Poor unprofessional response from Frontosa

[DGCPT]

I have not been in the reseller business for a long time, being fully committed in Corporate IT for the last 7 or 8 years. During some time last year I put my feelers out there for launching a business again and registered an account with Frontosa. During this time much was assessed in terms of a walk in store vs online store etc etc. Fast forward to this present day and I ask Frontosa sales to process a small order for me, along with a query regarding general stock on hand in CT. I received a response from the salesperson, apologising that my account is closed. Okay, not salespersons fault. I email the admin backoffice person that processed my account when I opened it asking to please check, and also mentioning that I would be very annoyed if I would have to go through the process of opening an account again. This is now happening days before my online store is going live (1 July 2020) This person did not respond but some entitled person in some sort of position of authority I presume, that goes by the name of Michael first responds with this -


Hi Shaun

Your account was closed and removed from our system ages ago due to the fact that you had not purchased anything from us in a while. To date it has been over 8 years since you last purchased from us.
If you are needing to purchase from us again then you will need to fill in another dealer application.

ENDS---- no sorry for the inconvenience or please register again so that our staff can assist you....too busy oozing ego to be professional because resellers that make Frontosa what they are, are clearly just plebs.


To this I responded, "what exactly is ages ago"... since I have been in contact with sales over the months looking at and researching on focused products categories in a very competivie market, and knowing that it was during the course of last year that I registered this account. Low and behold....another world class response from "The Michael" below...


Accounts get closed after 2 years of inactivity. As your last purchase was more than 8 years ago I will leave you to do the math.
"Does Frontosa understand that one has to do product and market research" - How long should one be doing product and market research? We have customers sign up with us and in their first invoice spend more that your company has spent with us in its entirety.

"Does Frontosa understand that we have barely come out of a lockdown" - Very much aware, yes. Not sure however how that has anything to do with your account.



As I mentioned before, if you are wanting to purchase from us again you will need to fill in another dealer application which you can do from here > https://www.frontosa.co.za/dealer_application.asp


So to Dearest Frontosa, besides the fact that I give Michael an F for math, (I do not have a registered acc for a period of two years as yet, and secondly, if logic was applied, counting my last purchase as more than 8 year ago during the same amount of time that I've not had an active account....does that even make any sense), Frontosa also gets a big fat onion for keeping people like this in its employ.

no further consideration will be done to do business with Frontosa.

 

[Mystic Twilight]

Can't comment on your specific situation. In general most distributors close dormant/inactive accounts after x number of years (sales generated is considered activity, not quotes for market research), it's common practice especially if you have a credit facility instead of a cod account. Mustek I think keeps cod accounts open indefinitely so you can try register with them.

 

[DGCPT]

Fully Agree with you and understand that, this account was not that old though and only a COD account. Just odd that someone (insert unprofessional frontosa person here) in a business would be so hell bent on cutting a revenue stream, or possible revenue stream for your distribution business.

 

[Enzo Matrix]

Yeah they close accounts as stated

But a response and attitude like that is completely asinine and i would post it everywhere

What a douchebag

 

[TheMightyQuinn]

I have not been in the reseller business for a long time, being fully committed in Corporate IT for the last 7 or 8 years. During some time last year I put my feelers out there for launching a business again and registered an account with Frontosa. During this time much was assessed in terms of a walk in store vs online store etc etc. Fast forward to this present day and I ask Frontosa sales to process a small order for me, along with a query regarding general stock on hand in CT. I received a response from the salesperson, apologising that my account is closed. Okay, not salespersons fault. I email the admin backoffice person that processed my account when I opened it asking to please check, and also mentioning that I would be very annoyed if I would have to go through the process of opening an account again. This is now happening days before my online store is going live (1 July 2020) This person did not respond but some entitled person in some sort of position of authority I presume, that goes by the name of Michael first responds with this -


Hi Shaun

Your account was closed and removed from our system ages ago due to the fact that you had not purchased anything from us in a while. To date it has been over 8 years since you last purchased from us.
If you are needing to purchase from us again then you will need to fill in another dealer application.

ENDS---- no sorry for the inconvenience or please register again so that our staff can assist you....too busy oozing ego to be professional because resellers that make Frontosa what they are, are clearly just plebs.


To this I responded, "what exactly is ages ago"... since I have been in contact with sales over the months looking at and researching on focused products categories in a very competivie market, and knowing that it was during the course of last year that I registered this account. Low and behold....another world class response from "The Michael" below...


