David Boisvert is getting (well-deserved) praise for his whistles, and I see that he does keep up on threads that pertain to him. He does not, however, answer e-mails. I have waited up to four months to hear back from him and have heard back only when I tried to cancel an order with special requests (because I never heard back from him with confirmation of the order). I am not happy with the lack of response, and I think people should know about it.
I had a similar lack of responsiveness from maker recently. After several emails, though, I sent a note by snail, and did then hear back. The seller in this case had geographic changes going on which had made communication choppy. Perhaps there’s a reason David has had difficulty staying in touch, and perhaps he should be given the opportunity to defend himself. I would hate for any honest craftsperson to not be forewarned before muck is raked, but, obviously, I don’t know the situation.
edited to add that the case I just mentioned isn’t the only time I’ve experienced slow response from a whistle maker–I think it’s fair to assume that craftspeople are not always equipped with the best customer service personalities or facilities–but maybe that’s a piece of the “charm(?)” of acquiring hand made items, so I’m willing to feel forgiving about it.
In all cases, I did eventually get the response I wanted through careful application of humor, pleasantries, and persistence.
I sent Davey a copy of an article he requested on the piping forum a few days ago. He replied within hours. No problem.
:roll:
I recently ordered a C/D set in lemonwood. Davey has been very responsive to my questions and accomodating to my changes in specification from my original order. He said it would be done in 1-2 months, and it is right on schedule - I hope to pick it up today!
Post removed by me sinc it was no longer relevant.
JessieK, if you don’t get a response from e-mail, try calling Davey. I think he had a computer problem not long ago… this may have been during the time you tried to contact him.
Some thime you just have to be a nag with Pipe makers as they are usually very busy. When I needed a replacement part for my GHBs I emailed the company they replied and asked for my email sent another email with some question no response 3 weeks later I get apackage in the mail with my stuff. 
Yes, that’s one way of putting it, and accurate. This thread raises the whole interesting question of how personality plays into one’s persona as a maker/seller.
Based on observation of her online persona, I would guess that JessieK, this thread’s originator (who makes/sells jewelry,) to be someone who holds herself to a high standard (high=fast response) when it comes to communicating with customers.
I know myself, as a “J” on the Myers-Briggs personality scale (anyone know what I’m talking about?) that those of us who like to know what’s what often forget that not everyone has the same need to have all transactions and communications settled and squared away.
I have, over 20 years of marriage, had to learn to deal with the fact that very fine people can have (what to me is) distressingly relaxed attitudes regarding letting me know what’s what. They don’t see the need because they don’t feel the need.
(I’m not necessarily putting Davey Boisvert in this category, as I have not dealt with him, and others here seem to have had experiences which differ from Jessie’s)
Ultimately, I guess, one-man(woman) whistle making is not like running LandsEnd or Nordstrom, and there’s not going to be a customer service department, so you might as well–if you want that whistle–learn to find something endearing about the maker’s taciturnity, even if you normally prefer rapid communication.
Jessie,
I was very saddened to see this topic on C&F this morning. This seems to me a rather personal issue. I don’t understand why you’ve wanted to make it public. As you have done so, apparently in an attempt to defame me for whatever reason, I feel I should reply somewhat publicly.
As your post contained no factual data, I shall try to correct that situation.
The order you mention was received via email on my office computer on 12/6/04. At this point I began researching sources for silver and nickel plating, costs and turnaround times. Money was spent to order materials, even though no deposit had been placed to secure the order.
Your last two emails received were on 12/22. Both of which I have responded to. One was replied to on 12/22, the second was replied to on 12/27 after the holidays.
Prior to that, you had made a preliminary request via email in May. I replied to this email the very same day. Again, as no deposit was received, the order was not placed and no spot was secured on my waiting list(according to my policy).
However, these whistle requests were a bit unusual and took some time to develop answers for…which I persued..again without a firm order being placed. As I had no answers, I did not hassle you with mindless emails containing no answers.
To the point, Jessie has requested several whistles which were outside my usual parameters of construction. As such, time was needed to acquire materials and to test these materials for appropriateness in my instruments. Jessie has not followed my policy asking for a 50% deposit to begin work. As no deposit was made on the “order” for said whistles as is my policy, I don’t see exactly what the problem is. Those who have placed an order, and followed my policy, have had their instruments within the time-frame secured for them by their deposit.
