MauiShirts Blog

Why is everyone on the Mainland in a rush? 90% of all orders state they need their Aloha Wear in a few days. Why? What?s the rush? Aloha and Rush just don?t line up. It doesn?t make any sense. Is it the first thing you need because you are coming to the Islands and the last thing you purchased? Did you get some sun tan lotion?

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I?m one man doing the job of three. I pack 200 to 300 or more boxes of Aloha Wear every freaking week. I work 12 to 14 hours a day, 7 days a week. If I leave at 5 PM, I going home early. I ship more boxes via Federal Express 2^nd Day air from West Maui than anyone.

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It?s all good. I?m not complaining. I?m living in Paradise.

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What irks me is the phone calls and the emails asking “Where is my order. I placed it two days ago. I selected 2^nd day Federal Express, etc.” First of all, let me make this perfectly clear, (and it?s stated in several areas on the web site pages), 2^ND DAY AIR DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN YOU ARE GOING TO RECEIVE YOUR SHIPMENT IN TWO DAYS! It?s just the way things are shipped from the middle of the Pacific Ocean. There is no bridge or tunnel to the Mainland. And, please take note of this; It is virtually impossible to stock every print, in every color and in every style and size all of the time. Please consider this. The web site is updated every day through out the day to reflect on-hand stocks and inventory, exchanges and refunds. Many things have to come in from the factories in Honolulu. (That?s on Oahu – another island). I stock over 5,000 shirts and dresses all of the time. I would need a showroom a Mainland city block long to keep every item in every size and color in stock. And, I would need, my best guess, at least two million dollars to buy and stock all these things so you can get you Aloha Wear in RUSH time.

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So, stop sending email and making the toll free phone calls to check on the status of your order two days after you placed it on line. The phone starts to ring here at 3 a.m. in the morning. Don?t you know that New York and all dem Eastern States are SIX HOURS ahead of us folks on Maui? Hawaii time does not change. All you Mainlanders change your clocks a few times a year. It?s got to a point where I simply can not answer the phone to answer these ?check on my order? questions, nor can I ever empty my Email In Box, because there is not enough time in the day to pack your rush orders and answer the silly questions.

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So, you say, “hire some help”. Sheesh. This is Maui. No one wants to work here. Surf?s up! Sorry, boss I can?t come in today. This is the real Blue Flu. Ocean Blue flu. Maui has the lowest unemployment rate anywhere. You can?t find dependable people to work. I have to start pay at $ 15.00 per hour to find the same kind of person that slings cheeseburgers or pizza. Quality help is rare and few and far between.

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Read my feedback. It?s on the top left of every page. YOUR ORDER WILL SHIP OUT AS FAST AS POSSIBLE. This is Maui. Chill out. Relax. You are going to get what you ordered in a very reasonable time frame.

Adrienne Uncategorized

Then there’s the sad, misguided customer from Amazon.com who is a 2X. I wonder if she is ugly too? (just kidding!)  Most big people are kind and friendly. Not this one. She didn’t read the size chart. She didn’t read the Seller’s Policy. This important information is in your face and has links on every single listing. It could not be any easier.

She purchased the last size and color of one of the most popular dresses. She was pissed that she had to pay $ 8.01 for a re-stocking fee. She was so mad that, before she ever sent the dress back, she left scathing negative feedback in the public forum. She wanted to hurt me in the wallet. She is stupid enough to think there are other people on this planet that think and act like her. Well, unfortunately there are some. The important issue here is that MauiShirts.com has built a reputation of great customer service. However, no matter how hard we try to satisfy everyone, there is always someone, that no matter what you do, who will always be mean and unhappy. I suggest a diet or date with Richard Simmons for this fat lady before she sings. She has the word kitten in her email address. The only thing kitten about this double X size of a woman is the hair ball she swallowed when she was younger. (just kidding again!) What an attitude. Vindictive, vicious and just plain stupid. She says my exchange policy is rigid and ridiculous. Hmmm. There is no re-stocking fee for exchanges. What is rigid with that? There are literally thousands of items to choose from. You can exchange for anything. And, you have six months to do it. The only thing rigid is her. Or is it frigid. (ha,ha)

