Pinnacle Africa service

[caelim]

Hi Guys..Any of you have a similar experience to this?

Ordered a dell server from Pinnacle on the 4th November 2010..I was advised that they were out of stock and that they would need to order from Dell. ETA 14 days..Thought fair enough, order was placed and gave them a call after 14 days to make sure that all is still on track and was told everything was still OK. After the 14 days I got a call saying that our server has arrived but was then told later that day it was a mistake and that it was actually consigned for another customer. By the first week in December I still haven't had any feedback on the order and decided to give them a call and I was told there was no stock and then was told that there was a mixup with the order and that a new order was placed. After tens of phone calls and emails I still haven't the server and it is now the 17 January 2011..roughly 45 days after the original order was placed. Anyone else have a similar experience? It's not the first time they have not honoured their turnaround time.

 

[SouthBit]

The institution I work for use Pinnacle, they are our main supplier. We receive excellent service from them, but then again we bring them big business so perhaps that's why.

 

[solo7]

happens, we've had that with a HP server. Humans tend to make mistakes, some more costly than others.

 

[caelim]

Granted we may not bring big business..but a paying customer is still a paying customer. We were not looking for any special favours or for them to bend over backwards to accomodate us. All we wanted was a service..If you unable render a service at least have the courteousy of communicating that fact..We could have procured the server thrice over already had we not been made empty promises. I'm sure you would have been unhappy with the service as well if you were in my shoes.
I worked for a big ICT company as well and we also never really had any problems before..who says size doesn't count hey..

 

[Dean]

To be honest - what you're asking from them is really beyond their scope of business.

They place an order with Dell and then rely on Dell to get stock and deliver it to them ... Pinnacle I'm sure have very little to do with that process, other than quoting you the ETA as given to them by Dell.

With regard to the mess up after the 14 days - as solo7 said, humans make mistakes - a company is just a bunch of humans

I reckon the problem here lies with Dell's ability to deliver stock - not on Pinnacles side.

Having said all of that - I prefer to only deal with Pinnacle purely based on the fact that they have always given me the best possible service - and certainly loads better than the other distributors. Sure over the years that I've dealt with them there have been a couple of hiccups, but they're always happy to help and often go out of their way to limit any negative consequences.

You seem to have had a really k@k experience though - that's a reeeeeeeeallly long wait for any machine!

 

[caelim]

I accept that to err is human(to borrow a famous quote), but cmon guys, 45 working days? And to top it all I am expected to pay 10% above the original quotation price? I am not just being a stickler here..I meticulously made a call twice a week to keep track of the order and the ETA just to be sure that everything is Ok and everytime I was assured that it will be delivered on such and such a day. What gets to me that they didn't even let me know there was a delay on getting the parts..I had to contact them. If Dell is not able to supply the parts then at least let me know that is the hold up..There is nothing worse than getting the feeling you are being strung along. Put yourself in my shoes for a moment. A critical server crashes in Joburg(You are out in Cape Town) The director tasks you with sourcing and replacing the hardware. 4 ETA's comes and goes and the server is still bust. Thats enough to make anyone look like a bit of a poephol(to borrow another popular phrase) doesnt it?

 

[nelis]

If you want to have good service from pinnacle talk to a lady named Angie. All the other peeps screw up your order. I rather wait for her to help me cause then everything is going super smooth. Never had any real issues with them they are one of the best suppliers. Price is not everything but service. I also think the problem is with Dell so maybe you should call them and ask for a refund and buy another server like HP or lenovo even supermicro looks really nice.

 

[masticore]

To be honest - what you're asking from them is really beyond their scope of business.

They place an order with Dell and then rely on Dell to get stock and deliver it to them ... Pinnacle I'm sure have very little to do with that process, other than quoting you the ETA as given to them by Dell.
<snip>

I disagree with this. Strongly. If Pinnacle are putting themselves forward to their customers as being able to provide a service then they must provide the service. The fact that Pinnacle is having crap with their supplier is their problem. Making it your problem is BS; they're prepared to make money off you, but won't take responsibility when something goes wrong?! I'd take this up with management at Pinnacle.

