Postscript to the Semroc Orders thread

I was a little too slow on the trigger to get this in before the lock, but this is important. (I tried a PM but got a 'inbox full' message)

(I've already edited out a little extra gratuitous :gavel::gavel: on the OP, we've probably had enough of that)







I placed a SEMROC order myself late late last Friday night (2 am or thereabouts).

After the whole thing went through and I got my automated confirmation message, I noticed I had made a minor error on the order MYSELF which might have led to some problems so I sent a followup email telling them of the correction. I figured they would read it in the morning (or maybe Monday morning for all I knew) and everything would be OK.

But no no no no no, some 10 minutes later my little email chime went off and there was a fresh email from SEMROC, saying (not a form response), "thanks for letting us know, we will make sure to make the correction."

That meant SOMEONE, which pretty much means Sheryl or Bruce, was sitting right there and keeping tabs on the ordering, at 2-2:30 on Saturday Freaking Morning.

For a company they have already with great reluctance made the decision to close. :y:

You think they had to sit there until 2-3-4 in the morning? It's not like if they waited until Monday to make the correction it would have made any difference in the order. Heck, the mistake was MY mistake, so if the order got botched up, it was really MY problem to worry about, not theirs.

When you get down to it, they don't really have that much (or much of anything) to gain by keeping me, or any other customer, happy, because the freaking company is going out of business!!! They don't have to worry about keeping customers happy for the future anymore!!!

Unless they actually have a committment to make sure their customers are treated well -- right to the end.

They do, because that was the way Carl ran the show.

My box from SEMROC arrived yesterday, and everything was just fine. I was happy to see it, because who isn't happy when a box of rockets arrives, but I was a little choked up too, because it's the last one I will get. There aren't that many companies who will go that extra distance to make their customers happy, so we all lose when one of them fades from the scene.

I have to give a lot of Credit to Sheryl and Bruce for maintaining a level of integrity we have come to know from Semroc through this very difficult time they are going through.

This may not end well...


Sent from my iPhone using TopRamens Rocketry Forum App

op:

I stayed out of the other thread... trying to be a good boy doncha know... (Okay, trying to keep myself out of trouble-- been accused of "piling on" in the past for simply agreeing or disagreeing with someone, and I don't need that crap).

I made a $150 dollar order to Semroc the first evening I heard they were closing. Mostly tubes and stuff that may prove hard to get in the coming years, but a nosecone or two and a kit I'd been wanting for awhile but hadn't "pulled the trigger" on.

Sheryl had already posted that they were "swamped" and was asking for time and patience.

I got confirmation of the order received within minutes of placing the order. I don't know exactly how fast because I didn't check my email for about a half-hour after I placed the order.

Got shipping-pending notification within an hour. Got "shipped" notification in my email the next morning. Got delivery from North Carolina to Texas in four days, completely intact (thankfully, as others have fared much worse with our "vaunted" delivery companies and gov't postal system). Everything was there, spot on.

I don't care who ya are, you just can't get better service than that. GEEZ I'm going to miss having the McLawhorns in this business... some companies are a ROYAL PITA to deal with; others keep TELLING you how wonderful they by splashing self-serving aggrandizing "customer comments" all over their website and touting themselves as #1 in customer service, while being snarky if you have a problem later or disagree with their handling of something, and publicly saying things to the contrary of their "stated goals"... SEMROC is just a class act run by classy folks, doing what it takes to "git her done, and done RIGHT", ASAP, with the least possible trouble on either end. IMHO Semroc has DEFINED what "customer service" means in the rocketry business; it's been the yardstick by which I measure all others. Some come close, some are legends in their own minds, some fall woefully short, and some sadly are just plain crooks. Anybody who's been around the rocketry forums (here and elsewhere) will know EXACTLY what I'm talking about... some are still current events and ongoing "dramas", and there's plenty of evidence in the recent and semi-recent past as well.

SEMROC is going to be a VERY hard act to follow...

