+1 Same here...
I prefer dealing with online retailers I can communicate with quickly and efficiently by email.
Based on what I've been reading, no thanks to Kalium.
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Kalium Strings Terrible Customer Service
- Thread starter David Shives
- Start date
+1 Same here...
I prefer dealing with online retailers I can communicate with quickly and efficiently by email.
Based on what I've been reading, no thanks to Kalium.
The thing is I'll call if I have to. But if you give me options I choose what works best for me. There's a small company in the UK that I only ever call. They have a website but you call them for everything. That's fine.
Good product, good pricing, slow service seems to be the theme in these threads about Kalium customer service. I think the trouble here is Kalium's failure to manage customer expectations. A solution would be to be honest in the FAQ section of the website about inconsistent shipping times and email responses.
There is a popular mexican restaurant here in Houston which had a sign at the entrance of their original location which said something to the effect of... It's pretty slow here. If you are in a hurry, you are at the wrong place.... The first time I saw this, I thought it was a disasterous approach to customer service... How could these people be in business in a horrible location with slow service, and be packed for lunch and dinner 7 days a week. Well, the great food, atmosphere, and potent margaritas was the answer. And all for a fair price.
It's all about managing customer expectations.
Now my experience with Kalium is brief, but I thought I should share just because sometimes these negative reviews, albeit deserved, can paint an unfair image about what is going on. What I mean by that is, what if the negative experience only happens 1 out of 100 customers, but a new prospective customer reads the negative talk and decides it's not worth the risk. I may not have ordered a set if I had seen all of this before...
I recently started in a project and needed a set of strings for C# standard tuning and had heard about Kalium, and decided to do my research and order a set of Hybrids. I ordered on Sunday and got my strings on Friday. The strings were easy to work with and sound absolutely incredible. I did send an email to customer service because I didn't get a shipping confimarion email by Wednesday... Skip replied to my email the same day, and I got my strings as he promised in his email. I admit, the process wasn't without its hiccups, but the quality of the product at a fair price is worth any potential wait times I might experience on future orders.... The biggest selling point prior to knowing how good the strings sound was the ability to use the tension chart to build a set and have a predicted outcome.
Doing business with Kalium is obviously not for everyone, and that should be OK, and would be ok if customer expectations were managed honestly. There is an old saying something like... as a customer, with fast service, low price, and quality being the 3 desirables, you can really only expect 2 of those to be met, and which 2 are impotant to you is what will drive your buying decisions.
Anyhow, I will order again based on the quality product alone, but probably order in advance...
There is a popular mexican restaurant here in Houston which had a sign at the entrance of their original location which said something to the effect of... It's pretty slow here. If you are in a hurry, you are at the wrong place.... The first time I saw this, I thought it was a disasterous approach to customer service... How could these people be in business in a horrible location with slow service, and be packed for lunch and dinner 7 days a week. Well, the great food, atmosphere, and potent margaritas was the answer. And all for a fair price.
It's all about managing customer expectations.
Now my experience with Kalium is brief, but I thought I should share just because sometimes these negative reviews, albeit deserved, can paint an unfair image about what is going on. What I mean by that is, what if the negative experience only happens 1 out of 100 customers, but a new prospective customer reads the negative talk and decides it's not worth the risk. I may not have ordered a set if I had seen all of this before...
I recently started in a project and needed a set of strings for C# standard tuning and had heard about Kalium, and decided to do my research and order a set of Hybrids. I ordered on Sunday and got my strings on Friday. The strings were easy to work with and sound absolutely incredible. I did send an email to customer service because I didn't get a shipping confimarion email by Wednesday... Skip replied to my email the same day, and I got my strings as he promised in his email. I admit, the process wasn't without its hiccups, but the quality of the product at a fair price is worth any potential wait times I might experience on future orders.... The biggest selling point prior to knowing how good the strings sound was the ability to use the tension chart to build a set and have a predicted outcome.
Doing business with Kalium is obviously not for everyone, and that should be OK, and would be ok if customer expectations were managed honestly. There is an old saying something like... as a customer, with fast service, low price, and quality being the 3 desirables, you can really only expect 2 of those to be met, and which 2 are impotant to you is what will drive your buying decisions.
Anyhow, I will order again based on the quality product alone, but probably order in advance...
For me it wasn’t about anything being slow. I live in Germany. It will take several weeks to deliver the strings anyway - customs. My complaint is about not answering any of the mails I had sent during the course of several weeks - none!
sent them a number of emails over about a months time asking about strings. never got a reply. Bought strings elsewhere
This seems to be a more recent thread on Kalium; any current updates from anyone? Have things improved? Are customers getting their strings? Just curious. I've never had a set (steel) last so long for me - I want to order more but have been waiting to see if things improve.
