COMPLAINTS ABOUT ANY SPONSOR

[Hippie3]

here's how we handle this.

1. we do not allow just anyone to post anything about a sponsor-
that makes it far too easy for unethical competitors to bash a sponsor
using accounts here to post phony complaints.
IF YOU POST BASHING ANY SPONSOR WITHOUT FOLLOWING THE PROCEDURE OUTLINED BELOW
EXPECT YOUR THREAD/POST TO BE DELETED.

2. topia will help you get satisfaction from any sponsor
as long as you follow the procedure-
we will boot any sponsor that refuses to make good
if we find them to be at fault.

3. STEP 1
CONTACT THE SPONSOR.
this is important- i've spoken to members who've bitched about their order
from various companies and often when i ask them i learn that they never mentioned their complaint to the sponsor directly, they just start bad-mouthing them.
if you do not say something no one can help fix it.
many times this complaint procedure can stop right here
once communication is established.
and don't be shy- send multiple emails and PMs over several days
and be patient- these are busy working folks and don't always give an
immediate response.

3. STEP 2
CONTACT TOPIA BY PM -
ok, you've tried reaching the sponsor a few times now and no response
or worse yet, they tell you to go bugger off.
now it's time to involve topia-
PM me and/or any mod here about the situation.
we'll need to know the details, order number, when placed, what was ordered, the more you can pin down your exact order
then the easier for us to go to the sponsor with the info they'll want.
IF YOUR BEEF IS WITH ME CONTACT AT LEAST 2 MODS HERE TO BE YOUR
WITNESSES, not just me.
that way you know i'm not abusing my powers here to protect myself,
the mods are stand up people who would not lie for me
nor help me cover it up if i screw up.
i want everyone to feel confident
that we take any complaint seriously,
even complaints again topia itself.

4. STEP 3
DOCUMENT YOUR COMPLAINT.
if you did get your stuff
but are not happy with quality
this step becomes vital to help you.
if your spores contaminated then send pix of that.
if you got broken jars photograph them too.

5. STEP 4
ACT QUICKLY.
inspect your order as soon as it gets there,
don't let it sit unopened a few weeks.
DO NOT USE ANY OBVIOUSLY DEFECTIVE PRODUCTS.
just photograph the mess and go to step 1.

6. STEP 5
BE PREPARED TO RETURN any merchandise you're unhappy with.
you may have to return the merchandise and even cover the
postage returning it,
that's just standard business-
if you get a bad item at walmart
you gotta take it back,
you can't keep it and they won't reimburse your time, expense.

7. STEP 6
KNOW WHAT YOU WANT AND SAY SO.
do you want the order replaced, refunded or what ?
let us know right away.

8. STEP 7
BE REASONABLE AND PATIENT-
might take a few days to get it all sorted out
and your replacement/refund on its' way.
do not send us angry messages,
that does not help at all
and pisses us off.


9. STEP 8
we expect some DISCRETION AND APPRECIATION
in return for making sure that
everyone who buys from a topia sponsor
ends up satisfied.
once the issue is satisfactorily resolved
let that be the end of it,
don't take a refund then go posting
what a crappy vendor he was ,
if we get it settled
then it should be settled,
should not hear of it again.

[Hippie3]

this thread is informative,
don't want it cluttered with the same kind of comments
that the procedure outlined above is trying to avoid.

if you have a grievance
follow the procedure.
comments should be general in nature.

btw
the primary reason i'm posting this procedure
[it's the same policy we've had for many years]
is to remind the older crowd and inform the new.

[Hippie3]

i was just thinking a bit more on this
and let me share some of my experiences,
i've been running mycrotopia several years now
and i've had to deal with a few complaints-
some were valid, some not.
some were my fault, some were the customers.
but in the end i try to make them happy-
no business wants an unhappy customer.
here are some common problems/complaints i've encountered-
1.EMAIL CRAP
spam filters are email killers. many times i've replied to a customer
sometimes several times but they never get my email message.
the reverse can happen too, every now and then i have to dig thru
the discard folder to find an important message that i never got.
also i've run into bad email addresses alot,
type a reply, hit send and shit, it bounces back undeliverable.
now how can anyone answer if you don't give a valid email ?
my advice-
if you think your emails are being ignored,
try a different email account to send from.
try sending a PM from here.

2. who's at fault ?
now one i see fairly often is where someone buys my jars and spores from xxxx
and the jars turn green.
what went wrong , who is to blame ?
this was costing me a few orders back when
until i implemented a policy limiting my warranty
to before any injection.
in many cases it's the spores but often the grower
screwed up.
this is why we need details on what has gone on,
try to figure out if it's me or the spore guy or the customer.
sometimes it's none of those, the post office is to blame.
but this is why i say inspect your order on delivery-
every sponsor will at least guaranty that much,
that your order arrives in good working condition.

3. time is of the essence.
a few times i've had a guy let his box of jars sit several months
before they even open it, then they email me and say a jar was broken.
by then i can't even find their order any more,
you guys don't want me keeping records forever do you ?
so even if you aren't going to use it right away
at least open the box and look over your order-
if you keep it it's yours.
if you see anything you don't like then do not go ahead and use it.
i've heard that one on spore vendors- the syringe was leaking but
the guy used it all up anyway so there's nothing to return.
that's like eating the whole meal at a restaurant then demanding
a refund because the steak was tough.
if you use up the spores without testing a little first, well it makes it
more difficult, although some vendors will replace an order once.
same with any product,
don't expect a refund after you eat that 3' cactus and didn't get off.
at most we might be able to get you another cactus
but can't guaranty that.
if the product is used, gone by the time you complain
often that's too late.

4. human error
be understanding that shit has happened even to the best-
do not assume the vendor is out to burn you.
they are not.
they want you happy, just give them a chance.

5. BAD ADDRESSES / INFO
here's the most common one i get-
the package gets sent but never gets there.
or once in a while i even get money in the mail
but the guy forgot to give his address.
to get mail
you must use a real name at a real address.
don't have it shipped to mickey mouse,
it'll be returned.
don't leave off the name entirely,
they won't deliver to just an address.
the mail carrier knows who gets mail at that address
so the name better match.