[Saber]

I ordered a pair of Eternas on 12/4/2010. I got the processed email on 12/7/2010. It was in stock so I figured there would be plenty of time to get here before Christmas since I live in the states.

 

[goodvibes]

I had a similar situation with Ethan. I do trust him as I got my preorder refund after 2 weeks and understand his dilemma but when there's no response for over a week(s), that's not just being busy. It's lax. I also posted here to get results as I thought it better for his biz than a paypal dispute. If you take the responsibility of starting a customer based business you also need to find the time to at least acknowledge an email from a purchasing customer. It isn't a favor as he is making a profit and only offers a small discount (appreciated) on preorders. Customers are entitled to at least a minimum level of communication, even if it's an automated response of, weekend business and I respond on weekends. Of course, you then have to respond on the next weekend which is what the issue is.
 
I'm sure he gets inundated with impatient buyers asking where their stuff is but it's part of doing business and better info up front helps alleviate that. I suspect he's the only NA importer because he has an exclusive and therefore a captive customer base. I fail to see the favor part though it's great that somebody is bringing dba's over. We are funding his start up here and that's great but there's a minimum amount of service expected from anyone you give money to. If these were forum purchases, all hell would break loose.
 
I hope Ethan's successful and takes this to heart. Seems like a good enough guy but the biz aspect needs to mature a bit.

 

[MaxwellDemon]

I think a lot of you guys are underestimating the amount of work that comes into an university student during this time (semester finals). Seeing as I just got out of the experience less than four months ago... I'll just say that I am not surprised that he is being "lax". I can't imagine anyone could possibly run a business single-handedly while being an university student during this period.
 
Of course, if he is finished with his finals already (some students are done by this time), then I'd agree with that criticism. Again, maybe if you are to look at it in the stoic customer's point of view, then maybe he should reconsider his business model. I do agree I probably sympathize him more than an ordinary customer should, so I can't ask for everyone else to be as sympathetic. I think he did mention that he'll be hiring new hands soon, so I hope something good will come out of this and customers won't have this frustration with BudgenAudio.com again.

 

[goodvibes]

  The point is that it shouldn't be at a buyer's expense after a reasonable amount of understanding is given. If he's bitten off more than he can chew, he needs to divide the pie with some help or have a better appetite for business. He's making thousands of dollars and he's entitled, even without promotion. He had the initiative to act first on the great reviews here but it's not a favor.
 

 

[swbf2cheater]

its the holiday season and he must be busy beyond imagining 
 
 
but if ethan needs some help he can always hire me!  
 

Quote:

The point is that it shouldn't be at a buyer's expense after a reasonable amount of understanding is given. If he's bitten off more than he can chew, he needs to divide the pie with some help or have a better appetite for business. He's making thousands of dollars and he's entitled, even without promotion. He had the initiative to act first on the great reviews here but it's not a favor.
 

 

[Saber]

I'll give Ethan a few days to respond to my [size=10pt]inquiry on when my order will ship but after that my patience will have run out.  The way I look at is as following:[/size]
[size=10pt]1) Item instock when I ordered.[/size]
[size=10pt]2) I was charged over 2 weeks ago.[/size]
[size=10pt]3) Nothing has shipped[/size]
[size=10pt]4) No email with an explanation.[/size]
 
[size=10pt]Unless upfront I know there is going to be a delay, once a store charges me for an order, I have the expectation of my order being shipped in a timely manner.  Without any communication, it's hard to be sympathetic.[/size]

 

[goodvibes]

The 'processed' email means that he hasn't shipped. Your funds are in limbo until it says completed. I bet they were out of stock when ordered and the site not up to date. Your funds can't be refunded because the transaction is not complete but they are also not available to you when held. Hopefully, Ethan will get back to you soon.

 

[cardozo]

It seems to me that some people are finally understanding the problem, since I always complained of sloppy and amateurish way in which buyers are treated. Buyers who paid for a product, it is worth saying.

Goodvibes, I totally agree with you. I have nothing to add.

MaxwellDemon not mean to sound rude, but why so defensive with Ethan? He is a helpless in any way? The forum is open and he has an account here and you're not helping anyone who has problems with the Bugden Audio, just Ethan. Actually, I think you're doing a disservice to everyone here.

Let me repeat once again: When I bought my DBA-02, there was no warning about the company be managed by just one person and that person was taking exams, who knows where. And also my payment was not subject to any third-party problems. He simply was paid and communication is terrible (I just received an email from Ethan when I threatened to cancel my purchase) and, finally, my phone has not yet been received.

