No Response from Bintel

[Exfso]

About a week ago I sent an email to Bintel as I wanted more information about the off Axis guiders they have and in particular any additional bits an pieces I might need for my TOA130 hooked up to a modded 40D. Have not heard a thing from them, I know the Melbourne office is going/gone, just wondering if there are issues with Sydney.:question:

[MortonH]

I don't know if I'd expect them to have time to answer that kind of email. There's also the possibility that it got caught in their spam filter.

Either way I'd say it's better to call them.

[glend]

They are not necessarily the oracles of all things astro, and what if's about your setup are usually better dealt with here on IIS. Bintel is a shop and will be able to answer questions about their products.

[doppler]

Best to call them, I have bought stuff of them online and they never email confirmation, the money goes out the bank and the stuff just arrives. A bit slack really.

Don't make me nervous, I ordered a scope from the Melbourne store clearance last week, my money has gone from the bank and the scope should be delivered here Monday or Tuesday.

[luka]

Similar here, I emailed them a question about the thread size on field flattener about a month ago... never got a reply.

[Exfso]

I got the impression that they are ok with emailing to get information. This would not hold their phones up. Not overly professional one would think. At least some sort of acknowledgement would be nice.

[rustigsmed]

well I guess their staff has just halved.
probably worth checking to see if you emailed the Melbourne email or the Sydney one. I emailed them about a week before Christmas and got a phone call a couple of days later - which I did not expect due to the time of year. also entirely possible that it went into their spam file - might be worth a follow up call to sort it out.

[Exfso]

Russel, I definitely emailed the Sydney outlet as I knew the Melbourne one was shutting down

[barx1963]

I was speaking to Don at Bintel yesterday and asked about not receiving order acknowledgements by email. They have issues with their system which they are attempting to rectify.

Malcolm

[MortonH]

I have issues with my emails at work as well. I get too many to read!

[Sylvain]

I got a very poor service last time I dropped by the Sydney shop. The staff was rude and not friendly. They got annoyed when I asked technical details. I was not impressed really. I will probably avoid in the future or stick to ordering online for products only they carry.

[rogerco]

Now that is most unlike them, I have never found them to be anything but knowledgeable and helpful. I always look forward to my visits to the Sydney Store.

[Larryp]

I have always received superb service from them, and that goes back 30 years or more!

[Exfso]

Maybe they are sweating on their jobs as well, in this environment when the economy is totally knackered, who knows:rolleyes:

[gts055]

I too have always found Bintel Sydney to be helpful with sound advice and prompt service. Mark

[bigjoe]

Sorry to hear about Sylvain's dealings , but I have had first class advise and service

always from Bintel ; especially Mike and Don.

Cheers bigjoe.

[04Stefan07]

I made an order on Saturday online and haven't heard any acknowledge if they received it or not. The status of the order is still 'unpaid'. I sent them an email chasing it up and still haven't heard from them.

[OneCosmos]

Just in case you didn't know the Melbourne store closed for good two Saturdays ago so I should imagine it has created something of a backlog as orders are transferred to Sydney. I ordered something from the Sydney store on the day Melbourne closed - but has arrived now.

Chris

[doppler]

The only email response that I have ever received from them was to say that they were out of stock of an item that I had ordered online. They only bill you when the item is shipped, so keep an eye on your bank acc. I have purchased a few things from there online and have never received a confirmation email, but everything has arrived promptly after my bank acc was billed. I made an online order from their Melbourne store on the Wednesday before it closed and received the item the following Monday.

[barx1963]

When I spoke to Don last week, he said their system was causing issues. The usual confirmation emails were not going out.
My guess it would be a security issue, I know at my work, if we try to get our accounting system to send out emails, the security in Windows simply assumes it is attempting to send spam and blocks them all.
He did say they are aware of the issue and trying to solve it.
The Melbourne store closing shouldn't affect the online ordering as all orders were processed by their Sydney store, I did have 1 thing a couple of years ago sent from Melbourne when Sydney was out of stock.

Cheers

Malcolm

[barx1963]

BTW, I have always received a confirmation email in the past, the sudden lack of one with my latest order prompted my query to Don.

Malcolm

[doppler]

I guess I am used to the OS online stores. They send a confirmation email as soon as the order is placed, then send another one when the item is shipped (or an apology email if they are slow in processing the order) and then a follow up email a few weeks later to make sure you got everything ok. Sometimes a bit of an overkill for a $5 torch.

