10.21.2010

special orders

Back at the end of May, my LYS placed an order for me with my favorite Indy Dyer. I remember that it was the end of May, because it was the week after the Israel Day Parade and that was on 5/23. They were ordering yarn anyways, and asked if I would like a certain color. I asked for 5 skeins of a certain colorway, let's call it Colorway, which I'd seen online and in 1 brick-and-mortar shop as a very pretty copper-colored yarn with blue highlights.

My LYSOs are super nice to me, and even though I offered to pay half upfront, which is their policy on special orders, they said I didn't need to. I really love my LYSOs and the LYS.

It's now the end of October, and we have no yarn. My LYS hasn't received their shipment of yarn, and obviously my special order isn't there yet. Here are my problems with this:
- Five months is a very long time to wait for someone to fill an order. Even if I have the timing a little bit wrong, four months is also a very long time to wait. Does anyone know what the "industry standard" is?
- From yarn I've seen at other LYS and ONS, I think that my beautiful Copper-and-Blue Colorway has changed (!!) and is now Chocolate-Brown-and-Blue. I do NOT want chocolate brown yarn, I hate brown and even Copper was a stretch of my color palette. This dyer has changed some of their colorways lately, and I'm worried that Colorway will arrive in this new version that I will hate.
- Another LYS in my area has placed, and received, many orders from this same dyer. They are very clearly not filling orders as they arrive, and that makes me angry.

Checking with my LYS about the order status isn't terribly effective. My LYS has been expecting a shipment of yarn from this Dyer - not necessarily the base that I ordered, mind you, but a shipment - for weeks now, and that's all I know. I don't want to push it and be That Annoying Customer, you know?

To sum up my situation/frustration, I have $100 of yarn that will arrive eventually, in a color that I might hate, and even if they do send me the pretty Copper color I loved tomorrow, the season to wear such colors only lasts until about Thanksgiving, and even I don't knit that fast. So I couldn't wear the cardigan I'd like to make until next Fall. Gah!

I think I might need a new favorite Indy Dyer.

2 comments:

Sandy said...

I would call the LYS and tell them that you don't need the yarn anymore. Several months is a long time to wait, and I'm sure they'll understand!

My queue changes constantly so it'd just end up in my yarn hamper until who-knows-when. If you're anything like me, it might never get knitted!

Unknown said...

I should call and see if they can modify their order to remove my 5 skeins. I don't want to stiff them on the special order, because I don't think it's the right thing to do. It doesn't seem to be their fault that the yarn isn't here yet. Plus, they are always really nice to me, so I'd hate to be sucky in return.