Last night I posted about my DyakCraft woes but mentioned that I hadn't cancelled my order.
Well, that information is now outdated because this morning I requested a refund.
Even though I still don't have my ideal interchangeable set picked out, I decided to cancel for two reasons. One, if I knew then what I know now, I would not have ordered them in the first place. And two, even though I was (most likely) fairly close(-ish) to my order being fulfilled, it was likely the frustrations and wait-time issues would have continued even past getting the needles.
The more I've read, the more likely it seems that I wouldn't like the cables. There are a fair number of folks in the DyakCraft fan group on Ravelry that have hacked their cables to be more in line with what they like (something a bit more supple with no memory), but I don't really relish the thought of spending a hours to fix something I just bought. (Or, more likely, have Dan spend hours fixing something I just bought.) And even then there seem to be issues with the connectors cutting into the cables (though nothing really about connectors coming loose which seems to be a common complaint with other interchangeable sets, so I'll give them credit for that). Also, while the Diaks stand behind their product and will fix any problems with them, apparently they don't do that in a remotely timely manner either. It can take months for a replacement to be provided and even longer if you have to send your needles in for a fix. (I read of someone that sent their needles off to be polished and, four months later, have still not gotten them back. Yikes!) And given that they seem to be having a spell of issue-filled needles, I'm guessing that my chances of not having to deal with some problems is fairly low. Add this to the fact that it annoys me to give money to a company with such horrible customer service and you've got my reasons why I asked for a refund.
Of course, this is assuming that they read their email (and then ignore them, versus ignoring every email that comes in full stop) and I will get a refund. Sadly, PayPal (who I paid through) only supports disputes for 45 days (not eight months). But, if worse comes to worst, the charge went through on my Amex and they are really great about disputes.
Now, fingers crossed that the KAs or the HiyaHiyas are wonderful! (Or I can find out how to make the KnitPicks set have swivel cables, because that would be pretty nifty, too.)
Other posts in my needle hunt saga:
Part I A, This page is Part I B
Part II
Part III
Some gushing about the big winner
My KA Switch Short set review
And my Chiaogoo Spin and Twist review is here
Wow - I read this one first (before the one the day before and I was really in the dark.
ReplyDeleteWas trying to figure out cables and needles would work together - something you put in your computer? Especially the part about Dan fixing the cables...... Now (after reading yesterday's post, I get it. I am impressed with your patience. Don't think I'd have lasted that long!
Ha, I didn't even think about how this one would sound out of context! :)
DeleteHonestly, I think if I was getting good customer service from the company, I'd still be waiting patiently. But I wasn't so I'm not. But fingers crossed that I can find a different set that I'm happy with!
Dearest mother of my grandkitties, Mother's day is coming up and I have to go to the Bead Store town tomorrow. Perhaps I will call you late afternoon and tell you what I have found, if there's anything there that might be of interest. It could be fortuitous timing!!! Love you all, MIL
ReplyDeleteDidn't happen. Basement leak of hose to water-powered sump pump soaked most of the family pictures we had stored and craft stuff and christmas stuff. Late to Belleville today, maybe I'll be calling you on Sunday after church! Love, MIL
ReplyDeleteOh no! I hope everything (especially the pictures) can be saved!
DeleteAs for the Bead Store, I realize that my Christmas visit was also my birthday present (and so I would assume it'd count for Mother's Day, too) so I definitely don't expect anything! I remember they had some metal Addi's there but I don't think they had any wood. Though today I did order a single pair of Addi Natura needles and a cable so I'm going to throw them into the wood/bamboo needle face off that appears to be forming in my house! :)
Thank you for sharing your fiasco with Dyakcraft. I was very interested to learn of your experience as I was once considering placing an order with them. Since your blog post in May there has been little change in Dyakcraft problems. They continue to set and reset delivery dates with no follow through. The frustration and anger among customers only seems to be heightening, as some are now over one year in waiting to receive their needle order. A person who has been waiting over 11 months recently posted a warning alert on Ravelry that she filed a dispute with Paypal. She found out that sellers through Paypal (which Dyakcraft is) must deliver before 45 days because after 45 days the customer cannot file a claim for a refund with Paypal. So paypal is investigating and Paypal also told this person that she can go to ic3.gov, a government internet crime site to report the problem.
DeleteWhatever is going on, it is beyond bad customer service.
I've been getting Dyakcraft's update emails (I suppose my cancelled order put me on the list and I've been too lazy to unsubscribe since they are sent out rarely) and was surprised at the beginning this month to read that they had not fulfilled all of October 2011 orders yet - orders from a year ago aren't all filled but their website says 4-8 months wait time!
DeleteI think a lot of complaints about Dyakcraft are dismissed in the online communities by people saying that those complaining just don't like having any wait time. Honestly, I didn't mind the idea of wait time. I get the whole handcrafted takes time thing. I did mind the wait time being so drastically off from what was stated when I ordered, though.
Oh well! I still think their needles are pretty and, while I can't imagine loving them more than the needles I'm using now (HiyaHiya Sharps, which I adore), maybe one day I'll pick some up just to try. Assuming the production time gets a bit more under control.