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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Processing and shipping time....2 weeks?

M

Maz Mawlawi

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Hello,

I would like to better understand the shipping and handling process from RED. We have ordered two RED cameras (both in the 100 series). When we finally decided to get our first one it took almost 2 weeks after the money was actually in their hand before it was shipped (and that’s after calling several times)…..we were told it was a fluke. We then decided to get our second camera. We were told we would get it pretty fast this time. Once again we transferred the money, it is in their account and initially we were told it would ship last Thursday or Friday. Then we were told it would ship Monday and that we would get this week for sure….today is Wednesday and we still didn’t hear anything. The goal was to get it by tomorrow or Friday at the latest because we had a 2 camera shoot planned on Saturday. Now it’s no big deal because we actually had a feeling this would happen and really planned for a one camera shoot anyway.
1) I would just like to know if 2 weeks is the standard processing time to ship the camera 2) I wish there was a little more communication from RED…especially if the camera wasn’t going to be shipped on time. I hate to have one of our people constantly calling just to find out if it shipped. I am not here to cry and complain, I just wanted to better understand what to expect in the future. That’s all. :blush:
 
Yes, much, much longer for me though. I have been avoiding complaining about it but they really need some sort of system. Brent was a lot of help in connecting me to someone but even after I had a rep I emailed and called every day in an attempt to get things going. When I finally did get a response, the order was completely wrong. This went on for several more weeks (this is after the money was sent) - I literally walked through every item on the phone (numerous times) as my rep entered the info and still, every time I did get a response and/or confirmation of my order it came back wrong. I was told there was a problem with the system, but after so many tries I really was starting to wonder.

Finally one day a customs broker called that I had a shipment to clear. I didn't even know it had shipped. Of course I paid my big FedEx fee, I paid my brokerage fees and I open the boxes (2 days later after it cleared) and sure enough, what was sent was way off from what I ordered. Guess I have to pay more FedEx and broker fees to get the rest.

That same day the broker called I was contacted by Red (the first communication to me that was not initiated by myself - other then the mass emails) and I was informed that I owed them more money. Well at that time the packages still had not cleared customs so I had no idea what was sent. What bothers me is, apparently Red charged my visa (for the additional balance amount) 2 times for amounts I had no idea - no invoices, no checks and balances. So what I owe Red and what Red owes me is a mystery. Problem is, I ain't getting no response to clear this up.

Again, I really don't want to launder this on an open forum, but it seems it is the only place to get a response. Hopefully the response doesn't come in a big flaming package.

Respectfully,
Dale
 
Sorry to here that my friend. It's indeed a little frustrating. Last time we called we actually got two different answers. One was the fact the "RED days" was delaying certain shipements.....the other was the fact that they were doing more Q&A before shipping cameras... I dunno. All I know is we don't know what the status of our shipement is...
 
Well, there's no denying that their ordering is abysmal.

I was sent a wrong invoice (wrong cam number, wrong person, wrong company); after emailing our rep to let them know; he replied with: "Who do I need to speak to, you or [enter wrong name here from wrong invoice]?"

Sorry RED, you have a great product, but your customer support/ordering process is unfathomable.

I've had more professional transactions purchasing chewing gum!
 
How about we come up with some creative ways to help RED with this?

My first thought would be to slow the rate of cameras leaving RED.
Yeah I know, a lot of people would kick my nuts for saying that.

But think about it. In the end it might speed up the process.

If some of the shipments are wrong it's because it's too much for them to handle. If they lower the rate, more orders will be accurate and perhaps in the end speed up the process? Offcourse a higher fail rate will give more work and less accurate orders out the door.
 
Andreas, yes, indeed that would be one solution.

Another would be to employ a system that works with the current amount of sales/orders; whether that be employing more personnel, or employing a better order process I do not know, as we aren't privy to the current system.

All I know is that the current system/accuracy is inadequate.

I'm sure it will get better over time - but no need to suger-coat the current situation though.
 
I feel like having a whine... ignore me.

My order handling and shipping has been poor.
Changes I made to my order weren't reflected in invoice.
Back ordered components weren't mentioned (like the top handles).
Shipping was delayed for no reason and a confirmation only sent after I phoned, twice.

Feel better now.

On the constructive side, I think they need a more transparent handling process. This could easily be done if we could log back into the store after purchasing and see how our account stands.

Items that are back ordered should be marked as so on the invoices. Shipping dates and payment confirmations should be sent as soon as money is received/ items shipped.
 
I agree, supply and demand. I know Red has had this policy from the beggining of being secretive and mysterious, and having hundreds of Red Heads back them up every time someone complains, but the truth is how hard would it be to hire a few more staff. Considering this is not the R and D department I think for 10 bucks an hour they could easily hire many more people to deal with calls and organization, basic secretarial work. My other issue is that I am not "loaded" like some of the people on this site. One guy I read paid 300 dollars for shipping and customs and when he opened the box it was like a 50 dollar cord. I simply will not be able to afford these kind of mistakes. I am already spending my life savings on the camera. Plus, considering that most of us are spending over 40 grand per camera package, this is not a small issue. I think that it is appauling 3xm and planetearth were told a hundred different things, especially if they had personal brokers....this is a serious problem and I wont accept an excuse from some REDhead saying....well RED has made an amazing camera, and they are trying hard.....
I simply cannot accept that. They should be working on their system rather then making things like the scarlet....It would be like ford trying to engineer the focus, while shipping the model T.
 
