February 13, 2008

I have received many, many compliments as well as a few 'hate-mails' over the years but this one totally took me by surprise.  Anyone who knows me is acutely aware of my loyalty to the men and women who have served and are serving in our Armed Forces.  Some have described my patriotism as being 'over the top' but what the Hell do they know.  Today I received the following email and I'm posting it just as it was sent to me.

just wanted you to know i placed my first order with you last week, and i'm excited about making my pens! my good friend got me into wood turning, and gave me your web address. when i browsed your site and seen your support for our troops, i knew i was going to order from you.  i served in iraq dec.04-05 and was injured. i sat around for two years thinking of what i had to do and what i'd seen. your products have helped me get my mind off bad times. thank you very much. steve. (Galax, VA)

Steve's message is the greatest compliment that I could ever hope to receive.  If what we provide can help a veteran rehabilitate and get his mind off his injuries then I will go to the grave a very happy man.  Semper Fi!

Just wanted to let you know I have recently purchased a few items from your company and have been EXTREMELY impressed with your expediency, and accuracy.  I have dealt with several companies in reference to these type of orders, but I have yet to be more satisfied.

Thanks for your great job.

Greg L.
Surprise, AZ

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Bill Baumbeck,

Just a little note wishing you and yours a very Peaceful and Serene Holiday Season. May your 2008 be prosperous and busy.

Your way of dealing with me every time I order items for my hobby istremendous and not found in all businesses.  Every time I order from your company I know you will get it right or you personally call to get things just right.  Any and all items I may need for my Pen Making will be purchased from you!

Thanks, and keep up the good work!

Dr. Rolando G., Jr
Laredo, TX

Hi Bill (and friends),

I know you're busy, and I'm a pretty wordy guy when I got a lot on my mind, so please read this at your leisure (you know, if you ever get any)!  I wanted to take a little time and let you know how much I appreciate the quality products and service that you offer.

After the past few months of trying new/different suppliers, I've come to realize just how great you guys are. I won't mention any company names, but
there's been a lot of quality control issues that I've been having to deal with regard to PSI-clone products, and even some of PSI's stuff has been funky.

Based on what I've learned from and participated in on XXXXXX, there seems to be some 'alternate' (translate: cheap, crappy, substandard, ...well, garbage to put it succinctly!) sources out there for pen kits, and quite frankly I've been bitten in the pahookie a whole bunch lately, plagued by really poor plating and machining, resulting in much time lost and many returned products. I try to give these companies my best, patient, understanding side, but that only goes so far with me. I'm too busy to coddle, you know?

For the stuff that I've ordered from you, Arizona Silhouette has a 100% perfect track record in customer satisfaction from me, and I've heard very little negative in the turning community about your company, which says a whole bunch, because there are a lot of us whackos! :)  Aside from XXX at XXX, I open any packages that I get from other suppliers with a fair amount of loathing lately, which is unfortunate, because...well, who doesn't get like to excited about opening boxes of new and wondrous goodies?! Heh :P

The things that I've been really impressed with from you have been the adjustable mandrels, the closed-end mandrels, all the kits (plating is perfect!)and even the freebies you send along, which I love, it's like opening wax packs of baseball cards when I was a kid, you never know what cool thing is going to pop out! The machined parts that I get from you are stellar, I've had great comments from all kinds of people (including the guys at XXX, where they sell 'alternative' versions of the tools you offer) about the quality and precision of the machining. I don't know who your tooling guy is, but hang onto him, at all costs! Most every 'real' turner I know is willing to pay a few extra bucks for something they can actually get excited about using.

Anyways, I just wanted you to know that I really appreciate the attention to detail that you guys offer, it makes this whole business worthwhile for me.
With all the hullabaloo on XXX lately about "Yeah, but they have great customer service, there's no hassle on returns, they're nice, I like them, blah blah blah", it seems to me that everyone is forgetting that at some point, someone either neglected to check their product for quality, which is bad, or actually made a conscious choice to pack up a piece of crap and ship it out, which is just spitting in my face, as far as I'm concerned.

