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Customer Service Kiosk -- Questions for LE vendors.

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  #91  
Old 2010-12-14, 3:54pm
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I placed an order today with Glasscraft, and in the notes I asked them to please stop selling these mandrels, blah blah blah.

I got a reply that they are contacting the manufacturer as they have received several complaints. Beware, the mandrels are still for sale on the website.
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  #92  
Old 2010-12-14, 4:51pm
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My photo was taken after the residue was washed off. Just thought I should point that out.
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  #93  
Old 2010-12-14, 5:14pm
jessedog jessedog is offline
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We apologize for the poor quality of our mandrels. We're not quite sure what happened to our supply, but will be pulling them off our website and inventory immediately. Furthermore, we'd be happy to refund anyone their purchase of these inferior products. If you have any further questions, please contact me at
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Sincerely,

David Winship c/o
Glasscraft, Inc.
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  #94  
Old 2010-12-14, 6:07pm
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So - I just got a call from David. He talked to me with another lady from Glasscraft (I forgot her name and I feel terrible about it, augh). I went over the main issues that I had, along with issues that I got a few messages about. Basically, I said that

- the double shipping charges are confusing. Even though the website could imply that double shipping happens, it's not something most of us are used to, so it isn't something we consider when ordering.

- it is really important (at least in 104 - I don't know much about ordering other colors, so I don't know if it matters so much in boro) to let us know that an order will be short on colors, even if we aren't charged. Since we work in such small scale, a half or quarter pound missing can mess up a whole order. When we don't click the box that says "I would like an invoice total with the shipping charges emailed to me at the time that my order is shipped", we would still like to know about orders that will be shipped short some glass.

- We like to get full rods when we order. I may have been an isolated case when I got short rods, but I thought I'd mention it.


They are working on ironing out all of the details, but it will take them a bit to figure out everything. I said it would be ideal to get the shipping estimate on their website before checkout, but I also understand that it is a little tough to estimate shipping coming from one site, let alone two.

Their one change so far is a box that states "I have read and understood the online ordering procedures.". You can't complete the checkout before clicking it, but it is little and it contains a link. The link leads to a lot of words, and the fact that shipping from two locations = paying double shipping is pretty far down. It is a step in the right direction, though!

I'm very happy with the service I have received since David contacted me, and now that I know the ins and outs of ordering from Glasscraft, I'll probably order from there again.
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  #95  
Old 2010-12-14, 6:17pm
beadbroad beadbroad is offline
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Sooner or later every vendor makes radar around here, and how they handle the problems that crop up speaks volumes. I really appreciate your original post and the updates. It sounds like Dave did what he needed to for the business, and I also think you've been a good and reasonable customer.
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  #96  
Old 2010-12-14, 10:30pm
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Quote:
About the Sundance mandrels....
I love the 5/64 ones but I bought the bulk pack of the 1/16 mandrels and about half of them were bowed/bent to the point of unusable.
That's really good to know; I need 1/16" and was going to order from them.
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  #97  
Old 2010-12-15, 12:42am
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Quote:
I'm very happy with the service I have received since David contacted me, and now that I know the ins and outs of ordering from Glasscraft, I'll probably order from there again.
Good deal! I'm glad everything's working out well. I was a regular customer of Glasscraft until I took a break from lampworking. When I got back into it, they had changed management and had a bunch of new people working there and I was a little sad because I missed the old familiar faces. I was very happy that Cindy was there!!! Anyway, I met the new-to-me folks and think that they are a very nice bunch of people. I don't know why there was trouble when you first called, but I'm glad that they could show you their typical good service.
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  #98  
Old 2010-12-15, 1:18am
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I don't believe I've ever done business with Glasscraft yet, but am very glad to hear that David is handling things in a professional and (from the sound of it) very satisfactory fashion.

The *huge* difference that makes is that I will certainly remember them when it's time for me to consider spending some hard earned dollars. Great customer service is everything!

KUDOS to them for doing business the way it (IMNSHO) *ought* to be done!
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~Rachel
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  #99  
Old 2010-12-15, 6:47am
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I have puchased from glasscraft in the past and been very happy.

But knowing that I could pay double shipping if I order items that are going to be shipped from 2 different places is not a chance I will ever take in the future.
I expect to pay for one box and a reasonable shipping rate.

Maybe shipping needs to just be based on the order and if it is shipped out from 2 locations that is not the customers fault and needs to be paid by glasscraft.

Sundance.... ordered mandrels from them. Half were bowed and unusable. very frustrating since I put them on the shelf when they arrived and it was months before I opened the packs.
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  #100  
Old 2010-12-15, 10:51am
Cindybeads Cindybeads is offline
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Cool Mandrel Experiment

Quick update.....

Our purchasing agent, our mandrel supplier and myself had a face to face meeting yesterday about our mandrels and what they are made of. The material is, indeed, "316 stainless steel", but it is not welding rod (which contains more silicone in its composition). I also learned more about metal annealing, which is not a good thing in metal as it is in glass. I'm excited to take all my old mandrels and "temper" them myself (first, hot kiln, then shock into cold water! This will harden annealed metal).

