How long to wait for a reply?

[Spiritserpents]

Sooooo.... I'm trying to move my critters out of my current rack system and into actual caging. I browsed through multiple companies, comparing prices, sizes, and reputation before settling on one. I emailed them, got a reply 3 days later, and sent a response to them the same day they emailed me. After 9 days with no further communication either through email or facebook, I let them know that I would be looking elsewhere for my caging needs (losing them a sale to the tune of about $3k) due to the lack of communication. I felt that waiting 9 days was beyond reasonable when trying to finalize a sale.

So I go to my second choice, email them... and it's been 4 days with no response. Is a week long enough to wait? I personally feel it's adequate, but am I being too impatient?

[KMG]

I hate emailing. Seems to never fail that something important doesn't get to where I want it.

I prefer that old thing called the phone.

[Spiritserpents]

I hate talking on the phone, partly because I have this tendency to mix up words a lot, and/or think I've said one thing when in reality I've said another. Email gives me the chance to make sure everything is clear without any mishaps.

[EL-Ziggy]

I have to agree with KMG on this one. I don't hate emails but I've always gotten better customer service on the phone.

[KMG]

I hate talking on the phone, partly because I have this tendency to mix up words a lot, and/or think I've said one thing when in reality I've said another. Email gives me the chance to make sure everything is clear without any mishaps.

Write down what you want to ask and write down the answer. Basically make notes and use them to get everything covered.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Pick up the phone and call many cage manufacturers are slammed doing shows on weekends and than coming back to their shops and filling in orders, it lives them little to no time for emails.

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[Coluber42]

I can't speak for cage manufacturers, but I have a manufacturing business that consists of me plus one very part time helper; and I don't always manage to keep on top of emails. I do my best, but sometimes things slip through the cracks. Usually though, if someone emails me more than once because I neglected to answer them the first time, I make extra sure to get back to them right away.
I do a certain amount of custom work, and for that I strongly prefer communicating via email as much as possible. The big reason is that I have a queue that's a few weeks long, and even though I can take notes during a phone conversation, I'd rather just have an electronic record of everything that was discussed, promised, suggested, etc, so I can refer to it when I do the actual work. I don't have a separate business phone number, and while I do make my cell phone number available, I make it very hard to find.

Before I started my own business, I worked in a small mail order retail and manufacturing shop. We did our best to answer all the emails... but again, things would sometimes fall through the cracks, especially during the summer when things got chaotic. A little polite persistence goes a long way!