Afternoon ordering hours...

[JollyRogers]

Ben,
I have been a customer for a while... well that fell off in April for obvious reasons... Anyways, with the site coming back online, I too have had changes in my life. Work prevents me from accessing the internet during the timeframe things open up for ordering, and by the time I can get to a computer with internet access, all gone. I have almost just given up, but though I would ask what you would think of an idea.

What are the chances of having two timeframes for ordering. One in the morning Pacific time, and one in the afternoon/evening Eastern time?

 

[JollyRogers]

Forget I ever asked.

 

[Jshill520]

That's a pretty fair suggestion IMO. There are a lot of people that absolutely can't get to the site anytime they are open and can't just take a day off to order especially when you don't even know if you will get to order. The sad thing is, they rarely take suggestions from customers. Kinda set in their ways I guess. You could always try to find a friend who can order for you maybe??

 

[Porphy]

The sad thing is, they rarely take suggestions from customers. Kinda set in their ways I guess.

Everyday my work is set by customer feedback. Each change you've seen and will see will be heralded by a customer first in most cases. I fail to see myself being set in my ways with all of this change around me.

How would you prefer I answer this issue on availability? Split the ordering to twice a day at half the capacity each time? Remain with normal operations and lengthen the length of time we are open? Set a low stock limit each day? Limit one order per customer? Hire two more employees and lease more offices? I think about these options and many more everyday and work the best solutions into becoming tangible.

The issue is that we have a finite amount bodies to create (to order) e-liquids for an, as of yet, undefined upper limit of orders.

Give me one quick decisive action I can take to please one customer without putting others at a loss? Everyone sees a bottle-neck but only offers up "Break The Glass!" as an option.

Changes take time. I've learned the bad result of rushed plans and quick changes over the years.

Here our just some of our recent changes:

• The website is operating (wasn't the case for a few months)
• We are accepting orders daily and shipping them (again a recent change)
• We have kept the website online even while closed (much asked for change)
• We have added an "add to wishlist" function that makes ordering quick and easy (much asked for change)
• We've moved to offices with triple the space and hired more "wookies" (employees)
• We've added some "off the shelf" options and expanded our selection (much asked for change)

These are just the noticeable changes over the past couple of weeks. I've kept the list free of incremental website and operations changes for brevity as the list could be much longer.

Give us time to lengthen our operating hours each day. We need to learn the new website (back end) and get used to working with it. We also have to test our work limits... that takes time.

I didn't answer due to a lack of response or to reply in the negative. I didn't respond because it would have been premature.

 

[Jshill520]

Everyday my work is set by customer feedback. Each change you've seen and will see will be heralded by a customer first in most cases. I fail to see myself being set in my ways with all of this change around me.

How would you prefer I answer this issue on availability? Split the ordering to twice a day at half the capacity each time? Remain with normal operations and lengthen the length of time we are open? Set a low stock limit each day? Limit one order per customer? Hire two more employees and lease more offices? I think about these options and many more everyday and work the best solutions into becoming tangible.

The issue is that we have a finite amount bodies to create (to order) e-liquids for an, as of yet, undefined upper limit of orders.

Give me one quick decisive action I can take to please one customer without putting others at a loss? Everyone sees a bottle-neck but only offers up "Break The Glass!" as an option.

Changes take time. I've learned the bad result of rushed plans and quick changes over the years.

Here our just some of our recent changes:

• The website is operating (wasn't the case for a few months)
• We are accepting orders daily and shipping them (again a recent change)
• We have kept the website online even while closed (much asked for change)
• We have added an "add to wishlist" function that makes ordering quick and easy (much asked for change)
• We've moved to offices with triple the space and hired more "wookies" (employees)
• We've added some "off the shelf" options and expanded our selection (much asked for change)

These are just the noticeable changes over the past couple of weeks. I've kept the list free of incremental website and operations changes for brevity as the list could be much longer.

Give us time to lengthen our operating hours each day. We need to learn the new website (back end) and get used to working with it. We also have to test our work limits... that takes time.

I didn't answer due to a lack of response or to reply in the negative. I didn't respond because it would have been premature.

I understand your frustration and I'm not trying to bash you. But aside from hiring new employees and a fresh off the shelf option, everything else was already implemented into the old site so its not really the customer suggestions that put those into action. Well maybe originally it was, I don't know. I'm just telling the poster what I think will happen, as I've seen a number of suggestions go unnoticed; albeit some of them are just customers being picky.

