Has Bass Strings Online fallen off?

[butcher]

It seems like there has been an ongoing shift in the way inventory for online retailers is handled for some years now.

I think "In Stock" is starting to mean "we will get it to you within the shipping estimate" instead of meaning they actually have that item in one of their warehouses. I could be wrong, but it just seems like things are going that way over the last few years.

I try to order from BSOL whenever I can. I recently ordered a set of Pressurewounds from them and they actually got shipped directly from GHS to me. Fine with me, I probably got them faster because GHS is just over the border in MI.

BSOL customer service is stellar in my experience. They promptly answer any inquiry I send them.

I've had a couple of shown-in-stock-but-really-backordered issues with Sweetwater as well, which is another excellent customer service company. I placed the orders and then within the day I get a call letting me know the item isn't available and they try to find a solution that works best for me.

 

[lfmn16]

Have you emailed them about it? I had a similar problem, I emailed them about it and they made it right. Kept me as a future customer.

So you're saying contact the person they actually have the issue with???

 

[deckard]

The only thing I want from BSO that they don't provide is accurate and current inventory information. If something's in stock I want it to say it and if it's not I'd want to know before ordering.

It's barely a complaint because Jason will tell you what's in and what's not, but it would be nice if it was all there on the website.

This

 

[deckard]

I don't know the logistics of getting this done, but a real-time "in stock/out of stock" indicator, (not just for sets in general but for specific gauge sets and singles) would solve every complaint in this thread.

And this

 

[deckard]

Exactly. I don't run a business so I have no idea how much of a pain it would be to implement something like that, but it would be nice.

I said it already and I'll say it again: price, selection, product knowledge and customer service are top notch at BSO. The inventory thing would make it perfect, instead of great.

And this too

 

[phishaholik]

I don't know the logistics of getting this done, but a real-time "in stock/out of stock" indicator, (not just for sets in general but for specific gauge sets and singles) would solve every complaint in this thread.

That's definitely the only complaint I have.


I wanted to point out I made a mistake with my timeline. I cancelled my first order after a week and no delivery time scheduled. I waited between 3 weeks and a month to cancel my second order. I placed my third order on 4/08 and they are on order now.


Michael

 

[static0verdrive]

I've had no problems. One set of La Bella's were taking their sweet time getting to BSO, so shortly after I'd placed my order BSO contacted me directly to say so, and gave me the option of cancelling that set, having the others shipped immediately and waiting for those, or waiting until they came in to ship the whole order. I appreciated the email and was in no rush, so opted to wait until everything was in stock before they shipped my order. Awesome customer service and a TB discount... I'll stick with them.

 

[phishaholik]

So you're saying contact the person they actually have the issue with???

Try reading the whole thread. I contacted them several times and spoke to their customer service rep.


Michael

 

[Sugar McGuinn]

FWIW, I don't want to, in anyway, be dismissive of the concerns listed above, they are legitimate and unfortunate. I just wanted to put out there that Jason is one of the best bass-related vendors I've ever felt with, Period. I've dealt with him on the phone and over email many times for strings and other bass equipment. If there is an issue, he will ALWAYS make things right. He has gone above and way beyond for me and gained a customer for life.

 

[phishaholik]

I've always enjoyed my experience with them too until lately. The main reason I was posting this was hoping that I just had some unfortunate bad luck with what I was ordering recently. All I want to know is whether the strings have to be ordered from the manufacturer before I pay for my order.

I always pay with paypal, which means the money is taken out of my account when I order, not when they ship. Any cancellations take a few days to the return to my paypal account and then another few days to get to my bank account. I'd probably save myself some hassle if I just paid with a debit card, paypal is usually faster and easier for me. That's part of why it's important to know before I order.


Michael

 

[SLaPiNFuNK]

Did LaBella have some production/stock issues, by any chance? I know you didn't have the 760FS in stock when I asked a month back, Jason, and I see on sadowsky.com that they are out of stock on their Black label flats too, for at least 3 weeks now..

La Bella makes every set to order for dealers / distributors. Even the most basic 45-105 set of rounds is not kept on the shelf. We order 2-3 months in advance and try to order what we think will be 2-3 months worth of sales, but we can not predict all sales. We have been working with La Bella to speed up production and also work to stock even more inventory.

