Ms T's Waiting Room

[Scottitude]

See, thing is, by design Ms. T doesn't have "inventory", the details of her business model are pretty clearly posted on her web site, and it's just my opinion but I believe Ms. T has learned the hard way that even the timeliest of responses, here or via email, won't satisfy the "gimme now" demands and vitriolic posts of those who have unreasonable expectations despite hundreds if not thousands of ECF posts complaining about, explaining or discussing wait-times.

And before some misbegotten soul calls my post "douchey" without understanding that whether it was meant as a personal attack or not that unbiased readers will infer an attack, take a deep breath and relax a little. juice is being mixed, orders are being shipped, and folks are getting tasty flavors.

RHP is right - there are specific review forums where anyone and everyone can tell the world how they feel about any sellers' products and service. I'd like to see the reaction to harsh comments posted about Reo, ProVape, Empire, R&R, or any of the other mod manufacturer's forums that have a viral customer base.

 

[chainvapor]

See the thing is though, I love Tammy's Juices. They are outstanding! But after 4 years of being in business, don't you think it is time for her to "step up her game"?? Why in the world does she not have 2 or 3 people mixing juices by now?? When it was 2 weeks wait time I thought it was a little long but I was ok with it because her juice is AWESOME! But over a month is just ridiculous. I will still order from her and wait, but I just wish she would go through the steps she should have 2 years ago and hire some people to get her wait times down to a week or less. I really only say this because I have talked to her before, I like her, I think she is a good person in general. She just is in way over her head and does not SEEM to want to pay anyone to help her.

Let me do just a little math for ya here. THIS IS SPECULATION OF COURSE! But follow me on this.

Lets say she does 20 orders a day at an average of $80 per order. That would be $1600 per day in SALES. Now assuming she is pulling in 30% profit at a minimum, that would be $480 per day. I am no math major but I have made my own juice before and I have a pretty good idea of the costs (Hence my 30% profit minimum comment). Now if she hired 2 more mixers and got that up to 50 orders per day that would equal $1200 per day and $360,000 per year in PROFITS, not sales. (That does not include Sundays!! and only includes 50 weeks a year)

So 2 more mixers at a salary of $50,000 per year and maybe a shipping clerk for $40,000 per year and she would still clear $220,000 per year before taxes. Is that not enough for her to live on??


I know this is all speculation and although my math may not be perfect, I am pretty sure it is somewhere in the ballpark. I just do not understand the hesitation to hire more people? She could even post on her website that lead times are going to run around 2 months due to training new mixers and we would all probably be SUPER SUPPORTIVE because we would know better days are coming.

But we have heard this story over and over again from her that things are going to get better, that she is hiring help, that lead times are going to get better. Then just when you think things might be getting better !!--BAM--!! her lead times go really long all the sudden. Then a month after her lead times get long she gives us an explanation. REALLY???

Ok, rant over. I will no longer rant and I am sorry. I have been a loyal customer of Ms Ts Bakery for over 3 years and will continue to order from her regardless of the wait times. You will not hear me complain again and this will be my last complaining post. I am sorry to anyone I might have offended or angered as this was definitely not my intent. Just hoping Tammy reads this and starts thinking about what I am saying here.

Vape On All!
CV

 

[Mishy73]

A question for the repeat customers: are the long waits typical or did I just pick a bad time to order?

Hi Glen,
I'm in Australia, so possibly the wrong person to answer because I order and have an extra 7-10days in transit added once shipped.
There is always a wait with Ms T's juices as she creates per order, tailored to what you order. There are times when the unavoidable impedes timely completion and distribution of orders (like now, she's in catchup mode) but in a normal state of affairs you could expect up to a 2week wait delivered. I think the longest I have ever waited (until now - and I'm in no rush or getting my knickers all twisty and bunched .. LOL) is roughly 3 and a half weeks delivered but again, remember, 7-10days transit.
The wait is not normally this long but there are extenuating circumstances that for a small business are significantly impacting. I know Ms T is working her patootie off to get things back on track. Periodically there are issues like this but it's a small business so any impacting factor is amplified and can't be absorbed the way it would with a bigger business.
Hope that helps you Glen. Happy vaping mate!