I'm not trying to sound like you're not doing good a enough job. The site is definitely great! I just feel bad for people who have waited so long and there is still not much hope. Maybe if you supply resellers again one day it'll be easier for others to get their hands in some juice.

 

[JollyRogers]

Simply put, I cannot get to the site during my workday and thought my suggestion made sense. I know I am not the only one. Thank you for responding with your view as a vendor.

It is what it is, and I will just move along until things settle some more at AVE is all. I am just about empty on all the big green bottles I have purchased over the last year and would like to be able to restock from AVE. But if not, I understand your position, and can perhaps take up some of the people who PMd me with offers to purchase for me (which I really don't want to do) or hope a reseller gets supplied at some point that can take orders when I am not working.

 

[doubleM]

Ben:

I could be wrong, and you obviously know your business more than I could even guess. I suspect you are experiencing a surge right now because of the closure. I know I only placed two orders, and I too could have stocked up, but I kept mine to 100ML of the three main flavors I enjoy and 2 30ML of one flavor. I was fortunate enough to get on one of the test - and I've been online when you were open other times, but I did not order so that others could. Here it is on the second day of "Normal Operation" and you're out of BB, GJ and 100ML Christy's Capp (which are the three I ordered)... I would definitely say more investment in raw materials would be the first thing I would do (after all this time and you're already out - hard to take I'm sure)...

My suggestions:

Review demand over this past couple weeks you've opened for tests and 2 days of normal operation and project that for at least 30 days and then revert back to demand prior to the closure plus at least 10%. Even though there has been a lot of complaints, I honestly believe the majority of those folks are ordering regardless of what they say in these forums. I know I've turned at least four people onto your juice and they are going to order. Now you have to multiply that by the magnitude of your baseline. Good is good as far as the quality of the product.

Plan of action, don't let the product suffer at ALL and increase wookies to meet the demand you wish to handle - not based on re-open numbers. Use your numbers prior to closure plus the percentage of referrals you obtain from analyzing your old database. That information should be obtainable (I'm sure you already know this).

I won't use the term fair, because that term is over used and meaningless when it comes to reality. Having said that, your eastern clientele are "probably" at work when you're opening (Pacific Time Zone) - Your idea above of opening at two different time periods during the day is probably not a bad idea and those time periods would fall within a "normal" work day. 8 a.m. and let's say 4:00 p.m. for 1/2 capacity each opening.

Another suggestion, which was also mentioned above, place a limit per order, per flavor, per user - 1 100ML, 2 30ML, 4 18ML, 4 12ML, 2 6ML or something along those lines. In reading the ECF and some of the chat I've read - there are those who hoard, and to be frank the possibility of reselling.

Retailers are a viable option with the understanding the retailer may gouge the client - retailers have their own set of troubles in my opinion. Some manufacturers like Zen (Mike) tipped his toes in the water with the Zensis and decided fairly quickly he didn't want to deal with end-users directly and only sells wholesale (He's very available at shows, but has the buffer of the retailer as far as providing product) - a consideration at the least.

I've learned over the years and I'm sure you'll agree: You CANNOT please everyone nor can you conform to everyone's "winning formula." Do what is right for you and your family and the rest of us will adapt in my opinion. This advice is worth as much as a visit to Starbucks with $4.00 in your pocket.

Bottom line, raw material stock is more important than hours - you could be open 24 hours a day (which I've seen your online store do when you're out of favorite flavors)... Find the number of wookies to keep you open at least an hour a day (after this initial "rush" is over)...

Personally, I'm in agreement with you - order today, ship tomorrow... I've ordered from other vendors and waited 4 weeks for the delivery. Clue, they are vendors who no longer enjoy my money. I would rather hit you everyday for two weeks, get the order and know it is coming very soon thereafter rather than place my order and WAIT for who knows how long. You would have more support time expense answering "Where is my juice" than you do now. People start REALLY demanding things when you have their money (not to mention legal issues that "could" occur).

Anyway, head to Starbucks and spend that $4.00 and do whatever you like with my little two cents here. Thanks for asking though - and I'm writing this because you asked. (eye-balling those question marks in your post).

 

[Racehorse]

[*]We have added an "add to wishlist" function that makes ordering quick and easy (much asked for change)

My wishlist was "emptied" upon login in the last day and 1/2. Automatically. Maybe that feature needs to be worked on.

Product availability shouldn't affect a wishlist, should it? There's really no point in my keeping a wishlist if it is going to be emptied by the system.

Seems that the very term wish list would imply items that may or may not be in stock, but that I have made a list of under My Account to remind me of what I want to purchase when it is available for purchasing.

Just reporting my experience in case it helps.