My Warbonnet Experience

[Storytellertn]

So this is probably going to come across the same way. But I find it interesting that someone would purchase such a high end hammock from an obviously respected cottage vendor and in their very first post to this forum, describe a situation that very few on HF have experienced.

Warbonnet (Brandon) has a pretty loyal following on HF that he has earned by providing a high level of customer service as well as a quality product. I'm sorry your not in the "Pro Warbonnet" camp, you obviously feel that thru no fault of your own you have been disrespected as a customer and that you have the right to "sling mud" at Warbonnet for their failure to service you.

If you had a few more posts under your belt and had been a contributor to this community in the past, I might feel more inclined to commiserate with you. But the truth is, Brandon and Warbonnet have a much more substantial history around here. My experience with Brandon tells me that his company is customer focused and concerned about delivering quality products to its customers. Sometimes there are customers that no matter what you do, you will not be able to make happy. My gut tells me you may fall in this camp. If you feel I'm being unfair, I'm sorry.

Best of luck in choosing replacement products that you will be happy with. There are lots of high quality cottage vendors that forum members do business with. I hope you find one that meets your expectations.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Well stated. I have purchased from WB for the past four years with nothing but superb customer service, and continue to recommend their products.

[Storytellertn]

u

You should read the full post. Not only was I VERY willing to be a happy customer, I even made another 339.00 dollar purchase so they'd see I was willing to let them meet expectations but there was no communication. They gave me no options and I cancelled the order after they had decided not to communcate and just send the hammock back repaired without inquiry or notification or concern for my satisfaction. I even had an email requesting a communciation on the defects which never came. I was not contacted until i sent further emails.

I was very willing to see the first issue as a minor faux pas. They really didn't seem to care how I saw it. They were very indifferent. At least that's how I took the lack of communication.

Sorry to hear of your experience. I hope all ends well.

[TrailSlug]

So you had a bad experience. Let your wallet do the talking but I can tell you that you are in the minority when it comes to dealing with Warbonnet. There are many other hammock vendors out there so try another one and don't worry be happy.

[mcody]

I recently purchased from Warbonnet and asked them about a return. Their response and professionalism were all very customer service oriented. I'm sorry to hear that you had a negative experience but I think if you reach out to them and give them a chance to address your concerns, they will be willing to try to address any issues.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[68torino460]

I bought a ridge runner that was shipped in a fairly timely manner and arrived with several defects . Most of the defects were trivial issues of fit and finish (some kind of smudge on the webbing, untrimmed fabric remaining in a seem, scuffed up used looking spreader bars and somewhat sloppy stitching). None of these issues were severe enough to return the hammock they were just indicators of a lack of attention to detail that I found disappointing .

One issue did effect the performance of the hammock . The amsteel triangle at the head end had uneven legs (.6 inch off - obvious when hung) causing the hammock to hang at an angle. This is just such a easy mistake to keep from happening that it's hard not to feel disrespected as a consumer.

So I'm rearranging my day just because someone in a business is too cheap to reject an obvious defect! After getting the product back to warbonnet with an email and a note I expected some communication once they received it. My intent was to request a refund if they insisted on returning the original hammock , repaired or no. I had no faith in it after seeing all the slop. I really had no faith in their standards of quality or quality control at this point.

Warbonnet said nothing. I waited several days for some indication that they had examined it and what their take was. I only found out it had been shipped and was in my mailbox after emailing them that I was starting to feel disrespected.

You also have to understand that they never apologized or acted in the slightest as though they're incompetence had imposed on my family. I even placed another order for an underquilt while they were waiting for my defective hammock to arrive . I was hoping they would see a relationship worth respecting as ongoing.

I cancelled the underquilt order and returned the hammock (and a cloudburst tarp that had no defects) as I don't trust this company or it's standards. I am at least out 23 bucks to ship it back not to mention a bunch of wasted time at the post office.

After this experience I left two negative reviews on the warbonnet site. Neither review has been posted and it's been two days. This has me concerned that Warbonnets reviews on their site are only high due to censorship and that I bought their hammock based on a lie in the first place.