It's sad the OP in the other thread didn't get to know and experience the kind of service and satisfaction SO MANY OTHERS on these forums (and even more who aren't on the forums) have gotten from Semroc. It's sad that he won't get the opportunity to in the future, with Semroc passing into history. It's sadder still that his project has hit the rocks due to the problems, and just INCREDIBLY sad that his young friend passed on. It's also so very sad that he was SO bitter and vitriolic about it and gave such forceful voice to it that it stirred the ire and defensiveness of so many dedicated SEMROC fans here that it turned ugly...

Here's hoping for a brighter day tomorrow for EVERYBODY. Hopefully Bruce and Sheryl and their family will be able to move on as SEMROC sails into history into the next phase of their lives, and hopefully things will be better and smoother sailing for them... they certainly deserve it.

Hopefully the OP will calm down and see that there are MUCH more important things to get upset about and passionate about in life than one fouled-up order by a company going out of business, who lost its founder last year and who's main employee was at death's door himself for over a month and been slowly rehabilitating since then, leaving the entire operation to be run by his aging mother during his convalescence. I would think that, taking the OP at his word that he works with sick/dying kids, he would realize that if you don't have your health, you really don't have anything, and not much else matters. Hopefully it's just his own frustration and anger at sad situations that was on display in the other thread, and hopefully he doesn't display that sort of bitterness or anger around the kids he works with...

We all should realize that 1) things change and 2) appreciate what you have, because 3) nothing lasts forever... And hopefully we'll ALL measure things "in the balance" and realize that the "little things" really aren't that big an issue after all, compared to stuff some folks are having to deal with...

Later and good luck! OL JR

DAllen said:

This may not end well...


Sent from my iPhone using TopRamens Rocketry Forum App

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Sadly may be only too true...

That's why "follow up threads" on closed threads are usually not allowed.

Hopefully this can stay positive. OL JR

Perfectly encapsulated, JR-well said. Thank You.

Couldn't agree more with you guys.

SEMROC = Class Act + Great Products + Awesome Customer Service

Gonna miss them!

I wonder how much worse it would have been if the semroc orders OP would have started that thread over in YORF...

:y:

I want to say I've been heartbroken about the chain of events that have happened with Semroc since last summer.

Just today i was in a hobby shop that has a lot of Semroc kits. It was sad to think that's the last time I'll see that many Semroc kits.

luke strawwalker said:

That's why "follow up threads" on closed threads are usually not allowed.

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When I did the same with the "FAA thread" last November (which had seemed to involve a serious issue of potential breaking of FAA regulations, but my message only asked a question of the OP, if the OP had taken the issue to the NAR or Tripoli), it was yanked in minutes and I was instantly slammed with an official TRF infraction.

Does the chief mod want to explain the lack of consistency on why sometimes it is fine to continue a closed topic (today) yet other times it gets an automatic infraction slap-down for the same thing (FAA thread)?

- George Gassaway

Put in my $200+ order. Will happily wait my turn for it to be packed and shipped. No hard feelings if some things are not available by the time my order comes up to pack. We are lucky to have had Semroc. I have a nice fleet of Centuri Retro Repro Rockets hanging on my wall...

These threads reminded me I needed to try again to make an order to Semroc. I had tried 2 days after the announcement, but the website was loading incredibly slowly. I figured due to so many others making orders. I figured to try again later, next day. Same issue. So I figured to try later....but let later become a lot longer than I intended.

I was up late last night, not many people up making orders (and the big stampede of ordering has passed). So I made an order about 2 AM Central time.

I ordered partly as a show of support and appreciation. I got all the stock that was left of a couple of often-used balsa noses that are also available from BMS. Not slighting BMS, ordered some non-Semroc tubes from them 2 weeks ago, but won't be able to order from Semroc again so why not buy from them while I can.

Also ordered to get some unique parts that nobody else has or is likely to have again.

I included a comment in the order saying I was sad to see them close, and my order did not have anything I needed soon so no rush.

Well, 11 hours after making the order, I got an e-mail that it had been shipped.

Incredible.

That probably explains one of the other messages someone posted that about a week ago he got a reply at about 3 AM to an e-mail he'd sent a few minutes earlier, so someone at Semroc was still up processing orders. They've apparently caught up with the massive backlog.

Now, maybe they can get swamped a bit again. Anyone who has been putting off ordering, well, you better do it soon. The longer you wait, the less there will be left.

