WAHM Forums

Hi to all the party plan reps out there,
I did a party beginning of May with a romance rep and ordered one item from her. There were about 20 guests at the party and she only had one catalogue for each category which I thought was not a good sign. ( I give everyone a catalogue at my parties and make sure that I have enough stock!).

I just called the hostess and she told me that my item would be coming next week? She said something about the rep placed her order with someone else and would be receiving another order next week. The romance rep has never contacted me or followed up even though she has my info on the order form. As a matter of fact she didn't stay for my presentation eitherhttp://www.wahm.com/forum/smileys/smiley18.gif

My question is this: What length of time do you normally take to deliver products ordered from your parties? The longest it will take me is 1 week barring back order issues. Of course I will let the customer know that there is an issue with the delivery and I try to get the product to them ASAP.

I would think that customer service is a highly regarded criteria for those of us who do home parties and the like. I would appreciate your opinions and comments.

Yolanda in New York

This is one thing that I like about the party plans that ship direct to the customer, you don't worry if the consultant has run into delays or anything as long as the order is put in. Do you have your receipt?

With me I have the party that day, if they mostly pay with credit cards I will input the order when I get home and it's usually shipped the next day (if a weekday). If it's with checks and cash then I will wait three days for the checks to hit my bank and then place the order. My only concern with this though and the reason I'm thinking about changing the credit card order time is cause our order forms give the customers three days to cancel their orders. If that happens and I've already placed the order I'm in trouble. So I'm considering waiting three days to place the order. Our office processes it in 1-2 days and it's shipped the next day so ideally the customer has their product 7 days after the party.

Julie

It all depends on when the Hostess closes her show. For instance, I did a party on April 6th, and the hostess wanted to get more outside orders, so she kept it open until the last day of the month. The last day is usually the busiest since everyone is putting orders in. Sometimes orders take 2 - 3 weeks to come in if they are entered on the last day, whereas it could take under a week if the party is entered even a few days earlier.

Another possiblity is that the party was less then the company minimum to submit. Therefore, she could have waited until she had enough orders to place the party order. This also has happened to me before.

Hi Yolanda!

Sorry to hear about your negative experience.

Depending on the company, shipping is different. Some companies ship to the distributor who then must re-ship or personally deliver the products, and some ship directly to the hostess. For Your Pleasure offers the option to deliver orders directly to the hostess, or drop ship right to the party guests.

The only time I have any kind of delay is a backorder, but I generally close my parties that night and my guests and hostesses always have their orders one week later. Our average warehouse turnaround time is 24 - 48 hours.

And I agree 150% customer service is part of what keeps us in business! It is as important to me as the sale.

Hi Yolanda...
Sorry you've had such a rough time getting your order...I find it unacceptable that you were not contacted by the Consultant and YOU had to contact the Consultant yourself!!

Ordering for parties normally take 10-12 business days...of course I always get my orders sooner than this...but I tell my guests this incase there is some sort of delay.

I personally don't carry full stock...I have a few items I take with me to parties...but for me it makes my business feel more duplicatable to my potential recruits.

You are right...without our customers we have NO business!
I'd give her a specific amount of time...and if she doesn't get back to YOU I'd contact her Corp. Office...there is no excuse for not having communication from the Consultant. I have NO TOLERANCE for unprofessional business antics!

Let us know how it all works out!

It all depends on when the Hostess closes her show. For instance, I did a party on April 6th, and the hostess wanted to get more outside orders, so she kept it open until the last day of the month. The last day is usually the busiest since everyone is putting orders in. Sometimes orders take 2 - 3 weeks to come in if they are entered on the last day, whereas it could take under a week if the party is entered even a few days earlier.

Another possiblity is that the party was less then the company minimum to submit. Therefore, she could have waited until she had enough orders to place the party order. This also has happened to me before.


This may be true...but this is NO EXCUSE for not being in contact with the party guests...I find this rude and VERY unprofessional. If either of these instances came into play...the Consultant should immediately contact the guests and let them know.

A month is way too long to be waiting with out some form of communication. My class orders usually arrive to the hostess inabout 9days but I say within 2 weeks. It takes a full week just for it to get here to the midwest. Considering our company had a great replenishment systemso everything is constantly being made fresh... not bad turn around! I also let my customers know if they won't see the hostess again soon they have the option of paying a couple dollars more and have it shipped straight to them.
Maybe she has to place a certain $ amount to receive a higher discount so she waited to combine orders. I know there are certain companies that have avarriable discount scale based on sales. Just a guess. Is the reps info on your copy of the receipt if you need to contact her?
I hope you get your product soon.
Amanda

Slumberparties prides itself on delivery the night of the party. If I have to order something, it takes me about 7 days to get it to them. Sorry you are having to wait so long. Luckily we don't have party minimums or such. I can put an order in at any time no matter how big or small.
Karen

With brown bag party we ship the orders to each individual customer. We can open a party and place the orders that we do have and then a week later order the rest when the hostess collects the rest of her outside orders.