Raz
Raz
- Apr 29, 2003
- 9,078
- 9,800
- Disclosures
- Contributor- Bass Musician Magazine | Marketing Manager- Trickfish Amplification
- Apr 29, 2003
- 9,078
- 9,800
- Disclosures
- Contributor- Bass Musician Magazine | Marketing Manager- Trickfish Amplification
OK, just to represent the other side of the coin here: I ordered a set from Kalium that showed up 4 days later, but they were Steel, not Hybrid. :-( Skip offered to make it right, saying it may have been an error in order fulfillment. But then I realized that I had ordered the wrong string material, from looking at the order form I had incorrectly filled out. So I said "thanks Skip, but it was my bad, I'll try these steels and order Hybrids next go around". Then yesterday I opened my mailbox to a complementary set of Hybrids.
That, folks, is above and beyond customer service. Not saying others haven't had challenges (as have I in the past), just wanting to add this experience to the data set, in the spirit of accuracy and full disclosure.
That, folks, is above and beyond customer service. Not saying others haven't had challenges (as have I in the past), just wanting to add this experience to the data set, in the spirit of accuracy and full disclosure.
Looks like they have upped their game!
Still, I’m not going back. It’s too much of a hassle having them shipped to Germany and there being a chance of non communication.
I've ordered three times from Kalium. My last order was placed 7 days ago and I recently got them in the mail. I've never had a poor experience. Also, I live in Canada ... so that's pretty fast!
Doesn’t matter! I went back to Ernie Ball. In over thirty years I did not have one problem with that company.
- Jun 29, 2006
- 5,148
- 3,217
- Disclosures
- President, CEO, CFO, CIO, Chief Engineer, Technician, Janitor - Reiner Amplification
Ordered and paid for a stock 4-string set: the Hybrid balanced 110's. Ordered Nov 23. Not relying on Stamps. Plugged the tracking number into USPS directly. Still listed as pre-shipment. Fortunately, I don't need them immediately, because the bass on which I will put them on is for one of my groups that does not have gigs until 2019. But then I will be leaning on them if I don't have them at that point.
I was about to start this same thread and, not to my surprise, there are already several.
So... I just got $26 stolen from me by Skip. I'm on Social Security disability, so that's a good half of the spending money I have for a month. Here's the story:
I've been buying their strings consistently for about a year. Some of their odd-numbered gauges are the perfect tension for my needs and no one else has them. I ordered 2 sets of guitar strings for $26 (Priority Mail shipping) on 10/2. They gave me a tracking number on 10/4. On 10/10, tracking still said USPS hadn't received the package. Waiting to record, I had to buy strings from a store, but no one else has the odd-numbered gauges that Kalium has so I also had to setup/intonate my guitars for the gauges I was able to get in-store. I emailed saying I already had to buy strings somewhere else and asked them to cancel the order. I'm on SSDI disability so I can't afford to buy more than I need in a month. Again, on 10/12 I asked for a refund, tracking still showed not received by USPS. I said, if they show up, I promise I'll send them back. That night, USPS apparently found the package (or they hadn't actually shipped it until then). He said to write 'Return to Sender' on the package, so I did, dropped it back in the box as soon as I took it out. It's been 16 days now since I put it in the mailbox. 29 days since I ordered it. 21 days since I first requested a refund. It was 10 days after ordering before it was even shipped, 13 days when it finally arrived. I never opened it, I wrote 'RETURN TO SENDER' in black marker like he instructed, put it straight into the locked outgoing mailbox at my apartment complex.
I should have been refunded when it had been 10 days and still not yet shipped. He (Skip) keeps telling me "not until I get the strings you claim to have sent back", as if I'm some junkie trying to scam him out of $26. I'm permanently disabled, on Social Security. After I pay my rent and bills I'm lucky to have $50 left for the month to spend on myself.
Any other retailer would have issued the refund when it had been a week and still not in transit, and likely offered me something free or a discount to insure that they retain my patronage. I paid for Priority Mail, they're in the next state, so it should have been here in 2-3 days. 10 before it actually shipped, 13 when it got here, and I have to wait until you get it back to get my refund?!
Well, now it's been 16 days since I sent it back and the tracking still just says it was delivered here. I don't think they even track something that's been "Returned to Sender". But I put it in a locked outgoing mailbox that only the mailman has a key to, so it's obviously been lost by USPS (AGAIN!).
