Out of stock but in stock ?

Just got this:


Please regard this email as an active notification of a delay in your order, due to a temporary shortage in stock of the following item/s:

1. IcyBox IB351U USB2 Alum SILVER
Estimated Lead Date = 30/08/2006

But it shows in stock.

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=164982

I have it delivered to my wifes works address. She leaves there on the 30th. I see the money has come out of my account, can you just refund and cancel the order if you havent got it. 000REMOVED

I can now see why I never use scan.

Thats strange, I have also received the same email regarding this item I ordered today:

Clicker - Bluetooth Head Set (total 4 Colours) 4th Generation Noise Cancelling - SCAN EXCLUSIVE

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=162191

Shows as 'in stock' but email seems to say otherwise.

Any info on this would be appreciated.

Unfortunately I've found that's normal with Scans non-real time stock system (for customers - their internal systems are ok), online often bears no relation to reality.

I think it's always wise to ring and confirm stock before ordering, just seems like normal practise to me :)

For an online ordering system/retailer?

Scooby

The OOS stock E-mail was sent correctly as the item was OOS when your order was processed, the item added to our re-order list. Our stocks were then replenished on the 23/08/06.

I would like to assure you that our online stock levels are accurate and do reflect real-time the saleable stock levels on our database internally. However, it is possible for stock levels to diminish quickly if there is a huge demand for the same product at any one time.

Our website shows “in stock” for an item which we have 5 saleable stock for, then 10 people order this product around the same time during the day. The orders all progress chronologically through our systems to the payment stage within a few hours, which is the stage where our database allocates stock or back order stock to invoices. The first 5 customers whose payment is successfully taken are allocated the 5 pieces of stock we have on the shelves and the other 5 would have stock allocated on a back order, in anticipation of new stock arriving in the building. These 5 customers would be emailed with a “delay notification” email later that evening, which will include a lead date for new stock to arrive in from our suppliers, which in this case new stock arrived 23/08/06

I would imagine that this type of scenario is the one which has caused the delay in your order. The stock indicators on the website are there purely as an indicator of what we have physically available at that moment in time. We give our customers correct information, to the highest degree of accuracy possible in such a fast paced and fluctuating environment where stock turnover during the day is massive. I would like to assure you that stock issues of this nature are rare although unfortunately a largely unavoidable hazard when dealing with such unpredictable sales demand. We base our stock levels internally on estimated turnover of stock but if this demand is higher than expected, then out of stock items can occur. However, as we have excellent and efficient connections with many suppliers and distributors across the UK and internationally, we are usually able to replenish our stock very quickly where needed. In this case clearly there has been some unexpected delay/issue which has prevented us from obtaining stock from the supplier for you and for that I apologise sincerely. We certainly do not wish to provide inaccurate stock information or cause disappointments for any of our customers.

For your future reference, we are in fact completing a massive building project to our warehouse at the moment, which will also encompass large improvements to our stock system. We are aware of the problems that large scale distribution has brought as we have grown hugely over the last few years, and we are now investing time, effort and money into making improvements in the necessary areas. This is mainly based on staff and customer feedback, using particular examples of stock problems to identify the areas for improvement.

I hope the information I have given to you is helpful and, of course I hope your faith has not been dented beyond repair we do not wish to lose you as a customer. Our growth and development over the past 16 years has been largely due to return business from long-standing customers.

I can now confirm your order has been completed and will be despatched today for delivery tomorrow and confirmation sent via E-mail if not already.

Regards

madkez

I will have an update for you shortly

Regards

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ChrisP

Scooby

The OOS stock E-mail was sent correctly as the item was OOS when your order was processed, the item added to our re-order list. Our stocks were then replenished on the 23/08/06.

I would like to assure you that our online stock levels are accurate and do reflect real-time the saleable stock levels on our database internally. However, it is possible for stock levels to diminish quickly if there is a huge demand for the same product at any one time.

Our website shows “in stock” for an item which we have 5 saleable stock for, then 10 people order this product around the same time during the day. The orders all progress chronologically through our systems to the payment stage within a few hours, which is the stage where our database allocates stock or back order stock to invoices. The first 5 customers whose payment is successfully taken are allocated the 5 pieces of stock we have on the shelves and the other 5 would have stock allocated on a back order, in anticipation of new stock arriving in the building. These 5 customers would be emailed with a “delay notification” email later that evening, which will include a lead date for new stock to arrive in from our suppliers, which in this case new stock arrived 23/08/06

I would imagine that this type of scenario is the one which has caused the delay in your order. The stock indicators on the website are there purely as an indicator of what we have physically available at that moment in time. We give our customers correct information, to the highest degree of accuracy possible in such a fast paced and fluctuating environment where stock turnover during the day is massive. I would like to assure you that stock issues of this nature are rare although unfortunately a largely unavoidable hazard when dealing with such unpredictable sales demand. We base our stock levels internally on estimated turnover of stock but if this demand is higher than expected, then out of stock items can occur. However, as we have excellent and efficient connections with many suppliers and distributors across the UK and internationally, we are usually able to replenish our stock very quickly where needed. In this case clearly there has been some unexpected delay/issue which has prevented us from obtaining stock from the supplier for you and for that I apologise sincerely. We certainly do not wish to provide inaccurate stock information or cause disappointments for any of our customers.

For your future reference, we are in fact completing a massive building project to our warehouse at the moment, which will also encompass large improvements to our stock system. We are aware of the problems that large scale distribution has brought as we have grown hugely over the last few years, and we are now investing time, effort and money into making improvements in the necessary areas. This is mainly based on staff and customer feedback, using particular examples of stock problems to identify the areas for improvement.

I hope the information I have given to you is helpful and, of course I hope your faith has not been dented beyond repair we do not wish to lose you as a customer. Our growth and development over the past 16 years has been largely due to return business from long-standing customers.

I can now confirm your order has been completed and will be despatched today for delivery tomorrow and confirmation sent via E-mail if not already.

Regards

---

Nice one thanks.

Scooby

madkez

Just to confirm our conversation, your order has now been completed and will also be shipping tonight.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused

Regards

Thanks Chris

Much appreciated!