Guess who called up?

[gregory]

My cellphone rang this morning ... and it was none other than Mr Ricky Ho on the phone. Since he's so busy, I was quite surprised that he called me long distance to confirm a minor sizing issue in my recent order. We also chatted for a bit.

He told me that he has been getting better and better fabrics (and is continuing to do so) -- this is something to look forward to, certainly. He has not increased his price for many years. He also mentioned that he is really over-extending himself due to the volume of his business.

My suggestion when ordering from Ricky is to be not too demanding. Understand their operating model (2 persons, 200 sq ft shop). If you don't specify 6 different styles for 6 different shirts when you order from Turnbull & Asser, perhaps you shouldn't do that with Ricky either.  Ricky mentioned a customer who emailed him 10 times in a day. Also, one shouldn't complain that Ricky (really, any one with a different background) does not have a perfect command of English. (English is not my first language, so I sympathize). After all, Ricky does not expect you to speak any Chinese.

Ricky is not for everyone. There'll some of us here who are only satisfied with the best (and who keep Kabbaz in business). But Ricky does satisfy a crucial and large niche in menswear.

Cheers

 

[djkovner]

Do you speak Cantonese? Just curious since a lot forum members complained he can't speak English. Maybe you get better service since you speak the same language?

 

[JohnMS]

Didn't Kai say at one time he got a degree in Chinese?  Perhaps we can pitch in and offer Kai a fee for being our spokesperson with Jantzen.

 

[Millerp]

This is truly amazing.

Some of us have been waiting since June and July for our orders.

When did you send in your order, Gregory?

 

[gregory]

I can understand a bit of Cantonese, but I do not speak it. I didn't speak Cantonese to Ricky on the phone. Our conversation was in English.

Addenum for Millerp: I mailed a sample shirt for sizing duplication last week and he called me up this morning to tell me that he received it and he asked me for clarification about a sizing issue. I'm not saying that you should expect world class customer service from Ricky (given his operating model - 2 persons, 200 sq ft) but that maybe if clients were nicer and showed more understanding of his circumstances and environment, Ricky would be more responsive, and clients would be less frustrated.

 

[water]

I finally received a response e-mail from Ricky today. He responded with an answer about how to fix a problem I have been having with most of my shirts. Unfortunately, he did not answer a couple of my other questions but I am very happy to have the solution he provided.

I guess he was extremely busy this summer and is only now able to catch up. Did he mention if he plans on increasing his prices?

 

[My View]

I have dealt a lot with Ricky and he is a very pleasant person to deal with. I am Chinese and speak Cantonese, Mandarin and English but I speak to Ricky in English most of the time (with some comments in Chinese or Cantonese thrown in occasionally for good fun and effect) and I would say Ricky's English, while not perfect, is perfectly adequate. Do not worry that he will not be able to understand you well. He deals with a lot of walk in customers (Westerners, Indians, Koreans etc.) whose common language with him is English. At least, all the shirt terminology and jargon will be well understood. (But please don't start flooding him with your calls&#33

 

[brescd01]

Look, I am someone who has essentially given up on Jantzen because I am just too damned impatient, but that being said, Ricky is not nearly as bad as people make him out to be. He is EXTREMELY easy to reach...by phone. I have never failed to speak with him, and he works extremely long hours. He also is very easy to communicate with, his English is VERY good, he just has a strong accent. The long delivery times, helas, and the lack of predictability, are all true.

 

[tdial]

I placed a 5 shirt order on July 12th and am still waiting. This is my fourth order from Ricky, and my experience is no different than the others, and I'm not complaining.

My first order was for 1 shirt (my test shirt). It arrived almost a month later.
My second order was for 4 shirts. It arrived about 6 weeks later.
My third order from Ricky was for 1 shirt (testing his ability to do a cut away collar). It arrived exactly a month later.
My fourth order has taken almost three months.

We can use this data to determine that Ricky is most busy in mid summer, which makes sense. This is just the consultant in me, but I wonder if he aggregates the orders based on fabric, design, etc (once a week? Every two weeks?) to maximize his speed and efficiency. Dunno. At any rate, it's worth the wait. It's almost like you end up getting free shirts as a surprise because if you just let him do his job without contacting him (like I do) you forget you ordered the shirts. Then, like a glorious present from a mysterious Hong Kong uncle, the shirts arrive. No note, no invoice, nothing. Just shirts. Very fun.