This has come up a couple of times. I think that most smaller companies answer queries in the following order
Personal visits
Phone calls
Letters
Email

Its to do with free resources more than lack of intent. Try to phone em first(I know your abroad) but its often the fastest way

Andy. I re-read the first post and deleted my reply to you as it was no longer 100% correct. Apologies.

[Edited by Neil Smalley - 8/7/2002 11:48:15 AM]

I would just like to say thank you to

ScoobyMania
ScoobySport
GGR

For not bothering to reply to emails, and before all you do gooders post replies about what wonderful service you have had from them all and oh there must be a problem and well why don't you phone them blah blah blah, I don't have time to spend on the phone discussing parts prices and I live abroad, all 3 of these company have websites and email contact information. They must be so big that they don't need anymore business, maybe 200 GBP is not a significant enough amount of money to be botheres with. Anyway I will just have to look elsewhere I suppose.

Like most companies they dont bother with their emals and web sites after spending a fortune setting them up

My justification for that sweeping statement as you like to put it is this....if you deal with most companies on a web site then you are less likley to get a prompt service. I.e. estate agents, retail companies. It's sweeping because there are many many companies out there that do this....and that is fact! and whos doing a clown act ?

No problem.....mod

well that clears that up Neil I thought Andy was talking to himself. :D:D:D

Wurzel

I have just checked and have nothing from you. I am 100% up to date on website enquiries.

Pete

I have just sent you an email from your website please let me know if you get it.

Cheers
Steve

Wurzel, you shouldnt have to notify people that you have sent then a mail from their website, otherwise why email them . They should be notified by their email system or manually check.

Andy

But only when their people have free time to check. These places often can't afford to have a person dedicated to looking for emails everyday. Not because they are'nt financially stable, but because they tend to run on a small margin basis.

but checking your mail is a simple task like opening the post. And only takes five mins each time. The only problem is, people arent that geared up to using an E solution even though they advertise it. They seemed to fall for the rush of the ecommerce bit in the late 90's but now that the dotcom has fallen people dont bother. Thats the only thing i was trying to get accross. Any way not saying another word on this subject now...

Over to Pete C for the scoobysport view. I actually agree that more people should answer e-mails but sometimes there are valid reasons for not doing so right away

Thanks Neil. I spend an enormous amount of my day answering mails and try to reply to all mails within 24 hours. If I'm out of the office, this just isn't possible.

I do agree that if you spend £xxxx on a website and contact page, then its wasted if you don't monitor it all the time. As much as I would like to be away from my desk at times, e-mail is today's communication system and must receive the same attantion as post or phone calls.

When it does go wrong is when mails are badly addressed. I get at least 5 mails a day from people who haven't filled out a return address or have filled it out wrongly, so it bounces.

Also, don't send me attachments. Unless I know you very well and know that you are sending me something important as an attachment, they go straight to my bin.

Would I be stirring things if I were to say that I've always had more success at contacting Scoobysport via email than I have via the phone. ;) :D

I sent Pete C. (ScoobySport) two emails yesterday and got a response within 10 mins on both....superb if you ask me ! :)

What makes it even more impressive is that I have already received the goods that I ordered from him so it was not like he was responding to a possible sale....he was just giving superb customer service on the products he sold me ! Can't ask for better imho :)

Cheers,
Ray

Here here Razor, I mailed Pete C @ Scooby Sport in Basildon, Essex, 5mins later a read receipt came back, and a reply within 8 mins, very good in my book. :-) roll on my 30bhp performance increase curtousy of scooby sport.. woohooo

A Read receipt only works properly with internal mail. as you mailed externally then that was your ISP Post Office letting you know it had been sent

thanx andy, I guess what I was trying to say was he replied very quickly... :-)

Neil maybe you should lock this or delete it which ever you prefer.

ok sorry....i'll shut up then