Masters website inaccuracies

[Grahame Collins]

Has anyone had problems with Masters Home Improvement website?

It is set up to offer a picture of the product, some specs,price and offers the numbers of units of the indicated product, in stock at your local Masters shop.

The trouble is when you front up at the shop ,bingo ,no product on shelf. I have left my details -yes we will contact you, but they don't after weeks of waiting.

Reason is that SOME products don't turn up at all .Local Masters store staff tell me it happens a lot. I have had a whinge to the lady on the online Masters chat but nothing has happens because of it, as yet.
It has been the same for months ,product indicated on website ,but empty space on shelves. Staff had even checked out the back for stock that perhaps someone forgot to place on the shelves, to no avail.

I live only a few minutes drive away from the local Masters, so its not a biggie for me. However when you live miles out of town and you drive in based on the strength of info on the website it is very annoying.
One agitated man I talked to in the store had traveled some 80 ks to buy the product indicated on the website but it was not available.

Having chased various stuff so many times over months now, I just go to the other retailers and get what I need. I suspect the ordering supply software has a major glitch and they are unable fix it and are not admitting to it.

Perhaps the concerns of the people that want to buy the Masters products mean little to the Admin level of Masters.

Even worse according to independent reviews on Masters,that there are products being ordered online to be delivered for pick up at the local store that never arrive ,but the software claims they have been delivered.
Also their warranty policy makes interesting reading.

What are the experiences of Forumites with Masters Home Improvement.
thanks
Grahame

[FenceFurniture]

Yep, same same.

Best idea is to ring and ask them to sight the product and see if they will put it aside (you may have to pay for it on the phone). Problem is, you have to ring Head Office and ask them to put you through to the store because they don't publish individual phone numbers (IIRC).

[Grahame Collins]

I have had local store staff look out back for product that may have come in but may have not yet reached the shelf.This has gone on for far too long.A phone call or email should sort this nonsense out in a day or two- not weeks and months.

The software has indicated a product I have sought for nearly six months. Its a 50mm Kobalt chisel product no 900032060. I have another Kobalt size 38mm and its quite good for under $12.The local store - hook for the 50mm size has been vacant for 4 or 5 months, yet the software said 6 x50 chisels are in stock at Mackay .

An independent Australian review website carries stories of people who have done as you have suggested - payed ahead and ordered product. When they go to collect, the online info indicates they have already collected the product. Some thing is amiss when a good few people tell this similar story. When 70% on responses indicate a terrible rating one must conclude there was a problem.I suspect the online software may well be that of a cut and paste from the yank system. As I stated I m not going to loose any sleep over a damm chisel,but it serious for others who have already paid and have no product after waiting an appropriate amount of time.


I am trying to confirm if the Loewes (US) suffers similar problems.

In the end its down to the software wether online or in store - and its not correct.

[_fly_]

I have had local store staff look out back for product that may have come in but may have not yet reached the shelf.This has gone on for far too long.A phone call or email should sort this nonsense out in a day or two- not weeks and months.

The software has indicated a product I have sought for nearly six months. Its a 50mm Kobalt chisel product no 900032060. I have another Kobalt size 38mm and its quite good for under $12.The local store - hook for the 50mm size has been vacant for 4 or 5 months, yet the software said 6 x50 chisels are in stock at Mackay .



Think thats part of the problem, If the system says they have 6 then it does not re-order it.
Until someone does a stock take and updates/writes off the missing stuff.
Pretty sure the manager doesn't want to explain so many missing parts, or explain why.

[david.elliott]

get the cabinets from M for the new granny flat.
So, they took the opportunity to order the whole lot including appliances, and paid a couple of jokers $2500 ostensibly for the DAY to fit the cupboards.
There's not really enough room, and I cannot type fast enough to relate all the shenanigans. Best of all was the argument over the range hood, that was on the order sheet and not delivered that M insisted was not ordered. That phone conversation was worth recording...but we didn't get to.
Three other most relevant,
Day 1, weird gap appears between cupboards that is 175mm wide. Appears wrong cabinets sent and therefore fitted. Top marks for this though,...Kitchen manager from M drives out, they agree to add a 200 cupboard so she drives back to the store collects the carcass and drives back. 2 hours from her day...
Day two, hole for sink waste in base of carcass, 75mm out one way, and 25 the other...new carcass required. all stop!
Day three - Mate walked in met with the sight of the bloke, drill in hand, about to drill for handles, but there are no handles on the finished job. When asked he says, "I got a box of handles, so they must go on..."

[cba_melbourne]

When flying I like to read small format newspapers, large formats are a pain in $#^%$&%^$ to read when squeezed between economy seats. I mention this to explain why someone like me reads the Financial review.

