Solway bees no delivery no reason no contact

[Dishmop]

I often get emails from ebay customers who say they want something quickly for a birthday present in three days time.

Because they happens to sit on ebay or wherever at 2 in the morning they expect selllers to be there as well........weekends dont count to them..... Special trips to PO for a £1.99p item.

When buying stuff. 24 hours delivery or turnaround doesnt mean that it will be delivered within 24 hours.........24 hours is three working days..

 

[Chris B]

Well I have to chip in here.

It's amazing the number of calls or emails we get at all times of day and night from beekeepers wanting queens despatched next day, regardless of the time of year, the weather, the season, free stock, existing orders, blah, blah, blah.

They expect they are just sitting on a shelf like dog food, waiting to be packed and put in the post.

suppose we could if we banked them, but we won't do that.

Rant over

Panic buying of queens is 99% of the time going to result in a dead queen anyway. That's another reason not to respond to such requests.

 

[Hebeegeebee]

I often get calls asking for a queen because the caller believe the hive is queenless shortly after a swarm. Once they UNDERSTAND what's going on in the hive, they rarely ring back as the stock produces it's own queen. Funny that colonies should do that!

I could just take the money but like sipa, real beekeepers don't do that and they look after their girls! Maybe people should go to Amstrad Bees for barrow-boy beekeepng!

 

[Hebeegeebee]

It is true that the beekeeping suppliers are rushed off their feet at the moment as they are every summer and we can't expect same-day service. That's why winter sales are there to even out their sales and to encourage us to plan ahead as much as possible and improve a seasonal and lumpy cash-flow.

One advantage for local agents is that they tend to buy in winter and keep stock - for example when a big supplier runs our of foundation which happened this summer and my local agent had 1000's of sheets of it.

 

[sipa]

Panic buying of queens is 99% of the time going to result in a dead queen anyway. That's another reason not to respond to such requests.

Yep, totally agree.

They accept our schedule or buy elsewhere.

 

[wessexmario]

Solway are perfecting the art of non-communication with extreme finesse...

I have contacted them every day since Tuesday, every time I have asked, and on the phone each time they have promised, for them to tell me where my order is, and they repeatedly fail to report back.

Last Friday they said they dispatched the order, and it should have arrived.
It hadn't

On Tuesday they said they'd find out for me where it was with the courier, and let me know.
They didn't.

On Wednesday I asked for confirmation of the delivery date - they said "tomorrow, and you'll get an SMS from the courier giving a one hour delivery slot"
It didn't arrive.

Yesterday (Thursday) came and went, without any sign of the delivery or of a confirming SMS message.

Just before lunch a few hours ago I phoned yet again...
Solway: "I've just been talking to the courier; I'll get back to them and ask".
Me: "Can you PLEASE let me know what you find out, and when I can expect delivery"
Solway: "phone or email"
Me: "either, but do it."

I would have expected a rapid couple of phone calls to have been made to (1) get the courier to check their tracking system to locate my consignment and (2) let me know where it is and which day delivery is expected.
I am NOT holding my breath.

I've sent them a formal email reminding them that they are in breach of the 30 day delivery required by the Consumer Contracts Regulations and if they can't get the delivery sorted out by next Friday then they are in breach of contract and I will be demanding a full refund.

I'm normally very patient, but what is so aggravating is that despite repeated requests for information, they just will not communicate what's happening back to me.
I will not be using Solway Bee Supplies again and I'd definitely recommend others don't either.

 

[Cussword]

I ordered 10 hoffman frames & foundation from Solway 3 weeks ago.
They arrived today, there were 4 frame sides short, but I don't consider that a problem as it's their busiest time of year. I'll get in touch to sort it out.
I have to say I've not had a problem with them.

 

[wessexmario]

I ordered 10 hoffman frames & foundation from Solway 3 weeks ago.
They arrived today, there were 4 frame sides short,

to get a simple small order wrong is hardly a recommendation though is it?

 

[Roola]

They told me my super frames and wax would be with me wednesday or thursday... still no sign. In this heat it has probably already melted. I'd probably add at least a week on to the delivery date they give you... This has to be a record though, it is almost 4 months since I made my order and I still don't have it all.

Solway are perfecting the art of non-communication with extreme finesse...

I have contacted them every day since Tuesday, every time I have asked, and on the phone each time they have promised, for them to tell me where my order is, and they repeatedly fail to report back.

Last Friday they said they dispatched the order, and it should have arrived.
It hadn't

On Tuesday they said they'd find out for me where it was with the courier, and let me know.
They didn't.

On Wednesday I asked for confirmation of the delivery date - they said "tomorrow, and you'll get an SMS from the courier giving a one hour delivery slot"
It didn't arrive.

Yesterday (Thursday) came and went, without any sign of the delivery or of a confirming SMS message.

Just before lunch a few hours ago I phoned yet again...
Solway: "I've just been talking to the courier; I'll get back to them and ask".
Me: "Can you PLEASE let me know what you find out, and when I can expect delivery"
Solway: "phone or email"
Me: "either, but do it."

I would have expected a rapid couple of phone calls to have been made to (1) get the courier to check their tracking system to locate my consignment and (2) let me know where it is and which day delivery is expected.
I am NOT holding my breath.

I've sent them a formal email reminding them that they are in breach of the 30 day delivery required by the Consumer Contracts Regulations and if they can't get the delivery sorted out by next Friday then they are in breach of contract and I will be demanding a full refund.

