What should I tell a host who complains about shipping and handling fees?

[pcladyofms]

A host that did a show for me last month called me last night and was complaining that she did not like the fact that all her guest had to pay $4.25 for shipping and handling but yet it all went to her house and then she had to bag it all up and go through it..... I mean really! Other companies charge a percentage and it still goes to the hostess house. What do I tell her? Any suggestions!

 

[mrshamel3808]

Did she just now recieve the order? Or did she deal with it all a while ago and just now is calling you to complain?

From now on, let the hosts know that this is part of hosting from the get go, that way if it's REALLY that big of a deal you can either offer to do it yourself or let her know you can either not give the host shipping option to the guests and explain it to them (you can spin it to where it's not painting the host in a negative lazy light, more like "suzie host doesn't think she'll have enough time to go through all the orders and get you all your products in a adequate amount of time so we're doing all direct shipping for this show) or you can tell her (the host) that she can pay for the extra shipping if she doesn't want to deal with it or have you make the guests pay. I'd say only offer to do it yourself if it's worth it to you.

 

[pcladyofms]

She got her order last week.... I was submitted on like the 6th. I did explain to her that it was all going to go to her house and she was ok with it! I think she got mad because her mom got the mix n chop that was only $10 and I charged her the full price of shipping but gosh what was I suppose to do. There was a lot of people around and I could just say I will add it to someone elses order so u dont have to pay that much for shipping.

 

[akrebecca]

IMO, I have a hard time understanding why customers in the Lower 48 don't like the $4.25 S&H. I can understand if the product was a small amount like $5 or $6. But if the customer complains about the S&H, just add the small item to another order. If she had ordered the mix n' chop in Alaska, she would be paying $3.50 in S&H. Not as much as the states, BUT,no matter how much product the customer orders, they are charged 15% + $2 which is more that $4.25.

I view the no host S&H as a 'payment' from PC to seperate & deliver the product. The few times I have sorted & delivered has been for good reasons-host was on vacation when product delivered, another was in the hospital & the third was on bedrest. All very good reasons.

 

[Sheila]

None of my guests have the option of doing ship to host (it violates military & custom's regulations) and would LOVE the option of paying less!Just tell her that although her order is free shipping, Pampered Chef has to recoup the UPS charges for sending out all the stuff. The $4.25 per person is a set rate based on the average amount spent. Since it's impossible for the consultant to sit & calculate the shipping weight and exact cost for each order, PC tries to make it fair for all. Then let her know that the overseas military customers don't have the "ship to host" option due to military regulations that prevent them from accepting mail for others ... and that each of those customers are charged the FULL shipping rate normally between $10-$22! Her guests are LUCKY that she's willing to accept & sort the items to save them money!

 

[Sheila]

Oh, and we don't get our orders in 3-5 days either ... we pay more & have to wait 4 weeks MINIMUM to get our stuff. At Christmas, it's 8-9 weeks.

 

[raebates]

There's really no way to reason with some people. On the occasion that someone brings this up in the way your host has, I point out that it would have cost $6.25 for her mom's Mix N Chop to be shipped directly to her. The $4.25 is the PC's way of distributing the shipping cost among all of the guests so they get to pay less.Just remember that this might not satisfy your host. In which case, as we say here, bless and release.

 

[patty42240]

I just mailed 3 separate products to the Returns Dept. and each small package with one item each (clear collar, blade guard, and smooth edge can opener) each cost me $5.05 to mail. I am fully prepared to share this with guests and tell them that they are getting the best price in shipping that they can possibly get. Sometimes, if I am selling to friends, I will combine 2 orders and they split the cost of shipping but pay full tax on their items. I let them know that for warranty purposes it is not acceptable to do this and will have a hard time getting TPC to honor the warranty. They understand and I have not had to return any of those guests items.

 

[pamperedpals]

When I go over the booking slide and it talks about free S&H I say something like "so when you order the entire catalog you only pay $4.25 for s/h, however when Susie hostess orders the entire catalog she doesn't have to pay for shipping. This also means, that if you do not have your products in a couple of week's to call Susie and ask her to stop test driving them for you."

That let's the guest's know they will be paying for shipping and remind's the host that the product is coming to her house. I typically get a good laugh about the test driving and havent' had an issue.