Just me or does PPS FAIL at communication?

Hi all -

My restoration is underway and I have started ordering parts for it. To date I have purchased items from most of the major pinball parts suppliers.

Clearly PPS is the worst vendor I have dealt with by far. First, an email confirmation/invoice of the order is not automatically sent when the order is completed. Pretty unacceptable when, this is, after all, the 21st century.

If this were not bad enough - one has to click "customer order history" which is horribly kludgy and difficult to understand when the "customer order history" link is not highlighted, underlined and provides no indication that one must actually click "customer order history" to look at the same.

Here's a clue - don't hide order status from the customer when you don't send automated emails regarding the status of orders.

This is BY FAR the worst e-commerce web site of any of the pinball companies I have interacted with and the design is just... well... Bad. Either list the past orders as clickable lines in that section without the customer having to click something to query them - or make the fact that the Customer Order history is a link obvious. I.E. Make it a button or highlight it somehow.

My credit card was charged at the time of the order, however, I did not receive any tracking information or indication that the products ordered had been shipped via an email message.

When I realized I had never received the parts needed for my restoration - and somehow managed to bumble through the Kludgy order status online - I was further confused by the unclear status messages contained on the order.

The first (unlabeled) column on the items I purchased now say "reorder" and the Status of the order is "Pending". At first, I was thinking that "re-order" meant my order was canceled and I would need to reorder the parts, but then realized that this could not be the case since it also has a status of "Pending". If the "reorder" column is a reminder for PPS to reorder the parts - that is fine - but you may want to hide this from customer view as the message is unclear.

Next, I emailed PPS to confirm that my theory is correct - the parts are backordered. I wondered to myself - if the part(s) is/are backordered - why did the invoice say "reorder"? Again, very poor design. I realize that this is a very small parts order, however, when my credit card is charged for items that were not shipped - I EXPECT a merchant - ANY merchant to respond to a reasonable question in a reasonable time frame. I don't believe this is an unreasonable expectation. If it is too difficult to respond to email - then automate your freaking processes or get out of the parts business.

Finally, I really love MM and have been struggling with whether I should order one or not. This experience has pushed me significantly toward the "not" side of this struggle - since I believe if PPS's attention to detail and focus on customer services is anything like what I experienced on this small parts order - there is NO WAY I will order a new MM no matter how much I love the game.

PPS please understand that it IS the little things and attention to details that count. I'll take a "wait and see" approach for now and consider these items to simply be oversights - but for now - I won't be ordering anything else from them.

#2 9 years ago

JFH

jfh

Pinside+ Addict

10y 161K 10,143

PPS, Sara in particular, can be quite helpful with issues over the phone. However, from my standpoint, she is the exception.

I agree their online system leaves a lot to be desired and emails sent without a corresponding phone call seem to be totally hit or miss (for me, mostly miss).

I am not a fan of PPS communication in general and Rick's attitude in particular. Because of that, I have moved most of my buying to other sites.

#3 9 years ago

TSR

TaylorVA

Reese Rails

13y 116K 8,893 11 7

OP
Quoted from Pinterest:
Hi all -
My restoration is underway and I have started ordering parts for it. To date I have purchased items from most of the major pinball parts suppliers.
Clearly PPS is the worst vendor I have dealt with by far. First, an email confirmation/invoice of the order is not automatically sent when the order is completed. Pretty unacceptable when, this is, after all, the 21st century.
If this were not bad enough - one has to click "customer order history" which is horribly kludgy and difficult to understand when the "customer order history" link is not highlighted, underlined and provides no indication that one must actually click "customer order history" to look at the same.
Here's a clue - don't hide order status from the customer when you don't send automated emails regarding the status of orders.
This is BY FAR the worst e-commerce web site of any of the pinball companies I have interacted with and the design is just... well... Bad. Either list the past orders as clickable lines in that section without the customer having to click something to query them - or make the fact that the Customer Order history is a link obvious. I.E. Make it a button or highlight it somehow.
My credit card was charged at the time of the order, however, I did not receive any tracking information or indication that the products ordered had been shipped via an email message.
When I realized I had never received the parts needed for my restoration - and somehow managed to bumble through the Kludgy order status online - I was further confused by the unclear status messages contained on the order.
The first (unlabeled) column on the items I purchased now say "reorder" and the Status of the order is "Pending". At first, I was thinking that "re-order" meant my order was canceled and I would need to reorder the parts, but then realized that this could not be the case since it also has a status of "Pending". If the "reorder" column is a reminder for PPS to reorder the parts - that is fine - but you may want to hide this from customer view as the message is unclear.
Next, I emailed PPS to confirm that my theory is correct - the parts are backordered. I wondered to myself - if the part(s) is/are backordered - why did the invoice say "reorder"? Again, very poor design. I realize that this is a very small parts order, however, when my credit card is charged for items that were not shipped - I EXPECT a merchant - ANY merchant to respond to a reasonable question in a reasonable time frame. I don't believe this is an unreasonable expectation. If it is too difficult to respond to email - then automate your freaking processes or get out of the parts business.
Finally, I really love MM and have been struggling with whether I should order one or not. This experience has pushed me significantly toward the "not" side of this struggle - since I believe if PPS's attention to detail and focus on customer services is anything like what I experienced on this small parts order - there is NO WAY I will order a new MM no matter how much I love the game.
PPS please understand that it IS the little things and attention to details that count. I'll take a "wait and see" approach for now and consider these items to simply be oversights - but for now - I won't be ordering anything else from them.