- George Gassaway

georgegassaway said:

These threads reminded me I needed to try again to make an order to Semroc. I had tried 2 days after the announcement, but the website was loading incredibly slowly. I figured due to so many others making orders. I figured to try again later, next day. Same issue. So I figured to try later....but let later become a lot longer than I intended.

I was up late last night, not many people up making orders (and the big stampede of ordering has passed). So I made an order about 2 AM Central time.

I ordered partly as a show of support and appreciation. I got all the stock that was left of a couple of often-used balsa noses that are also available from BMS. Not slighting BMS, ordered some non-Semroc tubes from them 2 weeks ago, but won't be able to order from Semroc again so why not buy from them while I can.

Also ordered to get some unique parts that nobody else has or is likely to have again.

I included a comment in the order saying I was sad to see them close, and my order did not have anything I needed soon so no rush.

Well, 11 hours after making the order, I got an e-mail that it had been shipped.

Incredible.

That probably explains one of the other messages someone posted that about a week ago he got a reply at about 3 AM to an e-mail he'd sent a few minutes earlier, so someone at Semroc was still up processing orders. They've apparently caught up with the massive backlog.

Now, maybe they can get swamped a bit again. Anyone who has been putting off ordering, well, you better do it soon. The longer you wait, the less there will be left.

- George Gassaway

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I ordered 4 times from SEMROC, including two days ago, and everytime the email that the order was prepared to ship came between 2-6 am the night/morning after (pending how you look at it) that I ordered it. I don't know how anyone gets a 36 part order correct at 4 am, but it happens there. Indeed they will be missed.

DAllen said:

I wonder how much worse it would have been if the semroc orders OP would have started that thread over in YORF...

:y:

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I wish he would.:dark:

Ooops.

I had only a few dealings with Semroc but they were great to deal with, even when i had a minor snag they sorted me out very quickly. Its a real tragedy they wont be around...there were so many kits from Semroc I wanted to bulld.

I could place a huge order but decided not to, i think they will have enough on their plate without any extra workload. I can so sympathise with them having had to close a business down myself this year. Its heartbreaking when you see something thats been such a big part of your life close down and when you add in the health concerns it must be a terrible time for them.

A thousand prayers for them.

I got a Semroc Sat 1b for Christmas one year and I couldn't find a part. I'm very careful when I build and unpack a rocket, (so to not lose stuff) I didn't spread the box out till I started to look for the part. I looked every where and I just couldn't find the part.

I was so sure that they just missed it in packing the kit, so I contacted them and three days later I had the part and was good to go. When I got back to working on it I find the part stuffed ever so neatly with anther part, I KNOW I look under. Go figure! :bangpan:

So I emailed them back and told them I need to pay for the extra part because I had found the one I lost, and I needed to make it right. They would not accept payment and told me not to worry about it, the whole time reassuring me that it was OK and I wasn't a yutz and it could happen to anyone.

Truly a class act!

TA

thobin said:

I got a Semroc Sat 1b for Christmas one year and I couldn't find a part. I'm very careful when I build and unpack a rocket, (so to not lose stuff) I didn't spread the box out till I started to look for the part. I looked every where and I just couldn't find the part.

I was so sure that they just missed it in packing the kit, so I contacted them and three days later I had the part and was good to go. When I got back to working on it I find the part stuffed ever so neatly with anther part, I KNOW I look under. Go figure! :bangpan:

So I emailed them back and told them I need to pay for the extra part because I had found the one I lost, and I needed to make it right. They would not accept payment and told me not to worry about it, the whole time reassuring me that it was OK and I wasn't a yutz and it could happen to anyone.

Truly a class act!

TA

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Scary. I had almost the exact same experience except I found the part prior to calling them. And I feel like a yutz all the time.

Astro-Baby said:

I could place a huge order but decided not to, i think they will have enough on their plate without any extra workload.

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The orders are helping them sell existing stock that they do want to sell. Many many thousands of dollars of inventory they invested money (and time) to accrue and want to get a return on that investment.

Not that they are having to do any extra work to make new kits or make new parts. Indeed I just checked and they are still out of the two nose cone types I got the last of in my order, so they are not making new ones, selling off what they have.

