Cancel my order fee

[jacko9]

Very reasonable to charge for cancelled orders after you put work into filling that order.

[ChefKnivesToGo]

Wouldn't it be the first time customers you want to make a better impression on to convert them to regulars?

You operate on the assumption that we are greedily looking to make every sale and upsell customers to take every dime we can from them. That's not the case. We want to have a business that makes Sue and I happy and doesn't burn us out so we don't quit.

You are correct, I wrongfully assumed sales growth was part of your business plan. My apologies. For most of retail, an up sell or customer recover is not based off greed. Often we do these things simply to make payroll.

I base my comments off 20 years in the restaurant business. Margins are razor thin and failure rates are high. Every persons satisfaction is paramount. I am happy you are able to operate in a space where that is not the case.

I cannot fathom the monetary value of the amount of food I have re-made, comped or otherwise in the name of customer retention, not to mention the amount of hours done doing it.

Imagine this, you and your wife stop to get Italian. She orders a pasta dish, but does not realize it has shrimp in it. A simple mistake from the dim restaurant lighting. When the food comes out she notices the shrimp and immediately notifies the server of her mistake. Imagine if the server said, sure I will take care of it, it will cost you 5%. While the monetary punitive amount is small the take home message is not. The chance you go back to said restaurant is small. (again, I am happy you don't have to worry about it)

You are far from alone in dealing with these sorts of issues, maybe I just have a different take on it.

Try this. I go into your restaurant and order a steak well done. The item comes to the table and I say: "Matt, you know what? I made a mistake. I'm not in the mood for a steak and I'm kind of feeling like some fish. Please take it back and get me some walleye instead.,, oh yeah, that bottle of Cabernet you just opened won't go with my new dish so could you please give me a bottle of Chardonnay instead? Sorry, you opened it already but I didn't drink any. You can refill the bottle with these here glasses too."

I too worked my way through school in multiple restaurants and if memory serves (and it was a long time ago) that didn't go over very well with the owners.

Also, I've never returned an item from a restaurant. I've thought about it a couple times. I'm pretty sure if Sue ordered the pasta with shrimp by mistake she would go with it and eat it. We both own a business and we understand that our mistake shouldn't cause you to waste food and labor and time.

[Jeff B]

If I ordered the wrong meal in a restaurant I would eat said meal or order something different and pay for both. I don't expect other people to pay for my mistakes.

[RonAZ]

A $5 cancellation charge would not bother me personally, but it would a lot of customers. Maybe just include a note in the returns page that repetitive cancellations MAY result in a $5 restocking fee. That way you have the flexibility to charge only when you are feeling abused and less inclined to worry about losing a long term customer.

[mdl130]

My two cents (FWIW) is that a policy that charges a $5 cancellation fee once it’s been picked from inventory is fair. I think most online retailers won’t let you cancel orders once they are coded as “preparing for shipment” and just ship you the product forcing you to return it.

[jbart65]

My two cents (FWIW) is that a policy that charges a $5 cancellation fee once it’s been picked from inventory is fair. I think most online retailers won’t let you cancel orders once they are coded as “preparing for shipment” and just ship you the product forcing you to return it.

This is basically what I think CKTG should do. Orders should be considered processed or sent after an hour or so. Put a note on your site saying products ship within an hour.

The proposed fee wouldn't bother me at all, but I am a regular. Were I new to the site, I might be put off if I saw a note saying I could be charged a fee for canceling an order. It might make me hesitate to buy. Or maybe it would make me wait till I was more certain before I bought a knife.

I can't recall any website ever charging me for canceling an order, though. Yes, these knives can represent big purchases for most people, but the fact that such a policy is extremely rare is reason enough to weigh the pros and cons closely. As I am sure CKTG is doing ...

[Jeff B]

I can't recall any website ever charging me for canceling an order...

I can't recall ever canceling an order hours after having placed the order. I've only canceled a few over the years and it was within minutes of placing the order because of a mistake of some kind with order. I've never canceled an order over "buyers remorse". Never canceled one at CKTG either.

[Chefspence]

You operate on the assumption that we are greedily looking to make every sale and upsell customers to take every dime we can from them. That's not the case. We want to have a business that makes Sue and I happy and doesn't burn us out so we don't quit.

You are correct, I wrongfully assumed sales growth was part of your business plan. My apologies. For most of retail, an up sell or customer recover is not based off greed. Often we do these things simply to make payroll.

I base my comments off 20 years in the restaurant business. Margins are razor thin and failure rates are high. Every persons satisfaction is paramount. I am happy you are able to operate in a space where that is not the case.

I cannot fathom the monetary value of the amount of food I have re-made, comped or otherwise in the name of customer retention, not to mention the amount of hours done doing it.