Please also understand that this is my experience, recently. I'm not saying warbonnet is incapable of good quality or good service. I'm saying that I didn't get either and that is my truth. I earnestly hope that in presenting this as my second post that I don't induce ostracism. I understand Warbonnet is very popular and have provided many with great outdoors experiences through their products. I am not contesting that.

I am very happy that this experience has led me to the opportunity to become proficient in making things for myself. That feels exciting and good.

I had a very similar experience. I won't buy new products from them again. I love their product but had a poor experience with the company itself. I had to pay what I considered quite a bit for overnight weekend shipping when they failed to meet their deadline over a week past due. They didn't even an offer to step up and make it right by covering the shipping. Not even an apology for not meeting the deadline. I run a small business and understand that the little things are what set you apart from the "big boys" - customer service & quality. I also know that one bad experience can overshadow 10 positive ones. Communication throughout the process was hit and miss. Sometimes great, and other times very poor. I would definitely categorize my experience as poor business practices.

[District Outdoors]

they failed to meet their deadline over a week past due.

Almost every cottage vendor, including Warbonnet, lists an approximate lead time on their websites rather than a hard set deadline. Things happen that are out of their control such as fabric suppliers not shipping on time, shipping delays for materials, someone sewing tarps or whatever gets sick and can't make it in, etc.. Sometimes you will get it within the time range, sometimes it will take a little longer. It is always best not to wait until the last minute when dealing with small vendors. I ordered a top quilt from another vendor over a month in advance and I ordered my WBBB XLC a month and a half prior to make sure they would both arrive before my last trip and I wouldn't be biting my nails wondering if they would arrive on time.

[massis]

One issue did effect the performance of the hammock . The amsteel triangle at the head end had uneven legs (.6 inch off - obvious when hung) causing the hammock to hang at an angle. This is just such a easy mistake to keep from happening that it's hard not to feel disrespected as a consumer.

So I'm rearranging my day just because someone in a business is too cheap to reject an obvious defect! After getting the product back to warbonnet with an email and a note I expected some communication once they received it. My intent was to request a refund if they insisted on returning the original hammock , repaired or no. I had no faith in it after seeing all the slop. I really had no faith in their standards of quality or quality control at this point.

Warbonnet said nothing. I waited several days for some indication that they had examined it and what their take was. I only found out it had been shipped and was in my mailbox after emailing them that I was starting to feel disrespected.

You also have to understand that they never apologized or acted in the slightest as though they're incompetence had imposed on my family. I even placed another order for an underquilt while they were waiting for my defective hammock to arrive . I was hoping they would see a relationship worth respecting as ongoing.

What appears to be missing from your story is Warbonnet's agreement to your return shipment? As I read it you just shipped the hammock back to them on your own, and sent them an email stating you had sent it back? If so: that is NOT the normal way to handle return shipments, and an ideal way to get your hammock misplaced or "somewhere in the system" for a long time without resolving your issues.

Always await confirmation from the vendor before shipping returns...

[hutzelbein]

I cancelled the underquilt order and returned the hammock (and a cloudburst tarp that had no defects) as I don't trust this company or it's standards.

So did they send back the old hammock? Did they fix it?

[keith]

Personally, I think you need to provide a detailed account of your customer experience: every e-mail.

Let's see the proof.

I agree totally Silvr,

Pictures of defects would have been the first thing I would do in this situation. Then contact vendor and work it before sending the unit back.

I find it hard to believe that a vendor that finds a flaw in his own work and recalls all of his hammocks to fix the flaw for free, to make sure all of his customers are happy and safe would not have gone all out to make sure you were happy with the product. As a mfg. Myself I know QC is not infallible, things do get out the door sometimes. When they do we do all we can to make it right. This is the only way small business owners stay in business. As of yet dealing with a half dozen vendors I have dealt with on this forum to find one that will not do what it takes to make their customers happy.

[dkurfiss]

I have delete a number of posts from this thread. They were either off topic, inflammatory, or just down right mean spirited.

Please remember that not everyone is going to have a good experience with every vendor and just because your experience was good there is no reason to revert to character assassinations, name calling, or plain old "pot stirring" because another person's experience did not match yours..good or bad.

Get it back on topic folks and keep it civil.