Skip is a rude, obnoxious, snotty, self-important waste of space! I would have bought strings from them for the rest of my life, but he lost that over $26. This is The Worst customer service experience I've ever had in my life (aside from a fiasco with a car shop keeping my van for 4 months to replace a transmission). And this isn't the first time they gave a tracking number but lagged on actually shipping it. I've been stuck here all month waiting on him to give back the measly little wad of spending money I would have had for the month.
I hope he's proud of himself for getting over on a cripple for $26.
I will NEVER buy anything from them ever again, no matter how much the .051 & .037 were perfect for my guitar. And I have no idea where I'm gonna get the next .148T for the low A on my 5 string bass, but I'll deal with what I can get. They will not see another penny from me.
And I hope this matters enough to you that you will boycott them. Bad businesses don't deserve to be in business.
If you don't provide what I paid for within the promised delivery time, you issue a refund. It's not my fault it was either lost by USPS for over a week, or you just didn't actually ship it until then and blamed it on USPS. And it's not my fault they lost it again on the way back! If you wanted return tracking you should have given me a return label, instead of telling me to write "Return to Sender" on it. You're the one who bought the postage, if they lost it, it's up to you to file a missing package search or a lost package insurance claim. You don't leave the customer waiting for an entire month+ without their money. He said, "well, it's not my fault, either"... waaah, it certainly is the responsibility of the business to reimburse the customer if the package is lost, THEN you pursue compensation from the delivery service. Unless you don't care to keep your customers.
What a joke!
I use a PayPal debit card for everything and they're good about reimbursement for unauthorized charges. I've already gotten my money back from PayPal (submitted a dispute and included the email exchange w/Skip), but I'm not telling him that. I'm not letting him get away with this. I'm now sending him foul-mouthed messages and he's still replying, almost immediately (so, OP: he DID get your messages and WAS ignoring you), saying things like "I can't afford to lose $26 any more than you" and "I'm not passing any loss onto you". What do you call it, then? USPS lost YOUR package and you're taking MY money.
BOYCOTT KALIUM. Drive them out of business!
So... I just got $26 stolen from me by Skip. I'm on Social Security disability, so that's a good half of the spending money I have for a month. Here's the story:
I've been buying their strings consistently for about a year. Some of their odd-numbered gauges are the perfect tension for my needs and no one else has them. I ordered 2 sets of guitar strings for $26 (Priority Mail shipping) on 10/2. They gave me a tracking number on 10/4. On 10/10, tracking still said USPS hadn't received the package. Waiting to record, I had to buy strings from a store, but no one else has the odd-numbered gauges that Kalium has so I also had to setup/intonate my guitars for the gauges I was able to get in-store. I emailed saying I already had to buy strings somewhere else and asked them to cancel the order. I'm on SSDI disability so I can't afford to buy more than I need in a month. Again, on 10/12 I asked for a refund, tracking still showed not received by USPS. I said, if they show up, I promise I'll send them back. That night, USPS apparently found the package (or they hadn't actually shipped it until then). He said to write 'Return to Sender' on the package, so I did, dropped it back in the box as soon as I took it out. It's been 16 days now since I put it in the mailbox. 29 days since I ordered it. 21 days since I first requested a refund. It was 10 days after ordering before it was even shipped, 13 days when it finally arrived. I never opened it, I wrote 'RETURN TO SENDER' in black marker like he instructed, put it straight into the locked outgoing mailbox at my apartment complex.
I should have been refunded when it had been 10 days and still not yet shipped. He (Skip) keeps telling me "not until I get the strings you claim to have sent back", as if I'm some junkie trying to scam him out of $26. I'm permanently disabled, on Social Security. After I pay my rent and bills I'm lucky to have $50 left for the month to spend on myself.
Any other retailer would have issued the refund when it had been a week and still not in transit, and likely offered me something free or a discount to insure that they retain my patronage. I paid for Priority Mail, they're in the next state, so it should have been here in 2-3 days. 10 before it actually shipped, 13 when it got here, and I have to wait until you get it back to get my refund?!
Well, now it's been 16 days since I sent it back and the tracking still just says it was delivered here. I don't think they even track something that's been "Returned to Sender". But I put it in a locked outgoing mailbox that only the mailman has a key to, so it's obviously been lost by USPS (AGAIN!).
Skip is a rude, obnoxious, snotty, self-important waste of space! I would have bought strings from them for the rest of my life, but he lost that over $26. This is The Worst customer service experience I've ever had in my life (aside from a fiasco with a car shop keeping my van for 4 months to replace a transmission). And this isn't the first time they gave a tracking number but lagged on actually shipping it. I've been stuck here all month waiting on him to give back the measly little wad of spending money I would have had for the month.