Imagine this, you and your wife stop to get Italian. She orders a pasta dish, but does not realize it has shrimp in it. A simple mistake from the dim restaurant lighting. When the food comes out she notices the shrimp and immediately notifies the server of her mistake. Imagine if the server said, sure I will take care of it, it will cost you 5%. While the monetary punitive amount is small the take home message is not. The chance you go back to said restaurant is small. (again, I am happy you don't have to worry about it)

You are far from alone in dealing with these sorts of issues, maybe I just have a different take on it.

Try this. I go into your restaurant and order a steak well done. The item comes to the table and I say: "Matt, you know what? I made a mistake. I'm not in the mood for a steak and I'm kind of feeling like some fish. Please take it back and get me some walleye instead.,, oh yeah, that bottle of Cabernet you just opened won't go with my new dish so could you please give me a bottle of Chardonnay instead? Sorry, you opened it already but I didn't drink any. You can refill the bottle with these here glasses too."

I too worked my way through school in multiple restaurants and if memory serves (and it was a long time ago) that didn't go over very well with the owners.

Also, I've never returned an item from a restaurant. I've thought about it a couple times. I'm pretty sure if Sue ordered the pasta with shrimp by mistake she would go with it and eat it. We both own a business and we understand that our mistake shouldn't cause you to waste food and labor and time.

Mark you hit the nail on the head!

Also I've ordered restaurant equipment before and all purveyors charged a 20% restocking fee. 5$ is nothing. I e given away idk how many free meals because people all of a sudden change their mind or realize they do t like something about the already plated dish. Of course in a restaurant you just say ok whatever. Someone will eat it in the boh. I also know the struggle of shipping tons of stuff and it's a pita to have to cancel orders consistently.

I think it's a good idea....more incentive to order what you want the first time. I've never second guessed after paying. Sure I've had buyers remorse at times, but that's not your fault!

Oh, and on a side note I send back stuff Everytime it's not how I expect it or it just flat out isn't good. Ya I'm a picky bastard, but I allow that in my reataurants for my guests too and don't bitch. That's acceptable. But just ordering something and then saying I don't really want it once it gets prepared without even trying it.....WTH?!

[Bullman]

Beyond reasonable.. You have to charge for your time. It cost you more to have to refund it in lost time than most people think. Smarr move on your part

[Cutuu]

Regular customers will be expempt.

Wouldn't it be the first time customers you want to make a better impression on to convert them to regulars?

You operate on the assumption that we are greedily looking to make every sale and upsell customers to take every dime we can from them. That's not the case. We want to have a business that makes Sue and I happy and doesn't burn us out so we don't quit. Asking people to pay a very small amount for the extra work that they're making us do I think is fair. I talked to a customer yesterday and told him the policy and he thanked me and said he was fine with paying me to go find his package in our pile and cancel out his order and he apologized for the hassle. Him paying me $5 made me feel better about doing all the work associated with the order and the cancelation. So in 1 instance, it seemed to be a good outcome for both of us.

When I place orders with my suppliers I never change or cancel those orders once placed. The reason is that I made the commitment and it puts stress on my distributors to then either take delivery of the goods and find another buyer or risk pissing off the blacksmith by calling them up and canceling. When I say I'm going to buy something I buy it. I also never ask them to take back stuff that I ordered too much of. If I did, I would expect to be charged a little for the trouble I had caused.

Also, those that place an order and call us right away before we pick, pack, label, fit saya, finish sharpen etc we are not going to charge. If it's just simply deleting the order before all that work goes into it we're fine with doing that since it's causing us very little work.

Well said Mark, mic drop, conversion over. Mods please close .

[nakneker]

Regular customers will be expempt.

Wouldn't it be the first time customers you want to make a better impression on to convert them to regulars?

You operate on the assumption that we are greedily looking to make every sale and upsell customers to take every dime we can from them. That's not the case. We want to have a business that makes Sue and I happy and doesn't burn us out so we don't quit. Asking people to pay a very small amount for the extra work that they're making us do I think is fair. I talked to a customer yesterday and told him the policy and he thanked me and said he was fine with paying me to go find his package in our pile and cancel out his order and he apologized for the hassle. Him paying me $5 made me feel better about doing all the work associated with the order and the cancelation. So in 1 instance, it seemed to be a good outcome for both of us.

When I place orders with my suppliers I never change or cancel those orders once placed. The reason is that I made the commitment and it puts stress on my distributors to then either take delivery of the goods and find another buyer or risk pissing off the blacksmith by calling them up and canceling. When I say I'm going to buy something I buy it. I also never ask them to take back stuff that I ordered too much of. If I did, I would expect to be charged a little for the trouble I had caused.

Also, those that place an order and call us right away before we pick, pack, label, fit saya, finish sharpen etc we are not going to charge. If it's just simply deleting the order before all that work goes into it we're fine with doing that since it's causing us very little work.

I own a business. I’m 110% with you Mark. I think your handling this in a very fair way to you and to the customer.

[willc68]

A five dollar cancellation fee is extremely fair.
I usually order maybe 4 or 5 times a year from CKTG and would have no problem with the fee if the circumstance should occur.