mauiman Customer's Communicate

Re-stocking fee? What in the world is that? I?ll tell you. It’s not just a re-stocking fee. It’s a handling, re-listing and re-stocking fee. It helps defray the cost of re-listing that item you purchased. It probably made no difference to you that the item you purchased?was the last size or last color. Why should you care??The small 15% fee?helps defray the cost of un-listing the item you purchased and it helps defray the cost of re-listing it when you return it because you didn?t bother to use the published size charts. The paperwork you create is in itself a little nightmare. More times than not, you fail to mention your order numbers. You use two different email addresses. You don?t follow the simple instructions in the email you receive. You write cryptic notes and enclose them in your return box. You need an email sent to you for clarification. You enclose your phone number. What a joke. Maui is 3 to 6 hours earlier than you from the Mainland. There is no time for phone tag. You think that you are the only customer I have? You think I can remember every transaction? Think again. Please, pretty please. Every week, over 200 transactions or more?occur. It is impossible to remember every nuance of every transaction. There are literally over one thousand new transactions per month.

There is no automatic magic button that updates and deletes and adds these things to the web site pages. It?s done with time and care by hand. It?s labor. Tedious exacting labor. Oh, it didn?t fit. But, what about the other person that wanted that item. It might have?have fit them.

You are buying high quality apparel that is hand made in very limited quantities. The size charts are accurate, much to your dismay and chagrin. If you are one of those people who will not admit that you can not fit into a 2X size, please shop somewhere else. Try a Mu’uMu’u or consider Hilo Hattie for your next purchase. If you are a woman who is 150 lbs. and 5′ 1″, I doubt if any item offered here will fit you. Get real. If you are difficult to fit, then you know you are wasting your time and mine.

Re-stocking fee. It helps pay for the steaming and ironing of the items that you stuff into a box, unbuttoned or unzipped and put into an envelope and send back as if I were your valet. Well, I?m not your personal valet and I?m not happy for the dozens of items returned each month for exchange that are sent back without any care what-so-ever. I?m not your mother. If I have to fold your clothes and hang them up as if you were a little child, I must charge you for the time it takes to do this. If you begrudge the 15% fee, then, please, I beg of?you,?shop somewhere else.

And, most important, for those folks that fold and ship with care, I salute you. You are NOT the majority. You are the exception. I love you. I move your exchange, return to the top of the stack. You get your refund very quickly.

I take great care in folding and packing your items. Please do your best and return your items in good condition so I can re-stock and re-sell it. Please. Pretty please.

Adrienne Uncategorized

Aloha world,

Let it be public knowledge that there are no two manufacturers of apparel on this planet that can agree on size measurements. The measurements in the size charts on MauiShirts.com pertain ONLY to the apparel Made in Hawaii and, quite frankly, I doubt if they measure up to any other manufacturer who make their garments in Pakistan, Honduras, Mexico, China or any third world nation. PLEASE use the measurements in the size charts published on just about every single page here, to help determine your size. We all know that there are no two people built the same way, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But, these size charts will help you make an educated decision. Don?t think that the size you purchased from some department store is going to be the same. Most size measurements are meant, with all good intentions, for the average person. But, then again, what is average. Remember there is no re-stocking fee for exchanges.

Adrienne Uncategorized

(M.S.O.I.)Maui Shirts Order Investigation.

It never fails to amaze me how rude, inconsiderate and stupid some people can be. Today I opened this weeks boxes from customer?s returns and exchanges. There were 13 boxes. One person could not of possibly found a smaller box. A deck of playing cards might not have fit into this box. She rolled a long tank dress up like a strand of flat spaghetti, then re-folded it until it snugly fit into this tiny box. The dress, of course, was totally wrinkled and crumpled. Not only did she do this silly thing, but she sent it first class mail and paid much more than Priority Mail. Too much! She wasted her money and now she must pay the $ 7.50 to steam and press the dress.Three boxes contained no order number, email address or anything at all to identify the sender. Now what?s that all about?

MauiShirts.com ships 200 to 300 boxes per week! Am I supposed to remember each customer?s items that I send to them? I don?t think so.There is not enough time in the day to research these sender?s orders to find out who they are, yet alone what they want. These three will go into the unknown file. I photo-copy the address and return label from the box. Some day someone will call or email and complain about not receiving their refund. Hopefully I will be able to match them up after obtaining some further information form them.

Five boxes were packed so shabbily that if I sent them their items as they returned them to me, I would be out of business in short time. How is it possible that full grown adults do not know how to fold a shirt or a dress?

