How do you suggest EAA improves their Customer Service?

[Cy Soto]

I have only begun shooting EAA pistols less than a year ago and, since I did, I have had to contact EAA only a couple of times. Every time I have dealt with them on the phone they have been very pleasant and they have taken care of my reason for calling in a very satisfactory way; yet, time and time again I hear people complaining about their Customer Service.

I don't know exactly what issues you have had with them (and in all honesty, this is probably not the best venue to discuss them) but, if you were in charge of EAA's Customer Service department, what would you do to improve it?

:NOTE:

Please, lets not use this thread to vent any past Customer Service issues; this is only going to this thread closed. What I would really like to hear is examples of what can be done to improve the image of the company.

[bikerburgess]

I would get them a inventory control system so when I place a order they can tell me if they have the part in stock or not and when they think they may have it in stock if they are out. I am not a big fan of placing a order for a part and having no idea if it will be shipped tomorrow, next week or 6 months or longer.

Mike

[CleverUsername]

Larger inventory,Better inventory access by CSR and better ETA of inventory....did I mention inventory

[e-mishka]

Also a better web store, with actual pics of the parts.

[Shadyscott999]

All of the above. It is really frustrating to ask "when will you have X part in stock?"
The answer more than once has been "eventually. Could be a month or it could be year."

That is not an acceptable answer, EVER.

[Nealio]

Better understanding of the product line from the people that answer the phone, less hand-holding when you know what you want, better understanding of what is in stock and when it will ship.

All of that would all be irrelevant if they had a good web store like e-mishka said. You could see for yourself what they had and if it was what you were looking for.

[kneelingatlas]

I have racked my brain to figure out what it is makes EAA such a hassle to deal with and I've come up with some interesting hearsay: as I understand it, Tanfoglios are held in a higher esteem abroad than they are here in the US and therefore fetch a higher premium; so it also makes sense that the US market (through EAA) serves as the dumping ground for surplus inventory which would explain why we see so many 10mms and .45s in models which should be .40 or 9mm. Obviously Massimo Tanfoglio knows Americans love big bore guns and will buy anything for the right price!

If this were true it would explain why EAA has such erratic stock levels and can't just order what you want, but has to take what they get.

Once I figured out that I needed to call multiple times to check on orders before they shipped, dealing with EAA wasn't so bad, but since the price hike, I'm out. It's too bad too because Sharon did know a thing or two about the products (and she's easy on the eyes too! )

Edited November 12, 2013 by kneelingatlas

[Steve RA]

Have to agree with that !!

[ViperSnipe]

WOW!!! (nice picture!)

Called today to order some parts, needed 4 .38 super mags, a thumb rest and Gold team base pads. She told me those were out of stock, so I said I would call back on those. She transposed the mag #'s 1 time verbaly but I think she inputed them right.

Asked when they would ship but she had no idea.

So my input to the thread, would be same as above, but if in stock why not be able to ship that day or next and say so? That should be simple inventory control and good shipping dpt.

My .02$

V-S

[kneelingatlas]

Yes, VS just reminded me of something I've heard many times "no"; how many times have you called a businesses to buy something they advertise for sale and they tell you flatly "no"? Or "we never get those in"? Not "those are out of stock at the moment, but we'll have more on X, let me put that on backorder for you". Why would and business print a catalog each year full of things they can't/won't sell to you?

I've also encountered various procedures surrounding getting things the don't have: they once took down my name and phone number then called me over a year later to say the parts I asked for are in stock, did I want to buy them? Another time they asked for my credit card which they would charge when they shipped, but could not say when or if that would happen.

It all comes bact to inventory control; I'm not sure what the arrangement is, but I get the idea EAA doesn't have any say in what parts they receive nor when.