Monica Y.
Great Price, Fast Shipping, but Stressful Billing
Prefacing this review with a statement that the following review is my own opinion and experience, and not that of my organization’s. Getting fresh sample labels was very comprehensive and helpful, as was getting proofs of our custom design finalized. The price was quite fair, and our labels arrived quickly, which is the primary driver for the two-star rating. However, the customer service aspect of finalizing billing was very stressful two reasons: 1) Despite my asking, quotes for multiple item types could not be combined into one lump sum, and 2) Despite my asking, shipping costs could not be included in either quote. Point #1 was stressful because my organization has an internal policy to not break up purchases into multiple orders (as was the direct consequence of separating the items being ordered into two quotes). Doing so places us at greater risk of triggering an audit. Point #2 was stressful because I must report the final quoted price before I can even begin to ask for approval. Submitting an order request without the final price put the entire order at risk of being denied, and was almost denied for that reason. I had to personally defend Metalcraft’s billing practices to multiple approvers to get my order pushed through. All of this stress on my part could have been avoided by Metalcraft combining the orders into one lump sum (on one quote), with the shipping calculated ahead of time and included onto the quote. I asked several times for some help with these two points and was rebuffed every time, and sometimes offered an even worse option. Due to the unnecessary personal and organizational risk raised by the way Metalcraft does billing (and their take-it-or-leave-it attitude), I don't know if I'd ever use Metalcraft again. I definitely wouldn’t I recommend them to a friend, unless their organization had laissez-faire procurement rules.