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[diffwhine]

I'm with Alec on this one.
They do often have some good specialist stuff at better prices than others, so I don't discount them when they are often the only solution. I just think its telling when everybody else who I ordered off last week gave me an order confirmation, shipping notification, tracking details and even messaged me to tell me the parts had arrived. Apart from an order confirmation when I placed the order with JC, I've heard nothing since and still no parts...
When you are doing this for clients, frankly this just isn't good enough. We need to be able to give clients an ETA for parts COVID or no COVID. That's a poor excuse now anyway after a year into this pandemic.
Luckily, all this stuff from Craddock is specialist LR parts for one of my own projects, so not customer dependent. They are losing business over this and have developed an appalling reputation which as I said earlier, I do find sad as they were my favoured source for most bits in the early days.

[geoff]

Craddocks have doing this sort of thing for a few years now it amazes me they are still in business though I'm sure their turnover must have dropped ....

[Bronze Green]

You would think that these negative comments from here and elsewhere would get back to John, I assume he still has an interest in the running of the company? I used to buy all sorts of stuff off him from when he first started up until about 10 years ago when I found the service had started to drop off and the place was being run by a “Manager”. These days I would only buy from Craddocks if I could actually call in the shop and the parts were available.

[gilbo]

I honestly don't think they care.
I suspect the 'Series' world is a complete pain for them nowadays and they are only interested in shifting blinged up stuff to those who want it. If you have been in the shop you will see what I mean!
There might be a gold mine of parts there but no one who works there now has any idea of what they are or can be bothered to maintain the stock system.
I first went there whan living nearby in 1981. Of course there were only Series Land Rovers back then and they knew their stuff, stocked just about every part ever produced - all were good/genuine quailty and at very reasonable prices. Move on a few years, more models are manufactured, market changes as different sort of enthusiasts emerge, staff retire/move on etc.
I pretty much gave up on them some years ago after several of the experiences highlighted on this thread and the last time I was in there (passing through) the two slovenly order pickers behind the counter (when they could actually be bothered to break away from their own converstion) actually picked the order for the other one. So much so it was hard work to convince the one serving (and I use that word loosely) me that the pile of parts he had placed in front of me were not, in fact, mine! Oh, and this was after providing them all the correct part numbers for what I needed. Idiots.
Sad really - and no amount of complaints from the likes of us seems to have made any difference.
Rant Over.

[Wittsend]

I honestly don't think they care.

They don't -
If they did care, then they would have put measures in place some years ago.

I believe John Craddock has retired

[Andy_h]

My very recent (last week) experience of Blanchards isn’t good😳

Order placed and credit card payment taken although postage was over half the parts cost☹️ so I added more to the order to make it worth while.

Order arrived in good time👍

However..... parts were missing. But they didn’t tell me and they did not refund me☹️

So I emailed them asking why parts I’d paid for were missing. They said it was out of stock and would refund me. I replied asking I’d rather have the part so when will it be back in stock. No reply.

I chased email a few days later.... still no reply.

Couple of days later my card got a refund for the missing part. Still no reply to my last two emails☹️

[Alan Drover]

That's unusual for Blanchard's.
Last month I ordered some parts and while checking the progress on line I noticed somehow I'd ordered the same things twice on 2 separate orders. I rang them and was informed they'd realized what I'd done and had cancelled one of the orders. The parts arrived next day all present and Correy.
I've noticed when ordering on line from them if the item shown on their website is out of stock, there's no price and it can't be added to the basket.

[Genem]

Placed an order for a small part with PA Blanchard at 11.14.

Email confirming its been shipped by Royal Mail, Recorded Delivery at 15.33

If I'm very lucky it'll be here tomorrow, more likely Sat. 

[Eve]

I, too, ordered a couple of small items from Blanchards this morning.
Just checked and it also has already been shipped using Royal Mail.

[Bradfordseries2]

I ordered some parts on Sunday morning.

One order to PA Blanchards for some NOS starter motor parts they were listing.

One order to Craddocks for some Sparto side light bezels that they were showing in stock.

The Blanchards order arrived on Tuesday morning, following two emails on Monday, one confirming the order and the second telling me the order has been shipped.

The Craddocks order has not yet arrived. One email telling me the order has been recieved. I’m not desperate for the parts but I do want them and had no choice but to order from Craddocks as they were the only place showing them in stock...

[Alan Drover]

I'm still waiting for a credit card refund from Craddock's for an order I cancelled last month. This was promised by their customer services manager Miss Tyler Homer- something. I've forgotten her full surname and accidentally deleted the email.
What's the betting the order will arrive in the distant future.

[PTT]

I'm still waiting for a credit card refund from Craddock's for an order I cancelled last month. This was promised by their customer services manager Miss Tyler Homer- something. I've forgotten her full surname and accidentally deleted the email.
What's the betting the order will arrive in the distant future.

Miss Tyler Crighton-Homer 

[diffwhine]

I have to say though that what I did order from Craddocks, turned up complete and as requested. For an order placed on the 14th (so effectively Monday the 15th), it only arrived two days ago - 24th. 9 days to send what all the others did in a maximum of 48 hours. Lucky I wasn't in a rush for them...

It goes back to what Alec said. We know they aren't great, but they do sometimes have specific items that others don't. Provided you aren't in a rush for it, its ok. If you need it quickly - forget it.

Their returns / complaints process is dire. I had an issue with a 2nd/3rd gear bronze bush last year. It's OD was too big so the gears wouldn't fit and the ID was too small so it wouldn't fit on the mainshaft. The box said "British Made"... I think they finally credited me about 2 months later...

All I wish is that somebody at Craddock's would listen...

[Genem]

It goes back to what Alec said. We know they aren't great, but they do sometimes have specific items that others don't. Provided you aren't in a rush for it, its ok. If you need it quickly - forget it.

The problem with that is their annoying/almost fraudulent habit of showing stuff for sale when they do not actually have it in stock. They take your money and only then tell you the product is not available, will take unknown weeks to arrive. Short of ringing them and asking that they physically check that they actually do have that otherwise non-existent part I'm not sure what to do. Frankly given previous incompetence I'd not trust them to tell me if it was dark outside... It certainly means their having a website is pointless, if you have to ring to check before ordering. Linking the stock system to the sales system is not exactly rocket-science.... Who knows, if they did a proper physical stock check as part of the change-over they might turn up all sorts of stuff !

[Eve]

I, too, ordered a couple of small items from Blanchards this morning.
Just checked and it also has already been shipped using Royal Mail.

.....and just received. A little over 24 hours between placing order and receipt of goods.

So well done P A Blanchard and Royal Mail 👍