[Lionel Joyce]

Different business, but same problem: we own condos in Hawaii which we rent for short vacation stays. One booking in 10 is cancelled. This is a regal PIA and ties up the property during the period while the renter is delaying signing the agreement, or paying the deposit. We would rather the guest does not place the reservation in the first place. I sympathize with Mark and agree that $5 is not out of line at all. In fact, it probably does not cover his costs, but may at least act as a deterrent

[rayl1234]

A bit off topic, but felt the need to speak up for the hospitality industry.

I can understand the fee, but will object to the restaurant meal analogy. Most fine dining restaurants will accommodate...even if the guest takes a few bites and then announces a change of mind (repeat offenders excluded). I only bring this up bec many members of the audience here may be affiliated with establishments having such practices in the front of the house. With food, it isn’t often, but with cocktails, this is a several times a night occurrence.

As a matter of fact, in many places, dining managers and bar tenders have a discretionary comp tab for each shift so the kitchen sees only an extra order (unless the complaint was about quality of food), though the bar sees all declined cocktails.

At least that’s how it works here in Boston.

[Thin Man]

It never dawned on me that one could cancel an order once placed. By all means charge a fee.

[old onion]

In Marks case,with knife orders,I would imagine it is quite frequent that orders are canceled.It is easy to imagine a person wanting to put in an order on a knife that he has seen very good reviews on while searching the forum and then bam,he spots a few more reviews that maybe aren't so good or another knife gets more praise so then his wheels start turning and he decides to cancel and move on. Nope,not fare to Mark and company so yes,a restocking fee is in order here and I am all for it.

[Altadan]

In Marks case,with knife orders,I would imagine it is quite frequent that orders are canceled.It is easy to imagine a person wanting to put in an order on a knife that he has seen very good reviews on while searching the forum and then bam,he spots a few more reviews that maybe aren't so good or another knife gets more praise so then his wheels start turning and he decides to cancel and move on. Nope,not fare to Mark and company so yes,a restocking fee is in order here and I am all for it.

Something like that has happened to me many times, but never on a CKTG order. Meaning, I've never pulled a trigger that I later "pulled back." But boy, does buyers remorse plague me!
When I first started falling down the hole, seeing a classified ad for a sweet knife in a sweet price would get me sending a PM asap, and while the correspondence just begins I'd race to find the rest of the reviews...

In any case, by now it seems that the issue has be hashed and thrashed. If Mark & Co. find the cancellation to be good return on their effort when it's wasted, and/or a good deterrent, then bada-bim bada boom.
I agree that repeat-offenders could be contacted, regardless of the fee. The time effort wasted, I imagine, will not be greatly sweetened by the $5. Also, cancelling straight away before anything has been boxed is still alright, so... what's more to say?

[lsboogy]

If would think a re-stocking fee would be in order. I've never cancelled an order, and doubt I ever will. Mark and Susan have the greatest customer service and I get the best advice on this site. I might even suggest a premium membership level - maybe for those who order lots or who have been here a long time - give first dibs on hard to find stuff. I'd pay 20 bucks a year for that

[Kit Craft]

In Marks case,with knife orders,I would imagine it is quite frequent that orders are canceled.It is easy to imagine a person wanting to put in an order on a knife that he has seen very good reviews on while searching the forum and then bam,he spots a few more reviews that maybe aren't so good or another knife gets more praise so then his wheels start turning and he decides to cancel and move on. Nope,not fare to Mark and company so yes,a restocking fee is in order here and I am all for it.

Something like that has happened to me many times, but never on a CKTG order. Meaning, I've never pulled a trigger that I later "pulled back." But boy, does buyers remorse plague me!
When I first started falling down the hole, seeing a classified ad for a sweet knife in a sweet price would get me sending a PM asap, and while the correspondence just begins I'd race to find the rest of the reviews...

In any case, by now it seems that the issue has be hashed and thrashed. If Mark & Co. find the cancellation to be good return on their effort when it's wasted, and/or a good deterrent, then bada-bim bada boom.
I agree that repeat-offenders could be contacted, regardless of the fee. The time effort wasted, I imagine, will not be greatly sweetened by the $5. Also, cancelling straight away before anything has been boxed is still alright, so... what's more to say?

Interesting take on things from the two of you. I am totally the opposite and will read reviews for weeks and weeks and sometimes months and procrastinate until something goes out of stock and then I have to wait to pull the trigger the next time it comes in stock if ever! Trust me, this is a flaw on my part. I have missed out on two Katos because of this and the first time I had a shot at a KS and an HD I missed them too.

[MisoSatisfried]

Interesting take on things from the two of you. I am totally the opposite and will read reviews for weeks and weeks and sometimes months and procrastinate until something goes out of stock and then I have to wait to pull the trigger the next time it comes in stock if ever! Trust me, this is a flaw on my part. I have missed out on two Katos because of this and the first time I had a shot at a KS and an HD I missed them too.

I feel your pain... as I am the same, ha!