 8 x 35 mm clevis pins.

Option 1 - 4 in a heat sealed pack @ $12.
Option 2 - 80 thereabouts of mixed sizes in a reasonable 6 compartment plastic storage box @ $19.

Option 2 wins out imho! However I checked that it did actually contain four 8 x 35 mm clevis pins. :D

[Old Croc]

Moby, interesting reply. I haven't bought from this company but I have had 2 phone conversations with him. 1st was when I ran out of 400 grit cloth and my usual supplier was not due in town for a few weeks, so a mate lent me a roll of the coloured cloth. I was extremely disappointed with it as the finish it gave appeared like 320 grit. So I rang him and he said that his cloth met all the usual standards, but he was helpful. That by the way opened up the nightmare of the difference in grit standards.
2nd call was about the different Velcro backing sheets he sells, explained it quite well, but I went a different way with my project.
I found him quite good to talk to, but for some the $45 minimum would be a deal breaker but will not affect others.
Horses for courses,
Rgds,
Crocy.

[Dengue]

I suspect this business owner has very poor people skills and /or anger management issues when under stress and is quick to take offence. The best way is to avoid contacting him personally, in case he is having a bad day.
If you go online and order your bits and pieces there, it becomes a highly efficient operation, quick dispatch and often quick delivery by Aust Post. Which is fair enough as it is purely an online business (but you need to fill all the boxes in correctly).
He sends all his products via registered post too, which is good in the event of something going missing.

An old mate of mine here in Townsville recently received a faulty $4 hinge from this business, and was required to meet the cost of returning, and it had to be by $5.40 registered post or no responsibility taken for receiving it. But to be fair, this mate told me the business expedited his next order to Express Post with no extra charge.

[Treecycle]

Maybe what he has done is actually a good marketing tactic. When you go to order what you originally want and then find out you need a minimum spend of $45 you actually scout around to find some other items to make up the difference and while looking you find other items that you didn't know you needed and put them in your basket too, so that in the end you are well over the minimum spend. It certainly happens to me at times:((
I have only dealt with them once and as others have said, the transaction was seamless and delivery was quick. I made that order just as they changed to the new website layout which is much more user friendly than their old one.

[TermiMonster]

There is a bolt company near me that has a $25Min. When I go there, I usually need 1 or 2 bolts of specific size, head, etc. Usually worth a few cents. But they have the bolt I need. so I just stock up on drill bits or other items I know I'll use. Fact is I would rather do that than not have them when I need them.

[elanjacobs]

An old mate of mine here in Townsville recently received a faulty $4 hinge from this business, and was required to meet the cost of returning
Fun fact: That's not legal.

[pippin88]

Fun fact: That's not legal.Really?

The business has to pay for return shipping from the consumer to the business?

No store has ever come to my house and collected a faulty product, nor covered the cost of petrol / car expenses for me to return a product to them...

[elanjacobs]

Really?

The business has to pay for return shipping from the consumer to the business?

No store has ever come to my house and collected a faulty product, nor covered the cost of petrol / car expenses for me to return a product to them...
Yes, really. You are entitled to claim reasonable shipping costs if the item is confirmed faulty.
Repair, replace, refund | ACCC (https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/consumer-rights-guarantees/repair-replace-refund#returning-the-product)

[Mobyturns]

Yes, really. You are entitled to claim reasonable shipping costs if the item is confirmed faulty.
Repair, replace, refund | ACCC (https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/consumer-rights-guarantees/repair-replace-refund#returning-the-product)

Unfortunately, it does not seem to apply to Australian fronts for Chinese based businesses.

[double.d]

I have dealt with this business for a number of years and my orders are usually well over $100 and have always found the service outstanding and the few phone calls i have made were met with straight answers. Despatch is quick but they do employ double packaging with hand written invoice and thank you note which is not really necessary and a cost.

[pippin88]

Yes, really. You are entitled to claim reasonable shipping costs if the item is confirmed faulty.
Repair, replace, refund | ACCC (https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/consumer-rights-guarantees/repair-replace-refund#returning-the-product)Interesting.

The relevant text:

"You are generally responsible for returning the product if it can be posted or easily returned. You are entitled to recover reasonable postage or transportation costs from the business if the product is confirmed to have a problem, so keep your receipts."

May be difficult in reality to convince many businesses of this.

[elanjacobs]

I suspect sending them that and threatening an official complaint would put a fair bit of pressure on them. I don't think any business would prefer the ACCC coming at them over paying $15 for a shipping refund.

[elanjacobs]

Unfortunately, it does not seem to apply to Australian fronts for Chinese based businesses.
Not so. An Australian front/distributor/whatever-they-want-to-call-themselves is still an Australian business with an ABN and is bound by all Australian laws, whether they like it or not.