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[Mishy73]

I just do not understand the hesitation to hire more people? She could even post on her website that lead times are going to run around 2 months due to training new mixers and we would all probably be SUPER SUPPORTIVE because we would know better days are coming.

Hey CV,
Just throwing this out there .. And bare with me .,
3yrs ago my brother left a well paying management position in a multinational. He had a dream, he wanted to run an ice cream shop.
He pursued this and followed his dream opening his shop about 2yrs ago. It's a gold mine!!
He mixes and makes ALL his product HIMSELF on site. He gets up and goes into his shop before 6am EVERY DAY over summer and is open all year round other than about 4-6wks in the middle of winter.
His product has had write ups etc. he regularly runs out of favours and keeps mixing more to keep up. People just accept it because his product is so darn good and they know more is coming .. Synopsis complete.
Now, I'm going to put you in his head .. He has counter staff, up to 3 when flat out and people que down the footpath in summer for his product.
NO ONE else mixes or has been trained to make HIS product because if someone else were making it, it wouldn't be Davey Macs. He loves doing it, it's hard yards and takes time away from family etc but its his passion and livelihood rolled into one BUT STILL, no one else mixes and makes, that's his domain and his alone and EVERYONE understands this, it's why they buy from him. There are no tanties if a favorite flavor is not in the cabinet, people just accept but my brother will take requests or orders and fill them as quickly as he can.
To relate this to topic, perhaps, just perhaps that's Ms T's mindset and if it is, people should not just be accepting if her business ethos, they should respect it, after all, it's her business.
That's my 2penneth, for what it's worth.
Happy vaping.
Mishy


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[Perigwyn]

Can you please show me where she stated how she or her family were threatened? I've read back through the posts and didn't see anything but may have missed something. Someone saying they are going to make a report of poor business practices is the right of the customer. Threats of bodily harm on the other hand are just plain wrong.

Do you really think someone is that stupid as to post it here, where everyone can be a witness to it? It was most likely a voice message or email with that in it. Even us little people know a bit about law in that manner. I sure wouldn't be as stupid as to threaten someone where there would be a few hundred witnesses.

 

[Perigwyn]

Hey CV - she did hire someone to help out, but from the looks of things, that person didn't work out. It is probably not that easy to find someone that is willing to do monotonous work. She may have tried several times to get help but they never work out. This may be the reason she doesn't want to hire anyone. Do you realize how much time and money get put into training someone new? It does add up. Sorry, working on a business major here, so have to learn a lot of things involving business related stuff.

It is a shame she is not on the west coast near where I am, I love monotonous work, but she is on the other side of the map. If she ever decides to relocate out where it is warm, all the time...and barely rains, never mind seeing snow, then I would jump right in there and work for her. But I don't see it happening unfortunately.

I have had a longer wait with her, it was due to when she moved and was getting all setup again. I believe I had almost a 2 month wait. But it was worth the wait and I am patient.

 

[HarmonyPB]

French Vanilla Cap is delumptious .. Creamy and gentle note of coffee running through .. I likes it but its not an ADV for me. Live it periodically!


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Thanks for the info! I can't wait to try it!

I really think if it weren't for the deluded fanboys/girls this business would go under. I've ordered from her once and only once. Never again. Customer service is non-existant. Wait times on the website are updated once in a blue moon and she leaves her site open to orders when she's not even "in the office" fulfilling orders (re: out of town to college, doing things for high school, etc).

I have never had an issue with her CS and I have no problems with the wait times or the frequency that she updates her website.To each their own.

The website still states 4-8 business days yet some people have been waiting for over a month to even have their orders shipped (at least 20 business days).

The way I read her website is that there is a 4-8 business day wait from the time she starts on your order to the time it is shipped. Not the from placing order to receiving order. With all of the variables involved (various order sizes, life, amount of orders placed) I don't see any way she could predict how long it would take from the time a person orders to the time she would get to it and be able to ship it out. But we all know what assuming does.

