Any update on production at PING?

[sm_watts]

Not to be a Ping fanboy, but they (and other OEMs) are at the mercy of what Mitsubishi Chemical, Golf Pride, etc., are telling them.  I ordered a g425 max driver last week.  In the original discussion, I was quoted June 23rd with a Tensei orange shaft.  When I confirmed the order, they moved it up two weeks based on when they were told they would have the shaft.  When it shows up a week or two late (as I expect it will), is it Ping's fault or Mitsubishi's?  The problem for these OEMs is that we complain about them, but where is the angst towards Golf Pride?  Or shaft manufacturers?

Now, it would be nice if they added a feature on their website that allowed customers to put in their order number and get a real-time update/estimate, but expecting to have someone manning the phone lines for all of their anxious customers doesn't sound like a good use of workers to me.

[PEI_Golfer]

Just now, vpexp said:

I was hoping for an ‘a ha’ moment for you, since you are quick to give advice and critique others it seemed like you would also be open to advice and critique, but obviously there is a wrong way to do things and “your way” 

Glad you have it all figured out.

 

That certainly is a hot take on this, does the hypocrisy not slap you in the face?

 

Please let me know where I've been wrong in my observations and when all things are going to get cleared up and back to normal operating practices, or do you not know?

[Socrates]

10 hours ago, ctmason_98 said:

Okay, so I phrased it poorly. I meant when does Ping accept the payment and added whether the payer is the merchant or consumer. 
 

So that’s settled. When does Ping charge the merchant. At the time of order?

Ping only sends an invoice to the account upon the product leaving Ping once it is completed.  The account never pays up front for something they don't have.

[Socrates]

10 hours ago, ctmason_98 said:

Okay, so I phrased it poorly. I meant when does Ping accept the payment and added whether the payer is the merchant or consumer. 
 

So that’s settled. When does Ping charge the merchant. At the time of order?

Ping only sends an invoice to the account upon the product leaving Ping once it is completed.  The account never pays up front for something they don't have.

[scott.nalu]

Just to chime in with my two cents here, as I work in the global trade industry, and happen to be an avid weekend golfer.

 

I think in many instances, expectations are unreasonable, but at the same time when these retailers are holding a consumers money for months on hand - that to me, is far more unreasonable.  If Ping, TM, Titleist, etc. are billing GG, Carl's, Golfio, etc. at the time of shipment...why are you billing your consumers prior to receiving their product?  3-5 months in advance...you are a specialty golf retailer, not a bank.  These purchases aren't exactly pocket change nowadays.

 

As well, being in the industry you have to keep your customer informed.  When I ordered from Carl's, it was on me to follow up with the retailer as far as when I should expect my order...why?  I am paying funds in advance for a product, and a service.  A part of service should be keeping me informed.  Many of these retailers and OEM's need a lesson in Customer Service 101...it is not that hard to keep your consumer informed.  It goes a long way, regardless if the news is good or bad.

 

[Cpr3584]

Guys, I was simply asking about the production time at PING and if anyone had heard if it was speeding up. It appears that is not the case, if anything it is slower than when I placed the order. I realize there are supply issues. I realize there are covid safety protocols in Arizona.  I am not trying to complain- I have waited 10 years to get new irons and saved up the money to buy them. I dont need a lecture on patience and the entitled millienial generation . I know some of you were trying to help. have a good day and keep em long and straight 

[PEI_Golfer]

38 minutes ago, scott.nalu said:

A part of service should be keeping me informed.  Many of these retailers and OEM's need a lesson in Customer Service 101...it is not that hard to keep your consumer informed.  It goes a long way, regardless if the news is good or bad.

 

 

 

It would likely take an employee a few days a week from actual work being done just to make that amount of calls. The bigger stores are likely dealing with hundreds of orders.  I don't find it reasonable to have them try and call the OEM's every couple of weeks with all the PO's trying to find info just to relay that back to the consumer.  There is no way the OEM's have enough on staff to handle that amount of call volume from thousands of accounts.

 

I personally don't believe that 'customer service 101' covers world wide pandemic that has cause crazy delays in the manufacturing of goods let alone all the receiving issues and backlog at the ports.

[scott.nalu]

I disagree...I feel that with the size of these companies, and the sheer volume at which they produce - they could easily automate this system with a simple email or text message when the queue prompts it to do so.

 

TEXT1 - Order has been received.

TEXT2- Order is in production.

ETC...

 

Anything information is better than right now...place an order, and 12 weeks later you receive a dispatch notification from FedEx....really?

 

Anyway, back to the original thread on timelines...my experience:

 

02/11/2021 - Placed order for i210 (5-PW) irons via Carl's Golfland (quoted 10-12 weeks) KBS C-Taper 120 shafts and Golf Pride TV Mid grips.

04/07/2021 - Order was delivered.

 

My order took around 8 weeks.  Both Carl's and Ping exceeded my expectations from the initial timeframe.

 

Scott

[PEI_Golfer]

9 minutes ago, scott.nalu said:

I disagree...I feel that with the size of these companies, and the sheer volume at which they produce - they could easily automate this system with a simple email or text message when the queue prompts it to do so.

 

Automate the system to tell you what, that they have no idea and are in a best guess scenario?  So basically what we are in currently?

[Cpr3584]

10 minutes ago, scott.nalu said:

I disagree...I feel that with the size of these companies, and the sheer volume at which they produce - they could easily automate this system with a simple email or text message when the queue prompts it to do so.

 

TEXT1 - Order has been received.

TEXT2- Order is in production.

ETC...

 

Anything information is better than right now...place an order, and 12 weeks later you receive a dispatch notification from FedEx....really?

 

Anyway, back to the original thread on timelines...my experience:

 

02/11/2021 - Placed order for i210 (5-PW) irons via Carl's Golfland (quoted 10-12 weeks) KBS C-Taper 120 shafts and Golf Pride TV Mid grips.

04/07/2021 - Order was delivered.

 

My order took around 8 weeks.  Both Carl's and Ping exceeded my expectations from the initial timeframe.

 

Scott

Good to hear. thanks 

[xkilgorextroutx]

21 minutes ago, scott.nalu said:

I disagree...I feel that with the size of these companies, and the sheer volume at which they produce - they could easily automate this system with a simple email or text message when the queue prompts it to do so.

 

TEXT1 - Order has been received.

TEXT2- Order is in production.

ETC...

 

Anything information is better than right now...place an order, and 12 weeks later you receive a dispatch notification from FedEx....really?

 

Anyway, back to the original thread on timelines...my experience:

 

02/11/2021 - Placed order for i210 (5-PW) irons via Carl's Golfland (quoted 10-12 weeks) KBS C-Taper 120 shafts and Golf Pride TV Mid grips.

04/07/2021 - Order was delivered.

 

My order took around 8 weeks.  Both Carl's and Ping exceeded my expectations from the initial timeframe.

 

Scott

 

And then when they invest weeks of time to implement this system, it takes time away from other duties and folks like you will find another thing to whine and complain about. Y'all act like these OEMs have people sitting around twiddling their thumbs or something. 

[BlkNGld]

3 hours ago, uglande said:

Ping (and other OEMs) are not being upfront with people about how long these orders are going to take. If they were honest about it, they would make this clear on their website, etc. that there are unprecedented supply-chain challenges and that consumers should expect very long delays. And retailers (some of them) are also hiding the ball on this, creating unrealistic expectations for people.

 

I don't think they're being dishonest.   They're probably going with the estimates they have, but something unexpected is coming up and different industries are responding at different rates.   The reality is that they don't know what they don't know.    And the answer is changing daily depending on what their different suppliers are able to do.

 

In my area of work, our products have gone from a few weeks lead time, to a few months, and now to many months.

 

For any product that's produced overseas or relies on overseas components - which covers just about everything but food - my approach is that unless something shows as currently in stock, all bets are off as to when it will be available.   That applies to everything from vehicles to appliances to golf gear.   

[uglande]

39 minutes ago, BlkNGld said:

 

I don't think they're being dishonest.   They're probably going with the estimates they have, but something unexpected is coming up and different industries are responding at different rates.   The reality is that they don't know what they don't know.    And the answer is changing daily depending on what their different suppliers are able to do.

 

In my area of work, our products have gone from a few weeks lead time, to a few months, and now to many months.

 

For any product that's produced overseas or relies on overseas components - which covers just about everything but food - my approach is that unless something shows as currently in stock, all bets are off as to when it will be available.   That applies to everything from vehicles to appliances to golf gear.   

And yet even that most basic information is not offered by Ping or others. I'm not expecting that they provide precise delivery dates. Obviously there are a lot of unknowns. But if they were honest, they would at least acknowledge this and be candid about it on their websites. But there's nothing. 

[ctmason_98]

8 hours ago, PEI_Golfer said:

 

Automate the system to tell you what, that they have no idea and are in a best guess scenario?  So basically what we are in currently?

It occurred to me also…and to be clear I have no dog in this fight… it if there is uncertainty in your supply chain(s) that are this disruptive, is Ping better off not accepting orders for certain products until they have more certainty?

 

Eh, kind of an unanswerable question I guess, easy for me to run their business. 

[GatorNate11]

I think some of the people in this thread need a snack or a nap, good grief. 

 

@Cpr3584 it's so up in the air right now that I don't think even PING really has an idea what their build time is. You'll get anecdotal examples here in the thread, but there isn't much of a clear cut answer currently

[TexasTBag]

Ordered G425 irons from 2nd Swing on 4/8, my confirmation said the irons would be 4-6 weeks (which matches what the guy on the phone said) 4/15 got an email saying to expect my irons to ship 5/21.

 

G425 Red dot irons, TT Elevates and retro lofts. I’ll post when I get them to add another data point. 😀

[NailedIt]

I ordered iblade 4-PW with Modus 105x on 4/30. Originally estimated 4 weeks but was told today estimated 6/15 ship date. 

[PrettyGood]

15 hours ago, quizzylish said:

Are you sure you weren't forgotten?  Haven't heard of anyone waiting 5 months, especially an order from January.  Unless you have some kind of special build that makes your case special. 

 

Yah, I have been in contact with the retailer.

 

They called me after a few weeks to say the wait would be longer than advised. And I called them a week or two ago and they said it wouldn't be much longer. But I'm still waiting.

 

And nothing fancy either: true temper shafts and golf pride grips.

 

I know there are delays all over the industry, so it can't be helped. But had I known it would be this long, I would have looked at other brands.

[grm24]

1 hour ago, PrettyGood said:

I know there are delays all over the industry, so it can't be helped. But had I known it would be this long, I would have looked at other brands.

As you posted above pretty much every else in golf are facing the same delays. So how would of looking at or choosing another brand changed anything if everyone is still dealing with the same delays?

[pga43]

On 5/3/2021 at 10:26 PM, ctmason_98 said:

Okay, so I phrased it poorly. I meant when does Ping accept the payment and added whether the payer is the merchant or consumer. 
 

So that’s settled. When does Ping charge the merchant. At the time of order?

Ping charges the retailer when the product is shipped.  

 

Greg

[the bishop]

This thread has been an unexpectedly entertaining read!

[Cwing]

On 5/3/2021 at 8:36 PM, ZAP said:

 

As someone said to me in a similar post "if you aren't willing to wait a couple of extra weeks did you really want it in the first place?"   Valid point.

 

I don’t know that I totally agree with that especially as so many were told a “few extra weeks” and those few extra weeks turn into months with no end in sight. 
 

I would say that the customer does need to understand these are unprecedented times and this has caused issues outside the OEM’s control. 
 

All that stated, there are other options out there. Although one may have chosen a certain OEM brand/model, had that individual known in advance of the real timeline, they may very well have chosen differently. 
 

To some degree, golf equipment is a seasonal item. Folks don’t want to pay upwards of $1k or more and not receive until the season is over. If one lives in the Midwest and needs pool or farm equipment, should they have to wait until after the season to get it?

 

Simply put, ALL OEM’s need to do a better job of estimating their product  availability, delivery timeline and be upfront with those projects.

 

The customer also needs to understand those are projections.

[scott_Donald]

8 hours ago, PrettyGood said:

 

Yah, I have been in contact with the retailer.

 

They called me after a few weeks to say the wait would be longer than advised. And I called them a week or two ago and they said it wouldn't be much longer. But I'm still waiting.

 

And nothing fancy either: true temper shafts and golf pride grips.

 

I know there are delays all over the industry, so it can't be helped. But had I known it would be this long, I would have looked at other brands.

 

From my reading of the forums here, it seems that the Golf Pride Grips are a big problem right now; causing delays for TM it seems along with lots of stores running out!

[kuch]

2 hours ago, Cwing said:

I don’t know that I totally agree with that especially as so many were told a “few extra weeks” and those few extra weeks turn into months with no end in sight. 
 

I would say that the customer does need to understand these are unprecedented times and this has caused issues outside the OEM’s control. 
 

All that stated, there are other options out there. Although one may have chosen a certain OEM brand/model, had that individual known in advance of the real timeline, they may very well have chosen differently. 
 

To some degree, golf equipment is a seasonal item. Folks don’t want to pay upwards of $1k or more and not receive until the season is over. If one lives in the Midwest and needs pool or farm equipment, should they have to wait until after the season to get it?

 

Simply put, ALL OEM’s need to do a better job of estimating their product  availability, delivery timeline and be upfront with those projects.

 

The customer also needs to understand those are projections.

OEM's might even release a new line of product before than can even fill orders on last years models!

[ShowMe]

22 hours ago, Cpr3584 said:

Guys, I was simply asking about the production time at PING and if anyone had heard if it was speeding up. It appears that is not the case, if anything it is slower than when I placed the order. I realize there are supply issues. I realize there are covid safety protocols in Arizona.  I am not trying to complain- I have waited 10 years to get new irons and saved up the money to buy them. I dont need a lecture on patience and the entitled millienial generation . I know some of you were trying to help. have a good day and keep em long and straight 

Lol.  Boy that went off the rails quickly, didn't it?

[PrettyGood]

15 hours ago, grm24 said:

As you posted above pretty much every else in golf are facing the same delays. So how would of looking at or choosing another brand changed anything if everyone is still dealing with the same delays?

 

While everyone has been facing delays, not all delays are the same.

 

Seems pretty simple, no?

Edited May 5, 2021 by PrettyGood

[gh0st64]

Ordered Blueprints in February, received in early April. In Canada FWIW