I'm normally very patient, but what is so aggravating is that despite repeated requests for information, they just will not communicate what's happening back to me.
I will not be using Solway Bee Supplies again and I'd definitely recommend others don't either.

 

[Obee1]

I ordered 10 hoffman frames & foundation from Solway 3 weeks ago.
They arrived today, there were 4 frame sides short, but I don't consider that a problem as it's their busiest time of year. I'll get in touch to sort it out.
I have to say I've not had a problem with them.

I ordered frames and foundation from mann lake and big T on Tuesday this week. Mann lake stuff arrived Thursday. Big T Friday. And all present and correct pleasantly surprised at this time of year.

 

[Dishmop]

Solway are perfecting the art of non-communication with extreme finesse...

I have contacted them every day since Tuesday, every time I have asked, and on the phone each time they have promised, for them to tell me where my order is, and they repeatedly fail to report back.

Last Friday they said they dispatched the order, and it should have arrived.
It hadn't

On Tuesday they said they'd find out for me where it was with the courier, and let me know.
They didn't.

On Wednesday I asked for confirmation of the delivery date - they said "tomorrow, and you'll get an SMS from the courier giving a one hour delivery slot"
It didn't arrive.

Yesterday (Thursday) came and went, without any sign of the delivery or of a confirming SMS message.

Just before lunch a few hours ago I phoned yet again...
Solway: "I've just been talking to the courier; I'll get back to them and ask".
Me: "Can you PLEASE let me know what you find out, and when I can expect delivery"
Solway: "phone or email"
Me: "either, but do it."

I would have expected a rapid couple of phone calls to have been made to (1) get the courier to check their tracking system to locate my consignment and (2) let me know where it is and which day delivery is expected.
I am NOT holding my breath.

I've sent them a formal email reminding them that they are in breach of the 30 day delivery required by the Consumer Contracts Regulations and if they can't get the delivery sorted out by next Friday then they are in breach of contract and I will be demanding a full refund.

I'm normally very patient, but what is so aggravating is that despite repeated requests for information, they just will not communicate what's happening back to me.
I will not be using Solway Bee Supplies again and I'd definitely recommend others don't either.

perhapa theyre busy making and packing orders.

Do you really want them to phone back and say "we dont know" They cant tell you what they dont know.

 

[dpearce4]

ask for the courier company name, telephone number and consignment number and see what they have to say themselves.

 

[Cussword]

They use UK Mail. The company (UK Mail) sends a text in the morning to tell you what time of day they will deliver.

 

[nantmoel]

perhapa theyre busy making and packing orders.

Do you really want them to phone back and say "we dont know" They cant tell you what they dont know.

I had exactly the same problem - I'm one that if its not been dispatched then please tell me the truth!! I won't be using them again. I understand they are very busy - but telling lies is not good!

 

[wessexmario]

The facts:
Solway on separate occasions told me that:
- The parcel was dispatched on Friday 26th.
- The parcel should have been delivered on Tuesday 28th.
- The parcel will be delivered on Thursday 2nd.

The parcel arrived this morning (Sat 4th).
On checking the consignment number on the UKMail tracking website, it said the parcel was collected from Solway in the afternoon on Friday 3rd.

There could be another explanation, like UKMail lost an original parcel, or they returned it to Solway for some reason, or was I being fobbed off with "it's in the post" because they didn't want to admit they had a backlog? I'd much prefer to be told there's a long lead time, rather than be strung along with excuses or fibs. Or if the courier they use isn't reliable then they should use another, there are plenty out there.

I don't know what to think, but it doesn't leave a good impression.

On the plus side, the goods are good quality and difficult to beat on price, but they'll be a hard choice if you need something delivered quicker than getting it from China.

 

[Coppice Bees]

I ordered from Solway about 18 months ago, all was fine, perhaps they are going thorough a bad patch......hope you all get sorted soon

Talking of delivery times does anyone have experience of delivery times from Maisemore? I placed three online orders earlier this week, Payns, CWJones and Maisemore. Everything delivered except the Maismore. I need their nucs before next Monday when I have queens arriving.

I ordered from Maisemore last month and my parcel arrived within a few days

 

[Pete D]

The facts:
Solway on separate occasions told me that:
- The parcel was dispatched on Friday 26th.
- The parcel should have been delivered on Tuesday 28th.
- The parcel will be delivered on Thursday 2nd.

The parcel arrived this morning (Sat 4th).
On checking the consignment number on the UKMail tracking website, it said the parcel was collected from Solway in the afternoon on Friday 3rd.

There could be another explanation, like UKMail lost an original parcel, or they returned it to Solway for some reason, or was I being fobbed off with "it's in the post" because they didn't want to admit they had a backlog? I'd much prefer to be told there's a long lead time, rather than be strung along with excuses or fibs.

I used them once last season, I wanted 6 floors in a hurry, no problem was the reply..............3 weeks later when they turned up I didn't need them anymore as I worked around it. I wont use them again.

Big T and Mann Lake orders this week, Big T 3 days (1 item out of stock so rung me which added a days delay), Mann Lake 2 days.

 

[lilybetbee]

I order frames and foundation a couple of years ago, frames arrived quickly but no foundation. Very apologetic when I phoned and sent it, so gave them a second chance.
Only half the order again so not been back since.