No Phone Number?
Not an easy decision for us. Here is the truth about our phone policy.

Every once in a while, a customer will send me an email wanting to know why we do not offer phone support or sales. The short answer is that we are very small company. On most days we barely manage to get everything done before we head home for dinner. The challenge of running a small business for a husband and wife team is that our resources for time are very limited. Here are some common customer questions about our phone policy.

Why can't I just call you with my order?
We have no way to process a credit card without using the Internet. We would have to run the order through our website software (as do many other companies). So in this case, if you are worried about your information being on the Internet, a phone order would be of no use. Additionally, there are certain terms and conditions that you agree to when you order with us. It would be impossible for me to list out these terms over the phone. If I did, you would get bored very quickly and I'd probably lose my voice.

Can you call me? My question is very important and I need an answer now.
The answer may be right in front of you. Click on the "Help" links at the top of our website. Most of the questions we receive via email are already answered on this page.

If you won't accept a phone order, I'll just call Darryl at VPS.
I understand and I wish I could help but the good news is that Darryl has a great line of products. I have a ton of respect for Darryl and though I don't know him personally, I have heard only good things about him.

Why not just have a 'phone order only' line?
That sounds great and I've tried that. When I offered the previous phone ordering line, I tried to make it clear that it was for orders only. The problem is that most customers wrote down the phone number for future use but did not write down that the number was for orders only. A week after placing the order, these customers would call and ask questions about their orders. If I suggested that they email the questions to me instead, it seemed as if I didn't want to help and they were frustrated. That's not how I want our customers to feel about our business.

Seriously, what the heck is your problem with taking a phone call?
When we did offer a phone line, it became the "teach me to veneer over the phone" line. Considering that I answer so many emails each day, I can only imagine how many times the phone would ring with the same questions. The trouble is that it takes a lot longer to answer these questions over the phone than it does for me to send a person an email with a link to any one of the extensive articles that I've written on the JoeWoodworker website. There is also the "Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day" idea. I'd rather "teach a man to fish" so he can eat for a lifetime. I can do this by sending you a link to an article that not only answers your veneering questions but also give you insight into other aspects of the craft.

You need to reconsider this policy. What are you hiding from?
Indeed, I have reconsidered it hundreds of times and I've lost a lot of sleep over it. I've looked for ways to remedy this situation and the results are always less than unfeasbile. I think the hundreds of testimonials and product reviews on our website speak to the fact that I'm not hiding from anything. 

Do you know that you are losing money by not offering phone support?
I'm not sure how much impact the phone issue has on our business but I do know that if I were to hire a staff of people to do all the things that Christine and I do throughout the day, that it would force us to raise prices to cover the labor costs. I am not motivated by profit. Instead, I am motivated by my own sense of accomplishment and the gracious comments I receive about all the work that my wife and I have put into the websites.

You claim to have answered tens of thousands of emails. How is that possible?
I have answered 30 or more emails each day for the last 7 years. I have no way to prove it but then again I have no reason to lie about it. I even answer email in the evenings after dinner and on weekends. If you don't believe it, put me to the test by sending me an email question.

I bet you only answer questions if you know it will make a sale, right?
I have no idea if the person sending the email is planning to make a purchase and to me it doesn't matter. I've answered hundreds of emails by suggesting other places to find veneers and veneering supplies when a potential customer is looking for something I don't have. Darryl Keil at VPS, Dave Bilger at B&B Rarewoods, and several others can attest to this. There are many times when I don't have an answer to a veneering question but I always reply with honesty. When I don't have a veneering answer, I usually recommend that the sender post his question on the forum at SawMillCreek.org. Again, test me by sending a question.

You call yourself a Christian and yet you can't take a moment to answer the phone?
The guy who sent me this comment/question was just being ridiculous but I still replied. Here is what I wrote back. "My wife and I are life-long Catholics. I was hesitant to put this information on the JoeWoodworker website because it is, of course, very personal. I thought it might help me connect to other Christian woodworkers. The fact that I can not offer phone support (though I have tried) is in no way related to my faith."