Pre-paid special orders

[PaulB]

How do you all deal with pre-paid special orders that are not picked up despite several calls to the customer? I can't just put them into stock, I don't own them; most of the time they are pre-paid with credit card, and I don't have the card number to credit back. Any tricks/tips to contact a customer and entice them to return for the part they ordered?

-Paul

[zsmith]

go ahead and put them into stock - the customer will show up immediately! Isn't that the way it always works?

[AKTOYPM]

Along the same lines I mail them out after about 60 days and repeated contacts.
Cost a few bucks but something has to happem and they arent really mine.
Customer usually show up the next day wondering why we mailed them out.
Amazing how many prepaid special orders dont get picked up.
Of course un-prepaid special orders are just a "NS stock order"

[neelraf]

I don't have this problem too much, on the bottom of the invoice I've put in a message stating that the deposit/purchase price is forfeit after 30 days and that the part will be resold to someone else. I always make sure to point that out to the customer. It's amazing how quickly they come to get their parts once thay realize we won't hold them indefinately and that they lose the money.

[TWB]

They paid for the item. We call them when it's in. When paid for aera gets cluttered, we go through and put items older the 45 days in a box and label it by the dates on the parts. It's amazing people pay for items and never come to pick them up.

[jlrwillis]

I have my countermen get full names and addresses when order is taken. After 30 days if part has not been picked up I will mail it to them. The UPS charges are normally no more than 3/4 dollars and doesnt happen that often. Still cheaper than sitting on your shelf then eventually getting mixed in with obsolesence.

[ScottM]

Why not put a disclaimer on your parts tickets stating that unclaimed parts are forfeited after 90 days?

Or include prepaid freight on prepays and ship em out?

[This message has been edited by ScottM (edited 08-25-2005).]

[daponik]

From my experience, customers that put money down almost always pick up their parts. I see less than 1% of them go over 14 days without THEM calling in. Are you guys requiring 100% deposits? We do.

We also have the clause that parts over 30 days go back in stock or get returned. Be careful, though, and spot check some of those parts you think weren't picked up. In more cases than not, the part was indeed picked up and the Parts Advisor forgot to "POST" the special order invoice. (Growing pains from a new software install)

*Dan