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arcangel6

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 21, 2008
178
4
Wisconsin
Hi,

Has anyone placed an pre-order for the Orbino Padova case?

https://www.orbino.com/store/index.php

I placed my order at the end of March and did get an automated email confirmation that day. I realize that this high priced case ($209) is supposed to be in production but I tried emailing them several times for an estimated date of delivery and even left 2 phone messages and never received a reply of any kind. I sent one final email over a week ago canceling my order.....still no response. I should also add that they never charged my AMEX card for the case so there is not issue there.

You would think if you are producing such a high-end item that customer service would be at the top of your list. Has anyone ever dealt with them before?

OR

If someone from Orbino is reading this forum PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL AND PHONE MESSAGES!

:)

Joe

Padova.jpg
 

digitalfx

macrumors 6502a
Jul 18, 2007
708
206
Thats odd...I have bought a few cases for iphone from them and customer service has always been exceptional. Have you checked your spam folder?
 

Mitchll

macrumors newbie
Apr 18, 2010
13
0
I used paypal and filed a request through them...Orbino didn't respond to them, so I escalated to a dispute and requested a refund. last week. Still no response.
 

arcangel6

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 21, 2008
178
4
Wisconsin
Yes, I check my spam before deleting. It appears that others had similar issues too.


Joe

Thats odd...I have bought a few cases for iphone from them and customer service has always been exceptional. Have you checked your spam folder?
 

vraptor65

macrumors newbie
Jun 23, 2009
17
0
Glad I found this thread....

I too ordered a Padova case back in early March via PayPal.

Since then, I have sent them 6 emails requesting an update on the status of my order (it still shows "open" according the details in the "my account" section). Additionally, I left 3 voicemails (the last one a bit scathing), requesting someone to contact me with info on my shipment.

No response to date from Orbino...

So...I have send off a request via PayPal to have my money returned to me ASAP.

Nice product...but does anybody actually work there? Lousy customer service.
 

arcangel6

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 21, 2008
178
4
Wisconsin
For anyone looking for the Orbino phone number which no longer appears on their site it is:

888-672-2002

Still not able to get their attention and I left two messages.

Joe
 

vraptor65

macrumors newbie
Jun 23, 2009
17
0
For anyone looking for the Orbino phone number which no longer appears on their site it is:

888-672-2002

Still not able to get their attention and I left two messages.

Joe

Yup, I have called that number 4-5 times in the last month. I have had no success speaking with a live person. Only get the option of leaving a voicemail (which of course they never return)
 

Mr. Biggles

macrumors 6502
Mar 12, 2009
352
1
Western New York
I placed an order March 17th. My first email request for info went unanswered, my second got a response as follows:

Hello William.

Thank you for contacting us again. We know how frustrating it can be when inquiries go unanswered and we would like to apologize. We have been pushed to the limit due to the incredible response on our new iPad case, so we haven't been doing very well at responding in a timely manner. Thank you for your patience.

Anyway, you asked how long it will take for delivery. The good news is that production is now underway (we too only got the real iPad on launch day), so we are looking at a delivery window of approximately 2 weeks. We can't guarantee the date 100% but we will do our best to get the case to you as quickly as possible.

We have created a forum on our website today to better inform customers of progress of delivery of the cases. You can feel free to check here as we provide feedback on shipping status:

http://forums.orbino.com/viewforum.php?f=3

Again, our apologies for the delay in responding to you. We think the new Padova case has come out quite nicely and we hope you will be pleased with the case when it arrives!

Very best regards,
Paul
Orbino
 

arcangel6

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 21, 2008
178
4
Wisconsin
Mr. Biggles,

Thanks for your reply. I started this thread over my frustration with Orbino's lack of response to my order. At least it had the desired response.....i.e. some sort of response.


Joe

I placed an order March 17th. My first email request for info went unanswered, my second got a response as follows:

Hello William.

Thank you for contacting us again. We know how frustrating it can be when inquiries go unanswered and we would like to apologize. We have been pushed to the limit due to the incredible response on our new iPad case, so we haven't been doing very well at responding in a timely manner. Thank you for your patience.

Anyway, you asked how long it will take for delivery. The good news is that production is now underway (we too only got the real iPad on launch day), so we are looking at a delivery window of approximately 2 weeks. We can't guarantee the date 100% but we will do our best to get the case to you as quickly as possible.

