I really do struggle with some of the ONS (that’s Online Needlework Stores for your benefit, Mum). I’ve had the border accessories for Summer and Winter Snapperlands on order since approx 13 January – at the same time I requested ordering some hard-to-find charts of designers that are also showing available on their site … believe it or not, I JUST received an email to advise that my Summer Snapperland border pack has arrived … nothing else, just that one … Now I’m normally very patient, but that does seem excessively long (and I’m not telling you about the numerous email sent chasing this issue)!
I have also had some other Kreinik threads on back-order from yet another ONS for my Halloween Fairy – while it was on backorder CCN brought out the Summer at the Shores chart … I quickly emailed to ask if they could ask that to the order (note, it had only just been released), along with the pre-Christmas JCS magazine. Two days ago I receive an email to advise the order is on its way (back-ordered from the first week of June), but no mention of the magazine or chart. On questioning it, they have sent the magazine but not the chart that I was so lusting after … but no mention of it being on backorder yet again, just that they had run out of the chart by the time they filled my order. I’ve just written back to cancel the chart order, and I’ll now just find it locally because I can’t justify the overseas postage just for one chart.
The last time I had a deadline to meet I ordered some graziano checked linen and advised that I had a deadline to meet – the linen had to be backordered, which took 2 months, only to find that they’d ordered the wrong linen colour (they only worked that out because I sent them a chaser email after 2 months to ask where the “pale” blue linen was at in the order process) – which meant the ordering process had to begin all over again. Of course I missed the deadline well and truly, and yet another ‘bad experience’ was added to the list.
Not to mention a local store that I placed orders with on a couple of separate occasions and they’d run out of the item – but the order was never ever filled, with no refund of the value. Because the owner had been good to me previously (and she’s just lovely as a person), I didn’t make a big fuss about it, I just don’t go back there anymore.
I used to complain about a certain ONS that always seems to have sales happening, and refused to deal with them anymore … but considering all the experiences I’ve had since with other ONS, it looks like I’m going to return to the fold once again for my once or twice-a-year orders … ‘cos the competition isn’t much better to what I can see 😦
My dream is that one day I will place an order and it will arrive in the same calendar month, all in one piece, with no hassles and chasing required – communication will be prompt and thorough and not because I have demanded a response after not hearing a solitary thing for 2 months or longer … I know, I have big lofty dreams, but I do still fantasise that it will happen one day …
And now it’s time to go write back to the original ONS to ask what is happening to Winter Snapperland border pack and the remaining charts on order … because alas dreams aren’t reality just yet … But it WILL be awesome to finally get this little beauty into a finished state before 12 months of languishing around in my WIP basket are up! I’m not starting Winter Snapperland until those border pieces arrive in my hot little hands!
Feather Stitching 
I don’t have many issues with ONS, luckily enough, as I have two really good brick and mortar shops near me. But there is one ONS that completely frustrates the heck out of me (probably the same one..always has at least a 25% sale going.)
Is it just me, or is it too much to expect that if said ONS had items that they had placed in clearance for 50% off… they would actually HAVE that item in stock? I can understand them possibly having sold it in the last day or so… but to not have it in stock at all and have to order it from the designer? I would assume that a clearanced item is something that you have had in stock and haven’t been able to sell in X # of months, but I must be wrong. And no followup from the ONS. When I contacted her after three weeks with no word, I was pretty snippily told that I should have checked the online order status guide and I would have been able to see that it was on backorder. Two weeks later still and still no contact. She’s had my paypal money for nearly 6 weeks. Last order I place there.
Good luck getting your borderpacks. You can normally find other stores offering it as a free download or willing to send it to you free of charge with another order.
I don’t know where you order online. I don’t normally have a problem and I order from the same place all the time. I try to buy locally though. Maybe other online friends can get their hands on the charts and such in person and you can work out paying them through paypal. It would take trust commitments though.