Then what about the scotch tape and duct tape people. I better unwrap those boxes fast before the adhesive residue stains the garments. I hate packages sealed with duct tape. At best, it?s tacky. The worst offenders are those that simply crumple up the shirt or dress, totally unbuttoned or unzipped and stuff, shove it into a used box. How rude. What?s that about?

All items are neatly folded and neatly wrapped into tissue paper when sent to you. Are you mad at me because your fat body will not fit into the X-Small shirt or dress you purcahsed? The least you can do is try hard to fold the thing neatly. Some wrinkles are expected, but how about showing a tiny bit of respect. If I sent it to you, like you returned it to me, I wouldn?t have very many repeat customers at all. I would be deluged with negative feedback.

Respectfully yours, Sargent Commander Manic Mickey of M.S.O.I.

Adrienne Uncategorized

The Returns / Exchanges / Refund link is on the top right hand of all 2,500 plus web pages. It is written in clear and easy to understand language. It clearly states to send your return or exchange items back to Maui in a BOX. Why in the world do people still send things back in an envelope or bag via Priority Mail? The price is the same people. You are going to get tagged with a $ 7.50 steaming and ironing fee. If you are going to the Post Office to pick up a Priority envelope to ship back your returns or exchanges you asking for trouble. Pick up the box. It?s FREE. The box is free. But, please don?t use a CD or Cassette box. It?s too small. Don?t use a Flat Rate Box – it?s $ 8.10. Use the PRIORITY MAIL BOX. The cost to ship the envelope or the box is exactly the same; $ 4.05 for up to one pound ! BOX IT !

Adrienne Uncategorized

All transactions from Yahoo, (the main web site), MauiShirts.com as well as Amazon.com and Shop.com and eBay have order numbers. ALL ORDERS are stored and sorted by their Order Number. PLEASE communicate with your Order Number. The Order Number is NOT the stock number, it is NOT the Federal Express tracking number, it is not the SKU number or any other number you may want to quote. And, it is NOT the Post Office Priority Mail Delivery Confirmation Number. If you placed your order via the toll-free number, or a Phone Order, your order number would be a four digit number preceded by PH, or PH-1234. If you mailed in your order, then there is no order number – good luck.

The order number is sent to you, via email, within seconds after you place your order.

From Yahoo, it is on the very top of your email page and reads simply, “Order MauiShirts-12345 for MauiShirts. From Amazon.com it is a 17 digit number that looks like this: 000-111111-2222222. From Shop.com the Order number has seven digits and is called the “Master Order Number. The eBay order number is the Item Number, usually 10 digits. So, if you want a speedy reply to your inquires, PLEASE include your order number. Without your order number, I would have to search with your email address within MauiShirts.com, Amazon.com, Shop.com and eBay. Of course it is not as simple as that. Some of you have more than one email address. Some of you shop from your work place, (shame on you), and have two or more different email addressees. Some of you use your husband?s or wife?s email address. If it can be made complicated, you will make it so. So, if you do not get a reply to your inquiry within a few hours, it is because I?m searching for your order number so I can communicate to you with some knowledge of your order.

MauiShirts.com easily receives more than 200 to 300 emails per day. Amongst this mass of email are 25 to 50 or more genuine orders or inquires.

Adrienne Uncategorized

The words of one of our country?s great forefathers, Abraham Lincoln, comes to mind lately. I paraphrase..”You can satisfy all of the people some of the time. You can satisfy some of the people all of the time. But, you can never satisfy all of the people all of the time.”

Adrienne Uncategorized

2^nd Day Air Federal Express DOES NOT necessarily mean you are going to get your order in two days. 2^nd day air is the way we ship things off of the island of Maui. We are in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Thousands of miles away from any Mainland city.
Federal Express is inexpensive and reliable. It is far better than Priority Mail and United Parcel Service. Think about it. Maui time is 3 to 6 hours earlier than you Mainlanders. Maui time never changes. You Mainlanders are all over the clock. It seems every other person placing an order is in a RUSH. Federal Express picks up early in the morning five days a week. If your order arrives after 10 a.m. Maui time on a? Friday, or on a Saturday or a Sunday, it might not ship out until later the next week if it is not in hanging stock in the Maui showroom. If it’s in stock it will ship the same day.
Remember it is IMPOSSIBLE to keep every print, in every style, in every color, in every size in stock all of the time.