They make or license all B\W parts. Good luck in not buying their products.

#4 9 years ago

MDS

Pinside member

Quoted from TaylorVA:
They make or license all B\W parts. Good luck in not buying their products.

Yeah - that's what I hear, and K-Mart's the top discount retailer, Pan Am's the top airline, and IBM's the top computer company. Failing to take care of customers always has the same outcome.

-3

#5 9 years ago

PGL

lowepg

Pinside member

Cary, NC

11y 79,400 4,738 3

Its just you.

#6 9 years ago

???

Atomicboy

Inactive member

12y 81,150 7,318

I don't know, Rick I think is very good with communication, look at all those C&D letters he frequents people with.

#7 9 years ago

TSR

TaylorVA

Reese Rails

13y 116K 8,893 11 7

OP
Quoted from Pinterest:
Yeah - that's what I hear, and K-Mart's the top discount retailer, Pan Am's the top airline, and IBM's the top computer company. Failing to take care of customers always has the same outcome.

people tend to overlook poor communication if someone has something they want.

#8 9 years ago

CAP

lordloss

Blocked

10y 5,089

He might send you a personal PM now asking for a gentlemens dual

#9 9 years ago

CBC

ls1chris

Pinside member

Okotoks, AB

11y 49,800 1,214 5

i just ordered a PF from them and my communication has been great, i did get an automated email when my package was shipped and my email questions have always been answered same day.

#10 9 years ago

JFH

jfh

Pinside+ Addict

10y 161K 10,143

Quoted from TaylorVA:
people tend to overlook poor communication if someone has something they want.

Which is probably Rick has gotten such a pass on his handling of MMR.

I think you are absolutely right, but it's very disappointing for PPS to take advantage of that.

#11 9 years ago

FOX

phillymadison

Pinside member

New York, NY

9y 59,150 1,235 11 9

Been begging for shinny gold Judge Dredd eagle topper for months now. If they made those again I could over look any communication lol.

#12 9 years ago

SBS

o-din

Pinside+ Addict

If you need to communicate with PPS, just call them.

th-350.jpeg

#13 9 years ago

DAD

chrisjens2

Pinside member

14y 71,900 885 27 1

OP
Quoted from Pinterest:
Clearly PPS is the worst vendor I have dealt with by far.
There is NO WAY I will order a new MM no matter how much I love the game.
PPS please understand that it IS the little things and attention to details that count.
I won't be ordering anything else from them.

Agree
Agree
Agree
Agree

You pretty much figured it out, and this is EXACTLY where I stand

#14 9 years ago

RAR

beelzeboob

Pinside+ Frequent

Rumor has it Rick is buying the rights to Pinside so he can shut this thread down. IBTL!!!

#15 9 years ago

DAD

chrisjens2

Pinside member

14y 71,900 885 27 1

If he ends up buying it, a lot of us will just leave

#16 9 years ago

DMS

Elevatorman

Premier Pinball Stl

St. Louis, MO

10y 116K 1,860 71 171

Quoted from phillymadison:
Been begging for shinny gold Judge Dredd eagle topper for months now. If they made those again I could over look any communication lol.

Need one too!

#17 9 years ago

SBS

o-din

Pinside+ Addict

Quoted from TaylorVA:
They make or license all B\W parts. Good luck in not buying their products.

Unfortunately they also own the rights to every Bally and Williams EM game that was ever made. Although Rick stated several months back in another thread that he was working with several vendors to reproduce wanted and needed EM parts, I see no difference in what's available for them on his website. Pretty much nothing.

