Great Bunnings Customer Service

[Stuart]

Well that got your attention.

Been waiting patiently for weeks to get the template guide kit, with an order in with Bunnings.

After seeing the posts here, and pictures of people with them in the USA, gave Triton another ring to find out the state of play.

Apparently have been available since soon after Xmas. (Not according to Bunnies, who keep swearing they are not available, and they will be the first to have them when they are). In fact, the store I placed the order with hasn't bothered to place an order with Triton for any. And no other Bunnings has them on their shelves, even though they have been sent their first orders. The latest I was told by one store is that they are going to put them on their shelves when the dust helmet comes out.

Finally, a quick visit to the Triton factory, and I have my set.

So, thanks Bunnings, for your customer service, providing accurate information, checking that your facts are right, and not fabricating stories that only keep your customers in the dark rather than revealing your true nature, that is you don't give a flying &%#$ about your customers, or the service you provide.


[This message has been edited by stuart_lees (edited 15 January 2003).]

[Corunetes]

Go on.....Tell us what you really think!

------------------
Catch ya later,
Peter B.
(Corunetes)

[Dean]

Just sounds like they couldn't be bothered looking further into it to me, hoping you wouldn't come back!



[This message has been edited by Dean (edited 16 January 2003).]

[Stuart]

Thought I'd hold a bit back in case they deserved a second salvo.

[DPB]

Stuart, your experience with Bunnings doesn’t surprise me.

The retailing game is a very complex numbers game. Most retailers are unwilling to give any shelf space to a product unless it constantly turns a minimum of one sale per unit per week per store. Doesn’t sound like much, but when you consider the investment in inventory that a major retailer like Bunnings makes, you can begin to understand their dilemma.

Think about it for a moment – the Triton template guides only work on the Triton Router. How large is the installed base of Triton routers? And how many of these will require template guides? I suspect the number is quite small. And if each outlet only stocked a minimum quantity (it may be possible that Triton packs this product in a master carton of six units per master) this might represent the total number of units that will be sold in a year. One purchase on Bunnings part and they may have the whole market covered. Any multi-outlet retailer takes an overall view of inventory because it is the big picture that determines return on investment, not merely an individual outlet.

To the retailer, shelf space is like gold. This real estate is their stock in trade. They have literally hundreds of supplies, with thousands of products, each fighting to gain shelf space. The retailer will fill their shelves on a priority basis. The product that turns at the highest velocity stays on the shelf. A product that has no history of consumer demand is unlikely to get to first base. I would be surprised if Bunnings have any history of sales of template guides from any supplier, of any brand.

Herein lays the dilemma for both the retailer and the manufacturer. Triton has chosen to sell their products primarily through mass-market retailers. So it’s a catch 22. If the demand isn’t there, neither is the product.


------------------
Woodchuck Canuck
Good luck is the residue of good planning!

[MarkB]

So it was probably just good luck that I happened to be looking through the Bunnings store in Wollongong when I came across the very same product sitting on the shelf, looking lonely and just screaming for me to buy it. Sitting in a corner near the Triton gear but no price on it, just a half ripped sticker with part of someone elses name on it but still wrapped in the original plastic. Must have been a special order and they changed their mind or something. So I grabbed it!
Now to find the time to give it a test run!
Regards

Mark

[barrysumpter]

You can ring Triton and ask them when and how many were delivered to a retailer near you.



------------------
Thanks,
Barry G. Sumpter
Proud Tritoneer
Triton Woodworkers Club Holmesglen

[Stuart]

I did, and rang all the stores that had, and without exception, talking to the correct person (as far as can be ascertained on the phone), was told that they did not have any, have never received any, and were not expecting to get any in the near future (in some cases because it hadn't been released, in another because it was being delayed in release till the dust mask came out).

Secondly, given that I specifically requested one, I don't see why I had to finally resort to contacting the manufacturer personally, and purchase directly from them. (Especially when Triton confirmed that the store that I had ordered the guide through hadn't bothered submitted an order to Triton).

[DarrylF]

Bunnies is a supermarket that happens to stock hardware. You can't special order anything at Coles or Woolies, and personally I wouldn't bother trying at Bunnies. They've offered a couple of times on various things, but life's too short for the sort of BS you went through

I try to give my business to the smaller local guys, and only ever special order from one or the other of them. Bunnies is fine when I want to go browsing for the cheaper volume stuff, and sometimes I'll buy power tools from them if they are the only ones with stock. I never expect anything but crap service from them. I'm occasionally pleasantly surprised.

Frustrating as it is dealing with Bunnies most of the time, the only way we're going to make any difference is to go out of our way to support the smaller outfits, at the very least for the stuff where service matters.

[Dean]

In retrospect, there are times when their dodgy service can benefit the keen woodworker.