It seems that over the last couple of decades the 'proven, successful' business model made a transformation from "Give the best, be the best" to "Geez, how much do you reckon we can get away with and still make money quick?".  It seems the companies who stick to the traditional quality product supply method are getting eaten up by the cherry-picking, fast-talking, creative-marketing companies that look and sound great, but ship out crappy products and then 'patch' the rest in after they've hooked the initial money from the end user by offering 'great customer service'. I spent years in the corporate world at Microsoft and other tech companies that use this shoddy (yet successful) business plan.  To me, customer service should be 90% quality control out the door, 10% fixing the occasional mistake, or to put it another way, 90% PRO-active and 10% RE-active, and you guys got that down like no one else out there.

I got a real kick out of reading on your website, Bill's little blurb that basically summed up to, "Listen, if you call and ask stupid questions without doing a little bit of research first and end up taking time away from the real goal here (sending out great product), I'm probably going to be a little short with you."  'Nuff said!

Keep up the 100% performance, my friend, and you can be as rude with me as you want - you earn that right, especially when I earn the right of a good reaming when I call first, think later! I promise I will do every thing I can to learn as much as I can about any problems I might have before calling. :)

I recently read a response to some post on XXX where a member said, "I called and talked to Bill on the phone, and he was rude and short with me, so I won't do business with him again.". My first though was, "Yeah, and what was the moronic reason you called about? Ahhhh, can't figure out why the lathe turns instead of oscillates, then?" Knuckleheads make the world go 'round, don't they?  I can't imagine that Michelangelo would've been real happy to hear, "Hey, how do you cut that stone?" while he was in the middle of his famous David statue.  Can you imagine Einstein's reaction to, "Hey, I was trying to divide by zero, and I keep coming up with this same stupid number...what gives?", while he was working on the last loose-end while figuring out how to split an atom?

Well, Bill, you've placed yourself in with some pretty elite company, so the first time I see 97% instead of 100%, expect me to read you the riot act!
Unless, of course, you give me another ten orders or so (which I'll gladly give) that are as perfect as all the other stuff I've seen, and then I might cut you a little slack.  The way I see it, though, if I continue to order more and more from you without the proverbial stupid question, I'll earn some slack, too. The way things are going for me, gimme a minute, and I'll be able to place those ten orders! Things are going well, and while I'm almost too busy to keep up, that's always a good thing right? I take comfort in the fact that when I'm selling $150 pens, I can trust that the kits I buy from you will uphold my good name. Er, at least as soon as I make myself a good name. :P

Hey, thanks for listening, please don't change a thing, and I look forward to a long and prosperous business relationship, and I will continue to give
you as much support as I can on the forums!

Karl K.

Lancaster, PA

This was my first order with you and let me start by saying, it was THE FASTEST turn around time I have ever seen on an order.  Placed on January 9th online in AZ and in my hands by 1400 hrs on the 12th in NE.  All I have had time to do is verify the accuracy and glance at the quality.  The later two things seem flawless. 

By now I have read nearly every word on your site and for those who criticize the site and/or your service, well I got only a couple words for them.  As they are not very kind words I'll leave it to the imagination.  My words however I will state clearly.  I am VERY, VERY impressed with my 1st order and look forward to all in the future.

By the way, Thanks for the "bonus" blank.

Sincerely,
Landon S.
Chadron NE

Bill: 

I just want to let you know what a pleasure it is to buy from you.

1. I ordered on Thursday and am using the items on Saturday. I have other orders out 5 days prior to yours that I still do not have.

2. You have to be the KING of flat rate mail. The Post Office must love you.  I get a laugh out of the precautions about shipping on your website. People would be way ahead if they just left the choice to you.

Yes, I do use some of you flat rate methods when I ship the things I sell. The PO must love it when I ship a box just about full of Corian. About 40
pounds. Hey they are the ones with the 70 pound limit. My carrier has asked are you shipping rocks?  I also try to get my shipments out quickly and keep the customer informed like you do.

