No replies from e-mails regarding mermaid tails

[Sammi Ray]

Ok, so i have been e-mail and facebooking tail makers and i have only had one reply and it's been a week.
Has anyone else had this problem? I know they might be busy but whats the general time scale?

:) Thanks very mucho.

[Mermaid Celissa]

Depends on who it is. Generally, tail makers are busy, but some are great at responding to customers, like Stevi at Fish Butts. Although, she said she wouldn't be checking her email for a while because of tailmaking so...I dunno. xD You might want to check into it, see if they've posted on Facebook about being busy or something.

[Nate Walis]

Magitails in Germany were very prompt when I placed an order with them.

[AniaR]

depends on who it is. FB isn't very reliable. Personally, I get waaayyy too many PMs so I turn it off from time to time. Best to go with email. Also, tailmakers don't tend to reply unless you're buying.

[Blondie]

Are you seriously considering ordering a tail and have the money? Because I know if you send tailmakers the "I really want to order a tail in the future but I don't have money now" email they might just skip past it. No offense and all. They just want to hear from you if you're a serious buyer.

[MerEmma]

Yeah, like iblondie said. If you're seriously considering, make the subject line in capitals something like I AM READY TO ORDER. If you just have general questions, check the FAQ again and if that doesn't answer your question, make the subject line something like I HAVE AN IMPORTANT QUESTION. Gotta get their attention. :p

[Sammi Ray]

I am serious about buying, and clearly said that but in my opinion the only person who replied to me was Eric the mertailor and after reading the reviews im not going to waste my money, not really worth the risk after saving it all that money! If they want my custom they would reply to my e-mails as well as facebook. If they don't reply they will not be getting my money and i will have to go down the make it myself route. I have a two year old which means its going to take much longer to make :(

[Mermaid Sirena]

Don't knock Mertailor right away there are several good reviews. I myself got a tail from him & it was everything advertised and worked perfectly... reminds me I need to transfer that to the new review system. Tail makers are probably really busy with trying to get holiday orders done on time to be shipped for Christmas gifts, so I would be patient if you haven't heard anything after the first week just send another single email. Perhaps do that until you either get a response or it's after new years, also perhaps changing your subject line. A lot of tail makers get a lot spam email from people who say they are ready & willing but actually aren't.

[AniaR]

Many of the other tail makers aren't taking orders right now, and only open them up once their caught up. Also, if a tailmaker specifically says email us, make sure you're using the correct email, and dont expect them to reply on FB. That's why they have the email setup.

[Thalassa]

You also need to realize the sheer volume of what they have to deal with. You've been to their facebook pages, look at the comments. They get just as many emails, many of which are variations of:
"Can you make me a tail?"
"I love your tails! I want one! How do I get one?" (Clearly answered in FAQs)
"How much do your tails cost?" (Also answered in FAQs)
"Can you give me a tail?"
"I want to order a tail."
"I can't pay $3000. Can you make me one for $500?"
"I want to pay for a tail someday but I can't right now. What do I do?"
"I want a tail but I don't have enough money! Can I get a discount?"
"I love your tops! Can I have one?"
"It's my birthday soon and I really want to be a mermaid! How do I get a tail?"

That times 100 is what they deal with every DAY. They set filters, but sometimes filters block legitimate inquiries as well. When I emailed Raven it took me two emails and a week and a half to get through, and that's with the subject line "READY TO PAY." Be patient, it's worth it. ;)

[AniaR]

I don't even MAKE tails, and I have to filter through HUNDREADS of these emails.

[Winged Mermaid]

What they said ^ Everyone above me gave some great explanations and tips.
The hardest part with getting a tail is the waiting. With it being such a busy season for business and personal lives - tail makers have holiday and family goings on, responsibilities, and often other jobs as well- on top of their usual fan bombardment, there are bound to be some communication snafus and waits. I'd agree that the wait is worth it :) What tail maker are you the most interested in?

[Sammi Ray]

I'm not exactly knocking him, i just don't want to pay a lot of money and have it start paint to start flaking that is all :) I live in the UK so a lot of the materials i would have to have shipped over or if anything went wrong so thats quite pricey to ship the tail back too. I do like the look of Thom shouse tails and fish butts.
I just think they should send out auto e-mail responses just to let the customer know they have received the e-mail and will get back to them as soon as they can. I understand it's coming up to christmas but i am just majorly excited ^^ and i bet you were all excited too :). I think customer service is key in any business. Thank you all for your advice :) . If i do go down the route of making my own silicone tail then i will post some pictures :) and right tutorial as well. (If it works that is lol ) :)

[Sammi Ray]

write*** ><

[Morticia Mermaid]

If you're looking specifically for a silicone tail, you're not going to find one for less than $1,000USD. Sadly, that is just the way it is and that is mainly because of the cost of materials. It's reasons like that that I made the blog post I did about cost and quality. People can't ask for an extreme low price and expect to get a high quality item. Cost of materials just wont allow for it.

Being a tailmaker, I know what its like to have people telling you your prices are too high, and having people ask for a lower price. I don't want to use low quality materials because someone would just turn around and complain about the quality being low. Either way it ends up being a lose lose situation for ANY tailmaker. Either prices are too high, or the quality is too poor due to poor quality materials.

Point is, at least 75% of the cost of most tails goes to paying for the materials used to make the tail.