That said, even as a small buyer I've always received excellent service from Pinnacle.

 

[Lounger]

Blaming the supplier seems to be quite common amongst SA dealers. Earn your frikking money sales people. I guess if something goes wrong with it they will send you off to the suppliers as well.

 

[McGuywer]

I disagree with this. Strongly. If Pinnacle are putting themselves forward to their customers as being able to provide a service then they must provide the service. The fact that Pinnacle is having crap with their supplier is their problem. Making it your problem is BS; they're prepared to make money off you, but won't take responsibility when something goes wrong?! I'd take this up with management at Pinnacle.

That said, even as a small buyer I've always received excellent service from Pinnacle.

Agreed!

Blaming the supplier seems to be quite common amongst SA dealers. Earn your frikking money sales people. I guess if something goes wrong with it they will send you off to the suppliers as well.

Yes it seems to be the common excuse... I use to work at a company that had terrible management and they used to use that excuse all the time!

 

[caelim]

If you want to have good service from pinnacle talk to a lady named Angie. All the other peeps screw up your order. I rather wait for her to help me cause then everything is going super smooth. Never had any real issues with them they are one of the best suppliers. Price is not everything but service. I also think the problem is with Dell so maybe you should call them and ask for a refund and buy another server like HP or lenovo even supermicro looks really nice.

Kinda sad though isn't it?

 

[McGuywer]

Kinda sad though isn't it?

It is, if you consider that person works twice as hard!

 

[Dean]

I disagree with this. Strongly. If Pinnacle are putting themselves forward to their customers as being able to provide a service then they must provide the service. The fact that Pinnacle is having crap with their supplier is their problem. Making it your problem is BS; they're prepared to make money off you, but won't take responsibility when something goes wrong?! I'd take this up with management at Pinnacle.

Wow, you sound like one of -those- clients. Everyone has one or two of -those- clients. My comments/questions below refer to you aswell.

Blaming the supplier seems to be quite common amongst SA dealers. Earn your frikking money sales people. I guess if something goes wrong with it they will send you off to the suppliers as well.

Okay so apart from communicating better with the client regarding delays (ie. phoning him once a week to tell him 'Dell still cannot deliver to us'), what more could they have done?

Seeing as you find it unacceptable, I only find it fair that you should provide an alternate acceptable solution (given that they cannot grow a Dell-Server-Tree and pick one when it blossoms).

and people, don't get me wrong, I've found myself raising my voice one or twice in the past after frustrations @ PM, but somehow management's willingness to help and go the extra mile always won me back relatively quickly.

 

[masticore]

Wow, you sound like one of -those- clients. Everyone has one or two of -those- clients. My comments/questions below refer to you aswell.

Yip, that's me. When a supplier / retailer says they can do something, and you pay them for it, and then they don't do it ... well then I get pissed. You are entitled to consider such behaviour unconventional.

Okay so apart from communicating better with the client regarding delays (ie. phoning him once a week to tell him 'Dell still cannot deliver to us'), what more could they have done?

Provide an alternative (i.e. in the OP's case, offer an equivalently specc'ed machine from a different manufacturer). Or ... *shock* *horror* offer a .......... refund.

Seeing as you find it unacceptable, I only find it fair that you should provide an alternate acceptable solution (given that they cannot grow a Dell-Server-Tree and pick one when it blossoms).

