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that zipper die looks so fun! I'm wondering if there's a way to make it so it can be closed back up after it's been torn open? Like maybe finding some super-slim hook-and-loop tape to apply to the end? So it can be held closed?
The coupon code is not working for me. I am disappointed.
It showed up as $5 for me at the end of the transaction, but my PayPal transaction showed the proper 5% discount. It seems this may have happened to others as well.
The website isn't working for me at all. Any thing I click on comes up with an error. Dang. I wanted to look at a few things and maybe order with the discount.
I love PTI images - I don't know what it is about them that keep me coming back, but I do!
However with the quality issues I've had - losing the substrate if you go to fast (even if I don't go fast, I always manage to lose some) - I still get clean impressions, but I have one stamp in particular that doesn't cling well because too much substrate was lost.
I have branched out to other clear stamps and have not had the same issue. Has anyone else tried other companies? What is your quality experience?
Yes, Waltzing Mouse is FANTASTIC!! NO issues ever with their stamps (unlike PTI, I have the same substrate issue as you, and their customer service fix of rubbing the back w/alcohol, etc. never did work for me) WM has superior customer service too, and even the shipping is WAYYYYY faster than PTI and they are not even in the USA!! If you want fantastic customer service with a variety of product to choose from, go to Ellen Hutson or Frantic Stamper. Both ROUTINELY provide outstanding service and reply VERY quickly to customer service emails, with helpful answers and solutions.
__________________ Always stampin' with my feline helpers!
I need a place to rant! My experience with the new PTI website has been terrible! :mad:
When I first tried to log in to my rewards account on the new website it started showing "this account is locked out". I tried contacting customer service and got their completely useless auto-reply. Then someone replied back to my email with an even more useless reply of "we are working on it. meanwhile setup a new account and your points will show up." Fine. I try to setup a new account but it says "this username is already in use".
I have emailed PTI again but don't expect any good reply anytime soon. It is also annoying to get the customer service auto-reply each time I email.
What more, my messages need some sort of approval in their forums before being posted. I'm pretty sure I tried posting 3 messages so far for my problem, none of which have shown up in any thread yet.
At this point I don't think I am ever going to see my reward points. Thats a shame because I was looking forward to spending them on the PTI anniversary set and also wanted to shop for a bunch of other stuff.
The whole experience has been so bad. I am a software engineer so I also think the way PTI moved over to its new website was a really bad way to do things. You don't just flip the switch one day and expect everything to work.
With that and the increased shipping and no more CD cases or sheets with stamps, I don't think I will be shopping much with them.
Is anyone else having trouble with the PTI website? I gave up last night when my shopping cart kept disappearing. Now today I cannot even access the site...something about their security certificate being revoked? I hope they extend the deadline on the discount coupon!! I must say that I love their stamps and dies, but so far I am not a fan of the new website. The corresponding stamps and dies are not linked together as they were on the old site. I too, could not find the forum, so thanks for the link above!!
The PTI site is a disaster. I made an account last night before the release so I'd be ready to order. I got up early this morning and spend an hour building up a $200 order. Yes, it took that long because the site is incredibly difficult to navigate. The only way to find something is to search, but you have to know what you want to search for it. Even something simple like look at the stamps by category didn't have a landing page with the various categories, so I had to page and page to find the category I wanted. Duh.
Well, after I built my order I went to pay for it. On the checkout page there is a link for credit card security. I clicked on that, and when I returned my cart was empty. What?!?!?. I quickly rebuilt the $200 order. When I tried to check out I couldn't get logged into my account (getting a cryptic error). I figured I'd check out anyway. When I tried the coupon code that didn't work (invalid or expired code). This was at 7:50 a.m. EST, well within the coupon time period. That was it. They've lost my business. I had to go to work and won't have time to try to put in another order before tonight. And really, why would I want to try again? They may have top quality products, but that web site is very unprofessional and should not have been rolled out. I'm a senior level software developer and I would be fired if I let something like this go live in the field. Business must be very good for them if they don't care if they get orders in or not.
Oh yes clicking on pages and pages of links was terrible as well!
Someone should really point this thread out to Nichole or someone else in PTI. They had a bad customer service reputation to begin with and the new website is making matters worst.
Quote:
Originally Posted by khogan
The PTI site is a disaster. I made an account last night before the release so I'd be ready to order. I got up early this morning and spend an hour building up a $200 order. Yes, it took that long because the site is incredibly difficult to navigate. The only way to find something is to search, but you have to know what you want to search for it. Even something simple like look at the stamps by category didn't have a landing page with the various categories, so I had to page and page to find the category I wanted. Duh.
