MauiShirts Blog

Questions from Tourists Visiting Hawaii

Those of us who live in Hawaii meet lots of tourists. Here are some of the questions that I have heard:

What is the money exchange in Hawaii?

Which side of the road do you drive on in Hawaii?

Is there water all the way around the Hawaiian islands?

Do we need a permit to drive over to the other islands?

Can you drink the tap water in Hawaii?

Do we give tips in Hawaii?

What languages are spoken on the various islands?

Where can I get free coupons?

Are there any pearls left in Pearl Harbor?

How much are the tickets for the whale show?

Do they use the same whales for every show?

Where do they get the whales?

I try to give answers to these questions, but sometimes words fail me.

Maui Blackie – Blackie Gadarian

blackie Customer's Communicate Blackie's Blog Stuff

Success does not come easy

The success of this web site comes from many years of dedicated hard work. It started in 1998 as a dream. The first five years were a losing proposition fraught with mistakes and much loss of money. I kept my day job. I never gave up on my dream. The web site is built on honesty and being up-front and in your face. I never have to remember what I say. I always tell the truth.

I’m passionate about getting my customers’ orders out to them as fast as possible. I will not tolerate people who want to tell me when, and how high to jump. I work 12 to 14 hours a day, seven days a week picking, packing and shipping my customers’ orders. No one offers more service and dedication. My feedback on Yahoo, EBay and Amazon.com, from honest people, is proof beyond a shadow of doubt. I will not tolerate people who lie. I will not do business with people who are bullies and think they know more than me on how to run my business.

I had one lady the other day who called and spoke with my assistant. The lady was upset that she did not get a response to her email request for an exchange. She told my assistant that she sent two un-answered emails to me over two weeks ago. After a simple look at her existing order, I knew she was full of baloney. Her order was less than 6 days old !

So, deal with me straight and I will give you what you want as quickly as possible. Don?t play games. I have no time for such nonsense. Just tell me when you want it in your hands. Pick some alternate choices whenever possible, especially in the kids items and the Men?s cotton shirts. I mean what difference would it make to a 24 month old kid whether he or she got a pink outfit instead of a fuchsia one? There are dozens and dozens of prints for Men’s cotton shirts. Many prints are so similar, I have to stare at them to see which print it is. And, please use the size charts. They will be a great benefit to you. I receive about 20 boxes per week in returns. 16 of those boxes are for exchanges for a different size. Use the size charts. They work.

Adrienne Uncategorized

Now comes the customer who becomes irate and says my customer service is “awful”. She “demands” a refund. Like, I can’t wait to give this person’s money back and block her IP address so I never have to deal with her again. Yes, I can do that. I can block your IP address so you can never get to my web site again from your PC. Not that she would ever want to shop with me again. But, just as a precaution, I take this tact. I could not refund this transaction fast enough. It was truly my pleasure. She did not receive an email or a phone call within three days of the time she placed her order on-line. I did not inform her that the $ 16.98 kiddie cabana set for her niece will not arrive in time for the birthday party. It was not in stock in the size and color she selected. She made no alternate choice of color or print.

And, this is funny. She picked U.S. Priority Mail as her shipping option. My goodness, you want it in a rush. You need it in your hands by a specific date. Why in the world would you select the Post Office as your shipping option? The chances of the cabana set getting there on time, even if I shipped it the same day was slim to none. She should have gone to Sears or J. C. Penny for her kiddie outfit. She placed her order on a Friday afternoon, after 7 PM, local time. It’s the Friday before a three day Holiday weekend. No work on Monday, it?s King Kamehamea day. (How could she know that?) King Kamehamea day is an important Holiday here on the Island of Maui. There is a big parade, Front Street is closed. Many businesses are closed. Saturday and Sunday really can not be included in packing, shipping or delivery time. Nor, can the Holiday be included..

It is common to experience a power outage here in Lahaina. This is not uncommon here on the island for this to happen many times a year. Entire areas are down without electricity for hours at a time. Power outages affect the Internet service, the phone lines and of course, there is no air conditioning. You may not know it, but it’s very hot and dry in Old Lahaina town in the summer months. You simply can not work while sweat drops from your forehead on to the apparel. Communication and Internet usage are disrupted for many hours. And, it is also common to be stuck on the other side of the island, in a long line of traffic on a two lane highway because the road is closed due brush fires. There is only one main road from the airport, Wailuku and Kahului to the Westside, Lahaina. Some days the Federal Express daily shipment from our Honolulu factories does not deliver our boxes in the morning. They may come late in the afternoon or not until the next day. Rain can cause delays here on the Island.