1. I'm astounded that you find this an acceptable situation.
2. Why? The customer did not create the problem. The customer chose to enter an agreement with the supplier. The supplier is PM, not Dell. The problem is between PM and Dell; which is a separate relationship to the PM / customer, yet the customer is the one who suffers. The customer is out of pocket and does not have the promised goods / service. What SHOULD be in place are SLA's between PM and Dell and PM should only make promises based on what the SLA says. If PM cannot deliver to their customer because their supplier (Dell) cannot deliver then PM should reimburse the customer and claim the loss of profit from Dell through penalties stipulated in the SLA.

and people, don't get me wrong, I've found myself raising my voice one or twice in the past after frustrations @ PM, but somehow management's willingness to help and go the extra mile always won me back relatively quickly.

Ja, I don't see mention of contacting management in the OP.

Once again, I'll mention that Pinnacle has always delivered excellent service to me. My posts refer more to the generic supplier / customer problems (blaming the manufacturer and leaving the customer out in the cold) than Pinnacle in particular.

 

[Dean]

Yip, that's me. When a supplier / retailer says they can do something, and you pay them for it, and then they don't do it ... well then I get pissed. You are entitled to consider such behaviour unconventional.

I don't consider it unconventional - there are many people like you - I do however consider it irrational and @ss4ole-like. It is the whole black and white "I give money, so you have no choice but to give me 100% service at all moments no matter what mistakes and issues beyond your control that may arise" mentality, that I have an issue with. There are grey areas - individuals have bad days, individuals make mistakes.... and in a nutshell, companies are just bunches of people working together. It's all about what happens after you bring this to a managers attention.

Provide an alternative (i.e. in the OP's case, offer an equivalently specc'ed machine from a different manufacturer). Or ... *shock* *horror* offer a .......... refund.


1. I'm astounded that you find this an acceptable situation.
2. Why? The customer did not create the problem. The customer chose to enter an agreement with the supplier. The supplier is PM, not Dell. The problem is between PM and Dell; which is a separate relationship to the PM / customer, yet the customer is the one who suffers. The customer is out of pocket and does not have the promised goods / service. What SHOULD be in place are SLA's between PM and Dell and PM should only make promises based on what the SLA says. If PM cannot deliver to their customer because their supplier (Dell) cannot deliver then PM should reimburse the customer and claim the loss of profit from Dell through penalties stipulated in the SLA.

Both of us deal with PM so we're both aware that payment definitely doesn't happen before collection, so let's just get this "I pay you money, you deliver" mentality out of the way - no money has exchanged hands here - and I'm quite certain that PM would LOVE to get the money (knowing that in order to do that, they need to deliver). That eliminates your refund proposal.

Offering an equivalent machine with similar specs? Of course they could. In fact, they are right now. Again - this dude hasn't bought the machine yet, it's just an order... orders can be cancelled and changed at will - no matter what their contract says, PM really don't mind. If he wanted a different machine I don't see a reason why he cannot/has not asked for it at any point in the story.
Referring to number 2 in your post - there may very well be SLAs in place - we wouldn't know. Maybe they are claiming for this problem - we wouldn't know. But the point is - no matter what contracts/SLAs/etc. are in place, PM still can't make a Dell server appear out of thin air.

Ja, I don't see mention of contacting management in the OP.

Once again, I'll mention that Pinnacle has always delivered excellent service to me. My posts refer more to the generic supplier / customer problems (blaming the manufacturer and leaving the customer out in the cold) than Pinnacle in particular.

The only way I can follow your logic is when I bare in mind that you're agreeing with someone who chose to rant on a forum before chatting to management about miscommunication and his resultant frustration. That says quite a bit.

 

[Draconia2]

.... well if the supplier doesnt have stock try somewhere else ? saves you money on calling them again and again and again because you know , for a fact , its going to be a hassle.

i always ask suppliers if they have stock before they place an order as i hate waiting for things thats supposed to be at my work place in 2 days and only shows up in 49 days.:twisted: because i know , this is south africa and things are always taken slooowly.