Those that want to preserve the history of Bally and Williams and many of the great games they made are pretty much screwed.

#18 9 years ago

RAR

beelzeboob

Pinside+ Frequent

I think we're missing the point...to an extent. We should be thankful there's somebody out there that bought the licensing and is concerned about making quality reproductions. We'd all be screwed if there were no more parts to buy. Shame that so many of you are upset about the customer service. I just had dealings with them over the last couple weeks and they've been wonderful--but they work in tandem with BAA, who has always been wonderful for me.

#19 9 years ago

RAR

beelzeboob

Pinside+ Frequent

On a personal note, I'd like to thank o-din for keeping the cigar-chomping dog avatar. I know he must be twitching because he hasn't changed it in a while now. But he doesn't have to change it...it's the best one!

#20 9 years ago

SBS

o-din

Pinside+ Addict

Quoted from beelzeboob:
On a personal note, I'd like to thank o-din for keeping the cigar-chomping dog Avatar. I know he must be twitching because he hasn't changed it in a while now.

I've got a few in mind. lol.

I guess it's a little tough being a fan of classic Williams EMs and being unable to get plastics, backglasses or even a lockdown bar that would fit just about any 60s vintage game. If it was a Gottlieb I could have any of these for many games. Those that try to make a few of these parts for the few who need them seem to get shut down. Buying all the licenses is one thing, but using it to help keep this part of the hobby alive is another.

#21 9 years ago

MOF

mof

Mof Pinball

San Francisco, CA

11y 149K 13,299 25 94

One thing I've noticed in recent years is that we now have at least 10 ways to communicate:

1. in person
2. snail mail
3. phone call
4. web sites*
5. email
6. text
7. forums**
8. blogs or articles with comments**
9. internet chat
10. billboards and other physical signs**

* web sites are (one-way) communications, for "saying something", but the response would typically be in the form of a form-email, internet chat, or other (not another web site.)
** forums, blog/article comments, and signs are public and read by everyone

I would advise anyone that ever has an issue communicating with someone to try another channel. This simple trick has worked well for me. Some people who are not good communicating in person are "sometimes" great with email or phone calls. Some people who are horrible at responding to emails in a timely manner, or even responding to what you wrote, are sometimes better in person or over the phone.

Perhaps try giving businesses and people a second chance, and try different channels. See if another channel works best for them.

To be fair, having an outdated or poorly tested e-commerce system, and "failing at communication" are related, but not really the same thing.

-mof

#22 9 years ago

FOX

phillymadison

Pinside member

New York, NY

9y 59,150 1,235 11 9

Quoted from Elevatorman:
Need one too!

Send them as message asking for it. Maybe if they get enough requests they'll make them again.
I was told since they have the ugly mustard colored one in stock they don't feel there's a need to make the shiny gold one.

I counter with the reason why you guys have that ugly colored one is cause its ugly and people like the shiny one better hence why it's sold out lol.

Supply and demand

#23 9 years ago

MAC

Expletive

Inactive member

Unknown

11y 16,650 361 4

As has been said many times, PPS fails at communication, customer relations, and marketing. It's hard to believe they are a successful business.

#24 9 years ago

MDS

Pinside member

Quoted from o-din:
If you need to communicate with PPS, just call them.

Hey O-Din -

I understand there are many different ways to communicate - and that some people may be better at one than others.

That said, we are not talking about calling grandma or my buddy from down the block - this is supposed to be a business. Asynchronous communication is an advantage of modern communication technology. I work 12+hours a day and typically have back-to-back meetings from 8am-5pm - so it is often difficult for me to get a lunch break much less have time for a personal call during "normal hours".

If you can't monitor and respond to your email - don't make it available as a way to communicate.

th-350.jpeg 13 KB

#25 9 years ago

SBS

o-din

Pinside+ Addict

OP
Quoted from Pinterest:
If you can't monitor and respond to your email - don't make it available as a way to communicate.

Hey I didn't invent e-mail, and sometimes I forget to check it. Sometimes for weeks. Leave a message and I'll get back to ya! LOL!

If you want a response go oldskool and get the guy on the phone! I know, sometimes that doesn't even work. Maybe morse code via telegraph is the answer.