The point here is that there are mitigating circumstances beyond my control and your control. And the world does not revolve around you, the customer. The word Rush and Aloha Wear do not belong in the same sentence. So, before you get mad at me and slam me with stupid, thoughtless, negative feedback, take five minutes out of your hurried life and read the page that tells you what to expect when it comes to shipping and delivery time before you place your order. The link is easy to find. It’s on the top of all 2,500 pages. It is called “Important Information & Shipping” and it’s in red letters. Try to plan more than five days ahead. I ship from an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Please consider the possibility that five days might not be enough time to leave for an order to get to you when there is a week end and a holiday in those five days! Sheesh.

Adrienne Uncategorized

MauiShirts.com is the only Aloha Wear web site that places its customer feedback, in plain view, on all 2,500 pages of the web site. It’s there, on the top left hand corner, for everyone to read.

Don’t believe the claims of a dissatisfied customer. For the most part they exaggerate and lie. They are so mad that things did not go their way, they want to bring you down to their level of incompetency.

I see it clearly. I’ve processed tens of thousands of orders in the last ten years. When a shopper does not get their way, in many instances, they get vindictive and exaggerate their claims. About one in very 500 orders, there is a person like this. They want you to believe we are incompetent and that we ship late and that we don’t respond to their phone calls and email in a timely fashion. The truth is, in 100% of these rants, the shopper did not follow simple requests.

They don’t pick alternate choices. They take no time what-so-ever to read the Important Information page or the Refunds, Exchanges and Return page, nor do they bother to read any of this information on check-out page. They expect their order in two days. They want instant gratification. They are impatient, demanding and unreasonable.

No one is more passionate in the desire to fulfil your order than MauiShirts.com. It is as simple as that. MauiShirts.com would not be in business long if it was not performing in a professional manner. MauiShirts.com has been fulfilling your orders for over ten years now. MauiShirts.com has earned a top position in customer service comparable to the best of the best. If we did not fulfill your orders with speed and compassion we would not be in this enviable position. But, there is one thing I know as truth. MauiShirts.com can not be all things to all people. No matter how hard we try, there will always be someone that we simply can not make happy.

Adrienne Uncategorized

The Shirt that says Hawai’i’ – The story behind the colorful cultural icon.

Hawai’i’ – awash in romance, marbled by different cultures, saturated with beauty, and compelling in contrasts – gave birth, over 50 years ago, to the renowned Aloha shirt. There is today probably no better-known garment in the world that captures a land’s ‘spirit of place.’ For half a century, the Aloha shirt has been Hawai’i’s most enduring and visible greeter and ambassador – like the lei, the Aloha shirt is worn as a statement of one’s love for, and connection to, a most special place.

These words from historian and waterman Tommy Holmes, from the forward of our book The Aloha Shirt, capture the true history of this marvelous cultural icon. The Aloha shirt, so evocative of the spirit of its home, is full of mystery and allure of Hawai’i’ and the stories of those who have lived here.

Different tales have circulated for decades about the origins of the Aloha shirt. Did it spring forth late one night from the hand-operated sewing machine of a Japanese tailor? Was it inspired by the tail-out shirts of the Philippines, elegant kimono cloth from Japan, or vivid floral prints for Tahiti?

There are well-documented stores from the pre-World War II years of teenagers buying wonderful, finely printed Kabe crepe material, imported from Japan, in the dry-goods stores of downtown Honolulu. These young men had their mothers sew beautiful shirts from the fabric. That tradition of beautifully sewn printed shirts spread from the Asian dry-goods merchants and home-sewers to the tailors and dress-makers of Hawai’i’, creating a new style of colorful clothing.

This all took place in the late 1920s and early 1930s, at the same time that Hawai’i’ was emerging as a paradise for tourists with the building of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Honolulu and the christening of the trio of magnificent cruise ships by Matson navigation, opening this majestic string of island to the world. Boatloads of visitors were charmed by hula dancers swaying to the rhythm of a lone ‘ukulele, enchanted by Waikiki Beach boys riding the waves on their great wooden surfboards. For those who came from afar, nothing painted a more vivid picture of Hawai’i’ than these bold shirts with their vibrant island imagery.