A question for the repeat customers: are the long waits typical or did I just pick a bad time to order?

Off the top of my head I would say that long times are normal. However, long is somewhat of a relative term and the wait times vary greatly. Doing a quick look at my purchases, I have had wait times vary: 5 days in Feb., 12 days in May and 12 days in August this year. That is from order confirmation to shipped. That is of course just me. I have seen some people post that have waited 20-30 days.

 

[Vagabondnurse]

Do you really think someone is that stupid as to post it here, where everyone can be a witness to it? It was most likely a voice message or email with that in it. Even us little people know a bit about law in that manner. I sure wouldn't be as stupid as to threaten someone where there would be a few hundred witnesses.

You have a reading comprehension problem don't you? I asked where Ms. T, Tammy, slow as molasses business owner, stated that how she and her family were threatened. I was responding to a post by RHP who stated that she was threatened (and alluded to her family being threatened as well). I never said any threats were posted here.

This vendor has a nasty habit of disappearing for weeks at a time while letting orders build up. Website updates regarding wait time only happen once in a blue moon and emails regarding order status routinely go unanswered. Should you search back through older posts you will even find points in time (early this year) where she was having meltdowns, accusing people of trying to steal her recipes (which some say she actually lifted from someone else) and banning people from her forums/website for nothing more than visiting a DIY forum.

As other people have noted, Ms. T has the check cashing side of the business "down to a T" but the customer service/order fulfillment side of things leaves much to be desired. If you were a business owner and suddenly disappeared for a couple weeks without notice, left no hint of the fact that you weren't working on orders, how do you think your customers would respond? Possibly with threats of credit card payment cessation for undelivered product? Calls to the Better Business Bureau?

Next time please learn how to comprehend what you are reading. Or don't they teach the republic citizens how to do that on Corellia?

 

[Scottitude]

Wow, some people are just bullies, aren't they?

Sad, really.

 

[Ben C.]

Wow... so that's the standard for bullying now.

Someone coming to vent about extended wait times with no communication is a "bully"? I'm a fanboy of many products, so I understand the impulse to 'defend the tribe'. But when someone has a legitimate criticism... they have a legitimate criticism. So either acknowledge the criticism, or just choose to not 'like' it and move on. I've always found in the past that this pig-piling paradoxically ends up simply hurting the company being defended.

And FWIW, order #37920 has shipped so I should get my 120mls next week

 

[Scottitude]

Well, bully for you too!

Speaking of moving on Ben C., it's a two way street! Since your order has shipped and you're no longer "waiting" on Ms. T please take you own advice.

This merry band of trolls and their redundant whining and non-stop attacks against anyone who isn't livid about the wait has grown so tiresome.

 

[EKat]

Yay! My order I put in on sept 1 just shipped!!! Now the question is, do I have to steep her juices?

 

[Ben C.]

Some develop a bit with steeping, some don't. I honestly enjoy her juices straight out of the mail, but something like Snickerdoodle will have its cinnamon mellow a bit and more doughieness develop if you let it steep for a week. Or something like Fried PB & B -the banana will be quite apparent initially, but over time, the peanut butter becomes more dominant. So there are changes, but I don't feel they *require* steeping.

Oh, and Scott - because your posts have been so vitriolic and unconstructive, I've gone to your profile and added you to my Ignore list. Please be aware that if you post something again trying to be antagonisitc, I won't be able to reply because I simply will not see it or any of your past posts.

 

[HarmonyPB]

Yay! My order I put in on sept 1 just shipped!!! Now the question is, do I have to steep her juices?

Yay for inc vape mail!!

+1 to what Ben said. Some juices (peppermint, vanilla) I like straight out of the mailbox. I find the more complex flavors I do not particularly like until they've steeped for a couple weeks. I absolutely love her Blueberry gum, but right at first it tastes rather chemical-like. After 2-3 weeks it is heavenly

 

[Erin.R]

Does anyone know a coupon code for this month? The last ones stopped working on the 8th.

 

[Scottitude]

Woe is I.

And for what it's worth to anyone keeping track, I received order #37890 today.

ETA:
Erin.R... No new codes yet. Maybe they'll pop up soon.

 

[munkey]

My order (37974, Sept 2.) is out the door, so the orders in the low 38000's should be going out shortly.

Apple Goofy Rancher, Blueberry Pomegranate, Dragon Fruit, Grape, Huckleberry, Loganberry, Mirror Blueberry, Pina Colada, Razzleberry, Ribbitt, Strawberry-Kiwi, Surprise Mystery Special, Testing Area: Wolfberry, Unflavored, Watermelon Gum Too, and White Grape, all adding up to 296ml of 14mg and 18mg juices.

I've been watching this (and other similar) threads from a distance for a few weeks now. Long time customer, love the juices, don't mind waiting... but those posting about poor communication and service are spot on in this thread. Life happens, and we can all appreciate that Mrs.T had some things come up. However, I refuse to believe that updating the main message on the site is too much to ask. Something along the lines of, "Orders are currently backlogged and may take several weeks -- emails complaining about the wait will be ignored" or "Please be patient, delivery time is currently 10+ business days" would not take but a minute to post, and would at least warn people that clicking 'order' might be equivalent to giving Mrs. T an interest-free short term loan. 20 business days (my wait) is substantially longer than was advertised at the time that I ordered, and on top of that, I'm not particularly thrilled about the recent trend of ignoring of routine emails. (By that, I mean legitimate questions about payment, product flavors, and availability -- not just mindless emails whining about "how much longer?" Even an autoreply of some sort would be better than the silence that seems to have become the norm.)

For the record, I was more than willing to kick back and wait a month for this order, but I also recognize that my personal comfort comes from having ordered many times and knowing exactly what would be in my mailbox whenever it did finally show up. I feel that many of the long time 'T fans', who are biting back at those who are voicing their frustrations (including many first-time buyers), are inadvertently doing her business a tremendous disservice. Mrs. T very often gets (and deserves) much of the praise heaped upon her, but in this case, your love for her juices is blinding your judgement -- she screwed up badly this last few weeks, primarily in the communications department. I get the impression that a number of individuals here believe they are helping by being "loyal", but defending a poorly managed business, that absolutely needs to make major improvements in certain areas, is counterproductive. Constructive (read: non-threatening!) criticism from customers both old and new is absolutely appropriate when service is not up to par, especially when you consider that these are premium e-juices and are priced accordingly. This is not a charity nicotine service we're talking about, in which case we should all be thanking our lucky stars to be getting anything; Mrs. T demands big bucks for her products, and that fact is overlooked on this forum too often. Paying customers who expect professional treatment through all phases of the purchase process are not "whiners" or "complainers" for voicing their displeasure with the delivery of what is, relatively speaking, a very expensive product.

In my opinion, we should all be doing everything possible to make sure that Mrs. T hears and acknowledges ALL feedback that ANY paying customer wishes to give, and encourage her to make improvements to her operation based on whatever items are consistently mentioned as needing work. Otherwise, this same scenario will continue to repeat itself over and over. If it does, and a competing business finally comes along that can create juice of even remotely similar quality level, there would very likely be an entire slew of repeat customers like myself (who surely represent the financial backbone of Mrs. T's operation) that have grown wary of the consistently amateurish business practices and are suddenly ripe for the picking.

As others have alluded to, there is no reason for a business built on such excellents products not to be absolutely EXPLODING with growth. Mrs. T is not fragile; if she can cash our checks, she can handle the criticism that comes with it. To those who are reflexively calling others "trolls" for posting anything besides glowing reviews of the juice itself, I hope that you will think twice before rushing to the defense of your favorite juice vendor, and attempting to run the poster out of town without regard for the substance of his or her comments. She's my favorite too, but "playing defense" and maintaining the business's image is a job that should be reserved for the owner and her employee(s). As for the rest of us, we are all on the same team: we part with large sums of our hard-earned cash, primarily in exchange for the delivery of goods, but also with the expectation of receiving at least some level of customer service. "Minimal" customer service, I think most of us would accept... but I would say "practically nonexistent" is a more accurate reflection of the current state of service provided by Mrs. T's. There is no rational explanation for this forum to not be in 100% unanimous agreement about this.

