Finisher did a poor job with packing parts customer requests remake

[MaxPrairie]

We are pretty hesitant to use UPS when sending this to and from plating. Unless it is small lightweight parts we can pack well enough we can punt it across the shop it goes with a courier. It adds cost, but even if the plater does a poor job repacking they are more likely to arrive undamaged from shipping. We have one plater who is really fast but even with giant red letters and a phone call saying not to send back loose, then still come back loose with our packing material thrown back in the box. We also set up our own anodizing line which comes in handy on small order rush work. Had a part a couple months ago that went from bar stock to finished anodized in about 3 hours.

Unless the customer is really in a hurry and I have okayed it with them, all parts come back from plating for a final visual inspection. Depending on the tolerance of the part we will also verify critical dimensions.

 

[AnthonySander]

The anodizing line is for rinsing the parts, and I think you overreact here. If small items are well packaged, it's better than the other way around with all the parts in one package. At https://www.spackmachine.com/, they use different packaging methods for different parts, and a lot depends on the destination. I can't even imagine being sent parts in a package and not being able to tell the difference between the intended use of each. That's not really customer care, so it's worth reviewing the work plan and the quality of the service provided.

 

[doug925]

Hi all,
I'm having an issue like this for the 1st time and i've been running a one man shop for more than 3 years now.

We recently had a larger( for us ) order of aluminum heatsinks. We put parts in used boxes and dropped off at the finisher and i specifically asked to pack parts individually to protect from damage during shipping.
They packed each part in bubble wrap and just dumped all parts back into used boxes and shipped it out. The weight vs volume of these were critical and of course boxes got torn and 30% of parts are unusable now and customer requests new parts.

This was the 1st time i worked with this finisher and they seem very adequate at first.

Any suggestion on how to handle this situation?

Thank you!

As stated above:

This is a 'shit happens' type of deal.
I lost a brand new customer due to a an anodizing company.
My customer was Item Products, (now, Parker IPS) who doled out huge quantity orders
Being newly in business, this was big order for me, and an entry into higher qty orders.

But then....
The plating shop destroyed ALL 2000 pieces.
This was my first & last order from Item Products.
Consequently, my LAST order to the anodizing shop.

I received ZERO compensation from the plating company. (Of course)
My customer canceled the PO upon receipt, as they had supplied all the material.

What I DID receive is a couple of life lessons:
1) Go with the best plating shop you can afford.
2) Don't use new vendors if/ when any screw-ups will hurt your business.
3) Surface preparation & packaging are both super important. Make sure your vendor understands.
4) NEVER SHIP parts directly from vendors. INSPECT everything in house prior to release to the customer.

Just my $0.02

Doug

 

[david n]

I use one of the more expensive platers in MN for all of my anodize............never a screw up. Parts are always to spec and always packaged well. No matter how cheap the other outfit is, it's still more expensive than then the high quality plater.

Same goes with my heat treater.

The plater I use for my black ox, zinc, and nickel is a small ma and pa type place..........Actually the son is taking over and does one heck of a job on all of my parts. They will usually help me out with rush orders or if I'm in a bind. They said I get preference because I always pay on time or early.

 

[doug925]

I use two different anodizers in Houston.
Panel Finishers = Budget plating, batch quantity, good quality & part wrapping.
Most of my customers are very happy with the finishes Panel Finishers does.

Some want 'show quality' finishes. Those parts go to the shop below.

Surface Techniques = Expensive, but I NEVER have to worry about finish and part protection.
Heck, I don't even need to unwrap more than 1 part to confirm everything is okay.

Example: 80/20 style, 90° corner bracket, pictured. (forgive the oily hand prints on the part...)
Panel Finishers = $.90 ea @ 100 pcs
Surface Techniques = $7.00 ea @ 100 pcs

 

[AARONT]

I know this may not be an option for you, but I prefer to pickup and drop off parts personally when possible.

This is what we've ended up doing on anything that may be able to be damaged in shipping.

 

[metal-ica]

Alton Instruments on Instagram regularly 3d prints trays for shipping his parts. He has inspired me to do the same. Upfront cost makes up for it in a quality product.

 

[Bobw]

I use one of the more expensive platers in MN for all of my anodize............never a screw up. Parts are always to spec and always packaged well. No matter how cheap the other outfit is, it's still more expensive than then the high quality plater.

Same goes with my heat treater.

Give it time.

 

[roman_esmant]

Some update,
I was able to fix half of the damaged parts and made another half new.
Finisher plated again and I shipped them out today.

Of course they refuse to reimburse and the amount is about $5k.
Filed small claims court claim today, just for the heck of it.
We will see.

 

[lumley32]

I had the same thing happen with our platers a few months ago, I talked to them, and the QC manager was distraught at how they packed the parts.

they plated our next batch of parts for free and gave us a credit note for the value of the order they messed up.

i was very happy with this, and have since increased the amount of work they handle for us. but I also did my best to make the packing as foolproof as possible, we now have plastic crates with dividers so even if the parts aren't wrapped you would have to try really hard to damage them in shipping. this has made life easier for us as well, we know there are 60 parts per crate and spend about 10% of the time we used to sorting and packing.

 

[Houdini]

Hi all,
I'm having an issue like this for the 1st time and i've been running a one man shop for more than 3 years now.

We recently had a larger( for us ) order of aluminum heatsinks. We put parts in used boxes and dropped off at the finisher and i specifically asked to pack parts individually to protect from damage during shipping.
They packed each part in bubble wrap and just dumped all parts back into used boxes and shipped it out. The weight vs volume of these were critical and of course boxes got torn and 30% of parts are unusable now and customer requests new parts.

This was the 1st time i worked with this finisher and they seem very adequate at first.

Any suggestion on how to handle this situation?

Thank you!

Hi all,
I'm having an issue like this for the 1st time and i've been running a one man shop for more than 3 years now.

We recently had a larger( for us ) order of aluminum heatsinks. We put parts in used boxes and dropped off at the finisher and i specifically asked to pack parts individually to protect from damage during shipping.
They packed each part in bubble wrap and just dumped all parts back into used boxes and shipped it out. The weight vs volume of these were critical and of course boxes got torn and 30% of parts are unusable now and customer requests new parts.

This was the 1st time i worked with this finisher and they seem very adequate at first.

Any suggestion on how to handle this situation?

Thank you!

Because of all the nightmare stories you will hear here, and seen it for years as an employee, I wont have second operations done for customers. I machine the parts, and they pick them up or I ship them to them, they are their parts, if they want them Anodized, heat treated, sand blasted, tumbled......they can take them to a business that does that, We don't do it here.