Our shipping is very fast. My customers have their orders within 3-4 days. I personally don't carry inventory, but my customers don't complain because of the fast shipping time.

Customer service is our business. Without our customers we have no business. I'm sorry to hear about your negative experience. I hope that it gets resolved soon.

With BabyCrazy, orders are received within 3-5 days average. With that length of time of waiting, you really should have heard from your consultant. You don't get repeat business by treating people that way.

Kathy T.

I agree with Danielle... if the hostess insists on keeping the party open, it isn't fair to all of the other guests at the party. Now, in my business it works a little bit different because guests are just ordering book credits, then work on creating their actual books at their own pace. The product is shipped to each client as they complete them, which they have up to one year to do. I enter the celebration orders that night and each guest has immediateaccess to their account so they can start working on their books whenever they like.

However, I still don't like keeping celebrations open for extended periods. So here's what I do to avoid that happening...I always make it clear to my hostess during my hostess coaching that I will close the celebration that night. That gives her plenty of notice to get outside orders before the celebration. Thenwe just book another celebration for a few months down the line for all of those who weren't able to attend. When the hostess knows upfront what to expect, it's not a problem.

In the specific case you've described, Yolanda, it's unclear as to whether the delay was caused by the hostess wanting to keep the party open longer or by the consultant for whatever reason. It does sound, though, as though the consultant did keep the hostess "in the loop" with explanations as to what was going on, and that the hostess then dropped the ball in regard to passing the message along to her guests. Certainly, the consultant could have contacted each guest herself. And if she was the one at fault, she should have. But if the delay was due to the hostess keeping the party open... I can see how it might be a little awkward for the consultant to call each guest and say, "your order is going to be delayed because your hostess won't let me close her party." KWIM?

I love discussions like this because we can all learn a lot from hearing about the experience from a hostess' or customer's point of view!

Blessings,
Christy

Thanks everyone for your input! It is interesting to find out how everyone works their parties. I have gained a lot of insight from everyone here.

I do not fault the hostess as I was told that the rep did place an order so I would put the blame on the rep. I think that she should be the one to inform the customers of the delay in delivery since she has the order forms. I guess it comes down to personally making sure that her customers are taken care of. I feel that as a party plan rep you are responsible for making sure that your orders are completed and delivered. I also think that customer service is of the utmost importance.

I will update everyone next week when and if I receive my order. Rest assured that I won't be ordering from this rep again! LOLhttp://www.wahm.com/forum/smileys/smiley36.gif

When I do my romance parties usually tell my party guests to expect there orders in about two weeks. That gives the hostess a few days to keep the party open and about a week (if that) to get the products shipped.
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I’m going to be joining Sensaria this month and I am so excited that Sensaria is local to me, it’s in <?:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place><st1:City>Shelton</st1:City>, <st1:State>Wa</st1:State></st1:place> and I’m only about 40 miles away so I will get orders so fast! I know I hate waiting too long for orders. :(

For TS, we direct ship so it comes straight to the customer. We can create a party order and I usually submit orders the day I get them. We also don't have to wait for the party to close out so everyone is happy. Usually products are delivered within the week.

When I do a party, the hostess can expect delivery one week after the agreed closing date. I don't like making party guests wait any longer than they have to. I also offer to go to the hostess' home to help her package the individual orders.

Quick update:

I just talked to the hostess from the party in May and she told me that the rep got the order in. She is waiting for the rep to bring her the merchandise.

So I have to wait until next week to receive the item that I paid for. Maybe it is just me but I would think that the rep should have mailed me my order or at least tried to contact me if she had the product already so that perhaps I could make arrangements to meet and receive my product.

I will tell you one thing: I won't be ordering from this party plan rep again! I think a month and a half is a bit long to wait for a product paid for and ordered at a home party.

wow, a month and a half is way too long!

Hi Yolanda!! Home &amp; Garden Party delivers by Fedex in 10 days. That's pretty much standard for me as I live out in Washington state. HGP is located in Marshall, Texas- I input all orders into the computer, so that works much better for me than mailing a payment &amp; order to them in Texas. Hope that you get your product soon!
Rosalee Decker
Home &amp; Garden Party
www.homeandgardenparty.com (http://www.homeandgardenparty.com)
Rosalee832@hotmail.com
1-360-458-5680
This is the Day that the Lord has made; we shall rejoice &amp; be glad in it

Hi Yolanda:

Southern Living At HOME suggests we quote all our customers and hostesses for 2-3 weeks. Whether it's mid-month or month end. That way if there is a delay, there is ample time or even if it shows up early, they are even more pleased. Our usual time is about 1-2 weeks from when the party is closed. i only keep parties open 2-3 days after a show...it keeps everyone happy.