Guys, as always, we welcome feedback. Be it "My experience has been great" - or "It could have gone way better. Here is what went wrong..."

I have always been open and forthcoming on the boards and will continue to do so. Just like the camera had a very accelerated timeline to get up to "ready", so was the stuff like accounting, customer service, etc. As soon as we knew we would begin fulfilling cameras in August, we began to staff those functional areas. With each group of deliveries we have learned a lot and tweaked our process accordingly. Heck the people in the first 50 just got an email from me with some basic info.

I am not going to stand behind the old adage that "bad news travels 10x times faster than good". Sure, people are going to post on the boards when they have a bad experience. People are rarely going to post when it goes great. I know the vast majority of people have been very happy with the service - have emailed me about it and PM'ed me about it. Kelly and her team of BOMB SQUAD reps have all been told the same. But our goal has never been to service 90% of the people in a way that meets their expectations and accept 10% as not being happy. We want everyone walking away with RED with the warm fuzzies.

We are constantly looking at ways to improve all facets of RED. On the sales/service side, we developed the "your camera is nearly ready" and "your camera is ready" email program to give you your current order details and contact info, accessory recommendations, product availability, and payment instructions. We developed RED DAYs for people who have taken delivery of their cameras so they get hands on experience at RED with RED gurus (FYI, if you have your camera and have not gotten an invite yet, you will, I promise. Just like camera deliveries, we do it in group batches). We have quadrupled our sales/service staff in the last 6 months. We initiated a "Buy Now" feature on the website so people who have been delivered a camera can place at-once orders. We opened up REDCINE and RED Alert software for everyone to download instead of just camera owners. And we are by no means done evolving. We are working on the ability for you to update your order online via RED.com which should eliminate a ton of the frustration some of you are feeling if you can make changes to your order from the comfort of your couch at 2am.

So, please keep the constructive criticism coming. PM and email Kelly if you feel that you are not getting the service you deserve. I am always on the boards and have helped many people on their orders. The BOMB SQUAD guys are willing to help.

Speaking of BOMB SQUAD, we are looking for more help. Each guy we hire has to have some video production experience so they have relevant knowledge of the industry when they are trying to help you. These are not "$10 an hour" people or a temp you can find on every street corner. We want to make sure the person who picks up the phone has functional knowledge of the world you all live in.

We don't know what is wrong unless you help us. Kelly, the BOMB SQUAD, Brian, me, etc. have always shown that we are here to listen and here to help. If you just want to vent, Kelly is a great listener.

So, first and foremost, it bums me out to hear ANYONE had a bad experience. And I am sorry for that, sincerely. I know everyone is extremely excited to get their cameras and accessories. And I don't want you to feel like the kid's holiday experience of "I was hoping this box was a toy and it wound up being a sweater" as you open your RED boxes. Help me help you.

Thanks for sticking with us during the growing pains. We take every phone call, email, and post into consideration and try to improve from them.

Thanks, BC
 
Justin_Kirch said:
Brent, in terms of BOMB SQUAD personnel, are you mainly looking for guys and girls that live in California? I know that sounds ridiculous, but for all I know you guys could have a call center located some where else.
Click to expand...

Yup, we run everything out of RED's HQ in Orange County, CA.

BC
 
Thanks Brent,
for the detailed and well-meant post; it is much appreciated.

However, I'd like to point out that in my humble opinion there does seem to be a distinct difference in what your post (and others from RED personnel) state, and what is the reality as a RED customer (above #100).
I have emailed our BOMB SQUAD rep with confusing, and not very helpful replies (although finally improving yesterday).
PM to Kelly goes unanswered.

Also, the main connection to RED customers seems to be this forum; on one hand you rely almost exclusively on providing updates and information via this forum; so it would be only understandable that we (as customers) use this same avenue to provide you with our prroblems and concerns (as done in this thread).
I would of much preferred to recieve email notifications, or even good 'ol mailings via the USPS, than visit this site, and try and sift through thousands of posts to find updated info, and ordering requirements, and schedules.
You chose this avenue, and this seems one of the few ways to vent our frustrations, should they arise.

And honestly, there is no objective way to read "Sure, people are going to post on the boards when they have a bad experience. People are rarely going to post when it goes great." and surmise that is a fair statement.

All-in-all, the positive comments outweigh the negatives on RED ONE and the RED team, probably 10:1. And rightly so; you've all done a great job!
Your ordering/customer support is not good, currently. Sorry, it's blunt, I know.


The concerns raised in this thread won't be mitigated by kind words, but by action on your behalf.
Specifically addressing one or two issues laid out in this thread would be welcomed.

Best.
 
Thanks, CJ. We all appreciate it!

And, Justin, much better weather in the OC than TX

:)
 
Pig said:
The concerns raised in this thread won't be mitigated by kind words, but by action on your behalf.
Specifically addressing one or two issues laid out in this thread would be welcomed.
Click to expand...

I had hoped that showing the evolution of programs (ie, emails, RED DAYs) we have initiated would have shown a history of action, but I know we have room for improvement. Pig, tell me your top two and I will look into them personally.

BC
 
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