After reading some of this thread over the weekend, I decided to put in my 2 cents and finally got aroud to posting late yesterday. As soon as I hit the button, I saw that there were MORE pages that I had not yet read. (Guess I have a lot to learn about LE...yikes). I pored over the newer submissions and decided to do a test:

I put some 3/32 mandrels (lubricant and all right out of the box) into our kiln. I put some fiber blanket under them to protect the floor just in case. Ramped it up to 960 and donned my big glove. Grabbed the mandrels and dropped them into our laundry tub in about an inch of cold water. 90% of the residue was gone and I just gently rubbed off the rest with my scrubbie sponge.

Took the mandrels home, dipped them in FPI bead release and had a little snack. About an hour later, I made beads on 5 of the mandrels. I put more torque on many of the beads than I usually do just to see if the release would break, but it was strong with nary a crack. This morning every bead came off without any complaint.

Feel free to try this at home and see if you have the same results. If you don't have a good glove, the treatment could be done just on "the business end" of the mandrels. Just leave part of them hanging out of the kiln so you have something cool to grab on the way to the cold water. If need be, I will personally perform this heat-treating on our remaining inventory of mandrels to save our customers a little time.

Bead On & Bead Happy Christmas is Coming!
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  #101  
Old 2010-12-15, 7:44pm
mkultra23 mkultra23 is offline
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nice to see this was finally resolved. thanks to the OP for the heads up however.
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  #102  
Old 2010-12-20, 6:22am
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My take on all this is simple. ALL vendors large and small, excellent and poor will have their days. I'm sure we've all experienced a bad day from the best vendor(s) and a great day from the not-so-good vendors. We've also all had grumpy days and fantabulous days ourselves. It happens..Its part of life!
How would we (as businesses or as individuals) improve ourselves if we didn't make mistakes --AND LEARN FROM THEM.

Remember everyone, its the holiday season. Time to be happy and joyous and festive....

Peace

Duane
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  #103  
Old 2010-12-20, 2:25pm
nevadaglass nevadaglass is offline
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Cindy,

I have been a Glasscraft customer for a while and was a Winship customer long before the merger, and I absolutely love your company and services. Customer service is always top notch. I have the very mandrels you speak of but have never had any problem with them because when I took classes from Kristen Orr, the very first thing she taught us was to clean mandrels with a scrungy or steel wool and then dip them. And do so after every use. I should mention, bead release brands definitely play a role in mandrel issues. I use bucket o' mud bead release as I have tried sludge and hate it.....I have always found beads hard to get off mandrels using sludge, but again , like everything, its's all about personal preferences and those are mine.

I have never had any issues except for the mandrel I melted in half while making boro beads- too hot! - too hot! hehehe - anyway - I am a loyal fan and customer. The service I have gotten from your company is always top notch!

In terms of shipping from the Eugene or the Colorado location - I have tried it both ways, checking to not split orders and to try it by splitting the order. From experience, I have learned its always better to split the order and deal with the shipping...
its less confusing, you actually get a greater inventory (since checking to only ship from 1 location reduces the amount of available inventory) and the difference in shipping charges isnt that big of a deal in comparison to the great deals you guys always offer.

In reality, I would rather pay a little more in shipping for excellent service than to save a few bucks dealing with a company that could care less about customer service. Having run my own glass business for over 7 years I order alot of supplies. I have had crappy customer service from a few california shops that I dont buy from any longer, so the service you guys provide, to me, makes all the difference. I just wanted to say thank you - and merry christmas!
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Quote:
I bought my first torch setup in 1993 from a very patient Glasscraft employee. I've been a regular customer at the Golden location (and pretty much every other glass company out there) ever since. In July, 2008 I was hired by Glasscraft as a customer service representative. Many changes have been made since that time and our new website (
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) launched about 3 months ago. Since its beginning in 1970, Glasscraft has been a LAMPWORKING glass and supply company. We do not carry stained glass, fusing or furnace working supplies.

Now that we have 2 locations, we are able to split orders to insure that the customer is able to receive ALL the items he/she has ordered. This is usually especially advantageous for the customer when ordering items that are on sale. The website explains the shipping policies we have set up in a very concise way and the customer always has the option of NOT having an order split.

My main reason for responding to this thread, however, is the mandrel issue. Our mandrels are the same stainless steel they have always been. They feel "sticky" because they have a coating when we receive them. It is a lubricant/waxy substance that is necessary in straightening the steel from its curved shape from a huge spool. The coating should be washed off with HOT, soapy water, acetone or mineral spirits. Bead release will stick better for the first use if they are pre-heated in the kiln or scrubbed with steel wool prior to dipping for the first time. I have been using these mandrels as well as others from my local welding supply company and find them to work exactly the same. 1/16 mandrels have always softened quickly within a few uses and have to be replaced more often than the "heftier" diameters.

Thanks to all who have posted here with an open mind and encouragement for a fair outcome. I'm sure clear heads will prevail and we can all get back to "happily melting".

Last edited by nevadaglass; 2010-12-21 at 2:53pm.
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