Well, after I built my order I went to pay for it. On the checkout page there is a link for credit card security. I clicked on that, and when I returned my cart was empty. What?!?!?. I quickly rebuilt the $200 order. When I tried to check out I couldn't get logged into my account (getting a cryptic error). I figured I'd check out anyway. When I tried the coupon code that didn't work (invalid or expired code). This was at 7:50 a.m. EST, well within the coupon time period. That was it. They've lost my business. I had to go to work and won't have time to try to put in another order before tonight. And really, why would I want to try again? They may have top quality products, but that web site is very unprofessional and should not have been rolled out. I'm a senior level software developer and I would be fired if I let something like this go live in the field. Business must be very good for them if they don't care if they get orders in or not.
Not sure if I like it or not....ordering was quite difficult. Took me 4 tries- kept on getting kicked out of the cart and then my order disappeared!! If I didn;t want that coffee cup set so dang much I would have given up. Perfect for a gift I need to make this month. Took almost 30 minutes which I cannot spare...Once I finally got the order to take, the discount code did not work. That got me even more po'd. Did not have overinflated points like some did -- too bad. It would have been worth the 30 minutes!!!! Will take a better look at website when I have more time. Like everything that is new in technology, it usually gets better once the bugs are out of it.
If my memory is correct, PTI tried to switch to a new website during a release last year and it was a failure. I have a hard time understanding why they tried it again. They build up the excitement for their anniversary activities which brings more people to the site and then they try to change everything right when people want to have quick access to the store and ordering. And then they offer a discount, which is almost unheard of from PTI and which customers will want to take advantage of and that makes for more problems. Not knowing all the ins and outs of the IT challenges, I would think it would be much easier to roll out one change at a time (like once a month) instead of everything at once. Now there are people who may have written the company off because of these business practices.
The site as a whole doesn't need to be secure. Just looking at product isn't a risk but the the cart does need to be secure for credit card purposes. When I clicked on the cart I got:
The page you are trying to view can not be shown because the authenticity of the received data could not be verified.
Please contact the web site owners to inform them of this problem. Alternatively, use the command found in the help menu to report this broken site.
I just tried to get into the Papertrey site and got similar messages. There was a message from Jennifer on the PTI forum earlier that everything was fixed.
I tried to post letting them know that it's not fixed. Since they have comment moderation, my post didn't show up.
Then I noticed that the comments on the forum page that are showing up were all posted early this am, like 7:30 and 8:00. No comments are shown for today in the afternoon hours. I don't think they've even had time to moderate comments and let them be shown.
It is difficult to figure out what's going on if you can't get feedback from other posters.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
I know this doesn't help with your issue, but the time indicated on the PTI forum is not correct right now - the forum time is not right so the time indicated on the posts are not right either. They do know, but I think with all the other issues, I think, not something that's at the top of the list.
*edit to add* - if you are a new registrant, there is a certain number of posts that are moderated. Sadly, there was so much spam from non-human registrants, they had to start doing that.
I enjoy PTI and their products and was surprised to see all the negative comments here and on another thread; it is great to be able to talk about your issues and concerns with other customers but I am wondering, how many of you have taken the time to reach out to PTI, or Nicole, and voice your dissatisfaction? I wonder if she truly knows how many unhappy customers, or in some instances ex-customers, she really has?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by demahi
I enjoy PTI and their products and was surprised to see all the negative comments here and on another thread; it is great to be able to talk about your issues and concerns with other customers but I am wondering, how many of you have taken the time to reach out to PTI, or Nicole, and voice your dissatisfaction? I wonder if she truly knows how many unhappy customers, or in some instances ex-customers, she really has?
If I didn;t want that coffee cup set so dang much I would have given up. Perfect for a gift I need to make this month.
Good luck with that deadline... If a normal release night order takes 10-14 days to arrive, I can't imagine this month will be any quicker given anniversary festivities, new anniversary set, and the fact that they're going through all orders carefully to check for order glitches per a comment on the forums yesterday.
Regarding posts on the PTI forum, they recently added the requirement that a new forum member must have a certain number of posts be approved by a moderator before being able to post at will. This was in response to an overwhelming number of requests from forum members about the spam and porn that was showing up. Jenn mentioned in the last week or two that that morning alone there had been over 200 new spam posts overnight.
And yes, the timestamp on the forum recently started showing 6 hours off, so if it is showing 7 am, the post was really at 1 pm. They're aware, and are focusing on the more important problem of the web site, as they should.
