tree stuff, its been real....

Let's be fair now, there is a pretty big difference between damaging someone's property and not being able to order that new carabiner, rope, harness or block.
Errors are not something new that sherrill brought to treestuff. When Luke owned it I can think of 3 very frustrating instances where I received the wrong product or was back ordered for months with no communication. The difference is how these errors are handled now vs. then. Each of the 3 errors cost treestuff over $100 bucks, not from me asking for it but on their own accord. The most expensive was well over $200, again because that's what they felt was right, even after is told them there was no need I just needed the right size.
These customer service anomalies in my eyes were NOT sustainable. I'm only one guy in the grand scheme of thousands of customers. I can only imagine how many mistakes were handled this way. I in no way expected treestuff to foot the (at times) large burden for the mistake and in no way expected them to continue handling them in that manner.
Sure it's frustrating when something is out of stock, but let's be real, what was the last thing you tried ordering that they didn't have, that you were currently living without, that you couldn't live without for a while longer. (What I do wish is that you could order it so that minor item would come with the free shipping of the larger order, but I can understand why you can't).
PS. This is not directed at anyone. Just my thoughts and opinion on this matter!
 
From my personal view, I don't think ripping into the people that come here that are representing a company is a good practice until all other avenues have been exhausted concerning each person's individual order. That is different that sharing facts, or maybe even emotions about a messed up transaction. My last order with Sherrill was enough of a train wreck that I will speak with my feet. I'll try TS again, but with caution. However, owning a mistake by saying things like "it shouldn't have happened, we make mistakes, call me to fix it (paraphrased)" is really all that can be done by one employee after the fact. And it sure is better than the second billing I got in an email from Sherrill demanding an immediate an additional payment on the order I had just tried to fix twice by calling.

Certainly an employee could say - everything is all jacked up and getting worse, I'm lucky if my paycheck doesn't bounce. But that would land them in the unemployment line, and wouldn't really solve the problem at hand anyway.

I haven't heard one case where someone did call TS where steps weren't taken to rectify the situation, so it's not like the offer to help is a false one. What else can one person do? Free beer for everyone? Buy the company themselves and restructure it?

(I edited my post, I stated "double payment" and I was mistaken, it was "additional payment".) My mistake.
 
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flyingsquirrel25 said:
These customer service anomalies in my eyes were NOT sustainable. I'm only one guy in the grand scheme of thousands of customers. I can only imagine how many mistakes were handled this way. I in no way expected treestuff to foot the (at times) large burden for the mistake and in no way expected them to continue handling them in that manner.
Click to expand...

Hey guys. I just wanted to chime in because I think this is an interesting and important discussion (since many of us own or manage businesses). I'm currently writing a book and a big part of it is about customer service philosophy.

Did we go above and beyond? Yes. Was it sustainable? I sustained it for eleven years and I'll be using the same philosophy for the rest of my business career. It works. Was it expensive? Yes, in the sense that it cost us money, sure. But to me it was the best money I could spend. It's worth noting that most of the mistakes were because we were growing so rapidly. You guys were supporting us in a rare and amazing way and causing us to grow by telling everyone you knew about us. In light of that, going above and beyond just made sense. Not only could we financially afford to take care of you... we would have been crazy not to. As far as the freebies and silly stuff... yeah I knew we didn't have to do that. We did it because it was fun and it made the job interesting for me and the experience more fun for you.

Doing things the right way and the fun way is sustainable. I really don't want "it just wasn't sustainable" to be the lesson of Erin and I selling the business. The lesson should be if you treat people right you can succeed in business and choose your own destiny. I was able to choose my relationship with my kids and it's been a huge blessing..... and that is 100% because of you guys. Thank you.

As far as the current discussion, Nick and Justin and Jason are working hard every day. They care. They're available and ready to help... so reach out to them.
 
