You should retitle this thread "Pelican Parts - Disappointed with service"

I've ordered several sets of Lloyd's mats through Sunset Porsche and they've been right every time.

You do have to be careful with your color codes, though.

 

One other thing, watch out for your new valve stem caps whenever you have the car serviced. They'll have habit of being "misplaced" at tire change/alignment/balancing time.

 

Update: Pelican seems to want to make this right. I got an e mail from Judy saying that they would send me prepaid shipping to return the mats, and send out the corrected order.

(Perhaps they were reading this board or someone clued them in regarding the level of dissatisfaction.)

I'll keep you guys posted as to how it turns out.

 

As with most things in life, there are multiple ways of looking at a situation. On our website, it clearly states the following:

Quote:

99.9% of the time when mats are returned, it is because the colors don't exactly match the color of your car's original interior. It is important to remember that carpets fade over the years, and while the color of the mats may accurately reflect your vehicle's orginal interior color, it may have faded or changed color over the years. Also, colors on your computer monitor may not accurately reflect the actual colors of the floormats.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/lloyds/warranty.htm

The notes here on this particular order from my Customer Service personnel seem to indicate that "rome" didn't want to wait for us to mail a color sample of the carpet kit to him. With these custom-made carpets, it's sometimes very difficult to match the original material, hence we send out samples all the time to people who want to get it right. In addition, I see that you sent us a message changing the color of the mats after the order had been placed. Clearly, there was confusion about which color mats you thought would be best for your car. In cases like these, we highly recommend that people wait to receive color samples, so that they can match up the mats to the current color of their carpet. We *do* want people to be happy with the mats, and we *have* had these problems in the past, that is why we maintain a large shelf of samples to send out to our customers.

Also, on the website, we do not offer the black script with the 'S' in red as an option - you placed the following comment into your online order asking if we could accomodate this special request - it's not part of our normal procedure to use multiple colored threads for the script:

Quote:

I ordered the "Carrera S" logo in black script, but I am hoping that the "S" part of the logo will be offset in a different color than black, such as RED. If that can be done on my mats I would be much obliged.

Many thanks.

I do apologize in that it does appear that your comment here was missed when processing your order. After calls to Lloyds to ask regarding special requests like these, it does appear that you can have this done, and I believe that Judy has helped you with this request right now, and in getting mats that better match your interior:

Quote:

Dear XXXX,
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I was working with the vendor to come up with the best solution for you. Here is what we would like to do. I would like to have the mats that you currently have returned to us. I will send you a return label so that you do not have to pay for the return. It can then be taken to any Fed-ex or kinkos location for a return to us. Here is the RMA # to be put on the box. RMA# 006-288-513 JM. We will send you a complete set of mats at no charge. the color of the mats that you want are Antelope and you want the mats to be embroidered in black with " Carrera" and have the "S" done in red. I need you to confirm that this is all agreeable to you and then we can process your order in the morning. I will not answer your e-mail additionally since that seems a bit redundant, if that's OK with you. My apologies for the error. We will always take ownership of our mistakes and do what it takes to make them right. I know that this is your first order with us, and we haven't made that terrific first impression I like to make. Let's hope we can correct that.

Please get back to me with your approval of these steps.

Sincerely,


Judy Muller
Director of Customer Service
Pelican Parts
888-280-7799 x 238

As you can see, Judy is working closely with you to ensure that you do get mats that are a better fit for your car. Again, I apologize for us missing the comment on your online order asking for the special request of the red "S" in the lettering. I have instructed Judy to make sure that we get the color samples out to you right away, as I want to make sure that what you receive this time is exactly what you are looking for.

That said, threads like these are very difficult to respond to at times because I often don't have enough information on what the problems were, and I often don't even know who is posting particular posts. Pelican is a company that is run by humans, and as such, we do occassionally make mistakes. However, we do go out of our way to correct them and make sure that our customers are happy. Last year, we embarked on a major campaign to improve customer satisfaction by focusing our attention on many areas. Some of these include:

- The integration of our FREE shipping program
- Same-day shipping of about 90% of the parts we sell
- Improved response time to customer problems and inquiries
- Rollout of a new, friendlier and easy-to-use shopping cart
- Rollout of our new Parts Finder system (http://www.pelicanparts.com/PartsLoo..._Main_Page.htm)
- Dramatic expansion of our on-line catalog
- Overhaul of the systems, procedures, and staff in our Customer Service Department

In our survey results on our website, recent changes we implemented have shown a 38% increase in Customer Satisfaction. Sales are also way up into the double-digits with a majority of our daily orders being repeat customers. Customer Service is indeed a high priority for us, and I hope that this email helps to counter some of the negativity that has been shown in this thread.