Anyway... I was flying this Monday, and saw this article: Masters confident on two-year turnaround. Matt Tyson, the British hardware veteran charged with the task of turning around Woolworths' loss making Masters chain, is backing away from ambitious growth targets...... Matt arrived in Australia 2 weeks ago.....

Maybe you send Matt an email with your observations.

[LordBug]

Gosh, and I thought it was bad that their site listed all the 3m lengths of PVC pipe as unable to be delivered, but a couple of sizes of 6m lengths (But only some!) said that they could be delivered!

I wish there was a Masters local to myself to dreamfully fill the lack of whatever I visit the big B for (Never have I left that store with _everything_ that I've gone in for, such is the cause of my love/hate relationship with Bunnings, and I have two, possibly three pf them equidistant to myself!), though it's definitely useful to hear of these issues with their online system to note for future reference.

[david.elliott]

Had a relatively unscheduled late run to B recently to buy 24 x 4.2s of TP at 90 x 45. I asked the fellow if they could open the gate coz I had to buy that many, it'd be ideal to bring the ute in...no can do, sorry, was the reply at which time he wandered off to lean on the counter and chat to a workmate....so I had to pull them all down, check for straight, load onto a trolley and get the load through the checkout! Whilst trying to manhandle the load a couple of the staff blokes stood over there and looked on, whilst a SWT, all 5'6' of her and 40 kilos tried to help... I seem to recall it was about $600.00, should get better for that!
I'm not actually sure why they have staff there at all, with the advent of the new self serve tills I reckon they could sack at least half of 'em and reduce the prices...and they wouldn't be clogging up the aisles which seems to be all they're good for...
Most interestingly, SWMBO and I found is the staff at the B that is effectively right next door to an M have quite a different outlook...right down to being greeted by the same persons 4 times as we wandered the store...but that ones quite a lot further away...

[Master Splinter]

It's not only online...my recent Masters experience:

Me: "Yes, I'd like to buy that air compressor, thanks" (points to air compressor on shelf)
Salesdroid: (queries handheld device) "Yup, we show two in stock, I'll just go and see where they are."
Me: (waiting for a while)
Salesdroid: "Ummm I can't find any, I've been told we don't any left, and we're not restocking that one."
Me: (notices 'Discontinued' legend on product swing tag) "That's ok, I don't mind the display unit."
Salesdroid: "Sorry, we don't sell the display units."

Repeat this exercise with the same unit 3-4 times over six weeks (still showing two in stock the whole time). Now, if they are not going to sell the display unit, and they have no stock, I'd like to ask Masters...

1) Why is a non-saleable unit on display when there are none to be sold?
2) Why is a stock of two units shown on the in store POS when these units cannot be found?
3) How did shrinkage of two (or more) units occur?
4) Is this the standard that your loss prevention people set?
4.5) If it is, can I know the secret handshake/password/wink/nudge so that I too can benefit from 100% discounting?
5) Why hasn't there been a reconciliation between what the computer shows, and what's actually available?
(and yes, it's still shown on their website even though there is no stock in any stores...)

[FenceFurniture]

Ah, and most important of all:

6) If you are not restocking them, why the hell don't you want to sell the last one so you can:

Clear the last of the stock (doh!)
Devote that display space to another product (double doh!)

[LordBug]

I think they may have to be called Master Baiters, both meanings valid :wink:

[A Duke]

To err is human, to really screw up you need an IT department.

[code4pay]

To err is human, to really screw up you need an IT department.

This a problem with people not keeping the inventory updated nothing to do with IT.

[Grahame Collins]

This a problem with people not keeping the inventory updated nothing to do with IT.


Who would you blame for this then?


305711


With self serve check outs and scanners ,do you say the computerised system is incapable of subtracting one item from the original count and automatically keeping a an inventory level.


Perhaps we have a chisel thief that only nicks 50mm chisels?

Grahame

[code4pay]

The user for misspelling wood chisel but at least the it guys were clever enough to show a result that might match the users mistaken entry.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

[LordBug]

Is the result the same if you put a space in between "wood" and "chisel"?
Inflexible search engines aren't all that uncommon, it's why I tend to use google for searching the bunnings site instead of their internal search.

[eskimo]

could the actions be known as "bait advertising"

[david.elliott]

the amount of items that go missing from an M is mindboggling!
He actually said "You would not believe how much gets nicked..."

I'd really like to compare rates at two stores, one with checkouts and one with self serve.
IME the comparison of my purchases to the receipt has been, cursory at best, at worst, non existent...

[Evanism]

The user for misspelling wood chisel but at least the it guys were clever enough to show a result that might match the users mistaken entry.

oh! Bbbuuuuuurrrrrnnnn!!!!! Damn that was good.