I haven`t ordered a whole lot online over the last year or so. I`m really trying to support my LNS more. I can say that the LNS that always have sales on has always taken forever to get stuff shipped. They obviously don`t keep too much on hand. Aside from that shop, I only order from a couple of Canadian stores, both of which have been extremely prompt. I`ve had a hard time finding an online shop with decent prices for purchasing fabric though. I hate paying an arm and a leg for fabric…..
I’m sorrie to hear that you’re having so much trouble with ONS. My experiences so far, thankfully, as been pretty good so far. However, I usually only order from ONS that have been recommended by other stitchers. Here are a few that I’ve dealt with in the past and found their customer service to be wonderful. Drema from Needlecraft Corner, Mary Kathryn from eHandcrafts and Joanne from 123 Stitch are usually prompt with their updates, response and orders with reasonable shipping cost (I’m in Malaysia). Drop me an email if you would like more information. I’m not affiliated with any of these ONS. Only a satisfied customer.
Anne – you can have my Summer at the Shore chart when I’m finished stitching mine, if you like. I should be finished with it in the next week or so.
I don’t order online – I just shoot an e-mail to Linda at House Of Stitches (my former LNS), and she will put whatever I want in the mail; I’ve never had an issue with backorders – she’s great!
Ouch, that’s too bad that your ONS adventures are terrible.
I have a pretty good LNS, but I used 123 stitch a while back. And they were pretty good about getting my order out to me. Admittedly I didn’t want anything exotic but my order arrived in about a week. (Canadian here).
Sorry to hear you are still waiting on your orders Anne. I think I can guess which ONS’s you are referring to! Having ordered from lots of different ONS’s in the past, the ones I can recommend who I have never had a problem with are Stitches N Things, 123Stitch & Needlecraft Corner. I have only ordered once from Needlecraft Corner though as I’m not real comfortable with sending the CC details via email and they don’t do paypal.
Sorry to hear you are having so many problems with ONS, it sounds horribly frustrating. I use the one that has sales all the time only for charts and expect them to take a while 🙂 to arrive, although sometimes they do come quite fast. For threads and so on, I use a British store, Sew and So, they have excellent customer service and always have everything in stock. I think once they were missing one colour of thread, they sent the others, then the missing one arrived a week later, at no extra cost for postage. I also have a good relationship with a Canadian store, Traditional Stitches, and get my Loose Feathers and other recently released items from them. Of course, I patronize the LNS – really only one in Paris – as well, but no one store has everything. My pet hate is stores that say they do and then take ages to get it for you!
I have cut back on buying stuff lately, but did give 123 Stitch a try recently. I had asked my LNS to order a Carriage House chart for me, and it was taking forever. I checked online, and 123 had it on sale. I ordered on a Saturday morning, and I received a notice that same day that it had shipped…and it was in my mailbox on Monday! I will definitely try ordering from them again.
You’re not along with this – don’t worry 🙂 I’ve got back on stuff a bit much as Cindy has – but i still shop online 🙂
I don’t order very much these days as I have enough stash to stay busy for years. But whenever I need something I have to order online as nearly everything I want to buy is not available here. I only order things that are definitely in stock because my experience with back orders is the same as yours.
I used to purchase from my LNS, but since they don’t stock what I want anymore and orders can take half a year to come in, I usually order online. I think I know which ONS you used to order from and that’s where I order from all the time. I have never had a problem and if I have to wait a few months for an order, I still consider it better than the service from my LNS, besides the prices are much too good to pass up.
There are a few ONS I don’t order from too often, because everytime I make an order, most of the items are unavailable and then the cost of postage compared to what I do purchase is just not worth it.
Late posting but this is so true to the recent grief I’ve been having with some online stores.
One in specific has always taken forever to ship goods. It frustrates me because if they list it on their site, I EXPECT them to have it in stock and not list stuff that they don’t have… it feels like false advertising!
Another ONS took forever to ship the goods, even thought they stated they had all the items stocked.
These days I only order through 123 and Sew and So… which makes me sad cause there isn’t that much reliable variety out there anymore 😦