I hired Judy last year to come work for Pelican Parts - she has more than 30 years of experience running Customer Service departments, and I felt that her attention to detail and Customer Satisfaction was exactly what I believed in, and was looking to improve at Pelican. Our Customer Satisfaction surveys were never poor in the past, but I did feel that we could do better. Judy is in the process of revamping the department, and we have hired all new Customer Service Personnel - all whom think along the same lines as Judy and myself.

I'm really sorry that we cannot be 100% perfect for everyone, but based upon what I'm hearing from my day-to-day customers, we're doing a very good job. As you can see from the information I've posted above, when mistakes *do* happen, we do what's necessary to fix the problem. It's unfortunate, but with the Lloyds mats, it's *very* difficult to get it 100% correct when the customers don't have color samples in their hands.

Thanks for listening, and thanks for your support!

Wayne R. Dempsey
CEO, Pelican Parts Inc.

 

I told you that Judy would make it right. Please keep us posted...

 

Nice BOLD reply.

Looks like you are getting help Rome. Good deal.

So, while we are on the topic... my turn to "irk" you Wayne (if it were not recent and consistent with previous experience I would NOT be piling on). Pelican also sells a set of "993" SS brake lines. The rears are incorrect and do not hove the proper fitting on one end of the line. They were very good about taking them back but I didn't have the time or energy to solve the real problem... part # on package correct. They would appear to fit a 964.
Ordered lug nuts, 20, got 18. They were on backorder and then I had to explain what 18 meant compared to 20... the box said 18 on it, had written. Simple human error.
I've had a couple of other "minor" problems that have been resolved nicely also... but it should never have happened.
I'd say I am getting the correct order about 75% of the time. YMMV.
For the record, the above is entire, very simple story. Please don't try to dismiss the posts you see as one-sided rants. Such is the world of public boards and e-commerce... it can help you greatly or be painful. This is the painful part.

I am certain Pelican doesn't want the order to go out incorrectly... the return shipping they are eating must be huge. Less profit = bad.

Based on Wayne's reply I will fill out that survey next time so I can help get them accurate data. Especially now that we know it is actually being looked at. I've never filled one out, good or bad. My mistake.

 

wow... this is all very familiar...i too have had really bad experiences in the past... i posted a couple years back and got a lot of sh*t for it... however, ever since that incident, i have witnessed more and more posts regarding the same kind of treatment....

 

Wayne,

Thanks for your reply on this board.

As you probably read above, I had a bad service experience with your company over an issue so simple that it was exasperating. I simply chose not to do business with Pelican again - my mistake in retrospect was staying silent. How can you please a customer that drops off the map?

I've had multiple easy transactions with Gert at Carnewal, Steve at Rennsport, and Bob Brooks (Viperbob). I've had good communication with all of them and never had a problem. Thus they have earned my repeat business.

Given the tone of your post, the fact that you took the time to do it, and Judy's obvious attention to making things right, I will certainly have a second look at Pelican, but I would suggest that you interpret the posts here as genuine.

Regards,
Matt

 

Surveys - Yes, we look at and read and respond to every single one. That has been my directive since day one.

When we overhauled our systems last year, we started using a drop-shipping warehouse in San Fransisco. This enabled us to offer FREE shipping to our customers for the parts shipped out of there, all the while still offering hard-to-find Porsche specialty parts that ship from our location here in El Segundo. Here is a blurb explaining it a bit better:

Quote:

Why are my parts shipped from multiple warehouses?
In late 2005, through useful survey responses like these, we determined that our customers valued FREE shipping as one of their top priorities. However, Pelican's business model was setup to service our customers with both regularly stocked, semi-common items *and* also hard-to-find specialty items that require special procurement and/or handling. Due to the way the specialty items are procured, it is not possible to offer free shipping on these particular items. We could have removed all of the specialty items from our catalog and only sold the mainstream items, but we decided that this was not in the best interest of our customers - many people come to us specifically for these items. However, some of our competitors who only offer the mainstream items were offering FREE shipping to their customers, and we felt that we needed to provide this service as well.

So, in early 2006, we split our fulfillment department into two warehouses - one that is semi-outsourced for efficiency that handles all of the most commonly replaced items and ships to our customers for FREE, and one that is dedicated to the delivery of more difficult-to-find items that most of our competitors do not supply. This way, we have been able to provide FREE shipping on the mainstream parts and remain competitive in the marketplace, while at the same time we still are able to supply the more difficult to find parts for our customers as well. Customer response to this model has been very positive over the past year.

Unfortunately, our drop-ship supplier wasn't up to our own internal standards with respect to accuracy of shipping and packaging. We have been working with them very closely over the past 12 months to improve this, so that we can continue to offer the FREE shipping option to our valued customers. Unfortunately, when running a business and trying to meet the needs of many differnt customers, sometimes it's difficult to create a model that fits everyone perfectly 100% of the time.