 

[caelim]

PM

PM

I don't consider it unconventional - there are many people like you - I do however consider it irrational and @ss4ole-like. It is the whole black and white "I give money, so you have no choice but to give me 100% service at all moments no matter what mistakes and issues beyond your control that may arise" mentality, that I have an issue with. There are grey areas - individuals have bad days, individuals make mistakes.... and in a nutshell, companies are just bunches of people working together. It's all about what happens after you bring this to a managers attention.

I re-iterate that at no point in any of my posts did I expect 100% service at all times. I understand that we all make mistakes..I put it to you again..What if the roles were reversed and it was you waiting for your equipment. What if you request that someone from management contact you and still do not even getting a reply and when YOU eventually contact someone in management you get some half hearted apology. So if I am to follow your logic that "It's all about what happens after you bring this to a managers attention", and the attitude is blase and nonchalant, then what exactly does that mean?

Both of us deal with PM so we're both aware that payment definitely doesn't happen before collection, so let's just get this "I pay you money, you deliver" mentality out of the way - no money has exchanged hands here - and I'm quite certain that PM would LOVE to get the money (knowing that in order to do that, they need to deliver). That eliminates your refund proposal.

Offering an equivalent machine with similar specs? Of course they could. In fact, they are right now. Again - this dude hasn't bought the machine yet, it's just an order... orders can be cancelled and changed at will - no matter what their contract says, PM really don't mind. If he wanted a different machine I don't see a reason why he cannot/has not asked for it at any point in the story.

Moot point really...If this "dude" wanted a different machine wouldn't I have asked for a different one or accepted the alternative when I found out there was no stock. There is a valid reason why it had to be a Dell and this is why I was prepared to wait for stock even though it was urgent

Referring to number 2 in your post - there may very well be SLAs in place - we wouldn't know. Maybe they are claiming for this problem - we wouldn't know. But the point is - no matter what contracts/SLAs/etc. are in place, PM still can't make a Dell server appear out of thin air.

Please don't harp on about this point. I never asked them to make a Dell server appear out of thin air (or from a Dell-Server-Tree or from the Genie in the magic lamp), nor did I expect them to. We all know where it is procured from, so don't insult the intelligence of forum members. If you are going to use sarcasm, don't borrow it from a five year old.

The only way I can follow your logic is when I bare in mind that you're agreeing with someone who chose to rant on a forum before chatting to management about miscommunication and his resultant frustration. That says quite a bit.

You really are barking up the wrong tree . There is a big difference between a rant and asking members to share their experiences. We are all adult enough to know when we are being reasonable and when we are just being difficult...

 

[Dean]

PM

Caelim - my response was directed a lot more at masticore than at you...

I understood that you clearly wanted a Dell, etc. etc. I was using the Dell Tree to illustrate the point that if Dell doesn't deliver a server, PM isn't left with any other options.

With regard to contacting management - you didn't mention that before so we were all under the impression that you hadn't. A half-hearted apology isn't acceptable... I just wonder how half-hearted it was... and I'm still not sure that they can do too much more than that if Dell cannot deliver the server to them. Regardless, you should at least get a sincere apology, assuming you haven't already.

The only part of my post that was meant to directly refer to you was the part about not speaking to management first - and now you said you have so apologies for that.

 

[Lounger]

As if to underline a point ..

Intel 2500k no stock. Other chips short as well.

Asus 1155 socket p8 mobos - no stock in the whole country.

I've lost a lot of respect for online dealers and their suppliers, who have no consideration for customer satisfaction. What a poor show!

 

[Tweak]

I disagree with this. Strongly. If Pinnacle are putting themselves forward to their customers as being able to provide a service then they must provide the service. The fact that Pinnacle is having crap with their supplier is their problem. Making it your problem is BS; they're prepared to make money off you, but won't take responsibility when something goes wrong?! I'd take this up with management at Pinnacle.

That said, even as a small buyer I've always received excellent service from Pinnacle.

Vouch

Don't take crap from them, allways remain professional and just post your complaints at hellopeter.com