[StephenRH]

I have always had excellent service from Bintel. I usually ring to follow up my emails. I recently bought a nice SkyWatcher EQ5 Mount for their Camberwell Store about 3 weeks ago and it was delivered to a VIC address promptly.
I have ordered other equipment and had it set to NZ - eyepieces, filters, Kendrick unit and so on and I have always had an excellent response. :)
Stephen
Pukemaru Observatory
Northland, NZ

[DJT]

Hmm.. I usually pop in at Bintel, Sydney if I need anything and service is always great. I enjoy the chat, everyone is passionate about what they do but am sure they get hacked off with me as I try and buy preloved gear when I can though that's mainly due to the impact of the exchange rate.

With online though, I don't think I have ever had an acknowledgement of an order from Bintel, or a follow up like say picked, shipped etc but the gear always gets here with little fuss and that's never been a problem for me.

I suspect we have all become very used to a culture of instant gratification, either through hard fast delivery or through hand holding via email through the purchasing process.

But the reality is that in 4 years of being in this hobby, I dont think I have ever seen a forum post that says that an OP was turned over by a local supplier....

If something is that important to you, use the phone or send an email. But above all, trust our local suppliers.

[Exfso]

Not everyone finds the phone convenient, if they have no intention of responding to emails, remove the email address. It is just common courtesy to at least acknowledge an email request IMHO
:screwy:

[Kunama]

Maybe they don't need the business,
I went there today with a pile of cash,
tried to buy a $1000 eyepiece, they generously offered a discount of only $20 at best.......
Considering their eyepiece had been sitting there for a while judging from the dust on the box, I was there with cash and they did not have to even pack it for postage
Needless to say I put my cash back in my wallet and will buy online....

C'est la vie

[spiezzy]

I have never had a problem with the staff in Sydney Don has always returned my calls and I have bought 95% of my gear from them and get my LX200 serviced by them and they bend over backwards to help even take the scope out to the car for me and load it as it is quite heavy and it always comes back in top condition and collimated perfectly .
I have sent emails and someone always gets back to me with in the week with an answer .as for the on line ordering I am not that worried about confirmation as long as it turns up all is good if there is a problem they will call you .

[Logieberra]

Don and Mike in Sydney do a wonderful job. Can't fault them. Their product support over the years never ceases to amaze me. As for long emails re technical matters, give it time, and perhaps resend? Better yet, just call?

[Logieberra]

Just noticed that you're also asking for technical advice on Takahashi connections. Quite specialised. It would take me over over a week to reply to an email like that! Why not contact Claude AEC???

[Exfso]

Sorry mate, but Claude is only interested in Tak bits and pieces. This was in relation to autoguiders which they are selling. I have given up and will most definitely go elsewhere. Advice costs bugger all. As I said phones are not convenient for everyone. If they don't want to answer emails, remove the email address. Simple really:confused2:

[Slawomir]

I always had a positive experience when dealing with Bintel in Sydney. Bought quite a few items from them over the years, in person and online. Once they even lent me a new Atik so I could play with it at home for a couple of weeks.

[Logieberra]

I hope they touch base next week :)

Re your connection (TOA130 hooked up to a modded 40D) which OAG did you have in mind? I found that a PreciseParts adapter was my only option for my Astrondon MMOAG to SLR.

[Exfso]

Logan, that was what I was after some sort of information regarding my options. There were a couple of Autoguiders advertised.
Whether they could point me one way or the other etc..:question:

[Logieberra]

http://www.bintel.com.au/Astrophotography/Guidescopes/Orion-Deluxe-br-Off-Axis-Guider/781/productview.aspx --- Not great. Had it. Returned to Bintel for store credit.

http://www.bintel.com.au/Astrophotography/Guidescopes/Orion-Thin-Off-Axis-Guider/1688/productview.aspx --- Looks solid. Saw something similar on TS website. Might be sold under different names. Takes up minimal back focus. Look Ok.

[barx1963]

Peter
As I mentioned in my previous post, Bintel have had some email issues. May not be affecting your query, but it still may be worthwhile checking if they even received it.
Unfortunately emails are almost becoming a non preferred method of communication for small businesses these days with the sheer proliferation of crap. In my job nowadays, I send an email if I have to send info that cannot be sent any other way or send a file and I always follow up with phone call to make sure it has arrived.

Malcolm

[Exfso]

Yeah Malcolm, no worries, might go down another track anyway. Just broke my damn finger, so most stuff is on hold anyway. Got a light box to make, so that is going to be a huge challenge. Have to wear a splint for 8 weeks. :doh: