Be careful when looking through furniture stores and manufacturers in Bali. Having an item made for you whilst visiting or after you have left with the purpose of importing it into your home country can prove a VERY costly mistake.
One such business that is wise to avoid like the plague is AB Woodworks on Jl Sunset Rd in Seminyak owned and run by Mr Peter Sardelis (expat Aussie).
Being a regular visitor to Bali (twice annually), we visited again in March this year (2014) and made the purchase of a lovely piece of wall art that cost us Rp2.5m but only after being sweet talked to by Mr Sardelis who informed us it would cost approximately AU$160 (Rp1.6m) to have it shipped from Bali (as part of a group container) to Melbourne Australia where import and customs costs would be around the AU$120 mark.
We also wanted a cabinet made to suit our purposes (Quoted approximately Rp2.2m) and decided to wait until this was made before shipping both items together. All seemed nice and easy, especially when greased up with the smooth talk from Mr Sardelis.
We returned home and I immediately set about doing up technical drawings of the cabinet we wanted. I sent these off to Mr Sardelis at AB Woodworks along with photographs of other items we had and wanted the timber matched to.
I requested a photo back of what the timber would look like prior to the commencement of production. I hear nothing back. This silence goes on for a couple of months where I start to get quite annoyed at his sudden silence. I then receive an email back from him berating me for being rude. I think he forgot I was the customer, I had already paid him for the wall art panel (which he still had), and I was 4500 kms away. I wrote back again, asking to be just kept upto date with what was happening. To which I received the curt response of "If there's something to let you know... I'll let you know"!
By now we are getting into 2-2.5months after returning and suddenly I am informed that the item is in production and should be ready soon! What happened to my photo of the timber to be matched? Not sure, but anyway we progressed..
To cut a really long (and painful from my perspective) story, we were finally advised it was ready and in his premises (cabinet was made in Java)... Did I want it? He actually sent a couple of photos and it seemed what we wanted (it was unstained). We decided to proceed.
I wrote back and asked for the final price and banking details. A week or so later I received a photo of a scrappily written note on a piece of paper quoting me Rp6.2m. Suddenly my shipping from Bali had risen from "about" Rp1.6m to R4m!! Anyway, we paid and proceeded with the transaction.
Not having imported anything from overseas like this before I had explained this to Mr Sardelis who was VERY helpful when I was there, but 4500kms away was the most distant and unhelpful tyrant I've ever met. I asked for guidance on what I should do from here or what to expect when the shipment arrived. Once again I received silence. Not an email or anything and this was the case throughout this now very drawn out saga.
I finally cracked it and demanded he let me know what was happening... It too 3 emails to elicit a response, which was also most unhelpful. "Your products got sent to cargo a while ago..I told my manager to follow up yesterday.. When I get in today I will ask her.." 4 days later I have to email him again to ask what's happening to which he was most rude.
I let it go in the vain hope it might be on the water and it would arrive shortly. It finally did (5 months after ordering and countless emails from me and a small handful from Mr Sardelis), and the only way I knew anything about it was from the customs agent informing me my shipment was arriving in 10 days. They also explained all of the original documentation I would require to actually receive the goods, along with an initial invoice for their services of nearly AU$400 and a supplementary quote for the goods to then pass through customs etc of another AU$500-$600.
Do you think I had received any of these original shipping documents? Do you think Mr Sardelis would assist any further with the documents being sent to me? NO!
It finally took an email to the original shipping company to request them or alternatively I would abandon the goods, thus making them responsible for any shipping and arrival costs, then storage costs etc on top of that... They sent them DHL the next day. I then find that the goods have been overvalued at Mr Sardelis' end and I am now subject to GST plus 5% on top of everything!!!
Anyway, I finally have my goods, albeit expensive and the cabinet stained in a darker colour than originally sighted, (thank god for Diggers paint stripper), but I have them and I have an experience also... One I wish NEVER to repeat, particularly with Mr Peter Sardelis of AB Woodworks on Jl Sunset Road Seminyak!
Just a word of warning to those who think that buying furniture or larger items in Bali will save you a fortune... All that glitters is not gold!!