 

[HarmonyPB]

I hear what you are saying Munkey. And this is only the way I view it. I am not accusing anyone of anything or implying anything. I hang out over here because I like hanging out on the forums and Ms. T is a vendor I frequently buy from. I've tried many of her juices and plan to try many more. So I give my when I'm able to and ask questions when I have them. The hard part about insisting she "better her business" is that I have had no personal issues with her business. I have emailed her only a handful of times and I've always received a quick response addressing every question I asked. Even when they were just frivolous wonderings I thought up one day when I had too much time on my hands. I don't feel it is right for outsiders to get mixed up in the issues others are having. How many of the people that have emailed her and not gotten a response had a legitimate question that is not addressed on her website? How many people that have emailed her maybe typed her email address wrong? Gone to her spam account? Got lost in cyberspace? How many responses from her ended up the same way? I'm not saying that it is beyond the realm of possibility that everything is working the way it should and she is simply ignoring everyone. That may very well be the case. However, I have not personally experienced that issue and I'm hesitant in taking the word of one side. I simply do not know first hand what is going on.
Again, that is why I am not all up in arms about the way she runs her business. But on the flipside I also do not call people trolls (recently) or dismiss their concerns. I do what I can, when I can. I just wanted to say that I think it's a little unfair to put the burden of her continued business success on her long time customers. We are all here stating our opinions. Yes our opinions differ, but that is because we are humans. There is nothing in this world that people are 100% in agreement on. If some people decide not to buy from Ms. T because of the responses they got from forum members then that is their prerogative. However, I still don't think all the blame should go to the responder seeing as they were replying to the OP. Things get a little heated sometimes, but that happens all over the forum. I do not feel that I am blinded by her wonderful juice. I can only state my personal experiences and my personal experiences thus far have been great.

 

[leeca]

My order was my first, I waited about a month and I saw the orders continue to consistently come out at a faster and faster rate. I had to go to an event in Northern California for the week and returned today with my goodies sitting on the table for me. Quick question for the Mrs. T vets... How long should I let my new stash steep? I am looking forward to savoring the experience and want to get a good 100% impact of the goodness so I want to do it right. I got a box with popcorn and some candy’s a ball point pen and a little note apologizing or the delay. I understand life happens and with the endorsement of the likes of the veterans here and a nudge this Phil Busardo dude. I am confident that I will be ordering more.

I want to thank the good folks here for the recommendations on other flavors to try on my next order.
Thanks in advance… I already have my next order all queued up and I haven’t event tasted my first order yet... Oh... I will try them before actually placing the order but I am already looking forward to placing it as I am confident the next time around will be quite a bit more expedient.

 

[Mishy73]

Quick question for the Mrs. T vets... How long should I let my new stash steep? I am looking forward to savoring the experience and want to get a good 100% impact of the goodness so I want to do it right.

I want to thank the good folks here for the recommendations on other flavors to try on my next order.

Hey Leeca,
I have to admit, I have a cabinet full of different flavours. Mine usually steep a month before I get to them .. Minimum, however, this time round my staples won't get that luxury as I'm almost out. Tempted to order more shortly so I can get some steeping again.
Some flavours are great straight up but I find they are better after a minimum 2 week sit.
Taste is VERY subjective and everyone's palate differs. I'd suggest you try a couple, then leave them for a bit or poor some off to leave and then compare. You will notice a difference. The subtle layers come out more and more and some of the stronger flavours mellow nicely. At the end of the day, it's your juice and you need to sample and steep and sample and steep until you work out how you enjoy the juice most.
So far as juices go, if you like coffee, you HAVE to try the espresso and that's one that ages magnificently, the longer you steep it the better and the other you HAVE to try is the strawberry lemonade .. It's OMG GOOD!! Seriously .. AWESOME!!
Good luck mate and happy vaping!
Mishy


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