3. Your new (adjustable) pen turning mandrel - GREAT Item! Every penturner should have and use it!!

Almost forgot to tell you - Yes again like you I try to include some free item when I ship my orders. The customers love it.

Thanks again!

Pete Simmons

Wood Pen Man.com

Hi Bill:
 
Perhaps it seems like no one ever writes except to complain about something.  Well, I wanted to take a minute to just thank you for the excellent service that you provide in the processing and shipment of my orders.  They always get to me fast and complete.  Thank you so much for your quality service and products.
 
Jerry K.
My Father's Pen
Sturgeon, MO

Hi there,

This is such a great website! It's very user friendly, great prices, great selection of items and easy, secure checkout!

When I spoke to Bill today he was so nice, very helpful and patient even though he was up to his neck in orders!  Thanks again Bill!

May Arizona Silhouette and everyone associated with the company be blessed always.

Susan S. in Baltimore, MD

I guess that some people don't appreciate my support for God and Country....

I received an order from an individual and he added the following comment in the order form:

"All of the military/religion references on the site are really offensive.  I don't inject politics into my business for obvious reasons...it is not the place.  This is a good, well-organized site for your products.  I am offended by the God and Country th"

His message was cut off due to the fact that the "Comments" section in our old shopping cart program had a space limit.  I responded:

Dear Mr. E.,
 
Thank you for your comments although most of them were cut off : "All of the  military/religion references on the site are really offensive.  I don't  inject politics into my business for obvious reasons...it is not the place.  This is a good, well-organized site for your products.  I am offended by the God and Country th.."
 
As a former active duty Marine (1965-1974), my loyalty is with the men and women in uniform - past, present and future. Since my sense of patriotism is obviously different than yours I see no reason why you would purchase merchandise from a company that offends you. 

Thank you for submitting your order but for the reason stated in the second paragraph I respectfully decline to fill it.

Bill Baumbeck
Arizona Silhouette In

His response:

Why was the order cancelled?  Please have the decency to at least tell me outright that you won't sell to me because I questioned your over-the-top God and Country patriotism on your business site.  If so, that is a horrible business practice and for sure the Better Business Bureau in Yuma as well as other referenced Internet sites and suppliers will hear of your bias and prejudice.
 
Ed E.

I received a further communication from Mr. E.:

Bill,

My sense of patriotism is obviously different in that I don't think it is appropriate to display it as overtly with Christian tie-ins as you have on your page.  I would strongly reject any idea that I am any less patriotic or care less about our sons anddaughters being killed and injured in a war we never should have started.

This difference of opinion has nothing to do with whether I want to order from your company or not.  I have received materials from you in the past without making my opinions known about the structure of your site.  I imagine many folks have purchased my woodwork in the past who have radically different values from mine. It is just not appropriate to make one's political and religious beliefs such an obvious part of their presentation. 

To cancel my order because of my comment is, in my opinion, an over-reaction and, quite frankly a surprise.  I'm sorry that you cannot accept my comments without going to the extreme of denying service. 

Ed E.


To All,

I am who I am and I doubt that I will ever change.   I won't apologize to anyone for who or what I believe in.

As the owner of this business I have every right not fill an order if I should choose not to.  This fact is also stated in our Shipping Terms & Information page.

It might be of interest that Yuma is home of the busiest Marine Corps Air Station in the continental United States (we have 360 days per year of perfect flying weather).  We are also the home of Yuma Proving Grounds - The Army's premier all-weather test station in the United States.  Only Fort Greely, Alaska is larger in land size.

BB

Howdy Bill:

Just was making my 20th or so order with Arizona Silhouette and thinking about those great "extras" you throw in with the box and wondering what goodies will come with my order this time.  I also took the time to read several of the customer comments, and had to advise you that my wife, Barbara had her own embroidery business until this July, and hung it up after 9 great years in business.  Your notice on shipping was a great resource when she started having some problems with the US Post office misplacing orders to her customers.  She was upset about it all, and wasn't sure what to do, and I turned her eye to the way you do it as the most reasonable, and glad to tell you that, along with being an outstanding wood working supply business, you and your business policies are great examples as well.  Thank you for helping her by, well, just being there, having such a terrific website and business policies, and for making all my orders appear within 3-7 days just like promised!  By the way, I just sold my very first 4 pens, and they loved them.  All made from your wood, and mostly from the burl samples you've been sending me for free.  One was made from some Mesquite I managed to salvage from some neighborhood trees, but the others were 2 colored burls, and one cocobolo blank.  All made to order.  Now I even have enough confidence to try and start selling them to businesses in downtown Glendale where I work and see if I can make a name for myself too.  I also ordered a mess of things from you and other wood supply places before Christmas and wound up making 274 different pieces for my family and friends...wheeeeeee was I busy last year on the weekends.  I look forward to more business with you in the future and thank you again for the great service and little bit "extra" you always throw in.

It is truly a pleasure!

Bryan H. in Phoenix, AZ

Hello Bill,

I wanted to thank you for your past shipments to me over the last couple of years. You have an enormous inventory of products that are used by pen turners like myself, many that are unavailable anywhere else.  The quality and variety of your products is excellent and allows the turner to find his/her niche in the market. You also respond to emails quickly to answer any questions that I have.  I always appreciate the samples that you include with orders; it's a great way to try new woods for turning that I would probably not have tried otherwise.  I'll be ordering some of these (also the pen pouches) in the near future.  Your shipping by priority mail is great!  Everything is very well packaged and I have never received a broken or damaged part. I will continue to order from your company, and look forward to any new products you may introduce to the pen turning community.  Have a great 2007!

Roger D. in Grand Prairie, TX
www.PenDesigns.com

Bill and Kathy,

I just wanted to say thanks. I've been ordering from you for a couple of months now. Every order I've received has been prompt and complete, just what I wanted.

Although your shipping boxes are extremely well packaged, I enjoy opening them every time. I admire the quality of pens and blanks that you have to offer, and then finding those extra blanks that you send is a great treat. By the way, great choices, everyone of them!

Just last week I had a pretty good size order. I followed the package through UPS website. As soon as it hit my front door I knew it, yes, I knew the package was here and I had to get home as quickly as possible and open it up. I left work a couple of hours early that day and spent a few extra hours in the garage that night. First I turned the blanks you sent me, then a couple different ones that I had ordered, like I said before, great choices.
 
In short, I would like you to know that you have a long term customer in me. Keep up the good work. I'm already starting to think about my next order.

Thanks again,

Scott in Forest Lake, MN

I have stated that the 'bad comments' would be displayed along with the 'good comments'.......

Here's one I think you might enjoy.  I thought I had lost it due to a hard drive crash but I was able to retrieve it.  The email only had a first name and a location (I am not sure if either are 'legit').  I have no idea who she is and this message was sent to me on August 5, 2005.

Some background:  The first time this lady called was early afternoon before we were open and I was packing boxes for that day's shipments.  I explained this to her and informed her of our business hours but I could sense she wasn't at all happy with my explanation.  She called again (I believe the next day during our business hours).  During our conversation I could hear a gentleman in the background asking questions which she would repeat. In a joking manner I asked her why she wouldn't let him speak on the phone and that's when 'all hell broke loose'!   :>))   She hung up.  Here is her message exactly as she sent it to me capitalized words and all:

Comments:

I am the person that called on Friday evening to place an order.  This was my second call, as you were too busy to speak with me during the first call.  I let that one go and decided to call back.  Then when I had a question from my husband, you had the NERVE to rudely respond and ask why my husband wasn't the one calling.  Then, you were rude with sighs and an an obvious unprofessional attitude about the question.  I hung up and will NOT be calling back.  In answer to your first question - I AM THE BOOKKEEPER!  I MAKE MOST OF THE FINANCIAL DECISIONS FOR OUR PEN MAKING BUSINESS.  Perhaps it was only a small amount for someone with such a pios attitude, but I did plan on purchasing 100 of your pens.  Berea will profit from your arrogance and stupidity!  I recommend that you let your wife handle the business from now on, or perhaps you will find that you put yourself right out of business.

