Dear all,
We were uncertain about replying on here, and unsure whether companies are allowed to post; therefore we'd just state the following:
- We will try to address issues on the forum but can't comment openly on orders but just on general service related queries.
As will become clear below- we need to concentrate on our service and not spread too thinly to responding on forums. We have a Facebook page, email, blog and phone where you can ask questions about orders.
*Please also use live chat online to communicate with the company on our homepage at
>> Proviation Pilot Shop - Leading Flight Equipment, Pilot Supplies, Aircraft Equipment, Aviation Headsets *
- We want to re-assure, and defend the company. It's a young company, built on sound values, and since Pprune is big- it seems prudent to at least say "hello- here we are". Threads such as this can be incredibly damaging, especially to small companies (which we are not ashamed to be).
We have ventured into offering products not previously available in the UK. We learnt from the US and Canada where pilots are treated to a much larger range. We saw some great products to make available in the UK. We are proud to be an Aircraft Spruce approved distributor- and Sportys- where we meet all their requirements.
We hold good stocks of all day-to-day pilot essentials. We only hold a smaller stock of new products. If we need to order more, we always email our customers to let them know.
We perform 'special-orders' for some products; especially aircraft parts. We promulgate the despatch times in-store and by email immediately having received an order.
We have been approved to sell ALL items in our store- either by approved dealership direct with manufacturer, or through one of their distributors. You will ALWAYS have full manufacturer back-up insofar as Warranty and ALL warranty matters are handled IN-HOUSE. We will also arrange free collect & repair on ANY item which develops a fault.
If anyone has ever been left without information- we apologise. There's nothing worse than being in the dark. We are working to improve this with addition of customer service staff.
About the business:
We're over 5 years old. We date back to 1999 in aviation consultancy. We're a family-run business. We have a good supply chain. We hold more and more stock all the time. We're lean, and efficient. We aim to survive in a difficult market.
We are well funded, and have a super customer base whom we respect enourmously. We have served over 20,000 customers worldwide.
We don't spam our customers. We price match. We price check. We offer longer warranties on most products. We offer a free return service. We collect and repair faulty items. We have a very, very broad supply chain- if you need a product we don't sell, we can find it and supply.
Areas we can improve on:
We have repaired our email which was being subverted by problems with 1&1 and spam filters. A lot of messages weren't coming through.
We need to be more realistic- some specialist items like wing stands were made from scratch. Our store only lets us show a 14 day max wait. We have asked the developers to fix this. In the meantime we email about wait times.
Some customers posting on here ordered items manufactured-to-order. We were not realistic about the delivery times and we apologise sincerely.
Most common products are in stock at all times. We have tested the market and did find a number of cases where our competitors couldn't deliver but didn't communicate this. We were hoping to ensure we never did the same.
We have at least 4 people to answer phone calls at all times. A substantial investment in this service to ensure no call is unanswered.
We are delighted to be part of the UK and European aviation scene. We are run by pilots - and post on here in our other guises as aviation geeks. Our management comes from the world of airline and business aviation and airline quality management. We also have a vested interest in air safety and have a background in air safety investigation and research.
'Proviation' comes from 'Professional-Aviation' - an aim to bring professionalism to all aspects of flight- including private flight, to make the skies safer. We started to sell pilot supplies seeing a gap in the market for new products.
Going forward:
We took on call staff (as above) and opened a second small warehouse in the south East. We have a superb supply chain backed by the largest suppliers in the business. We are becoming main dealers on more and more lines and we are investing in bringing new products to market, especially for the iPad.
We hope to give you a good service everytime you come into contact with us- so look forward to speaking to you.
Sincerely, we hope this post serves to communicate the business in the best way possible, and that it is well-received.
Best wishes.
Update as of July 2013: New online chat service is a sure-fire way to leave a message or get an instant response if you need to query an order.
Shortly there will be a dedicated phone number solely for customers who've already ordered.