Business ProfileforU.S. Standard Products

BBB has received reports stating that offices have received and been billed for products not ordered, authorized, or that had been identified as samples. Businesses have reported difficulties trying to return products not ordered and report being told they are responsible for shipping costs.

On April 11, 2017, BBB contacted U.S. Standard Products to address a possible pattern of complaints.

U.S. Standard Products provided the information below to BBB:

“Thank you for the opportunity to address your audience directly.  At US Standard Products customer service is our number one priority.  The customer service department is under the direct supervision of the company’s owner.  We employ an administrative staff of over 5 employees that monitor our switchboard.  Each customer service issue is assigned to the owner to review.  All complaints are taken seriously with the ultimate goal to resolve the issue to the customer’s satisfaction.  Our customer service representatives are trained to end their calls with the question, “Is there anything else I can do?”  We then follow up to make sure they have agreed to the resolution and are satisfied with the outcome.

A note on our sales process:  All sales are procured through telephone contacts.  When a sale is made by an in house or independent sales rep it is sent to our verification department before it is shipped.  This department calls the prospect to verify the terms of the sale.  Quantity, price, shipping, billing and return terms are reviewed.   US Standard Products processes over 200 orders each day.  A significant percentage of “sales” are not shipped out because the prospect advised the verifier not to ship or the verifier is not convinced that the buyer has a clear understanding of what they ordered.   The use of the term “sample” is prohibited in the sales presentation.  Every aspect of our training, call monitoring, and verification process reinforces this policy.

Return policy/Restocking fee.  We have a 30 day “no questions asked” return policy.  It is highlighted on our invoices, in our sales presentation and in our order verification process.  If a customer requests it, we will send a prepaid shipping label to expedite the return process.  We also accept returns after the 30 day period has lapsed; in these cases we believe that the customer should pay to ship the material back.  It is our policy to not charge a restocking fee on material that we carry stock.  There is no chance that a restocking fee would be charged on a customer’s initial purchase.  When an item that we do not carry is specifically ordered for an existing customer, a restocking fee is charged if the customer wishes to return the specially ordered material.”

“Room for improvement.  I think that when a customer believes their concerns are not being addressed, it motivates them to seek assistance elsewhere.  Upon reflection we can improve our efficiency in returning customer service messages.  All of our processes are being reviewed and we will become more responsive.  Customers that give us a chance to resolve their issue before lodging a complaint with the BBB will be satisfied.”

BBB will continue to monitor any incoming complaints to ensure the pattern does not continue.