Laura from Keizer, OR

Hello,

I placed an order with you a few weeks ago and with the order you sent a couple of pieces of Curly Poplar Blue. I finally got around, and the time, to turn one of the pieces and made it into a rollerball pen. I was amazed on how good the color and the grain on the wood stood out.
I do a couple of Farmers Markets here in my area. I make and sell things like cork screws, letter openers, pill boxes, magnifying glasses, toothpick holders, and so on, along with several types of pens. The very first day, the pen sold. I have to admit though that it didn't surprise me. I turned the other sample piece into another rollerball that I may just have to keep for myself.

The main reason I'm sending this note is to say Thank You very much for sending me those 2 samples. Even though I've always stayed with natural woods and Deer and Elk horns for my projects, you have opened my eyes to the stabilized side of turning.

Thank you,
Steve A. in Portland, OR

Bill;

I received my order today and was very pleasantly surprised to find the 2 extra blanks in the box!  Thank you so much, I was wanting to try a redwood burl but just had not gotten around to buying a blank.  I appreciate doing business with a well run business and yours is the best This was the fastest I have ever received an order from anyone and the email notification is a wonderful touch.  I will continue to be a customer as I build my business, once again, Thank You.

Mike Robertson
www.americanhandcrafted.com

Bill;

I received my order today and was very pleasantly surprised to find the 2 extra blanks in the box!  Thank you so much, I was wanting to try a redwood burl but just had not gotten around to buying a blank.  I appreciate doing business with a well run business and yours is the best!  This was the fastest I have ever received an order from anyone and the email notification is a wonderful touch.  I will continue to be a customer as I build my business.

Once again, Thank You.

Mike R. in Albuquerque, NM

Hello...I'd first like to say that you're products are top notch and your customer service and shipping times are GREAT.  However, it almost takes a stick of dynamite to open your boxes.  They seem to be glued and taped.  I had to completely destroy a box today from you to get it open.  I DO appreciate the good packaging but it's not a pleasure to open.

Ken C. in North Richland Hills, TX

My response:

Hi Ken,

You are not the first to comment on my packaging methods.  However, we have shipped over 30,000 orders and have only had to file an insurance claim on two orders - one which was delivered to the wrong address and one that was stolen.  Sorry to make it so difficult but I pack every order that we ship.  My responsibility is to get your merchandise to you in a safe and secure manner.

All I can suggest is that you keep a sharp knife handy.  Nothing is going to change with the boxes that you will receive.

Bill Baumbeck
Arizona Silhouette

Bill,

I just wanted to say that doing business with you has been a pleasure! My orders have been filled accurately and shipped promptly and that in and of itself is very refreshing.   I am new to the pen turning craft but am enjoying it immensely, in large part, due to the quality of the products I have received from you.

BTW, the "challenge blank" (spalted alder) you threw in with one of my recent orders turned out great!

THANKS AGAIN!
Jay P. in Lubbock, Texas

Mr. Baumbeck,

I am very impressed and satisfied with my first experience with ordering from you.  First of all, your website is absolutely fantastic.  Large variety of goodies and resources. Best of all, the site is easy and simple to navigate and purchase.  The shipping was super fast.  My package made it here in Indiana from California in two days!  I was excited to see how well your stabilized blanks turned.  I turned a double dyed box elder blank today.  Super product.  The oversized blanks allowed me to relax more when drilling up for cigar pens.  I can't wait to experiment with the crushed turquoise stone you sent me.  You will have my business from here on out.  You passed the muster!  Thanks again for offering such a variety of goodies.

Dave S. in New Palestine, OH   (Jossen-Bella Handcrafted Pens)

Hi Bill and Kathy,

Thanks for another great order, and thank you for the included extra blanks, particularly the pradauk, as that is one that I have been considering trying.  I know that the wood from you is going to be great, and is well described, but it is still like Christmas morning to actually open the shipment and see the pieces in person.

Thanks again,
Until next time,
Fred and Lynn B. in Port Huron, MI

Bill,

Bill and Kathy;