The early Aloha shirts most often depicted ancient symbolic imagery of the Orient. Pine and plum tree prints represented long life, good fortune, and success. The images of a tiger symbolized strength and courage. Prints of bamboo denoted strength and flexibility. Early designs were also graced with traditional images of Mount Fuji, ornate temples, or peaceful landscapes.

It was not long before local artist began to design textiles that captivated the dreamy, romantic lifestyle of their island home. Early prints that were intended for home interiors soon made their way into clothing. Elsie Das designed beautiful botanical prints of native plants ? hibiscus, breadfruit, night-blooming cereus ? as well as a humorous pattern incorporating hula girls. Ethel Chun Lum designed shirts sold by her brother Ellery Chun at his store, King-Smith Clothiers. Ellery Chun was the first person to officially register the name “Aloha Shirt.”? Ether produced designs based on her first cruise to the mainland U.S., including flying fish seen from the deck of a Matson liner.

Garment manufacturers including Kamehameha and Branfleet? (later know as Kahala), which initially produced Aloha shirts with Asian motifs in their humble factories in the mid-1930s, began to commission designs from local artists. Soon, visitors and locals alike were donning these wearable postcards awash with coconut trees, surfers, outrigger canoes, hula girls, and endless varieties of colorful tropical flowers, birds, and fish.

“Aloha shirts put Hawai’i’ on the map,” says renowned fabric designer John “King Keoni” Meigs. “The first thing people did when they arrived was to make a beeline for a department store to buy one.”

Meigs was one of many flamboyant designers in the Gold Age of Aloha shirts, which ran from the 1930’s to the 1950’s. for inspiration, they shared the sunsets, beaches, flowers, and rainforests of Hawai’i’. They and their visionary colleagues – manufactures, artists, and retailers – formed the community that created this memorable art form.

Celebrities of the time – such as John Barrymore, Bing Crosby, and Elvis Presley – were widely photographed wearing the shirts. Duke Kahamamoku, Hawai?i?s most beloved surfer and Olympic swimming champion, was the earliest and greatest promoter of the Aloha shirt. Duke even had his own line of shirts, which are widely coveted by collectors today.

Whether you fancy a collectible from the 1930’s or a modern style of? today, the Aloha shirt remains a symbol of the casual, carefree, and graceful Hawaiian lifestyle.

Reprinted from the Artful Living, The Legacy of Kukui’ula magazine, Spring, 2007. Dale Hope and Gregory Tozian are the authors of The Aloha Shirt, (Beyone Words Publishing, 2000).

Adrienne Uncategorized

This one makes me laugh out loud when it happens. And, it does happen about once a month. I get an angry email or phone call on this.

“I opened my shipment box and I received only one shirt.” Or, “the pants in my cabana set are not in the box.” Or, “I bought two dresses and there is only one in the box.”

And, so on. 100% of the time the second item is folded into the first item or the small pants are inside the shirt. People love to rush to judgement. All the customer has to do is really open the box and unfold the contents.

For some unknown reason they rush to judgement and think someone is trying to gyp them. Or, the packer is missing one eye. Or, a mistake has been made. I have packed over 30,000 boxes. I do not let anyone pack my shipments except me. I do make mistakes. I’m human, you know. The exact weight is taken of each shipment. It is easy to prove that all items have been placed into the shipment box by simply duplicating the contents.

In every single instance, I have to duplicate the contents to make sure. I take my time to do this sort of thing. I call them back or email them back and tell them to unfold the contents, shake it out, etc. 100% of the time, the customer is embarrassed and apologetic. So, what is the moral of this short story. Most people don’t know a good deal even if it slaps them in the face. They are looking for trouble. If you look for trouble, believe me, you will find it.

Adrienne Uncategorized

If you have no sense of humor and find my comments offensive, please go away. If you have thin skin, please do not read my blog. If you can’t find humor here, you have a serious problem. I’m not your doctor or psychologist. I have no cures for you here. If you have something to say that is negative, please post it here. This is a public forum. Other people might like to laugh with you or at you, as I do and can. We are selling Aloha Wear here. What is the RUSH! This is my web site. I can say whatever I want. Let me repeat myself. If you can’t find humor here then please go away. Go buy some polyester garment made in Pakistan. Shop at your local supermarket for your Hawaiian shirts.

