ISSA - International Slalom Skateboarding Association

Chris,

at the same time as we ordered from you we also ordered bearings and trucks using the same USPS 5-7 days that we did when ordering from you. These we got in the beginning of may.

And to tell the whole story you forgot to mention that the reason that only one box made it through customs in Germany was that you only had put customs declaration on that one box. If all boxes would have had declaration of content (like the shipping company require) they would probably be here by a long time ago.

Things like this can happen I understand, and I don't have a problem with that if it's handled in a good way.

The thing is, it was clearly your fault that the package bounced, and you knew when you sent the packages the first time that it was already 15 days delayed. I had by that time already called you up three times or more and asked if you had shipped to us, with the same answer 'no we are shipping to you later this day'. The exact same answer I got from you this last friday (two months later). And guess what I got the same answer yesterday (monday) when I called you and asked if you shipped the order on friday. And my guess is that since you still haven't called me, or sent an email with the tracking number like I requested, you still haven't shipped it AND THAT SUCKS!!!

Why tell us that you are shipping when you clearly aren't about to? Why not send us an email or call us explaining things so that we have a chance ordering from someone else.

The result is that your credibility is very low and we won't order from you again since we never get any reliable answers when we call you and you don't answer our emails.

Basically we haven't got a clue what's going on and we look like idiots to our customers due to the fact that we don't know when our boards will be available.

I'm sorry if I sound harsh but this is how it has been, and I didn't know that we where the only international customer that used USPS I thought they were ok, perhaps you should have told us.

Over the last 6 months we've tried quite a few different options for shipping both from the USA and Asia. My first remark is that although US Postal Service is cheap it is unsure in the sense that you have no idea of where the package is. If it never shows up we won't know who to blame.

With UPS and other couriers tracking is perfect, delivery is near perfect, but we pay for it dearly. At least everything is included. But expect to pay VAT and customs duties (the same for all shipping methods).

International shippers that are used to ship large quantities seem cheaper when asked for a quote, but in the end we've had to pay numerous fees on the receiver side. Storage, unloading, customs handling (on top of the duties), computer charges etc.

The best experience so far is with the DHL "one-week" service. We used it for a big shipment from 3dm and it was half the price of a regular UPS, but the usual tracking and ease of use. All charges included.

Marcus, Perhaps you forgot to mention a few facts about your order.

1. You are one of the only international customers who doesn't use a shipping company for his orders. This is the worst case scenario for us because both you and I have no control over the order once it's left our hands.

2. In order to save some money, you chose a less expensive and less reliable service from USPS.

3. Your order was lost. The customs agents in your country did not find the enclosed invoices and returned some of, but not all of your order. You got one box, one was returned to us (with postage due), and one is unaccounted for and we've had to wait to file a claim for the postage.

4. EVERYONE has had to wait on more recent orders. We don't pour the wheels in our garage. We put in orders in advance. When production issues occur, it is totally out of our control. We got our wheels LATE ON FRIDAY, June 27th.

It is frustrating for EVERYONE when packages end up missing, get there late, get returned, get delivered to the wrong address, etc. It doesn't ever benefit us to ship things late or to hold on to product. We fulfill orders in the order in which they are received. It is frustrating for EVERYONE when product is back ordered and we have to wait.

You may also be aware that international orders are difficult to begin with. We've had several instances where packages have been signed for and the customer claims not to have received them. We've sent second packages only to have the original order arrive about the same time. We give the best prices on international orders to help out with increased postage and taxes and have to work much harder to fulfill these orders.

We can't drive over to Sweden or South Africa to see what happened to happens to an order. Along with the cheapest postage comes the poorest tracking and information. Our choices are to double-ship product and double-pay postage when things don't go right, or to never ship product to customers who don't have their own shipper.

I understand your frustration and we are doing everything that we can to rectify the situation. For the benefit of the people who read this site, you may want to consider telling the whole story, so they understand what is really going on. If others here have comments or suggestions on how to handle international shipping, I'm all ears. We are a small company (2 guys) and we are still learning. We may never be perfect, but I'm sure that we'll find a better way to service our international skaters.

Chris Chaput
Abec 11

Last week we got one third of the wheels we ordered april 30:th, so that only took 6-7 weeks from order to delivery... Now we have so that we can ship a few boards, and go to competitions with fresh wheels. Hopefully they will ship the other wheels soon...

Thank you for your offer Jani!

Marcus,

If you are in desperate need maybe I can lend or sell you some stuff. You're a great guy and you've helped me a lot. We have small quantities of Abec11 but plenty of 3dm. Send me an email, or call and we can work something out.

We got our order from Abec11 alright, but it took more than five weeks with the US post, so we were convinced they had disappeared never to be seen again. Next time we're using a service that is trackable.

/Jani
/Jani

I placed an order with their distributor in the DC area for 88/92A Flashbacks a couple of days ago, and he told me that I'm lucky to ride hard wheels. They are out of many soft duros. That's all I know.

I guess that's how it is... wonder where all those wheels went... hmmmm, didn't the mailman have new wheels at the latest race...???

Marcus, I don’t know what’s up with ABEC11, but I can tell you that we’re in the same position here in the states- they seem to be out of a lot of wheels. Rumor has it it’s unusual for any company, but *&it happens.

Chris, what's up with your company and the services that you provide?

We ordered wheels from ABEC11 april 30:th and they still haven't showed up, it's june 17:th. No phone calls, no emails, nothing from your side, telling us things are running late. It's us calling you, sending emails, asking questions, but no answers. How is this possible? Our company is small and from the other side of the world, but is this how customers are treated? Are we supposed to pay for this?