Accounts get closed after 2 years of inactivity. As your last purchase was more than 8 years ago I will leave you to do the math.
"Does Frontosa understand that one has to do product and market research" - How long should one be doing product and market research? We have customers sign up with us and in their first invoice spend more that your company has spent with us in its entirety.

"Does Frontosa understand that we have barely come out of a lockdown" - Very much aware, yes. Not sure however how that has anything to do with your account.



As I mentioned before, if you are wanting to purchase from us again you will need to fill in another dealer application which you can do from here > https://www.frontosa.co.za/dealer_application.asp


So to Dearest Frontosa, besides the fact that I give Michael an F for math, (I do not have a registered acc for a period of two years as yet, and secondly, if logic was applied, counting my last purchase as more than 8 year ago during the same amount of time that I've not had an active account....does that even make any sense), Frontosa also gets a big fat onion for keeping people like this in its employ.

no further consideration will be done to do business with Frontosa.

Did you open an account with Frontosa 8 years ago? Yes or No?
When was the last time you made a purchase from Frontosa?

Of course Distributors close dormant/inactive accounts.

There is a reason you have to apply to be a VAR or dealer and after a long period of inactivity, you need to re-apply as your own business may no longer be valid or even qualify since things may have changed. These distributors actually have a channel to manage and protect so that not just anyone can suddenly register as a dealer.

What "research" did you have to do re. pricing? Dealer and RRP are clearly indicated for every item you can purchase at Scoop.

Why do you need an account to do product and market research?

Works both ways...

 

[Conack]

This is standard practice from my experience as well. Sucks, but it is what it is.

Stopped buying from several of the big names as:

#1 Pricing was often more expensive than if I shop around online between 5-6 stores
#2 Ain't nobody got time for filling in that stack of pages and personal info they wanted from me.
#3 Some months I place large orders, others nothing - several shops have small print stipulating X amount per month.

Bugger all that.

 

[DGCPT]

Did you open an account with Frontosa 8 years ago? Yes or No?
When was the last time you made a purchase from Frontosa?

Of course Distributors close dormant/inactive accounts.

There is a reason you have to apply to be a VAR or dealer and after a long period of inactivity, you need to re-apply as your own business may no longer be valid or even qualify since things may have changed. These distributors actually have a channel to manage and protect so that not just anyone can suddenly register as a dealer.

What "research" did you have to do re. pricing? Dealer and RRP are clearly indicated for every item you can purchase at Scoop.

Why do you need an account to do product and market research?

Works both ways...

The account was opened sometime in 2019, so yes it was not to start trade as as soon as the account was opened. Lots of potential rental walk in shop spaces were looked at etc and then lockdown hit as well. This Frontosa "manager" then decided he would then look at the date from which I had previously had an account some 8 years ago and which of course has been inactive since and calculated how many sales I've done since. Well yes, you cant do sales with Frontosa if the account is inactive, so this mans reasoning is beyond me.

 

[TheMightyQuinn]

The account was opened sometime in 2019, so yes it was not to start trade as as soon as the account was opened. Lots of potential rental walk in shop spaces were looked at etc and then lockdown hit as well. This Frontosa "manager" then decided he would then look at the date from which I had previously had an account some 8 years ago and which of course has been inactive since and calculated how many sales I've done since. Well yes, you cant do sales with Frontosa if the account is inactive, so this mans reasoning is beyond me.

So what exactly is the problem? What is the result that you are looking for now?

 

[P924]

Yeah, if you ever had to do warranty returns with frontosa you would not try to buy there.

 

[DGCPT]

So what exactly is the problem? What is the result that you are looking for now?

I am merely highlighting and exposing poor/unreasonable/unprofessional service.

 

[TheMightyQuinn]

I am merely highlighting and exposing poor/unreasonable/unprofessional service.

There was nothing unreasonable about it...except for your response.

These guys need to protect the channel, otherwise real traders and ICT VAR's like ourselves get shafted by fly-by-night traders.

 

[Johnatan56]

There was nothing unreasonable about it...except for your response.

These guys need to protect the channel, otherwise real traders and ICT VAR's like ourselves get shafted by fly-by-night traders.

I think you missed DGCPT's complaint.

He had an account 8 years ago, that was closed due to inactive.
He opened a new one in 2019, and when trying to purchase now he's being told his account is closed due to the account from 8 years ago.