If you can’t read the information on the web site that is in your face about the time it takes to fulfill your order and how much it cost to ship, and how things should be sent back for exchanges and all the other easy to locate information, then I have no qualms what so ever to blast you here. Say what you want. Don’t take your silly, unfounded complaints to the Better Business Bureau and threaten me. Get a life !!! I am proud of my memberships and affiliations. I pay and donate thousands of dollars a year to other organizations. There is always, (ALWAYS), one bad apple in the barrel who wants to spoil the rest of us. There are a lot of evil, vindictive people out there. Remember this. Ignorance is bliss. It can be educated upon. Stupid has no cure. Stupid is forever.

Here is one customer’s complaint:

I ordered a shirt on Saturday because I needed the shirt by Thursday the 24th. I called to check the status of my order and it went downhill from there. I got an awful voice mail saying he doesn’t have time to answer the phone. Just an awful message. I was speechless after I heard him rant & rave. I had called the number last night and there was a feminine voice on the answering machine reminding callers that they are 3-6 hrs. different than the mainland. So I called back today and got the owners message about why is everyone in such a hurry on the mainland. Just because you ordered a shirt 3 days ago doesn’t mean you’ll get it that soon. Well had I known that I wouldn’t have paid the 2-day postal fee. I wouldn’t have ordered it at all. I went to his web site and clicked on MauiShirts.com BLOG. After 2 or 3 lines into it I knew I wouldn’t be getting my shirt on time. Not one time in the ordering process did it say 2 day service doesn’t really mean 2 days. Anyway his blog just rips his customers and I don’t think it’s a company that the BBB would want to have their emblem on.

My comments to this silly, Scurrilous complaint:

Let me set the record straight. This customer ordered a $ $ 29.70 shirt after hours on a Sunday, not Saturday. Her order shipped out 4 days later. (That is not too bad). She called on a Tuesday to check out the status of her order. Sheesh. She did not leave a message with any information pertinent to her order. She did not leave her full name, phone number or order number. I remember her comments on the telephone. Something like … ” you are mean and rude…” They were just silly. There was no way to respond to her. The exact wording on the shipping page, and in no less than three other areas of the web site, clearly states: “2nd Day Air DOES NOT necessarily mean that you will receive your order in 2 days!” She failed to read it. (I should have been there to hold her hand). She had to check mark the shipping box in the shopping cart when she checked out. There is no way to check out and process the order unless she check marked the box. It was there in bold letters.

I am a small business that offers the finest made in Hawaii aloha wear on the planet. I’m inundated and overwhelmed with orders 7 days a week, 365 days a year. I receive over 10,000 page views per day. That computes to 500 to 1,000 unique visitors every day. My web site is the 7th ranked Aloha wear site in the world.

My blog is a tongue-in-cheek representation of people like this person. People who are thin skinned and in a rush and expect everything must go their way.

I am unable to satisfy all of the people all of the time. I can satisfy most of the people all of the time. My repeat business is enormous. MauiShirts.com is in the top 3% of all of Yahoo merchants with respect to customer satisfaction. My Amazon.com rating is 95%. My eBay rating is 99.8%.

Here is the Better Business Bureau’s response to this customer:

From: Pearl Malalis
Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2007 10:45 AM

Thank you for the information you provided regarding the above-mentioned company. Your correspondence was received by the BBB on May 23, 2007 and has been assigned case# 52004089 in our files.

We appreciate your effort in bringing this to our attention. Information from the public is always valuable to us.

Per your request, I reviewed this company’s website www.mauishirts.com. Immediately a pop-up appeared that stays up saying “Important notice. Please read the information on the above page links before you place your order. If you do not READ the Important Information you will have nothing to complain about if things do not go your way.” To close the box, you must click on “Close Box”. I clicked on “Important Information and Shipping, where I read a warning not to expect shipment in just a few days and the reasons why. I found the information, explanation and reasons frank and to the point, and helpful to consumers who are considering ordering from this company. Since all this information is given before the ordering process, it does not appear necessary to repeat the same information during the ordering process.

As you have not requested our mediation services in regards to this issue, this will become a part of the BBB’s internal file on the business to monitor possible patterns in complaints.