Even with the web store problems, there were several thousand orders placed. They will get the store worked out. With having promised people that they could start using their bonus dollars in the new store and for the anniversary set by their anniversary, they were bound to make it happen. If they had delayed the launch of the store, there would have been people posting that PTI didn't keep their promises and that they wouldn't be shopping there anymore, especially after the previous delays. No win situation.
I had the same difficulties as others on Wednesday night, so I went to sleep and tried again Thursday morning. The discount code didn't work, so I entered it in the comments section, and they will fix it. It's not worth the energy needed to get upset over. With the number of orders, it will take a while for my box to arrive, but I'm not going to fret over it. It will get here when it gets here, and I will enjoy for years to come the amazing quality and inspiration from their products.
Considering that Nichole has turned of the comments on her blog as of today, it's very apparent that she knows. Personally, to me, this speaks volumes.
PTI had this colossal disaster of the new website roll out and as far as I know Nichole made ONE post on the PTI forum in regards to problems but that's it. She is the face of PTI and she is no longer speaking because Jenn is the new "communications director".
It's very sad to see where this company has gone in the last 5 years. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the creative side of PTI is BRILLIANT! The business side is a complete and utter disaster!
Ami
Ami,
Regarding the number of posts Nichole made on the forum during the release, I just counted 43 posts on 2/15, 10 pm till just after midnight, attempting to help people with questions or problems, so possibly you just didn't search far enough.
And with seeing first-hand in the past what vicious and mean-spirited things can be said online when people are upset, I might have turned off comments on my blog, too (if I had one). Unfortunately, many people feel free to verbalize rude, horrific, vitriolic feelings on the internet that I would definitely hope they would never feel free to verbalize in person.
Regarding the number of posts Nichole made on the forum during the release, I just counted 43 posts on 2/15, 10 pm till just after midnight, attempting to help people with questions or problems, so possibly you just didn't search far enough.
And with seeing first-hand in the past what vicious and mean-spirited things can be said online when people are upset, I might have turned off comments on my blog, too (if I had one). Unfortunately, many people feel free to verbalize rude, horrific, vitriolic feelings on the internet that I would definitely hope they would never feel free to verbalize in person.
Mary
Thanks for posting your thoughts, Mary. I agree with you. I wish we could all remember that we each have a part in creating a kinder, gentler world.
There is so much in the news these days about cyber bullying among teenagers. When I see some of the comments that are posted in forums by so-called adults, I wonder if current attitudes of some of the parents might have something to do with the increase in bullying by teens.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
I agree the website rollout was pretty bad. Poor testing, poor timing, etc. I do agree with Mary though, and think it would be counterproductive for people to post issues on Nichole's blog, since they could be duplicates of emails already received by customer service. Sorting and reconciling the comments/issues could slow down response time further. Hopefully, their new customer support guy is up to the challenge of this release--the usual issues, plus the ones now related to the new website.
There is also a good thread going on the PTI Forum about suggested improvements to the website. The posters have some great ideas on functionality and usability.
Regarding the number of posts Nichole made on the forum during the release, I just counted 43 posts on 2/15, 10 pm till just after midnight, attempting to help people with questions or problems, so possibly you just didn't search far enough.
Thanks - I was going to correct this too, as I saw Nichole post on a number of threads and do her best to respond to questions (including at least a couple I asked). I was thankful there was someone on the forum keeping us posted that yes indeed, there was someone fixing each issue as they came up.
It would have been better to not have been in that situation with better timing of the new website at a time when thousands of people are ordering, and to do more forum-wide updates rather than hiding things in threads as they were asked, but I did feel better seeing someone on there responding to the frustration.
I was one of the lucky ones as well. I placed my order as soon as PTI's site went live and had no problem, well I really did have one, as one of the stamp sets I wanted said "out of stock" so I had to switch gears and order something different. As it turns out that item wasn't out of stock but that was the only small glitch for me. I checked my order and it has shipped too. For all the horrible issues they had I'm absolutely shocked and quite surprised that my order is on its way already!
I do really like PTI and will continue to order from them. I know it must have been a night they will not soon forget (more like nightmare) and my heart goes out to all of them.
I don't at all discount the frustration and ordering issues many faced, I'm sure that would have frustrated me no end. I'd probably have given up and waited til the next day or the next. 5% discount is nice but not a deal breaker if I couldn't get it.
What's so very hard, is to be liked/loved one minute by many and then the next minute, when things come crashing down, you're suddenly trashed by the same ones who only moments ago were saying the most wonderful things. I don't think I'd care to be in the limelight, seems like such a huge burden to carry.
pasco - I know what you mean ~ how do you switch the whole system and then not be sure it's ready!? I'm sure many will just wait for the cases and hope for the best.