I actually already cancelled my order for those. I called about a week after I placed my order and I was told that y'all didn't know when they're coming in and that they had been on back order for a long time. I placed an order for a set of Fodera strings, waited close to a month and then tried to switch the order to a different set of strings. There was a mistake made and I was refunded instead. Once the refund cleared my paypal I used the same money to order the DRs.

As I stated earlier, I've used y'all for all of my strings since the business started. I always had good customer service and fast ship times in the past. It's just a little frustrating having to wait for 3 orders in a row. I like supporting a fellow TBer, but I can order strings anywhere and there's a lot of competition.
Michael

Ultimately I want you to get what you need. If you can get them elsewhere then I am happy for you. If the orders have been cancelled there is not much I can do. But please send me your email address so I can look into it to see the problems and make sure they do not happen going forward for others.

I had the same thing happen with BSO over some Sadowsky strings. I called them up and was able to work through it. Apparently the issue was on Sadowsky's end. It was frustrating to wait so long and nearly interfered with a gig, but thankfully I was able to work through it with BSO's help. I will admit though that I need to order some more strings and I've been hesitating over it dreading it will be problematic like last time. :/

Sadowsky is another story... They have most of their strings made by La Bella so they experience the same issue when it comes to product being out of stock.

I don't know the logistics of getting this done, but a real-time "in stock/out of stock" indicator, (not just for sets in general but for specific gauge sets and singles) would solve every complaint in this thread.

Have you looked at the website lately? It is fairly accurate there are few that are not but they get addressed when they are found...

If you do not feel this is clear please let me know.

This, but I run a point of sale system for our shop and I know implementing it for us would be a major pain.

How many other online retailers actually come into threads and answer specific questions so frequently?? Time and time again BSO proves they have my business for good.

Yes it is. Especially when we have so many individual sku's...

Exactly. I don't run a business so I have no idea how much of a pain it would be to implement something like that, but it would be nice.

I said it already and I'll say it again: price, selection, product knowledge and customer service are top notch at BSO. The inventory thing would make it perfect, instead of great.

The inventory is updated please look at the website.

BSO literally changed the way I play the instrument. Never imagined the way a custom gauge set of Hi Beams that fit my tunings perfectly would improve my tone and playing.

I am glad to hear that!!!

It seems like there has been an ongoing shift in the way inventory for online retailers is handled for some years now.

I think "In Stock" is starting to mean "we will get it to you within the shipping estimate" instead of meaning they actually have that item in one of their warehouses. I could be wrong, but it just seems like things are going that way over the last few years.

I try to order from BSOL whenever I can. I recently ordered a set of Pressurewounds from them and they actually got shipped directly from GHS to me. Fine with me, I probably got them faster because GHS is just over the border in MI.

BSOL customer service is stellar in my experience. They promptly answer any inquiry I send them.

I've had a couple of shown-in-stock-but-really-backordered issues with Sweetwater as well, which is another excellent customer service company. I placed the orders and then within the day I get a call letting me know the item isn't available and they try to find a solution that works best for me.

If an item is listed as "IN STOCK" we do what we can to get it out the same day. At the same time we process orders in the order they come in. We do not sit around and "get to it within a shipping window"

So you're saying contact the person they actually have the issue with???

Always happy to answer any customer questions about stock, availability, etc...

This

And this

And this too

I spent literally weeks getting the real time inventory to show on the website. It is there...

That's definitely the only complaint I have.
I wanted to point out I made a mistake with my timeline. I cancelled my first order after a week and no delivery time scheduled. I waited between 3 weeks and a month to cancel my second order. I placed my third order on 4/08 and they are on order now.
Michael

Again please message me your email address so I can be sure this will not happen again in the future. You will also notice that we offer a much wider selection of gauges and scale lengths than other companies. Many of these are custom made for us and we try to stock as many as we can but again can not predict all sales. It is best to contact me directly.

I've had no problems. One set of La Bella's were taking their sweet time getting to BSO, so shortly after I'd placed my order BSO contacted me directly to say so, and gave me the option of cancelling that set, having the others shipped immediately and waiting for those, or waiting until they came in to ship the whole order. I appreciated the email and was in no rush, so opted to wait until everything was in stock before they shipped my order. Awesome customer service and a TB discount... I'll stick with them.

See above regarding La Bella as they are special when it comes to having product fulfilled to us.