Great to hear from you Luke. This conversation is on instant replay. Everybody is saying the same things everybody else has already said 2 times in the past. It's really grinding on. I was a huge supporter of TS in fact I went to Sherrill on a trip just to discuss the merger. There were a bunch of others on that trip. I'm not gonna bash anyone but the facts are clear. It's changed. For whatever reason, positive or negative, it's different now. I'm still taken care of when i've needed it but it's different now. I continue to shop at TS but I have abandoned my "if TS doesn't have it, I don't need it" philosophy. It was a good run. Unfortunately the errors and the out of stock issues are like a giant snowball picking up speed amongst the inter webs. There are many who I personally know who have abandoned their staunch support of TS. There was once a day and time where everyone stuck up for you guys when you did screw up an order or two. The folks bitching were chastised for being overly harsh and not understanding of what it takes to run a biz. It seems the positive tail wind you created Luke has been loosing ground. It's unfortunate and sad at the same time. Who's fault? Who knows. Who cares really. It is what it is. I'm not kicking you guys in any manner. Just stating the facts. We were told nothing would change. Well it did. You can choose to see it any try to determine exactly what it was and how to correct it or you can just chalk it up to people being funny about the merger. Those are things I couldn't do or suggest how to do. Largely because i'm not a marketing guy, otherwise I would have built Steve's Stuff and blown you guys outa the water (just kidding). I have no answers but felt like chiming on after multiple pages of opinions that are basically duplicate from the other 3 threads on the subject over the past several years.

My humble opinion is, shop there or don't shop there. Doesn't matter to me! Choice is yours and i'll make my own. I'm not likely to create a thread about it as whats done is done. We voiced our opinions and Sherrill invited us to share. They seemed to listen intently to what we had to say. What has happened since then, hard to say. You'd have to personally ask each person involved.

Hey, I hate walmart but still shop there. No choice really so I just suck it up and do what I have to do. I could drive 30 minutes for an option but i'm too lazy.
I count 5 shopping options to the right of where i'm typing. Pick your poison and lets all move on.
 
TreeStuff said:
Hey guys. I just wanted to chime in because I think this is an interesting and important discussion (since many of us own or manage businesses). I'm currently writing a book and a big part of it is about customer service philosophy.

Did we go above and beyond? Yes. Was it sustainable? I sustained it for eleven years and I'll be using the same philosophy for the rest of my business career. It works. Was it expensive? Yes, in the sense that it cost us money, sure. But to me it was the best money I could spend. It's worth noting that most of the mistakes were because we were growing so rapidly. You guys were supporting us in a rare and amazing way and causing us to grow by telling everyone you knew about us. In light of that, going above and beyond just made sense. Not only could we financially afford to take care of you... we would have been crazy not to. As far as the freebies and silly stuff... yeah I knew we didn't have to do that. We did it because it was fun and it made the job interesting for me and the experience more fun for you.

Doing things the right way and the fun way is sustainable. I really don't want "it just wasn't sustainable" to be the lesson of Erin and I selling the business. The lesson should be if you treat people right you can succeed in business and choose your own destiny. I was able to choose my relationship with my kids and it's been a huge blessing..... and that is 100% because of you guys. Thank you.

As far as the current discussion, Nick and Justin and Jason are working hard every day. They care. They're available and ready to help... so reach out to them.
Click to expand...

As Steve said...people are all stating the same thing for a 2nd and 3rd time, I thought I would keep the trend going...

Luke, you are the BEST. I too don't buy the "it just wasn't sustainable" reasoning. I believe it was very sustainable. I think you took some of the best customer service practices and improved on them tenfold. I think that is why your company was so appealing. I am in awe of the ability you had to transform each customer into a treestuff fan ready to be a volunteer salesman/spokesman... just by throwing in an extra pair of gloves or maybe a few hundred dollars of gear here and there you made us feel grateful for the day we found Treestuff.com! These gestures had much more of an impact than a billboard or a brochure or a flashy email. Your marketing helped your customers. Most businesses spend way too much on advertisements that have a fraction of the impact you could obtain by giving a customer a little something extra. You gave us a reason to share Treestuff with others. You made it easy to spend our money knowing you were investing in us at the same time. The freebies and low prices might have been what caught our eye in the first place, but most of us learned that you were behind it all.