Has anyone else other than Jessie had any “problems” with my customer service? I’d honestly like to hear it. But I would prefer it done in a more appropriate forum, such as email, PM or by phone. Thanks.
Jessie, if you would like to continue this discussion, please take it off-line.
Just a thought… I’ve heard that e-mail isn’t always 100% reliable, meaning sometimes e-mails get lost in the maze and never make it to their destination.
Just a thought…
Sara
absolutely can happen.
I ordered a whistle (I followed the deposit policy). Dave told me it would be a 2-month wait. Two months later (a few days ago) he e-mailed me asking to confirm my shipping address. I have no doubt that the whistle is on its way to me.
I did what he asked, and he did what he said he’d do. No complaints from me.
His policy : the order should be accompanied by a 50% deposit. If you don’t make a deposit, then you have not placed an order, and you have no right to b*tch and moan in public. That’s my view.
Most definitely true. I’ve had several customers write to me a “second” time when I’d swear I never received the first.
Many whistlemakers do it as a second job/hobby. Add to that a day job, family comittments, other interests, and it’s sometimes easy to fall behind in whistle work and communication.
You might not have. Spam blockers can filter out desired mail if the sender forgets to include a title or uses a slightly inappropriate one. It’s happened to me. On one occasion I wondered why I hadn’t received a reply for a couple of months before sorting it out—I didn’t want to give the impression that I was pestering.
My own experience:
I first wrote Davey about a whistle order on 8/24/04, and he wrote back same-day.
I orderd a whistle from Davey on 8/31/04 and paid in full in advance. At the time, that was what he asked, and the wait was 1-2 months.
I wrote him back 9/14 as I saw a nickel silver option on his site. I wanted to know some specifics about it.
On 9/16 he wrote me back, and answered my questions quite thoroughly. In the end I decided to go with the standard brass.
Dave wrote me to confirm my address at the end of October. I wrote back, but he didn’t write back. He did write back 11/2 and confirmed the whistle had gone out, and explained the delay.
Fast turnaround? I wouldn’t call it McDonald’s speed. A day or two turnaround on emails, and a little longer if something comes up. Certainly well within what I’d expect from a non-computerized sole proprietership. Also about what I’ve come to expect from most whistle crafstmen. I experienced this same average turnaround when speaking with Mr. Busman about a possible delrin whistle purchase, and with Mr. Herbison when buying a laughing whistle. I expect that these folks are spending most of their time making instruments and living lives, and not glued to the computer, unlike big nerds like me. 
I was well satisfied with how the order communication progressed and the resulting whistle. I’m sorry that Jessie seemed to have some issues. From what I’ve seen so far, they don’t seem to be typical.
I have to pipe in on this one since I have placed orders and/or emailed various whistle makers. I can honestly say the response time has been almost always within a couple of days, which I expect from someone who is busy. I am a sole proprietor, and am in the position to answer emails quickly, ONLY because I work on my computer. To me this is quite reasonable.
I recently placed an order with Mr. Boisvert, and have not had a problem with getting responses. The number of questions I emailed him, might have bothered some, but he was extremely friendly and informative.
As a generality, I can honestly say that every whistle maker I have contacted has been very helpful and very nice, which is more than I can say for people in other industries.
I have to confess that I have had times where either my schedule didn’t allow or it plain kept slipping my mind to respond to an email. I am thankful the people I could have offended showed much grace to me.
matt
INTP
I have nothing to say about how anyone manages their e-mail. My own e-mail responsiveness is mediocre at best. Between work and home I get 40-50 non-spam, non-junk e-mails a day. Some never get opened. It’s a great communication tool but… Can too much communication be a bad thing.
I’ve admired Dave’s whistles from afar and will, one day, get one.
Wow. I got a PM recently from Davey asking after the status of my Ginsberg flat set that he’d rehabbed for me, and offering tweaks if needed. I consider that kind of follow-up to be commendable.
It seems to have been all an unfortunate misunderstanding.
I’ve ordered and received 3 whistles from Davey over the last couple of years. They are all first rate whistles, and his customer service has been impeccable. But I always followed his guidelines of sending him deposits for any whistles ordered. I never expected him to jump through hoops or do research without compensation.
Folks, I just wanted to reinforce a little-realized fact: email is not a guaranteed-delivery medium.
Not every email you send will make it to its destination. If a server, router, or other network component is down, misconfigured, or simply too busy between you and your recipient, they may never receive your email.
This is by design.
–James