Try reading the whole thread. I contacted them several times and spoke to their customer service rep.
Michael

Did you speak with me or someone else?

I've always enjoyed my experience with them too until lately. The main reason I was posting this was hoping that I just had some unfortunate bad luck with what I was ordering recently. All I want to know is whether the strings have to be ordered from the manufacturer before I pay for my order.

I always pay with paypal, which means the money is taken out of my account when I order, not when they ship. Any cancellations take a few days to the return to my paypal account and then another few days to get to my bank account. I'd probably save myself some hassle if I just paid with a debit card, paypal is usually faster and easier for me. That's part of why it's important to know before I order.

Michael

I am sorry you have not been happy lately. I do know of many instances where orders were cancelled while the product was actually ready to ship, the paperwork from the shipment that came in that morning had not been finished yet. I hope that is not one of yours. As indicated above the website shows real time inventory. If there is an error in the inventory we will contact the customer but we try to keep everything as accurate as we can. As I have said before, you are welcome to contact me before an order is placed, after an order is placed, etc... You can PM me what you would like to order and your PayPal email address and I will send you a request for what we have... What ever you would like I can do.



A few things have changed at BSO since I have implemented the real time inventory on the website. There was a time if someone purchased a 4-String set of DR Sunbeams for example I would pull out a Low-B from a 5-String set to get the customer what they needed faster. Correcting that in our inventory was an extra process in itself, but now with the inventory also on the website it makes for too much trouble so I no longer do this unless a customer contacts me about a specific product.


I do think you all for your continued support and please understand that we are constantly working to improve. This means improving product availability and fulfillment, product selection, and customer service. I welcome any and all feedback. I prefer messages are sent directly to me so I can address them as quickly as possible.

 

[phishaholik]

La Bella makes every set to order for dealers / distributors. Even the most basic 45-105 set of rounds is not kept on the shelf. We order 2-3 months in advance and try to order what we think will be 2-3 months worth of sales, but we can not predict all sales. We have been working with La Bella to speed up production and also work to stock even more inventory.



Ultimately I want you to get what you need. If you can get them elsewhere then I am happy for you. If the orders have been cancelled there is not much I can do. But please send me your email address so I can look into it to see the problems and make sure they do not happen going forward for others.



Sadowsky is another story... They have most of their strings made by La Bella so they experience the same issue when it comes to product being out of stock.



Have you looked at the website lately? It is fairly accurate there are few that are not but they get addressed when they are found...

If you do not feel this is clear please let me know.

Yes it is. Especially when we have so many individual sku's...



The inventory is updated please look at the website.



I am glad to hear that!!!



If an item is listed as "IN STOCK" we do what we can to get it out the same day. At the same time we process orders in the order they come in. We do not sit around and "get to it within a shipping window"



Always happy to answer any customer questions about stock, availability, etc...







I spent literally weeks getting the real time inventory to show on the website. It is there...



Again please message me your email address so I can be sure this will not happen again in the future. You will also notice that we offer a much wider selection of gauges and scale lengths than other companies. Many of these are custom made for us and we try to stock as many as we can but again can not predict all sales. It is best to contact me directly.



See above regarding La Bella as they are special when it comes to having product fulfilled to us.



Did you speak with me or someone else?



I am sorry you have not been happy lately. I do know of many instances where orders were cancelled while the product was actually ready to ship, the paperwork from the shipment that came in that morning had not been finished yet. I hope that is not one of yours. As indicated above the website shows real time inventory. If there is an error in the inventory we will contact the customer but we try to keep everything as accurate as we can. As I have said before, you are welcome to contact me before an order is placed, after an order is placed, etc... You can PM me what you would like to order and your PayPal email address and I will send you a request for what we have... What ever you would like I can do.



A few things have changed at BSO since I have implemented the real time inventory on the website. There was a time if someone purchased a 4-String set of DR Sunbeams for example I would pull out a Low-B from a 5-String set to get the customer what they needed faster. Correcting that in our inventory was an extra process in itself, but now with the inventory also on the website it makes for too much trouble so I no longer do this unless a customer contacts me about a specific product.


I do think you all for your continued support and please understand that we are constantly working to improve. This means improving product availability and fulfillment, product selection, and customer service. I welcome any and all feedback. I prefer messages are sent directly to me so I can address them as quickly as possible.