Just last week I decided I need a small woodworking bench and Bunnings has this kit assembly workbench for $199 Looks a bit cheap and flimsy, but after setting it up and adding some weight ot it by means of throwing some tools on the bottom shelf, it is really quite solid and Im loving my new bench...Anyway on to the story...

Price was $199 and was plastered all over the displayed workbench and could probably be seen by the cashier from the checkouts... (had I pointed it out)
When he scanned the barcode, it came up as $6.97 and listed as a G-Clamp... Being honest and all, I said "I think it should be a little more than that"... The young kid agreed and then he did a manual search in the database for 'work bench'. He couldn't find my model, but one workbench did come up as $111.00

After looking some more and delaying the customers behind me for a minute or so, he decided just to give it to me for $111.00 (A nice savng of $88 for me).

Although I am an honest person, I know Bunnings is really a ripoff and does scam its customers with prices. They are no way the cheapest place for 75% of their items. Anyway I happily paid the lower, incorrect price and scammed them back for once

So there's a win for the little guy!
Thanks to Bunnies crap service for saving me $88

[This message has been edited by Dean (edited 18 January 2003).]

[zathras]

I know some supermarkets have a policy that if an item gets incorrectly scanned you get the first for free or somesuch.
However I think this only really applies when the scanned price is higher than the shelf price.

This also reminds me when I picked up a 1/2" drive socket set for $29.95 10+ years ago at McEwans. The set was already discounted from $75 to $59.95, but obviously the goon that typed in the discount price had dyslexia with 2's and 5's.
Checkout chick tried several methods that all came up with $29.95 so she said if the computer insists that's what you'll get it for. Thank you very much

Cheers Ray

[John G]

Interesting discussion about bunnings... like any supermarket, it's a good place to get basic h/w items, but don't go looking for any advice or service.
When I go there, it seems they have 3 staff looking after a 7000m^2 store. If I need help finding an item, first thing I need to do is scan all the aisles to see where the staff are!
By comparison, a local Canberra hardware store also has the big warehouse stores. First time I went there, I couldn't want 10 steps without someone asking me if I needed help. What a comparison! No suprises where I now prefer to go.

But on the subject of staff, who exactly does Bunnings employ? Supposedly they are a lot of tradies working there part time? When I was looking at drills and the bunnings guy was trying to sell me on the makita, he was assuring me he was a cabinet maker and that was what he used. Could that be true?
I suppose many people on this board are themselves tradies, or similar. Do any of your mates work part time at bunnings? Who are the trade experts they say they employ? And if they do, why is the service so bad?

[barrysumpter]

Yep! I'm thinking its the lack of training. Doesn't matter if you know your tools.

A verbose or pushy tradie is just as annoying at an un-informed clerk trying to BS his way thru a sale.

"I don't know, but..." or "I'm not sure, but..." are both valid answers.

Its a bit of a buz when you can sell someone someting when they're not sure. Make the beginning salesman feel important and powerfull. Bad lesson.

"The less you say the more intelligent you seem".

Although, I did learn alot about the sizes and lengths of phillips head drill bits. And, yes, I had to come back for the long one cuz the part time tradie just would't let me buy the short one.

------------------
Thanks,
Barry G. Sumpter
Proud Tritoneer
Triton Woodworkers Club Holmesglen


[This message has been edited by barrysumpter (edited 18 January 2003).]

[DarrylF]

I have actually come across one knowledgable, friendly, helpful tradie working at bunnies. Unfortunately he was gone a few weeks later - I guess he found a trade job again.

Seems like there's a percentage of the staff that are tradies in between jobs who don't hang around long, a small percentage of older ex-tradies, and a bunch of kids working part time making up most of the staff. Precisely the mix you'd expect if they pay sh*t.

Let's not forget the majority of those working in the various wood related trades these days are little more than slightly skilled labourers. They spend their time in the trade feeding machines, erecting pre-built house frames and assembling boxes for kitches. Big difference between that and an experienced tradesman in my book.

[Red neck]

My last three trips to ‘Bunnies’ have all resulted in attempted rip-offs by that company. Incorrect bar codes are one ploy they use.

One item I attempted to purchase was shown at around $40 on the shelf and over $100 at the register. The bar code had been mistakenly (??) priced on the computer but because I wanted the item I took sometime to go back to the tool section and resolve the issue.

Another ploy they use is to stack items on the shelf with an incorrect price tag displayed. On two occasions I have arrived at the checkout to find they wanted almost twice the price for the items. On returning to the shelf I found that the tag was for a similar item but one would need to be a stock controller or a ‘Bunnies’ employee to pick up on the subtlety. On both occasions I left the item behind.

I am sure that the company catalogues certain items to attract customers into the store but then rips off the customers by the use of underhand tactics. Either that or they are staffed by a bunch of disinterested people who have no company pride.