I am glad you chose your family...I would have too. Just know that, if you are the BEST, nobody can be better than you. You left huge shoes to fill and not even a huge company like Sherrill can fill them. This is all to compliment you, not to find fault. I have definitely noticed a difference, but like I said before...I am just glad I got to witness the golden years. Treestuff is still a great place to buy stuff, but it can never be the same without Luke and Erin at the helm. It is a bit sad to see you go, but Treestuff was incredibly successful and you should be nothing but proud of what you accomplished.
 
@John_KAYS . @TreeStuff there is much more to sustainability than just money, going in vs. going out. Sustainability has to do with maintaining a standard. Neither of you can tell me that the standards have been maintained unchanged. Thus the reason my mind says unsustainable. I'm not knocking anything I just ordered from TS Monday. I'm not knocking Luke's decision, I made a very similar and unpopular decision right around the same time but FAMILY SHOULD ALWAYS COME FIRST!
Sustainability to me means managing the money, growth, assets, personnel, and everything else business related for the long term. I absolutely understand the idea of your customers being your best advertising, I have built my business on the same basis. I tried spending money on ads and I felt it was literally throwing money out the window. Good customers are the best. But too many good customers can bury you just as fast as a few bad ones.
Again no disrespect to anyone this is just how I see business.
 
flyingsquirrel25 said:
@John_KAYS . @TreeStuff there is much more to sustainability than just money, going in vs. going out. Sustainability has to do with maintaining a standard. Neither of you can tell me that the standards have been maintained unchanged. Thus the reason my mind says unsustainable. I'm not knocking anything I just ordered from TS Monday. I'm not knocking Luke's decision, I made a very similar and unpopular decision right around the same time but FAMILY SHOULD ALWAYS COME FIRST!
Sustainability to me means managing the money, growth, assets, personnel, and everything else business related for the long term. I absolutely understand the idea of your customers being your best advertising, I have built my business on the same basis. I tried spending money on ads and I felt it was literally throwing money out the window. Good customers are the best. But too many good customers can bury you just as fast as a few bad ones.
Again no disrespect to anyone this is just how I see business.
Click to expand...
Thanks for clarifying that. I see what you mean by 'sustainable'. Obviously having Luke and Treestuff be one and the same (like his avatar) is not sustainable. I believe his philosophy is very sustainable. I also believe Sherrilltree was not entirely interested in keeping it sustained. They moved to a middle ground to make both companies work together.
 
There was one item in particular that was said tongue in cheek in Charlotte that i'll never forget and haven't gone out of my way to quote nor will I. All I can say is there was a wolf in sheeps clothing during the merger. Not everyone is as altruistic as they make them selves out to be. My very best wishes to Luke and Erin. I would have made the same decision and can't wait for the book!
 
Do you mean Greensboro Steve? I've had a certain comment that I've thought much about as well. Might not be the same one or by the same person.
I still buy from them but I do shop around. Things did change. At least on my end.
 
Regardless of any of this, Tree Stuff was cool because it was started by climbers/entrepreneurs/cool people who did a great job. Sherrill Tree always sucked, and I only bought from them if Shelter didn't have what I wanted. Now TS is owned by Sherrill and is the equivalent of the Wal Mart of tree gear supply. I'd rather pay a couple extra bucks at Shelter even though they're website is from 1995. If you're in New England, the shipping is faster than TS anyways. I'm in MA and I get my stuff next day or two days max. Real nice guys at Shelter. They donate to the UMass Arboriculture program as well. Sherrill never did when I was there...
 
I have to agree with the fact that Treestuff has changed since the Merger with Sherrill. The only changes I have run into is products being on back order and partial shipments delayed. It seems like almost half the items are back ordered lately. I am still very happy with the service, quality, and speed of shipping that Treestuff still provides minus the back ordered merchandise.
It hasn't been a big deal for me as I almost always have a secondary in place for every piece of equipment I own. As soon as I am down to one I am marking it down on the list for the next order! Truth be told I still love shiny new gear! Ha!

