Child Craft/Legacy hit by flood, damage delays shipments

[alandenisefields]

Hi folks: You may remember seeing the news about storm damage in Indiana over the past weekend. It appears crib maker Child Craft was hit hard by the storm; below, please find a statement from the company that was just emailed to us.

If you have ordered a Child Craft or Legacy crib, check with your retailer regarding delivery.

Alan & Denise Fields
authors, BABY BARGAINS

----
Statement from Child Craft


Dear Mr. & Mrs. Fields,

It has been brought to my attention that there are postings that are
beginning to appear on your web site questioning what has happened at Child
Craft. In the aftermath of our flood, it hadn't occurred to me to let you
know what had happened to us. We've been trying to communicate to our sales
reps and dealers and have just posted the news on our web site, so I'm
sorry that I didn't contact you sooner.

Last Thursday night a series of storms and tornados caused severe flooding
in Southern Indiana. The lower levels of our plant and offices were covered
by 3 to 6 feet of muddy water. The water has receded, but the mud remains.
Our phone systems have been knocked out and the only communication that we
have is our email for now. They are working on getting some phones up. We
are in the midst of a large scale clean up that will take a few weeks. We
lost a lot of inventory and parts and are trying to put a plan in place to
be able to let everyone know when we will be able to fill orders and answer
calls. It may be another week before we can do that. I want you to know
that we will fix this and be back as strong as ever. We are committed to
serving our customers and will begin doing so again as quickly as possible.
If you would please convey our intentions to your subscribers and readers
it would be greatly appreciated. Their loyalty, support and patience is the
most important thing right now.

Sincerely,
George Daleo
Vice President of Sales

---

Another update on the Child Craft situation (as of 7-7-04). Things are looking bleak:

http://www.kidstodayonline.com/kidsn...7-06-04e.shtml

Alan & Denise

[Alys the Cat]

Does anyone know of manufacturers with quick turnaround times? I ordered my Legacy crib in March and - according to the store I purchased it from - it was likely a casualty of the recent flood. (They're having no luck getting solid info from Legacy at this time.) While I know this is a horrible situation for the company, I'm due in mid July and it looks like I won't have my furniture in time. Is there a manufacturer who can deliver a crib, dresser and bookcase in a few weeks?
Any help/advice is appreciated!
Thanks,
Christine

[HallsofVA]

I don't know if you're near a buybuybaby or not, but the one by us keeps a lot of models in stock (cribs and case goods) and you can get items the same day.

[Play Pen]

What did you order? With 100 stores in our system, NINFRA can try to help you as we have been helping others because of this tradegy.

[Alys the Cat]

I live in southeast Florida, and - unfortunately - there are no Buy Buy Baby stores in our area.
We had ordered three Legacy pieces - a bookcase, a combi dresser and crib #16761 in natural. The bookcase and dresser are already in our retailer's warehouse, so only the crib is missing. Since I don't want a room of mismatched furniture, I need to either track down the same Legacy crib, or cancel the bookcase and dresser and then place a whole new order with another manufacturer.
Thanks again for your help!
C

[Play Pen]

We have 6 stores in Florida. Go to http://www.ninfra.com/store_locations.asp You may find the crib you need. Good luck.

[Alys the Cat]

Thanks, Philip. As it turns out, I placed my original order with one of your stores (Baby Love). They have not been able to get through to Legacy yet, but are hoping to have some news by Wednesday.
C

[swan01]

I went to Great Beginnings in Maryland on Saturday and they were selling all their floor models 20% off because they said they were temporarily going to stop carrying Legacy and ChildCraft. Unfortunately, my husband was out of town, or I would have probably would have bought something.

I went to Baby-2-Teen yesterday and asked if they were selling their floor models also. They said that they heard from Legacy on Saturday evening and that they are estimating that they lost about 30% of their stock (vs. the original estimate of 75%) and that their equipment is all running. They said that they will have a final list of items that will be slow to order tomorrow or Wednesday. SO, he said that it would be a HUGE mistake for them to sell their floor models and Legacy is currently back up to estimating 10 weeks for delivery.

Of course, they could just be trying to make a sale, so I am going to call them on Wednesday to make sure.

[california_sales_girl]

Sorry to be a cynical, but the chance of a factory calling a local retailer on Saturday night, just after they were devastated with flooding, is very slim. Childcraft/ Legacy was running 10-14 weeks for delivery before the disaster. How can they clean up the damage, resupply their lumberyard and start production, and manufacture and ship all their products in normal time?? It just doesn't seem realistic. We also sold our floor models off to cover past orders here in California. Floor space is valuable. We need it to sell goods, and manufacturers need to retain it to keep their products on the retail floors. Ultimately, it is the retailer you call up and scream at when your crib is not in, not the manufacturer that is delayed. Just be realistic in your expectations. Legacy is an excellent product. It's just hard to believe that they will be able to get up and running and ship all their products in 10 weeks.

[Alys the Cat]

I'm still trying to get ANY information on the status of the Legacy furniture order I placed in March. I think twelve weeks is a long time to wait for a crib - and that was before the flood hit the factory! Is anyone else in the same boat? Has anyone been able to get an authoritative answer regarding manufacturing and deliveries? My retailer claims to be in the dark.
Thanks,
C