It sounds like you've already made great strides, or have already done, what's needed. I've always loved doing business with Bass Strings Online in the past and I'm definitely not even close to not ordering from y'all anymore. I'm currently waiting for a set of DR Sunbeams, 5-string set .030 to .105. I did not speak to you Jason, but the a nice lady on the phone.

I'm going to answer my own question and state, Bass Strings Online has not fallen off. It sounds like there are some growing pains implementing the new real time inventory. We're getting exactly what we asked for, it's just going to take a little time to get there.

Thanks for chiming in Jason and being so honest and forthright!


Michael

 

[markjazzbassist]

good stuff man, the indicator has been active for a little while now, IMMENSE help. bought a couple sets from BSO and one set from elsewhere due to stock. i appreciate the honesty that you don't have them, some of us are addicts and have to have stuff now to play with. i always default to BSO first though, great guy and the point system helps man to save a couple bucks here and there.

i used to work for a manufacturer so i understand the whole shipping system delays, shop delays, production delays, strange order setup, etc. hopefully you are getting some serious bulk discounts and grinding down their sales guys on price man, you seem to be a big mover of product (first seller recommended on the labella site, kinda a big deal).

 

[bass10bfb]

As with any growing business, there will be "growing pains" as many people call them. I for one am thankful Jason is having them. He is a top notch great guy and he deserves our business in my opinion and deserves to see his business grow and expand. I for one have NEVER had an issue with anything, and I am sure there are a great many others who have never had issues as well. Granted, I understand what is quoted in the thread are issues you guys are having and they are very real to you. I totally get it. But I guarantee if you just PM, call, email, get in touch with Jason, he will make thing right. As I already stated, he is a top notch guy and he is worthy of our business. I buy all of my stuff from him, including bass strings, guitar strings, Aguilar pedals, guitar pickups, just to name a few items.
He will make things right. I know many people on here that can speak to that. Even though I have never had a problem, I have PM'ed and called Jason personally and ran him to death checking on pickups and different things he doesn't even carry on his site, to see if he can get them for me. He answers quickly on everything and never leaves me hanging. He goes out of his way to check stuff and pricing on thins that most businesses would not even think about doing for me. I go to Jason 1st before I order ANYTHING. I have no reason not too.

 

[petrus61]

Sometimes if it's a time sensitive order, I leave a note in the special instructions box to please inform me asap if an item is back ordered/out of stock. They let me know within 24hrs and that gives me a few options. One thing that ordering through BSO has put in perspective for me is the capability of the string makers to actually keep up with demand. My favorite brands happen to come from makers who aren't quite operating at the same scale as D'Addario, so there are inventory gaps at times, sometimes overlapping (which really sucks), but it's out of BSO's control at that point and I either wait it out or buy then elsewhere.

They'll always get my business when I can help it.

 

[loveandbass]

BSO FTW

 

[Deadsound]

The ability to order custom sets - like the mixed scale set of TI flats I just got for a Dingwall, try getting that elsewhere, with a TB discount no less - means I'm going to choose BSO pretty much no matter what on any strings I need. Great service!

 

[lfmn16]

Try reading the whole thread. I contacted them several times and spoke to their customer service rep.


Michael

I did read the thread. You said you called them, but didn't mention what you said or what they said. Did you say, "hey what's going on" and detail your complaint to them as thoroughly as you detailed it here? From the owner's response it doesn't sound like you did.

 

[phishaholik]

I did read the thread. You said you called them, but didn't mention what you said or what they said. Did you say, "hey what's going on" and detail your complaint to them as thoroughly as you detailed it here? From the owner's response it doesn't sound like you did.

If you read it you didn't comprehend it. I stated that I spoke to someone else, not the owner, and that she told they didn't know when the strings would be available and they had been on back order a long time.


Michael

 

[lfmn16]

If you read it you didn't comprehend it. I stated that I spoke to someone else, not the owner, and that she told they didn't know when the strings would be available and they had been on back order a long time.


Michael

Reading comprehension is not MY problem. Your problem was not a single order, it was multiple orders. The question is did you call the owner and tell him about ALL your orders and ALL your problems and the answer is no, you didn't.

I can see you always have the last word and my sympathies go out to BassStringsOnLine.

Off to the ignore list you go.