We have created a forum on our website today to better inform customers of progress of delivery of the cases. You can feel free to check here as we provide feedback on shipping status:

http://forums.orbino.com/viewforum.php?f=3

Again, our apologies for the delay in responding to you. We think the new Padova case has come out quite nicely and we hope you will be pleased with the case when it arrives!

Very best regards,
Paul
Orbino
 

Mitchll

macrumors newbie
Apr 18, 2010
13
0
Mr. Biggles,

Thanks for your reply. I started this thread over my frustration with Orbino's lack of response to my order. At least it had the desired response.....i.e. some sort of response.


Joe

And yet, none from Orbino. When you get to busy to deal with your customers, you suddenly find yourself with lots of free time!
 

OrbinoCases

macrumors newbie
Apr 20, 2010
3
0
A Word from Orbino

Hello. Orbino here. Just a word of apology for the lack of responsiveness during this sudden spike in orders of our new Padova iPad case.

We realize that it is frustrating to not receive timely responses to inquiries. Every time Apple does one of its launches in grand fashion without providing prior access to the new model, we are left scrambling to fine tune case design, get production going, and field all the orders and inquiries that come pouring in.

This is not a justification for the poor service some of you have received from us. We are a small workshop of artisans. Though our focus is on creating a beautiful product, we realize we have to be better prepared for these regular spikes in demand when we launch a case for a new Apple product.

We want to reassure all of our customers that we are hard at work at producing this new case. The case itself looks stunning and we hope that when you have it in your hands, you will forget about the difficulties we have had during the launch. We want to help you in every way we can and are in the process of improving our customer service both by phone and by email.

For now, we would simply ask that you do not use Orbino's corporate phone number cited above. We realize that phone service is important and we will be getting a dedicated person for this shortly. For now, we are simply not in a position to receive the hundreds of phone calls!

As mentioned in a previous post, we have set up an online forum to field all messages, requests, and suggestions from our customers for the new Padova case:

Orbino Padova Case Forum

You will find updates on the production progress of the new Padova case, and you can also feel free to post inquiries and requests.

In a closing note, we'd just like to say that we are extremely appreciative of all the customers who have shown support for the new Padova case. We want to get your cases to you as soon as possible. Quality is our first priority, which is why it has taken a couple of weeks to perfect the fitting of the case. Of course, quality on the customer service side has suffered. We are here to tell you that we do care about your concerns and will do our best to improve our responses.

The customer who started this thread can expect a personal phone call of apology from us.

Best regards,
The Orbino Team
 

Mitchll

macrumors newbie
Apr 18, 2010
13
0
Hello. Orbino here. Just a word of apology for the lack of responsiveness during this sudden spike in orders of our new Padova iPad case.

We realize that it is frustrating to not receive timely responses to inquiries. Every time Apple does one of its launches in grand fashion without providing prior access to the new model, we are left scrambling to fine tune case design, get production going, and field all the orders and inquiries that come pouring in.

This is not a justification for the poor service some of you have received from us. We are a small workshop of artisans. Though our focus is on creating a beautiful product, we realize we have to be better prepared for these regular spikes in demand when we launch a case for a new Apple product.

We want to reassure all of our customers that we are hard at work at producing this new case. The case itself looks stunning and we hope that when you have it in your hands, you will forget about the difficulties we have had during the launch. We want to help you in every way we can and are in the process of improving our customer service both by phone and by email.

For now, we would simply ask that you do not use Orbino's corporate phone number cited above. We realize that phone service is important and we will be getting a dedicated person for this shortly. For now, we are simply not in a position to receive the hundreds of phone calls!

As mentioned in a previous post, we have set up an online forum to field all messages, requests, and suggestions from our customers for the new Padova case:

Orbino Padova Case Forum

You will find updates on the production progress of the new Padova case, and you can also feel free to post inquiries and requests.

In a closing note, we'd just like to say that we are extremely appreciative of all the customers who have shown support for the new Padova case. We want to get your cases to you as soon as possible. Quality is our first priority, which is why it has taken a couple of weeks to perfect the fitting of the case. Of course, quality on the customer service side has suffered. We are here to tell you that we do care about your concerns and will do our best to improve our responses.

The customer who started this thread can expect a personal phone call of apology from us.