Frankly, I'm bored with this situation.
 
Peter

 

[rawrster]

I think I was one of the earlier members to order the DBA-02 and I knew of the long wait and that it was managed by one person. Actually when I bought them my card was charged and then 1.5 months or so later the item shipped so it definitely isn't as bad as charging closer to when it is being shipped.
 
That being said I do understand the frustration that occurs with no communication. I'm guessing at this point in time there is too much demand for the products he sells and one person can only do so much when the owner also has other responsibilities such as school. That means either that there should be a staff to deal with CS and issues such as this or more information should be given upfront and what the process is like.

 

[swbf2cheater]

I paid for a set of sunrise iems on the 15th and got them on the 20th, sure i sent three emails to him, one prior, one in the comment section of the order and one after with no reply...but still, if ethan isnt replying there must be a decent reason for it.  

 

[goodvibes]

Too busy isn't a good reason when you've taken or are holding funds. I was one to mention it would probably be better if everyone didn't bother him about ETAs so that he'd be more able to deal with issues long before I had one and would have been happy to wait. I never expected his projected ETAs to hold anyway as companies are always optimistic. 
 
Patience isn't/wasn't the problem for Cardozo, Saber or myself. When opting out, having ordered from stock on hand for a gift or been told it shipped, there should be follow up as items could be lost, the funds needed elsewhere or another gift to be purchased. Time is important here. 2 emails which were replies to his order confirmation so they went to the right place and a phone call, all placed 4 days apart, didn't get it done until posting here.
 
I wish Ethan the best and that things work out for Budgen but to not discuss the current situation accurately wouldn't be fair to members either. Of course there are a lot more happy customers and nobody is getting taken here but the test of a business is dealing with adversity and customer service, not the products that are sold.

 

[Saber]

I got a response from Ethan. As mentioned by MaxwellDemon, he has been busy with his studies.   The reason that he gave me for why my order was shipped really should of been sent to me by a week or so ago.  It would of saved me from having to scramble today to order another pair of IEMs since there is no way that these would arrive by Christmas or a week later.  He said he would get more stock sometime next week so I'll give him 2-3 weeks to see if he can fullfill my order.  He seems like a nice enough chap.
 
I understand stuff happens, all I ask is for merchants to be upfront with me when things don't go as planned.   I don't think that is an unfair request.  This way I can plan around it instead of getting kind of blindsided.
 
@goodvibes - I was definitely charged.  Paypal has already deducted from my bank account and paid the amount to Ethan.

 

[swbf2cheater]

gosh i take back what i said, im having some issues right now with ethan as well.  My order was processed and completed quickly but i never got a reply back until today, i dont want to get into the details about it but im not at all happy with what is going on with my case.  Dang...i ate my words I guess 

 

[MaxwellDemon]

Quote:

It seems to me that some people are finally understanding the problem, since I always complained of sloppy and amateurish way in which buyers are treated. Buyers who paid for a product, it is worth saying.

Goodvibes, I totally agree with you. I have nothing to add.

MaxwellDemon not mean to sound rude, but why so defensive with Ethan? He is a helpless in any way? The forum is open and he has an account here and you're not helping anyone who has problems with the Bugden Audio, just Ethan. Actually, I think you're doing a disservice to everyone here.

Let me repeat once again: When I bought my DBA-02, there was no warning about the company be managed by just one person and that person was taking exams, who knows where. And also my payment was not subject to any third-party problems. He simply was paid and communication is terrible (I just received an email from Ethan when I threatened to cancel my purchase) and, finally, my phone has not yet been received.

Frankly, I'm bored with this situation.
 
Peter

I just tend to be too sympathetic with people, that's all. As I said, I understand I can't expect an ordinary customer to sympathize with him as I do. However, my point is that if you give him enough time, he'll get back to you eventually. He isn't going to rip you off. If you don't like the wait... well... I hated to say this since it'll damage his business until he hires proper hands... but maybe you should have cancel and spend some extra cash and ordered from Treoo.

 

[goodvibes]

Problem is that it can take weeks to cancel and you don't know where you stand with your funds or order. Like I said, I hope he gets it together as he does seem like a nice enough fellow and I can also be empathetic but there seems to be little empathy for his customers when folks are at a Xmas crunch and have been given an impression by both payment and the web site that a wait was not part of their order. Some mistakes are avoidable and others are not. How we deal with them is what is what's telling. The extra attention given to screw up can get you a customer for life. Some attention is within a week is a minimum under any circumstances other than illness or a planned and noted vacation. Mental vacations because it's too much to deal with is not reassuring. It's either a business or not.