I hope he's proud of himself for getting over on a cripple for $26.
I will NEVER buy anything from them ever again, no matter how much the .051 & .037 were perfect for my guitar. And I have no idea where I'm gonna get the next .148T for the low A on my 5 string bass, but I'll deal with what I can get. They will not see another penny from me.
And I hope this matters enough to you that you will boycott them. Bad businesses don't deserve to be in business.
If you don't provide what I paid for within the promised delivery time, you issue a refund. It's not my fault it was either lost by USPS for over a week, or you just didn't actually ship it until then and blamed it on USPS. And it's not my fault they lost it again on the way back! If you wanted return tracking you should have given me a return label, instead of telling me to write "Return to Sender" on it. You're the one who bought the postage, if they lost it, it's up to you to file a missing package search or a lost package insurance claim. You don't leave the customer waiting for an entire month+ without their money. He said, "well, it's not my fault, either"... waaah, it certainly is the responsibility of the business to reimburse the customer if the package is lost, THEN you pursue compensation from the delivery service. Unless you don't care to keep your customers.
What a joke!
I use a PayPal debit card for everything and they're good about reimbursement for unauthorized charges. I've already gotten my money back from PayPal (submitted a dispute and included the email exchange w/Skip), but I'm not telling him that. I'm not letting him get away with this. I'm now sending him foul-mouthed messages and he's still replying, almost immediately (so, OP: he DID get your messages and WAS ignoring you), saying things like "I can't afford to lose $26 any more than you" and "I'm not passing any loss onto you". What do you call it, then? USPS lost YOUR package and you're taking MY money.
BOYCOTT KALIUM. Drive them out of business!
I have to be agnostic about Kallium because I know nothing of them, only saw the name just now on this thread, but I know pain, so it's worth trying to help reduce that a bit..
Sometimes things going against expectations can hurt more, so taking care of expectations can help. What a seller might choose to do as a gesture can't be standardised, but the basics of mailing can be. The sender usually has a duty in law to get the delivery to the intended destination, which if in doubt means some kind of recorded delivery, tracked, or signed for. When sending things back, that would place extra cost on you, but look at difference rather than total, then ask if it's worth it for peace of mind. (It usually is..) Postal services can and do screw up, so there's really no substitute for catching the truth of it when it happens. Likewise, the seller should have done this when sending to you if they have trouble with deliveries. It really does cut both ways, and knowing that can help ease some pain.
Also, if it's tracked on the way out, the seller can know whether it was their legal duty that got compromised by the courier, and in turn know whether any returns cost should be covered by them. They may be at fault here, but take care because if it's consequential loss rather than of the specific item, they probably aren't liable for that.
Sometimes things going against expectations can hurt more, so taking care of expectations can help. What a seller might choose to do as a gesture can't be standardised, but the basics of mailing can be. The sender usually has a duty in law to get the delivery to the intended destination, which if in doubt means some kind of recorded delivery, tracked, or signed for. When sending things back, that would place extra cost on you, but look at difference rather than total, then ask if it's worth it for peace of mind. (It usually is..) Postal services can and do screw up, so there's really no substitute for catching the truth of it when it happens. Likewise, the seller should have done this when sending to you if they have trouble with deliveries. It really does cut both ways, and knowing that can help ease some pain.
Also, if it's tracked on the way out, the seller can know whether it was their legal duty that got compromised by the courier, and in turn know whether any returns cost should be covered by them. They may be at fault here, but take care because if it's consequential loss rather than of the specific item, they probably aren't liable for that.
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You pay for Priority Mail and 12 days later it's still not in transit, you get a refund.
USPS doesn't track returned packages. If he wanted return tracking he should have given me a return label instead of telling me to write 'return to sender'. If the package is unopened then return shipping is guaranteed for Priority Mail.
USPS lost HIS package. Only he can initiate a lost package search or insurance claim. In the meantime, you refund the customer, then pursue your lost package.
Every single time something similar to this has happened with any other retailer, they've issued the refund at the appropriate time (i.e. it's been 12 days and your Priority Mail is still not in transit).
There are countless other posts online about him giving a tracking number and never actually shipping the order, and ignoring messages from the customer. This guy is a chronically terrible businessman. Someone that put $1000 down on a custom bass, and double the promised time had passed and still no word about it, so he asks for a refund. But Skip is refusing to give the refund until the bass (that hasn't even been made yet) is sold. And he's not even listing and trying to sell it.
