Difficulties with Metalliferous

For all of you who have done business with Metalifferous I wonder if
you have been treated rudely before? After winning an ebay auction on
Jan. 17th, I waited 1 month for delivery and finally emailed them to
find out what was going on. Anthony emailed me back saying he
couldn’t find the Kerr Wax Tip and I could get my money back through
paypal. (I wonder if it had anything to do with the winning bid being
$14.99 on a $42 item? Perhaps they didn’t want to sell for a loss?)

After much work, I could not figure a way to do that, so I emailed
him back and asked for a check to be sent. Never heard back. I spoke
with David today who was extremely rude to me, with no apology for
the lack of follow through on their part. He refused to give his last
name to me as well, which I find odd.

Given that I was going to New York next month, and their store was
high on my list to visit, I’d like to know if this is their normal
way of doing business? I have done business with them before and I do
not normally continue to do business with people who are rude and
abrasive. There are too many other good companies that treat
customers with respect. Would love to hear your imput.

Debi Haldiman
Sunny but cool San Diego

Debi, I’ve also found David to be brusque and abrasive from the
moment he answers the telephone, which is pretty unpleasant after
dealing with people at Rio, Indian Jeweler’s Supply, Reactive Metals,
Hoover & Strong, Thompson Enamels, and other suppliers (even Stuller)
who bend over backwards to be nice. He seems very angry, and you get
the feeling he really hates having to talk to you and wants to punish
you for bothering him. Given how nice his competitors are, it really
stands out like a sore thumb. In contrast, when I first got my
Hoover & Strong catalog (even before I ordered), a man from the
company actually called me on the telephone to thank for me my
interest and to ask if there was any way they could help.

Recently I placed my first order with Metalliferous. Whenever I
place a telephone order and say the name of my street, it’s very easy
for the person on the other end of the line to get the spelling wrong
because the spelling is in fact pretty weird. (Although the weirdest
street in our subdivision is “Zandol,” so things could be worse). So
out of courtesy I always spell it out ("V as in Victor, B as in Boy,"
etc.) David interrupted me in a tone that came across as rather rude
and condescending and said, “You don’t need to do that, ma’am.” So I
stopped. So when he read the spelling back to me, guess what, he had
it wrong.

If they didn’t have items that are hard to get elsewhere, I’d never
place another order with them. As it is, I won’t place another until
I absolutely have to. Then I’ll fax or mail it, to avoid having to
talk to him.

There are plenty of other great places to visit in New York.

Mona

Honestly, we do occasionally have some problems. What business
doesn’t? In the case of Will Denayer, he sent a package back to
Metalliferous via the Postal Service. We did not receive it. He
claims this is ridiculous. I can only offer the voluminous
repository that is the Dead Letter Office in New York City as a
counterpoint to his statement. Packages DO get lost and stolen.
That is why we prefer to use UPS or FEDEX when shipments leave ot
return to our office. As to his claim that we did not send him the
reticulation silver he requested, I can only state that we show no
record of the order. That does not mean that he did not request the
material, only that the order was not evident in our computer system.
When attempting to come to some resolution to this matter, I phoned
him and was told that because he was leaving the country, he would be
too busy to come to the phone. I left a toll-free return phone
number with a woman at his residence and was told that he would
contact me prior to his leaving the States. This did not happen.
The matter, as we see it, is still unresolved. Mr. Denayer’s
solution was to go to post a negative comment about Metalliferous
online, rather than speak to me regarding the matter.

As to the issue with Ms. Haldiman, an item we had acquired at a
public auction was placed for sale on eBay. Ms. Haldiman was the
winning bidder for $19.95 (including shipping). Subsequent to the
eBay auction, the item (a wax pen tip) was either misplaced or stolen
from our premesis. On occasion, this does happen. A suggestion was
made to Ms. Haldiman that she inform PayPal of the events and secure
a refund through them. The outcome of this suggestion was never made
clear. Ms. Haldiman did have a conversation with someone at our
office and she was told that a refund would be forthcoming. Due to a
number of circumstances (including the December 19th death of our
co-founder, Peter Bovin), her refund check was not processed. After
a somewhat confusing and strained conversation between Ms. Haldiman
and myself this past Tuesday, a refund letter was processed and
mailed to her via Priority Mail with twenty dollars in cash (this to
eliminate the requirement that she deposit the check and wait for it
to clear).

Metalliferous maintains a 98.6% positive response rate as a seller
on eBay. We stand by our service and products and attempt to satisfy
as many customers as possible. Occasionally, things fall through the
cracks. We attempt to make amends and move forward. Occasionally,
we come up against customers with whom we can do no right. In those
cases, no apology can change their opinion. As a matter of business
practice, we prefer to evaluate the specific situation, determine the
facts, then respond accordingly. This approach serves our business
well and most of our customers appreciate the way in which we conduct
ourselves.

We would like to have our track record stand for itself. We try.
Sometimes we miss the mark. Mostly, however, we succeed and are
proud of our business.

David Feldman
Metalliferous, Inc.

What does Metalliferous sell that you cannot find anywhere else?
There must be other suppliers who would like your business.

It is unfortunate that this forum can turn so nasty at times. We
all know that nothing is prefect in this world. While I believe that
Orchid proves time and again that we, who may be a dying breed can
still spread the good word and help each other in times of need. We
all have good and bad days and sometimes things can be less than
perfect and can affect how interactions can develop. I have worked
on all sides behind the bench and in sales. Our bad moods can affect
others just as theirs may affect ours.

I gladly endorse Metalliferous with high praises and have found that
they have bent over backwards to help in times when I was less than
welcoming on the phone. I have found individual attention and
personal service to be one of the reasons I have ordered from them in
the past and will order from them in the future. I also recommended
them just today in fact to a well respected metalsmith in my area
only to log on and see all of the sad round robin I have seen before
on Orchid.

If it is not typos in the posts it is the spelling and if it not the
spelling then it is the format of the posts or to slander perfectly
good suppliers that can be hard to find. If you are not happy with a
service find someone else. Please don’t waste our time with
negativity and attempt to ruin what may be another persons well being
and business. Rio also has fell victim to this sort of negativity
but are a wonderful group to work with. If we all keep complaining
about these little run in where are we going to get our tools or
findings in the future? Deal with it. We all have better things to
focus our attention on at lest better than negativity and
complaining.

In fact it is for this reason that sadly many fellow “smiths” have
cancelled thir subscriptions to Orchid. Keep this good thing good
and keep it going strong. For the good of the order. Thank you for
your time.

Thought I’d throw in my two cents. I just placed my first order
with Metalliferous. In the course of placing my order, I spoke with
two people, first a female, and later a male. Both, were quite
pleasant and were willing to work with me on getting my order in the
best possible way.(I live on an island in Alaska and their usual
means of shipping, UPS Ground, doesn’t apply here.)

I have yet to receive my order (placed it yesterday), but to this
point, the experience has been nothing but profession.

Chris Hanson
Ketchikan, Alaska