I do not dismiss comments like these that are posted on the boards - I research and investigate them as much as possible. For example, I just saw that Brian communicated with a summer intern of ours last summer, where this intern was pretty much rude in an email (these are all archived) and also disallowed a refund of shipping which goes against our standard policy. I have just refunded that shipping amount to Brian (better late than never, I suppose).

The bottomline is that there are indeed very few companies in the world today that are focused on Customer Satisfaction. Since day one, I have made it a priority to make sure that Customer Satisfaction is our number one priority. We're not perfect (I gave up trying to be years ago), but we're constantly evolving and trying to improve every day. It's unfortunate, but things like same-day shipping and FREE shipping which are *huge* customer-oriented initiatives tend to be overshadowed when the humans that I employ make human errors.

Thanks for your continued support!

-Wayne

 

Yeah, I was blamed for making a mistake on an order from Pelican last year, too. I resolved it only by bypassing them and dealing directly with the 3rd party supplier.

With apologies to Judy, whom I never had the pleasure of working with, to hell with Pelican.

 

To add a non-Pelican data point: I ordered Lloyd's mats from the Performance Products catalog; I ordered standard-color black mats with standard color silver stitching -- and I believed I had ordered (and paid for?) two-tone stitching, with a red S, as is shown in the catalog and online pictures -- but what I got was all white stitching. So I assumed I had screwed up the order process, which is difficult to use at best... but in light of these comments, I have to wonder if there isn't some kind of problem in the fulfillment process at whatever place the actual stitching gets done. I'll admit it irks me a bit every time I get into the car that the mats aren't exactly as I expected them to be...

 

I have great service from Pelican for years. Automated, tracking comes via email, friendly staff, they even let me return a part which I ordered by accident.

Im a complete ***** if service isnt good but I dont go off on any company until I have given them the proper time to make it right. I am not a person you want to on the end of the phone line or in person if service goes wrong. Not so much freaking that it went wrong but the ***** I become when it isnt corrected or made right. But I do allow time to allow it to be correct. We are human, humans error.

Im in Alaska and had $60k worth of equipment with me at the convention center and the convention center staff lost a special box with $1000 worth of parts that stored for me. The special box houses the special equipment that is nicely formed around the product. I just cant ship $25k equipment in a Cherio box that I grab off the floor as what they tried to do to make it right. A HD Remote control and some high def cables that I need for this product where also in this special box. Personally, I think someone stole the box because the world "POLYCOM" equates to high dollar product for some that know it. It wasnt life and death equipment at that point but I paid it to store it with this convention company and its gone. The was over at least it didnt disappear prior or during, thank God. Thats equipment that is my demo pool of prouduct and I have get it squared away. Insurance will cover it by the convention company but I made it quite clear they make it right. I spent a lof of money with the convention "contractor" and not to have **** disappear while Im paying them to store it.

Point being, Im given them time to make it right. **** happens and whats better when **** happens is that the person or service your working with makes it right. Once can cry, bitch, and kick but also have to be patient to those trying to make it right. A business that screws up and makes it right is more of stand up company in my book than those who ignore the issue.

 

See, its like Chris Matthews book Hardball... something like "never let a shot go unanswered" .. or as i was told as a kid that silence means consent..... bla bla bla.
I for one appreciated the time and effort Pelican has made to illuminate this animated transaction. they could have said 4Q2, and done zip.
cabrio993 got it, we all got it, so id buy from them...
thanks to all
ds

 

Wayne-- A few things--

1. I have a real problem with you posting my actual name on the board. This directly violates Rennlist policy. (See Rennlist Charter, Article 5). Several people here know my actual name, but in my view this is a serious breach of confidentiality and shows a terrible lack of judgment on your part.

2. You seem to suggest that the fault was mine because I did not want to wait for color swatches. True, I preferred not to wait. But, if you read my post, the color was not the issue. It was that my order was not filled correctly and that I did not even know what color the mats were. Second, regarding color, I was told by your representative to cut out a piece of my carpet and send it so that Pelican can find the right match. Sorry, not willing to do that on a pristine C2S. I was willing to take a shot on color to get the mats quickly so that is what I did, and as noted above, that is not what I am complaining about.

3. Based on my fair and complimentary follow up posting regarding Judy's service, I'm not sure why you felt the need to make oyur lengthy post which not only identified me by my actual name, but suggested that I had done something wrong to contribute to why my order was screwed up. I think Pelican looks a lot worse for having done so and it should have "left well enough alone."

 

How many Porsche standard carpet colors are there, anyway? Black, grey and cashmere cover 90% of the 993s out there I bet. Lloyd (and Pelican specifically for that matter) certainly sell enough mats for these cars to come up with an official "closest" match list. Don't have to guarantee that it's perfect--just that this specific Lloyds color is the best choice for a given Porsche carpet.