Karen/kthaman, I saw your post on the forum about the DT ruining their cards for the sake of showing the 'zipper' pulled! It never even crossed my mind!! I can't look at that without wondering why I never thought of it, LOL! ... with so many packages we purchase that open that way. It's a cute idea I may just fall for..... in a few months when the dust settles.
I'm kind of glad I ordered from PTA last month. I had some birthday money and fell in love with all the Simply Jane products, and I added some cardstock and other supplies to meet the free shipping minimum. Ordered on the night of the 15th with no problems, and I think I got my order in about 10 days. I only looked at this month's offerings to see the beautiful ideas.
I think maybe PTI is biting off more than they can chew with a monthly release. Maybe if they went quarterly they'd be able to staff properly to prepare for the ordering frenzy. I get a little overwhelmed with monthly releases. TOO MUCH STUFF! I've just barely started playing with my stash from the January release! Anyway, I hope they can get their site and customer service straightened out. I do like their products.
I haven't ordered from PTI in a long time but I've only ordered from a few companies in the past year, so it's nothing against PTI. I'm sorry for those who have had problems with PTI - it's always frustrating when you order something and there are issues regardless of the item or the company involved. I wish there were some functions on the site like others have mentioned, like being able to search by the designer. Heather Nichols (pinefeather) is one of my favorites and I love a lot of her sets. For sets I don't already have and don't remember the name of, it would be nice to search on all the products she designed regardless of the type. I miss the listing of coordinating stamps sets and dies to the side like the old site had. I was thrilled to see the new little "unavailable" button on the new site and love the fact that it shows up in a different color than the "available" button so it's easy to see at a quick glance what's in stock and what isn't. I've heard so many stories here about how people were frustrated at thinking they ordered something only to find out it was out of stock. I've had that issue with other companies and it stinks. While I find the new website difficult to navigate because I was used to the old one, it's still a thousand times better than a lot of other stamp companies I've visited on-line. Many of those I won't bother ordering from at all because their sites are next to impossible to navigate. PTI's still has improvement needed (I've yet to find too many websites that are totally wonderful to navigate when ordering) but I think a lot of what they added is good, but miss some of the things that have disappeared.
I ordered an hour or two after the release went live. My order is showing up as Fully Shipped today.
Krista, thanks for posting. I ordered in the first hour of the release so I went and checked to see what the status for my order said and mine also says Fully Shipped today. Yay!
After all the drama about ordering on release night, I wanted to report back in here.
I ordered from Papertrey about 10 minutes after the new releases went live. That was on Feb. 15th. Don't know if I was just lucky, but I had no problems, got the discount, and used my points.
Today, Feb. 22, I received my complete order. Pretty good service, I would say.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
After all the drama about ordering on release night, I wanted to report back in here.
I ordered from Papertrey about 10 minutes after the new releases went live. That was on Feb. 15th. Don't know if I was just lucky, but I had no problems, got the discount, and used my points.
Today, Feb. 22, I received my complete order. Pretty good service, I would say.
I ordered about the same time, no issues with my order, changed t fully shipped on the 16th.... no notice and no package. and I'm only a couple of hours form the warehouse....
I liked having a tracking number to check though and I (personally) think it would be a really huge step backwards if they did away with shipping notices altogether
I have never ordered from them...have wanted to but just couldn't bring myself to do it. I recently ordered a BS, and love some of their coordinating die/stamp sets ( particularly the buttons..) but am wondering if there is any more positive feed back from the recent orders. I have some more birthday /Christmas $$ to spend..and would love to try some of their paper and dies..but I am so afriad of having to wait weeks for my package..I tend to not be very patient..especially when I placed an order on Monday with Dick blick and recieved a notice that it was shipped the next day!..I should get it tomorrow I think. I think that a lot of us that order most of our stuff on-line..and have gotten excellent customer service expect that from everywhere. It isn't always going to happen. I am wondering if PTI is one of those rare cases where " you love the products so much that you just kinda deal with the slowness and bad PR"?? I am terrified of ordering and hearing zip from the comapny if it hasn't come in a week or so. If you are going to promote your company to the scale that PTI does..and people see your products on every page of Paper crafts magazine..you must have customer service in place and no kinks at all..it is bad mojo. The publicity the company gets from its DT are what sells the products and makes people want them And let's face it..a great deal of their products you just can't find anywhere else..sure you can find decent substitues..but that is it..a substitue..not the real thing..
Anyway..if anyone can weigh in on their recent experiences..that would be great..or I may just not order from the..not for a while ( but oh..how I want to LOL)
