Bill Lawrence Online Shop

Would like to ask if any of you folks have recently ordered a set of Keystone Tele Pickups from the new online shop at -> http://wildepickups.com/Wilde_Bill_s_Online_Shop.html

And if you have, were you given any kind of notification or message or email from Becky or any of the staff noting down your order and that it will be processed? I mean basic customer service talk...

Reason I'm asking is because the first time I ordered a set of keystones, it took 3 months to arrive and even then it was missing the neck pickup when I paid for a set. Several email attempts to explain my situation resulted in no replies no nothing! And to be honest, I can handle that. I understand they are a small operation and take time to respond.

So this is my 2nd attempt to order a set of Keystone pickups and I'm just wondering when I should be hitting the panic button . . . Order was placed on 6th July 2009, emails have been sent on the 6th and 8th of July asking if my order has been received and up till today not a word.

I caught the fine print at the top of the page - "The average wait for shipping after prepayment is around 14 days."... Did not realize it meant I would be kept bewildered and confused for the duration of 14 days as well :confused:

Tell me I'm not being overly paranoid. :confused:

I got mine in 2-3 weeks with no problems at all. Ordered them via mail using a check. I think your best bet it to call on the phone. Apparently email is not their preferred method of communication.

I've used e-mail even when one of the pickups died and always had quick replys!
But you're not alone on that...

I would not worry, I agree it is not what you might expect, BUT they are a small operation.

I had a knightmare getting hold of them, once I did get through it all went smoothly.

Great pickups though and worth the agro.

I have also had issue getting in contact with other small operations Boomerang Music, Paul C. BUT once you do get through all their service has always been superb and the products have always been fantastic and nice folkes to deal with too.

Cheers

BMF

Throughout the years, Bill and Becky have maintained that rare family/small business vibe that seeks to please its customers. And for the money, there simply is not a better pickup made. You call them up, and they answer the phone and talk to you. Bill once spent 20 minutes on the phone with me (a nobody) explaining his pickup design and theory. That kind of passion is what makes for great product. I ordered a set of Keystones about 2 weeks ago, and just yesterday got notification of shipment/processing. Given the demand for these new PUPS, I imagine Bill & Becky are working their tails off to deliver....and deliver they will.

I can understand the difficulty they face being a small/family business as I myself am running a family business as well, and surely a simple message of reassurance would help leaps and bounds.

I suppose after my first disastrous encounter, and being an avid supporter of anything BL creates, I had just expected better service? Calling is a big problem for me due to time zone differences and the cost of just that one phone call.

I'll just wait it out then, thanks for helping me keep my head on straight folks.

I ordered a tele set of Keystones online on July 6, and asked a question by email the same day. I received an answer to my question on July 7th, and notification that the pups shipped on the 14th.

Can't do much better.

I've never had a response to an email that I've sent, that's maybe five over the course of a year or more.

I reasoned that a small business may not find every email, but would certainly not overlook an order.
So when I placed my order a couple of months ago, in the little box on the online order form where you say what item(s) the order is for, I requested an email confirming that they had recieved my order. I got the confirmation within a few days, and the pickup came in a month or so.

This approach won't work with the new online shop though, as the items box is not editable (is that a word?)
Actually, looking at it again, the online shop is only useful for customers in the US, as there's no way to change the shipping cost.

I think it took 3-4 Emails for a response but 10 days and $65.00 later including shipping I had a new set of Keystones that sound great! Small time family operation so turnaround time and response to Emails/Phones is going to be slow....but the prices for what you get are ridiculous.

My Keystones arrived yesterday while I was at work, writing the above post! Bill and Becky are 'old school' and probably don't spend too much time on their computer - probably the reason for slow/no e-mail responses, and a website that's somewhat confusing to navigate. Still the best people to deal with.

Just got a pickup from them this week. Had to call to get a hold of them... email can be written off the list of ways to contact them (almost feel they shouldn't have it up on the site really). Real easy to deal with and to order (once you pick up the phone and call). Took me about 2 weeks to get my pickup.

... So simply put I'm stuffed unless I am able to call them up?

That however is really not an option right now...

Once bitten twice shy :cry:

They're currently at Summer NAMM in Nashville and were preparing for it for a while. I wouldn't panic. Have you tried PMing Becky?

They're currently at Summer NAMM in Nashville and were preparing for it for a while. I wouldn't panic. Have you tried PMing Becky?


Yeah; I'd be exceptionally patient right now. They're at Summer NAMM and a trip to Nashville from SoCal, then back, plus non stop activity; they'll need time to catch back up.

I've got a L200 bridge pup for my Strat that isn't right (maybe I busted it) - I'll talk to Becky about it when I see she's got time, and not before. It ain't an emergency and these good folks deserve a good quality of life just like anyone else who works hard does. Meanwhile I've enough other Keystones and stuff to install; I can do that.

Summer NAMM... :neutral:

Boris, do you think you could help me out and throw in a few words for a TDPRI forumer half way around the world who has been eagerly waiting to try out a set of keystones only to have his hopes and dreams dashed not once but twice?

It was worth a shot ...

decafie, you must have ordered the first time when we were just adding the keystone singles in our program, and there were some extended wait times. For the past year, the wait hasn't been over a month and really, most folks only wait around 7-14 days after prepayment. Btw, we were winding keystone TL's as Bill and I were packing up for the show on Wednesday!

Boris, do call next week and let's discuss what's going on with your L-200.

Got some cool shots at the show and will add later!

Becky

Well, it's been 10 days since I've last updated this thread after reading Becky's reply and telling myself to just wait it out. However today marks a total of 22 days of waiting for any news or updates about the status of my order. Still no word.

Dear Becky,

Should I PM you my email address that I ordered with so that you could possible check?

As I've mentioned, it's virtually impossible for me to call. Sigh, I want the keystones =(

Hi decfie. Here's why we like shipping with the express mail service for international shipments. Here's the status of your package at www.usps.com -
Label/Receipt Number: EH75 4558 785U S
Class: Express Mail International®
Status: Attempted Delivery Abroad

We attempted to deliver your item in SINGAPORE at 6:20 PM on July 23, 2009.

Track and Confirm

Enter Label/Receipt Number.

Enter Label / Receipt Number.

Detailed Results:

Bullet Attempted Delivery Abroad, July 23, 2009, 6:20 pm, SINGAPORE
Bullet Arrived Abroad, July 23, 2009, 4:15 am, SINGAPORE
Bullet International Dispatch, July 19, 2009, 6:44 pm, ISC LOS ANGELES CA (USPS)
Bullet Arrival
Bullet Processed through Sort Facility, July 18, 2009, 2:49 pm, SANTA ANA, CA 92799
Bullet Acceptance, July 18, 2009, 2:20 pm, CORONA, CA 92878
Notification Options

Please go check at the post office before they return the package to the US!

All the best,

Becky

I clicked the email link on the order page and asked them to send me a Paypal invoice for the Deluxe Set. I had an invoice within 24hrs. I paid and the pickups showed up within 10 days. Great, fast service.