And the big orders help them sell out of that stock more quickly, in the long run, than smaller orders, in general.

- George Gassaway

Just curious... where did SEMROC get the cones? Did they turn them themselves, or did they have a supplier? Similarly, they had a great selection of body tube stock in all kinds of currently-uncommon sizes, which I presume they sourced from the same place most other rocketry companies sourced them (there's just one or two places that make those tubes, right?).

The reason I ask is that if I wanted cones and tubes in some of the "classic" but currently uncommon sizes, SEMROC was the only place to go. BMS has some stuff (and I've had great experiences buying there), but not the variety of SEMROC. So... is there some cone manufacturer out there now looking to make up the volume they were selling to SEMROC, or was it SEMROC actually making the stock in the first place?

There is a viable market out there... albeit a marginal one... so I wonder if someone will step in and fill it. Heck. The SEMROC "asset" of rights to produce Retro Repro kits alone should probably be enough to make the residual SEMROC assets an acquisition target for someone already in the business.

Marc_G said:

Just curious... where did SEMROC get the cones? Did they turn them themselves, or did they have a supplier? Similarly, they had a great selection of body tube stock in all kinds of currently-uncommon sizes, which I presume they sourced from the same place most other rocketry companies sourced them (there's just one or two places that make those tubes, right?).

The reason I ask is that if I wanted cones and tubes in some of the "classic" but currently uncommon sizes, SEMROC was the only place to go. BMS has some stuff (and I've had great experiences buying there), but not the variety of SEMROC. So... is there some cone manufacturer out there now looking to make up the volume they were selling to SEMROC, or was it SEMROC actually making the stock in the first place?

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Semroc turned their own nose cones.

Someone should be contacting Semroc to see about purchasing the company. I have no idea if they sell enough be a full time job or not. Selling the company would get them money they wouldn't have otherwise. I've often thought about buying or starting a rocketry company, but then I realize I really don't want to spend all my evenings and weekends making things or shipping orders. There is no possible way I could make an hourly wage anywhere close to my day job.

Initiator001 said:

Semroc turned their own nose cones.

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Not only that. Semroc also made custom nose cones. Meanwhile, BMS stopped being Balsa Machining Service, that the business was founded on. They no longer make custom parts, only a very limited list of noses & such that is nowhere near the variety that Semroc had for their regular line.

- George Gassaway

I'm still trying to come to grips with the reality that there will be no more SEMROC. I really loved their service and what they offered.

Hmm

https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?64156-Plastic-nose-cone-50-off-retail

terryg said:

Hmm

https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?64156-Plastic-nose-cone-50-off-retail

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I saw that too... I actually prefer plastic nose cones as I feel I need to do less work with them to get ready for paint. Sigh. Seems like the parts I want are getting harder and harder to get every day...

georgegassaway said:

Not only that. Semroc also made custom nose cones. Meanwhile, BMS stopped being Balsa Machining Service, that the business was founded on. They no longer make custom parts...

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Bill told me that he stopped doing the custom cones and centering rings because he couldn't get reliable help, and he wasn't able to find the right balance between the custom work, his day job, and his personal life. I understand that very well, and I'll venture a guess that many of us also do. Doing even a modest volume of custom work has to be a lot of work. I don't think I could run that sort of business with the way my life is (dis)ordered. For this hobby, it would have to be a labor of love mixed in with some unique circumstances and abilities. Carl and his family were able to pull it off. They made a good go of it too, didn't they?

I did contact my bank and provincial government about a small business loan to buy Semroc but it didn't go as planned. Wasn't a financing issue, but a logistics issue to buy out the equipment, have it shipped, and some issues with the border.

I tried. Sorry.


......

SteveA said:

I'm still trying to come to grips with the reality that there will be no more SEMROC. I really loved their service and what they offered.

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I hear ya. Today I pushed the "Pay Now" button at 12:26 on an order from Semroc.Today at 5:26 I got an email stating my order was SHIPPED!! 5hrs!!!!!!!! Im going to miss seeing just how fast they could get me order to me house. I m not sure,but one time I think a box was on its way before I even got the order in....:lol: :lol: :lol:

Howe long before the SEMROC ad goes away here on TRF?