Aiki - Sport KFT [Do not place orders]
 

It is with disappointment that I have to say to those in Hungary not to mail order items from Aiki-Sport Kft, as you may not get what you ask for.

Twice I have been sent something than what was specifically ordered, and of which I was told was in stock and would be sent to me.

Asked for Shuygo 100% cotton yellow belts, [was sent a package of 3 belts totally different from brand asked for and told was in stock], and now I was told there were Shuygo 100% cotton green belts and was sent another brand, which was mixed material.

I have kept all email correspondence between myself and Aiki Sport Kft in Budapest to verify my statements.

Seeing that they are advertised on one of the main Aikido sites in Hungary, I am more than disappointed with this level of service - which flies in the face of what one would think Budo to be about.... Honesty.

Again, if your in Hungary, buyer be-ware of the mail order - if you must, then go in person.

As of now no solution has been found, though I have asked for this to be corrected at Aiki - Sport Kfts expense.

Best Regards

dAlen

Re: Aiki - Sport KFT [Do not place orders]
 

Apparently what is happening is Aiki-sport keeps stock in the fall and winter months and sells out in the summer. - [Apparently they dont refresh the main stock except once a year from the looks of it.]

What seems to have happened, which is kind of typical in Hungary - if not even the rest of parts of Europe - is that he did not want to loose on business. [again, from a cultural view point, this seems to be not to much out of the ordinary in practice... even Tesco has sold fish on sale you would not dare see on sale stateside... though I have read they have been sued here already a couple of times... not that anything changed.] ;)

So this really seems more of a shift in mentality on business in general...

Either way, I have had an email saying in Sept. or a couple of months after, he would send me the belt originally ordered once he gets it from his distributor.

It would be nice to see a slight shift in mentality with customer service in general where I live. :)

Peace,

dAlen

Re: Aiki - Sport KFT [Do not place orders]
 

Hi Dalen,

the day I get a GREEN belt, I neither care for the brand nor the material, the COLOUR is important!

Good luck anyway with your belts :-)

Eva

Re: Aiki - Sport KFT [Do not place orders]
 

Actually the day color truly matters at all is a crime. Just train.
As far as a particular style of belt, that may be a materialistic thing, one should ask yourself that.

Re: Aiki - Sport KFT [Do not place orders]
 

Customer service... not about branding.
If I order a specific something, it should be that specific something.

If I want wool overalls, it needs to be as advertised - who wants a surprise of polyester? :)

Better yet, imagine an order of a cotton Hakama and getting polyester in its stead... may be great, if thats what you asked for.

Customer service, specifically within Hungary, leaves something to be desired.

So its not about brand snobbery if I understand you correctly, and colors, etc. - its about genuine customer service.

I would hope, if I had a store, and you ordered a product... you would get what you asked. [even if I deemed it was the same item but made of different material, as "it doesnt matter"... the fact is the customer made a choice and should not be told "x" item is indeed shipping when they know up front it isnt.] ;)

Peace

dAlen

p.s.
As for Evas comment about the colour being important, I do believe she means to what it represents... ;)

Re: Aiki - Sport KFT [Do not place orders]
 

Thanks Eva, I agree...
... my main disappointment was having the order confirmed yet, despite this, having something shipped to me that knowingly was different seeing he would not have stock again until Sept. and apparently wanted to secure a sale. ;)

Peace

dAlen

Re: Aiki - Sport KFT [Do not place orders]
 

I agree with you about the customer service. If I order something, I expect to get what I paid for. If I were to order a fully loaded blue car from a dealership, that is what I would expect to receive. If I showed up and a standard yellow car was there instead, I would be upset. I didn't ask or pay for that car. Simple as that.

Some people prefer different brands and quality of material. I think it is up to the consumer to decide what they want and it is up to the business to provide and meet those needs.

I myself am having a problem with a company at this moment. My husband and I ordered two bokkens with sayas for our iaido class. His arrived fine, but mine had a broken tsuba. Thought about keeping it anyway (glue will fix it) but the wrapping started coming loose. At that point, I decided to return it. I had a one sided battle with the company via e-mail. They just would not return my e-mails. If you called their customer service, you would just sit on hold forever. I finally told them that I would not be reccomending them to anyone else in my dojo and all the sudden I started getting e-mails. I had to pay to return the dang bokken and gosh knows when I will get another one back. All I know is that I will not be dealing with them in the future.

All they had to do was actually package the bokkens right. They had them in a plastic bag in a flimsy cardboard box. Apparently they have never heard of packing material (bubble wrap, peanuts, etc).

GRRR.

Re: Aiki - Sport KFT [Do not place orders]
 

Sorry to hear that happened... its kind of weird when you get accustomed to places that excel in customer service and then find a place where something like this happens.

I believe you did the right thing by saying you would not recommend anyone, as this helps shift their focus back to the point... the customer. [without them there is no business.]

The world does continue to surprise me - though I suppose its a lesson for me to learn how to interact with situations without letting it get the best of me, so to speak. [doing better than I used to... I think.] ;)

Peace,

dAlen

Re: Aiki - Sport KFT [Do not place orders]
 

Yeah, we will see how long it takes to get the new one back.... I am not happy about it. Hopefully you will have the correct belts in no time at all. :)

Re: Aiki - Sport KFT [Do not place orders]
 

Although the company obviously poorly packaged your bokken, I would like to point out that I've posted equipment (including bokkens) before, bubble-wrapped them very well and they've arrived with the customer snapped completely in half. Sometimes the postal service just like to throw things around.

On the original subject; dAlen, I can empathise completely with you. I regret that my dayjob involves much of this. Where I work we frequently run out of things and try to pass off alternatives to customers. Most people don't mind, but I agree that it's terrible customer service. Just remember not to be too mean to the person on the other end of the e-mails; there's a good chance that their poor customer service is what they're paid for. It's sad to say, but if trying to be helpful for a customer loses me my job, I'm going to just shut off my sense of ethics when I go to work. If I'm not working there I definitely can't provide a decent service.

Re: Aiki - Sport KFT [Do not place orders]
 

I agree that its good to try and remain conscious in how one responds in situations like this. [i.e., be to the point, yet without getting to much emotional attachment to the situation.]

It is easy to put in the category of 'right' & 'wrong', and create a separation between two people. While indeed each person may have a different set standard of ethics, in calmness each could potentially learn from each other... [again, action can be taken, but without the extra drama usually attached which causes the defenses to go up.]

All easier said then done... :)

In this situation, Im dealing directly with an independent business owner... It is my hope, that perhaps, he will learn to communicate freer in the future with less fear of potentially loosing business if he's honest. :)

Peace

dAlen