Probably Won't Buy Here Again...
TableTools
For folks like me who love to purchase small appliances and gadgets over the Internet, Cooking.com has become the standard by which to compare any other Home & Garden online store. I've been so happy with all of my purchases at Cooking.com, I've gotten in the habit of going directly there for what I need instead of poking around the web looking at alternative sources.
A recent pepper mill quest, however, had me researching for hours, trying to come up with the nicest electric pepper mill I could find at the best price. Eventually the Pepper Mill Quest lead me to TableTools, and TableTools's price lead me to make my first purchase with them.
In which I decide to buy a $40 Pepper Mill
Regular readers may remember that my dear husband had a massive heart attack nearly two years ago. He's doing great now, and one of the reasons he is doing so well is that he's completely revamped all of his formerly destructive habits. Pre-heart attack, table salt was his best friend. Post-heart attack, he's worked hard to find alternatives to salt. We've done all of the substitute products like MrsDash, but in the end, he found himself most satisfied by shaking a bunch of ground pepper on his meals...after, of course, we are as creative as possible in using herbs in the cooking itself.
A few weeks ago, it dawned on me that he could be getting a lot more pleasure out of his ground pepper if I bought him a good pepper mill and good peppercorns. (I realize I'm slow sometimes. I should have done this two years ago.) Don perked up when I offered to buy one for him, and specifically requested an electric model. He's a guy. More power! I knew nothing about electric pepper mills, except that if I turned up with a model that was cheesy or a model that was outrageously expensive, I'd never hear the end of teasing from my better half. I'm still reminded daily about my unfortunate mini refrigerator purchase from Sharper Image for his birthday. Shopping for that man makes me nervous!
After a bunch of research, I decided on William Bounds as the pepper mill brand for us. I discarded the model that sells for $65, and focused on the model that retails for $40. TableTools was a couple of dollars cheaper than Cooking.com ($37.99 vs $39.99), and so I decided to give them a try.
TableTools: Not For Everything!
Table Tools does not begin to offer anything near the selection of products available on Cooking.com. If you are looking for a small appliance like a toaster or a waffle iron, I wouldn't even bother to give them a drive by. Cooking.com has 26 toasters listed, TableTools has 4. Cooking.com has 16 waffle irons and TableTools has 7. The biggest thing TableTools is missing in small appliances is:
KitchenAid!
That's right, TableTools doesn't carry KitchenAid. I can't take anybody who doesn't carry KitchenAid seriously when it comes to small appliances, can you?
TableTools, though, doesn't bill itself as a source for small appliances. It looks as if the small offering of same they have is an "add on" to the main business that they are about ...
Tableware — Barware — Cookware
TableTools claims to be "your home for innovative, design oriented tableware, barware and cookware".
I think they are doing a decent job living up to that billing. They have 33 products under Salt and Pepper mills, for example, including a to-die-for "Pep Art" collection by Williams Bounds. Truly innovative and fun.
Cookware seems rather thin to me — no Calphalon or Farberware or Analon, but the barware selection is again, fun. I wanted to buy their Metrokane Retro Ice Crusher just because it looked so cool, not because I need to crush ice.
The website itself is easy to navigate, and moves quickly.
My Order Went Perfectly
I'm relieved to report that my order with TableTools went perfectly.
This past Saturday I ordered the pepper mill for $37.99, with $7.95 ground shipping. (I find TableTools shipping charges to be on the higher side what I'm used to.) Since I'd found a coupon for 10% off of a $50 order, I threw in a big jar of overpriced Gourmet Peppercorns, $13.95, and walked away feeling as if I'd gotten a reasonable, if not fantastic deal.
A well packed box arrived with Don's pepper mill just two working days after I placed the order. I scored big points with the hubby, and TableTools scored big points with me.
Uh-Oh, I've Got Serious Quibbles
I was 100% happy with TableTools until, prior to writing this review, I started doing my final research. I went, as I always do, to pull up my order history before I wrote and ... where is my order history? Where is my account?
There is no order history! There is no account!
I spent 20 minutes searching the site, looking for a "log in" or "account" button that might have been tucked into a bad place by an inept web designer. Finally, I realized all I had to do was to pretend to place an order, go through checkout, and I'd be able to get into my account when the site prompted me to log in at checkout.
I repeat: There is no order history. There is no account.
TableTools did not recognize me as a returning customer. It never asked me for account information, because, there is no account.
If I want to place another order with them, I have to fill everything out all over again. If I had needed to track my previous order with them, I would have had to call the 800# that is displayed all over the website, 9 to 5 PST, Monday thru Friday, or through email.
Furthermore, I found this decidedly disturbing blurb about In Stock status that I'd not come across prior to my purchase:
When will my order ship? Most orders ship the next business day. If an item is on backorder, you will be notified by e-mail after you place your order. If you need to know before your order ships if an item is in stock, just give us a call at 888-211-6603.
Hrrumph. If I'd seen this before I bought, I would have chosen to buy through Cooking.com, who has live inventory information online, and not through TableTools who doesn't. I do most of my shopping on a Saturday, and I choose to shop online so I don't have to use the phone.
As a veteran internet shopper, I take order history and online inventory status as a given. If you can't offer both, the chances of your getting my business are slim.
The Bottom Line, Clicks and All
I had a great experience with TableTools. I ordered a product that I wanted and received exactly what I ordered, lightening fast, in a flawless transaction. If the lack of order history and online inventory status doesn't bother you, order from TableTools.
Despite my flawless transaction, I don't believe that I will order from TableTools again, now that I realize they are not equipped to deal with the demands of a serious internet shopper. I want to know that something is in stock when I place the order and I want to be able to retrieve my order history at a later date. I certainly don't want to have to call somebody to find either of the two of those things out.
TableTools is bumped all the way down to three stars for me. Get some InternetTools, guys, and work your way back up! TableTools could be a reasonable alternative to Cooking.com in niche areas, but I'll be giving them a pass until they are serious about playing the online game.