Best regards,
The Orbino Team

How about pushing yourself a little and responding directly to the rest of us who have, repeatedly emailed, telephoned and received no response?
 

OrbinoCases

macrumors newbie
Apr 20, 2010
3
0
Yes. you are right about responding directly to you. We are trying to improve on that. As mentioned earlier, we simply were not ready for the sheer volume. We are trying to do better.
 

vraptor65

macrumors newbie
Jun 23, 2009
17
0
Yes. you are right about responding directly to you. We are trying to improve on that. As mentioned earlier, we simply were not ready for the sheer volume. We are trying to do better.

Well posting hear is a good start. While I can appreciate the fact that the quality of the product will likely speak for itself, I strongly suggest that more of your resources be place on Customer Service correspondance. After all, it is not just those Customers that may consider cancellign their Padova case as a result of poor customer service (like I was ), but, may also choose not to buy anthing in the future from your company.

Customer Service is an investment that should not be taken lightly. Happy Customers are repeat customers......

Either way, I am just glad to finally hear something from your company that until now, I was suspecting did not even exist....

BTW: I have posted a request to not include the strap hardware on my order in your forums.

Regards,

Ian
 

OrbinoCases

macrumors newbie
Apr 20, 2010
3
0
Importance of Customer Service

Ian,
I hear your points loud and clear. Customer service is an integral part of overall product quality. Believe me, we are now thinking of the best way to confront this challenge of responding to the increased volume in requests with the new launch. We want to avoid an outsourced "call center," because all the customer will get is a canned response (though undoubtedly better than the silence they have been getting in recent days but not by much). We will find a way to have a person work close to full time on this. And, of course, the best way to keep customers happy is to deliver the product as quickly as possible. We are working on that too!
Thanks for your input Ian. We have also made note of your request regarding the shoulder strap.
 

arcangel6

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 21, 2008
178
4
Wisconsin
Update

Hi,

This is an update, Michael from Orbino just called me a little while ago. We had a good conversation. I have retracted my request to cancel my order. The fact is that I really love the look of the Padova case.

Regards,

Joe
 

Mitchll

macrumors newbie
Apr 18, 2010
13
0
Hello all,

Just an update. Orbino contacted me and we resolved the problem with no issues. Fine folks, just overwhelmed and unprepared for it.
 

ChocolateApple

macrumors 6502
Apr 9, 2010
366
4
New York
EDITED - I see that Orbino has responded here and directly to customers, which is appreciated. I won't cancel my order after all.

This is good because the Orbino case is the nicest I've seen, and I don't want to replace it.
 

whoukidn

macrumors newbie
Apr 26, 2010
3
0
Concerned and Doubtful

I have now been waiting almost eight weeks since placing my order. Originally the case was going to be shipped in early April. Now it appears that Orbino is still changing their case design and may not start shipping until mid-May, if then.

I am also concerned by the changes Orbino appear to be making to their design. Rather than including the shoulder strap in the $209 price, they are now charging an additional $45. In addition, they appear to have made other changes to their case to lower its manufacturing costs and hasten production. They're doing this despite the fact that they are keeping the extremely high price.

I'm very close to canceling my order as I am beginning to doubt Orbino's commitment to their customers and to the production of a quality case.
 

Mr. Biggles

macrumors 6502
Mar 12, 2009
352
1
Western New York
I have now been waiting almost eight weeks since placing my order. Originally the case was going to be shipped in early April. Now it appears that Orbino is still changing their case design and may not start shipping until mid-May, if then.

I am also concerned by the changes Orbino appear to be making to their design. Rather than including the shoulder strap in the $209 price, they are now charging an additional $45. In addition, they appear to have made other changes to their case to lower its manufacturing costs and hasten production. They're doing this despite the fact that they are keeping the extremely high price.

I'm very close to canceling my order as I am beginning to doubt Orbino's commitment to their customers and to the production of a quality case.

Who told you not till mid May ship?

I thought if you ordered before the extra strap charge change you were grandfathered in?

What changes were made to lower manufacturing costs?

I'm tired of the long wait myself, but realistically expecting the design to be finalized very quickly after the April 3 release of the iPad is asking a lot. And let's face it, customer suggestions at the Orbino forum and their willingness to make the changes has resulted in some production slowdown.

I ordered march 17th, so I do feel some of your pain.
 
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