#26 9 years ago

BLY

MrBally

Pinside member

OP
Quoted from Pinterest:
Hi all -
My restoration is underway and I have started ordering parts for it. To date I have purchased items from most of the major pinball parts suppliers.
Clearly PPS is the worst vendor I have dealt with by far. First, an email confirmation/invoice of the order is not automatically sent when the order is completed. Pretty unacceptable when, this is, after all, the 21st century.
If this were not bad enough - one has to click "customer order history" which is horribly kludgy and difficult to understand when the "customer order history" link is not highlighted, underlined and provides no indication that one must actually click "customer order history" to look at the same.
Here's a clue - don't hide order status from the customer when you don't send automated emails regarding the status of orders.
This is BY FAR the worst e-commerce web site of any of the pinball companies I have interacted with and the design is just... well... Bad. Either list the past orders as clickable lines in that section without the customer having to click something to query them - or make the fact that the Customer Order history is a link obvious. I.E. Make it a button or highlight it somehow.
My credit card was charged at the time of the order, however, I did not receive any tracking information or indication that the products ordered had been shipped via an email message.
When I realized I had never received the parts needed for my restoration - and somehow managed to bumble through the Kludgy order status online - I was further confused by the unclear status messages contained on the order.
The first (unlabeled) column on the items I purchased now say "reorder" and the Status of the order is "Pending". At first, I was thinking that "re-order" meant my order was canceled and I would need to reorder the parts, but then realized that this could not be the case since it also has a status of "Pending". If the "reorder" column is a reminder for PPS to reorder the parts - that is fine - but you may want to hide this from customer view as the message is unclear.
Next, I emailed PPS to confirm that my theory is correct - the parts are backordered. I wondered to myself - if the part(s) is/are backordered - why did the invoice say "reorder"? Again, very poor design. I realize that this is a very small parts order, however, when my credit card is charged for items that were not shipped - I EXPECT a merchant - ANY merchant to respond to a reasonable question in a reasonable time frame. I don't believe this is an unreasonable expectation. If it is too difficult to respond to email - then automate your freaking processes or get out of the parts business.
Finally, I really love MM and have been struggling with whether I should order one or not. This experience has pushed me significantly toward the "not" side of this struggle - since I believe if PPS's attention to detail and focus on customer services is anything like what I experienced on this small parts order - there is NO WAY I will order a new MM no matter how much I love the game.
PPS please understand that it IS the little things and attention to details that count. I'll take a "wait and see" approach for now and consider these items to simply be oversights - but for now - I won't be ordering anything else from them.

I think you're expecting too much from Mr. Personality.

#27 9 years ago

BLY

MrBally

Pinside member

Quoted from mof:
One thing I've noticed in recent years is that we now have at least 10 ways to communicate:
1. in person
2. snail mail
3. phone call
4. web sites*
5. email
6. text
7. forums**
8. blogs or articles with comments**
9. internet chat
10. billboards and other physical signs**
* web sites are (one-way) communications, for "saying something", but the response would typically be in the form of a form-email, internet chat, or other (not another web site.)
** forums, blog/article comments, and signs are public and read by everyone
I would advise anyone that ever has an issue communicating with someone to try another channel. This simple trick has worked well for me. Some people who are not good communicating in person are "sometimes" great with email or phone calls. Some people who are horrible at responding to emails in a timely manner, or even responding to what you wrote, are sometimes better in person or over the phone.
Perhaps try giving businesses and people a second chance, and try different channels. See if another channel works best for them.
To be fair, having an outdated or poorly tested e-commerce system, and "failing at communication" are related, but not really the same thing.
-mof

Perhaps he dusted off the old Telex machines from Bally and Williams and they are ready to read orders sent that way. Cable Addresses:

BALFAN Chicago

and

WILCOIN Chicago

#28 9 years ago

MOF

mof

Mof Pinball

San Francisco, CA

11y 149K 13,299 25 94

Oh, you just reminded me, I forgot a communication method:

11. fax !

haha
-mof

Can we still send telegrams in 2015? No idea.