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MauiShirts.com, Inc. stocks 5,000 to 6,000 garments all of the time. Many items that are not in stock must come from the factory in Honolulu. This can take 3 to 5 days. Give me a break. Piss poor planning on your part does not necessarily constitute an emergency on my part. Some orders can take 5 days or more to ship. Wow. Five days, that?s a real long time. Sheesh. Give me a break. Get off my back.

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MauiShirts ships fast. That?s a fact.

MauiShirts can not be all things to all people. So, lighten up. Please.

Adrienne Uncategorized

It is amazing to me how many people simply do not read the simple, but important information that is on the top of ALL pages of the web site as well as on the bottom area of all pages of the web site. Believe it or not, the web site is over 2,500 pages deep. That?s at least 2,500 times the same information can be accessed. Yet, it simply goes unread and unheeded.

I know if I were buying something I would like to know how to return it or exchange it. I would also like to know how much it?s going to cost to get it to me. And, most importantly, I would like to know if it is in stock now. Two of these can be found on the top of all web pages. There is even a line of copy that says “Click here for answers to your questions”. But, people simply don?t take the time to read. I spend a great deal of time answering email about this information. Time I should be spending doing more important things. Like packing and shipping your orders.

Then there is a nice purple copy, outlined box on the bottom area of ALL pages that says if you are having a wedding or need matching outfits. It says, “Please furnish a specific date when you need your order in your hands”. Hardly any one offers up this most important information.

Then there comes the story of two customers who placed two separate orders. Both orders were for the same wedding. One order was filled and shipped. A Federal Express tracking number was sent to the customer when one of the orders shipped. The second order could not be filled. The items became temporarily out of stock for the second order. Neither person mentioned that the two orders were for the same wedding. There is a Comments Section in the order form for this sort of information. Neither person offered a date when they needed the items in their hands. One of the customers called two days after the orders were submitted. The inquiry was why the second order had not shipped. An email was sent to the second order telling the customer that the items were temporarily out of stock.

Everywhere on the web site there is information about “refresh your browser often to see updates”. It’s there on hundreds of drop-down menu selections. That would be the F5 key for REFRESH if you did not know. There is a scrolling box that says this sort of thing on the front page. This information is also on the Shipping & Handling and General Information page.

The web site is updated every day throughout the day to reflect inventory, returns and exchanges. This is an important fact: It is simply impossible, not to mention unfeasible, to have on-hand stock of every print, in every color, in every size, in every style all of the time. My goodness, there are hundreds of prints. I would think that this piece of information would entice some preliminary checking.

A customer, in panic, canceled their order that had not shipped and wanted MauiShirts to pay the shipping charges back to Maui for the order that had already shipped. The contention was that when the order was placed the drop-down menu of selections said it was in stock. Again, logic did not prevail here. I know if I were having a wedding and was placing an order on-line for such an important event, I would check to see if what I was ordering was, indeed, in stock. I mean, these thing are made in very limited quantities. MauiShirts does not sell items made in foreign lands where they make thousands of them. When a dress print is made in X-Small through 2X, the entire full count could be less than 20 pieces! These are hand made items.

And, would you believe, there is a toll-free number on the bottom area of all pages. Hmm. A phone call. Too much to ask? But, don?t worry, MauiShirts.com will come to the rescue and make this all happen to the good. If there is anything at all to be said about MauiShirts is that we are passionate about shipping the customer?s orders so they get their apparel on time all of the time. We will do whatever it takes to make it happen.

One order of this on-going story, was canceled and refunded immediately. What madness. Had either person mentioned that the two orders were related or placed one single order for their wedding, (logic does not prevail here), the whole transaction would have been easier to deal with. Nothing would have been shipped in the first place. An email would have been fired off with the information that something was not in stock. We might have even made a phone call to the customer. Well, in our endeavor to help these customers we offered alternate prints and we will contact the factory to see if we can narrow the time frame for delivery for the out of stock items. Now the transaction will take much of our time checking when the out of stock items will be in stock. People at the factory will have to stop what they are doing to locate the fabric and determine when it is in line for replenishment. Will it be available in time? Is it in stock? The canceled order will need to be reprocessed if different prints are found or the out of stock items can be had in time. MauiShirts had to pay the merchant bank fees for the captured transaction that was canceled. Alternate choices may need to be selected. What should have been an easy transaction now turns into a quagmire of confusion and time consuming work. All because a few moments of time was not taken to read the information that was readily available.

Have no fear. It will all be made to happen. MauiShirts.com is passionate about fulfilling all orders.

Adrienne Uncategorized