Luke, Erin, and Nick you guys have always been great to work with. Luke being with your family is priceless. I would do the same thing in a heart beat! Looking forward to the book [emoji106]


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ClimbMIT said:
I have to agree with the fact that Treestuff has changed since the Merger with Sherrill. The only changes I have run into is products being on back order and partial shipments delayed. It seems like almost half the items are back ordered lately. I am still very happy with the service, quality, and speed of shipping that Treestuff still provides minus the back ordered merchandise.
It hasn't been a big deal for me as I almost always have a secondary in place for every piece of equipment I own. As soon as I am down to one I am marking it down on the list for the next order! Truth be told I still love shiny new gear! Ha!

Luke, Erin, and Nick you guys have always been great to work with. Luke being with your family is priceless. I would do the same thing in a heart beat! Looking forward to the book [emoji106]


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

This too is one of my biggest issues with TreeStuff. Nothing is ever in stock....why is this? Nick has said its because they are shipping things out super fast..really? Like it never was an issue before. Does the new ownership not want to have a large inventory?
I am still waiting for stump grinder teeth. Got all the pockets for green teeth....but not the actual teeth yet. They are on back order. This is my livelihood and now I am not able to grind stumps.
 
ROYCE said:
This too is one of my biggest issues with TreeStuff. Nothing is ever in stock....why is this? Nick has said its because they are shipping things out super fast..really? Like it never was an issue before. Does the new ownership not want to have a large inventory?
I am still waiting for stump grinder teeth. Got all the pockets for green teeth....but not the actual teeth yet. They are on back order. This is my livelihood and now I am not able to grind stumps.
Click to expand...
By a revolution wheel and join the masses ! Sorry for the derail, let the ranting continue
 
ROYCE said:
This too is one of my biggest issues with TreeStuff. Nothing is ever in stock....why is this? Nick has said its because they are shipping things out super fast..really? Like it never was an issue before. Does the new ownership not want to have a large inventory?

I am thinking along those lines as well. Time will tell

I am still waiting for stump grinder teeth. Got all the pockets for green teeth....but not the actual teeth yet. They are on back order. This is my livelihood and now I am not able to grind stumps.
Click to expand...

That's a big problem!





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Steve, give the folks at shelter tree a call. They are a small outfit with stellar customer service, and have some really knowledgeable folks working with them

They seem to be telling to pick up what treestuff was doing, finally working to update their 1990's website. Site is down currently but look them up and give them a chance.
 
It seems though the days of Treestuff.com great service has reached its demise. I have consistently ordered from Treestuff.com and always gotten great service and quick shipments. But now since the sell out and combining efforts with Sherrill, it has been a disaster for me.
Back on 9/26/2017 I placed an order for a couple of things. I ordered 20' of line with an eye splice and a triple action rope clip. In the notes I advised I desired I wanted the rope clip spliced onto the rope. Not a big issue. Its a replacement for a laynard. In the past this would have been a simple issue. I also ordered some new shirts for the crew and myself and a set of leg straps for my handsaw.
A couple days late I get three of the five shirts I ordered and the leg strap. No rope or rope clip spliced to it. I called Treestuff. Since combining with Sherrill they stopped splicing iin Indy. WTF! So I had to wait for the rope to come from North Carolina.
A few days go by and the package comes. It contained 20 feet of rope with an eye splice. No rope clip attached, and no rope clip in package at all. I call Treestuff again twice. First I talked to Courtney and she was very apologetic and said she would have it done right and shipped overnight.
A couple more days go by and nothing.
I called back, apparently when Courtney sent through the order (or failed to, no idea) it was not acted on in the other location. She place the order again and explicitly explained the need for the rope clip to be spliced on the rope. That order was on 10/6/2017.
Now on 10/11/2017 I get a package. THEY F^&KED IT UP AGAIN!!! Sent twenty feet of rope with an eye splice but no rope clip attached and no rope clip in the package. It was 4:55pm central time. Too late to call Treestuff. All gone for the day. I did send Courtney am email expressing my frustration.
Guess I get to wait until the morning to call then again and tell them that the warehouse failed a second time. And I am still waiting on the other two shirts. No idea when I will get them. I have loved Treestuff in the past as they are in Indiana, like myself, and the service and delivery has always been quick. But after this last episode I am going back to Wesspur. I used them when I first got into this and will now go back to them. It may take a week to get the order but at least I will get what I order.
 
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