#29 9 years ago

JOE

calvin12

Frozen

Unknown

13y 0k 2,972 10

OP
Quoted from Pinterest:
Hi all -
My restoration is underway and I have started ordering parts for it. To date I have purchased items from most of the major pinball parts suppliers.
Clearly PPS is the worst vendor I have dealt with by far. First, an email confirmation/invoice of the order is not automatically sent when the order is completed. Pretty unacceptable when, this is, after all, the 21st century.
If this were not bad enough - one has to click "customer order history" which is horribly kludgy and difficult to understand when the "customer order history" link is not highlighted, underlined and provides no indication that one must actually click "customer order history" to look at the same.
Here's a clue - don't hide order status from the customer when you don't send automated emails regarding the status of orders.
This is BY FAR the worst e-commerce web site of any of the pinball companies I have interacted with and the design is just... well... Bad. Either list the past orders as clickable lines in that section without the customer having to click something to query them - or make the fact that the Customer Order history is a link obvious. I.E. Make it a button or highlight it somehow.
My credit card was charged at the time of the order, however, I did not receive any tracking information or indication that the products ordered had been shipped via an email message.
When I realized I had never received the parts needed for my restoration - and somehow managed to bumble through the Kludgy order status online - I was further confused by the unclear status messages contained on the order.
The first (unlabeled) column on the items I purchased now say "reorder" and the Status of the order is "Pending". At first, I was thinking that "re-order" meant my order was canceled and I would need to reorder the parts, but then realized that this could not be the case since it also has a status of "Pending". If the "reorder" column is a reminder for PPS to reorder the parts - that is fine - but you may want to hide this from customer view as the message is unclear.
Next, I emailed PPS to confirm that my theory is correct - the parts are backordered. I wondered to myself - if the part(s) is/are backordered - why did the invoice say "reorder"? Again, very poor design. I realize that this is a very small parts order, however, when my credit card is charged for items that were not shipped - I EXPECT a merchant - ANY merchant to respond to a reasonable question in a reasonable time frame. I don't believe this is an unreasonable expectation. If it is too difficult to respond to email - then automate your freaking processes or get out of the parts business.
Finally, I really love MM and have been struggling with whether I should order one or not. This experience has pushed me significantly toward the "not" side of this struggle - since I believe if PPS's attention to detail and focus on customer services is anything like what I experienced on this small parts order - there is NO WAY I will order a new MM no matter how much I love the game.
PPS please understand that it IS the little things and attention to details that count. I'll take a "wait and see" approach for now and consider these items to simply be oversights - but for now - I won't be ordering anything else from them.

The reorder button is a quick link for you, the customer, to be able to order an item again. It's a common thing on e-commerce sites.

#30 9 years ago

SBS

o-din

Pinside+ Addict

Quoted from mof:
Oh, you just reminded me, I forgot a communication method:

Air mail may be the most direct.

#31 9 years ago

WEB

Magic_Mike

Pinside member

Atlanta, GA

11y 56,550 2,985 20

Communication could be a lot better!

I just had an order cancelled and refunded today with no explanation...

#32 9 years ago

DAD

chrisjens2

Pinside member

14y 71,900 885 27 1

He saw you were reading this thread

#33 9 years ago

BLY

MrBally

Pinside member

Quoted from Magic_Mike:
Communication could be a lot better!
I just had an order cancelled and refunded today with no explanation...

Take the money, it's better.

#34 9 years ago

RON

ronlisa

Pinside+ Frequent

Odessa, MO

13y 98,800 1,763 25 42

Quoted from mof:
Oh, you just reminded me, I forgot a communication method:
11. fax !
haha
-mof
Can we still send telegrams in 2015? No idea.

You forgot number 12

12. Page him on his pager !

#35 9 years ago

BLY

MrBally

Pinside member

Smoke signals. Inherited from the Gene Cunningham buyout.

#36 9 years ago

KMP

kporter946286

Pinside member

Waterford, PA

11y 69,300 1,686 3 7

I've learned that not every company in this hobby are clones of each other, which I kind of like. Gives each business its own personality. Learn how to communicate with PPS like many have said before there is more than one way seems like you are too used to 1 specific template. If they truly don't respond to any method then rip them but I doubt that's the case. We as a country are too impatient and need everything done now and the same way, hence the success of chains. Hell they just made a kids movie parody about it "Everything is Awesome"

#37 9 years ago

RAR

beelzeboob

Pinside+ Frequent

Multiple people from PPS/BAA responded to me when I had a problem - but I contacted them multiple ways (phone, email). They were wonderful for me!

1 week later

#38 9 years ago

CBC

ls1chris

Pinside member

Okotoks, AB

11y 49,800 1,214 5

Quoted from beelzeboob:
Multiple people from PPS/BAA responded to me when I had a problem - but I contacted them multiple ways (phone, email). They were wonderful for me!

same for me, i wouldn't hesitate to business with PPS again in the future, all of my inquiry's have been responded to promptly, i had even asked about PUB update software and where to find it and Rick had responded personally the next day with contact information to "lock when lit" for my pub card needs.

#39 9 years ago

MDS

Pinside member