Sincerely,

Pearl Malalis
Service Representative
BBB Complaint Department

Keeping the Aloha in Business

Adrienne Uncategorized

I’m not your maid, servant or valet

What is wrong with you people? Why are you sending back your shirts and dresses unbuttoned, unzipped and stuffed into a used box sealed with duct tape? There has been a rash of this lately. How would you like me to send you your shirts and dresses all crumpled up and wrinkled, unbuttoned and shoved into a box without any concern? I rarely invoke the $ 7.50 steaming fee, especially if the items being returned are for an exchange. But, I’ll tell you this. Your refund will be issued to you when I find the time to steam your garments. Your refund will go to the bottom of the stack. That’s for sure!

I send your purchase folded flat, wrapped in tissue paper and placed securely into a box. I take great care to get your items to you in the best possible condition.

Don’t you folks have a table at home? It only takes a few seconds to lay something flat and fold it. What’s the big deal?

Adrienne Uncategorized

Now here is one for the books.

A man purchased a few shirts close to over a year ago. He sends me an email and says the shirts he purchased less than a year ago have manufacturing defects and flaws. The threads around the collar and button holes are unraveling. He wants to exchange them for new shirts and he offers to pay the shipping. The shirts arrive in a used shipping bag, (one that was previously used to send him something else), totally and unbelievably crumpled, unbuttoned, smelling from laundry detergent like they just came out of the washing machine. In my nine years in business, this was a first. What nerve. No wonder the threads were unraveling. You can?t mistreat the rayon shirts by putting them in a washing machine. My goodness, you are paying $50 to $60 dollars for a quality shirt. You need to take care of it. Don?t toss it in with your underwear. You must cold water wash or send to a dry cleaners. I sent him an email answer when the shirts were logged in on Maui. I told him that I would not issue a refund and I would not send them back to him. I told him they were in such poor condition that should be in the trash can. I?m sure I?ve not heard the end of this. Oh, well. Just another day in paradise on the valley isle of Maui.

Adrienne Uncategorized

Now we have the small minded customers who, for what ever reason, do not receive the email I send them that informed them that their selection was either sold out or was temporarily out of stock. Is it my fault if they delete or miss my email? Is it my fault that their rush order did not get filled? Is it my fault that they wait until the last minute and have poor planning? Is it my fault that someone else purchased the last one of the item they wanted?

Hey! Did you ever hear of a thing called a TELEPHONE. There is a toll free number on the bottom area of all 2,500 pages of my web site. Call, you silly screw ups. Get off my back.

I do answer the phone when I’m not packing your rush orders. Leave a message and don’t just hang up. And, don’t forget I don’t answer the phone between 3 A.M. and 5 A.M. when most of you like to call. Bah! Mainlanders.

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Here are some examples of what I deal with on a daily basis. “It’s Tuesday. I need my dress on Friday!” Or, I like these. “I’m getting married next week. Could you please stop what you are doing and take care of me, NOW.” “Please ship my wedding dress so I will have it in three days!” “I know you are 9,000 miles away from me in New York, but I don’t care.” Or, how about this one. “I don?t understand your size charts. I’m going to buy three sizes and expect to send two of them back to you.” (They will come back unzipped, unbutton, crumpled up and shoved into a box). I think I will also buy a couple of different styles too. And, I don’t want to pay any re-stocking fees. I don’t care if I take away the ability for someone else to buy these dresses. It makes no difference to me that you only have two or three of each in those sizes. I’m only interested in taking care of me. Everyone else can go screw themselves. And, by the way, why is your shipping charges to much money. Sheesh. Get a life.

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They send me nasty email about my poor customer service. They point their finger at me. They shout with bold letters and complain that my customer service is poor. They go out of their way to leave negative feedback in the public forum. They say I communicate poorly.

Well, when I run up on a goof like this, I simply block their IP address, place their email in the spam blocker and get on with life and real people. I have tried to deal with these negative people. I try to reason with them. It’s simply a waste of my time. They are bent on screwing with me. I will not deal with people who want to bring me down to their level of incompetence.

These people should shop for their Aloha wear at Sears or J. C. Penny or even better, Hilo Hattie.

Go buy your made in Pakistan polyester garments. Leave me alone. Go anywhere, but not on my web site.

No one works harder than me when it comes to taking care of my real customers’ needs. I work seven days a week, 12 to 14 hours a day. 99% of my customers are people who are reasonable and appreciate top of the line aloha wear, at some of the lowest prices on the planet, and know I offer the best customer service a person could ask for.

READ MY FEEDBACK. The wonderful things people say didn’t get there from having poor customer service. Look at the Kudos page. For every screwed up customer there are 1,000 good ones. Thank goodness.

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Adrienne Customer's Communicate