O.K. maybe I'm being anal. I ordered a rod kit from mudhole (this will be my last) and a week later I unbox and want to start building. First thing I notice is the rear grip is missing. So, assuming I misplaced it or threw it away with the packaging matl. I tear the house apart and spend an hour looking for it. Finally, assuming I pitched it by mistake, I call them to order another one. They tell me "oh ya those are back ordered and wont be in for 2 weeks". Why would you send someone an incomplete kit and not even make them aware that parts are missing? I'm a business owner and couldnt imagine doing that to a customer. Maybe its just me but I dont get it.

Might have been quicker just to look on the packing slip and see if they showed it as being shipped or backordered. There was a packing slip, wasn't there? If so then they did make you aware. You just didn't look.

Mudhole always indicates a back ordered item on their packing slip and also in their website on your account page.

Hello Scott -- Please contact directly at Mud Hole custom Tackle. Toll free number is 866-790-7637 and my direct extension is 114. I will resolve the issue for you.

Bob McKamey
Mud Hole Custom Tackle
bobm@mudhole.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/01/2013 11:26AM by Bob McKamey.

I have never had a problem with an order from them or their products that was not resolved by contacting them on the phone or by email.

Hello Scott,
First and foremost we certainly apologize for any issues or inconveniences. The missing item in question was a member of one of our Rod Building kits, our kits are entered as a single item in our system composed of individual members. One of the shortcomings in our system is that when one of those members of the kit is out of stock it does not notify the customer of the back order until the time of shipment. At that point we add a line item to the order which we refer to as a "Manual Back Order". As I manage the inventory system I personally make every attempt to ensure that our stock is available to fulfill our current demand. As I explained to the the staff member this morning regarding your situation this particular grip is a new addition to our product line and lacks any sales history which I in turn use to accurately forecast demand. As evidenced by your back-order, the reorder point for this particular item was set to low and his since been increased to try to accommodate the volume of orders.

Regarding the shipment of the kit without all of the components. While we certainly do not enjoy doing this, however it simply is the most economically feasible. I apologize again for your troubles, I can assure you that we make every effort to see that every customer is satisfied and regrettably it appears we did not meet your expectations. If there is anything I can do to help you achieve a satisfactory resolution I will be happy to do so, please do not hesitate to contact me directly via Email: brook@mudhole.com or through my extension: 102.

We sincerely appreciate your business as well as the support we receive from the entire rod building community.

Thanks & Kind Regards,

Kind Regards,

Brook Oliva
Mud Hole Custom Tackle, Inc.
brook@mudhole.com
(866)-790-RODS

Sorry about your troubles, but you can add me to the list of people who are more that satisfied with Mudhole.

Thanks for the replies. Problem solved through another vendor

Scott, wow you won't like my response but here goes...

You had a problem with a merchant and contacted them. The merchant responded providing you an explanation; They are out of stock and when your missing part comes in, they will ship it to you. If you don't like the answer, or how the answer was presented to you, then call them and tell them why you're unhappy and work out an acceptable resolution. The time to go public like you did, is when you can't get a resolution to a problem that is their fault and they are being unreasonable or unresponsive.

From a customer service standpoint, in this day and internet age, is it reasonable to expect a communication informing you of a back-ordered item prior to shipping? Yes.
Was their communication to you about the back-order an example of good business practice? Maybe, maybe not...
Did you ultimately find out what happened and get a shipping date of the back-ordered item? Yes.

You may not have liked what happened or the manner in which you found out the item was back-ordered, but the problem was resolved without much effort.

To me, writing a post like this in a public forum just makes me feel empathy for the merchant.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/01/2013 02:11PM by John E Powell.

wow! seems to me like they bent over backwards to fix your problem and that is what you give them.

I will be placing another order there this weekend as a matter of fact.

Thanks Mudhole for being a stand up company in my book.

Eric

I have owned several businesses (4 by the age of 36), and tend to count my losses with customers like Scott. Some patrons do not desire to be satisfied...try as you must.

I commend Mudhole for their communication and effort. What more could you ask of a company?

I have been more than satisfied with Mudhole through the years with both retail and wholesale orders. One of the best companies I have ever dealt with.

I deal with them all the time i love there ability to save my cart so I can add to get the most from the shipping
They even let me know when some thing is going to be back ordered
But they fix anything that went wrong
Yours may have just slipped thought the cracks hay stuff happens

Bill - willierods.com

Brook Oliva Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hello Scott,
> First and foremost we certainly apologize for any
> issues or inconveniences. The missing item in
> question was a member of one of our Rod Building
> kits, our kits are entered as a single item in our
> system composed of individual members. One of the
> shortcomings in our system is that when one of
> those members of the kit is out of stock it does
> not notify the customer of the back order until
> the time of shipment. At that point we add a line
> item to the order which we refer to as a "Manual
> Back Order". As I manage the inventory system I
> personally make every attempt to ensure that our
> stock is available to fulfill our current demand.
> As I explained to the the staff member this
> morning regarding your situation this particular
> grip is a new addition to our product line and
> lacks any sales history which I in turn use to
> accurately forecast demand. As evidenced by your
> back-order, the reorder point for this particular
> item was set to low and his since been increased
> to try to accommodate the volume of orders.
>
> Regarding the shipment of the kit without all of
> the components. While we certainly do not enjoy
> doing this, however it simply is the most
> economically feasible. I apologize again for your
> troubles, I can assure you that we make every
> effort to see that every customer is satisfied and
> regrettably it appears we did not meet your
> expectations. If there is anything I can do to
> help you achieve a satisfactory resolution I will
> be happy to do so, please do not hesitate to
> contact me directly via Email: brook@mudhole.com
> or through my extension: 102.
>
> We sincerely appreciate your business as well as
> the support we receive from the entire rod
> building community.
>
> Thanks & Kind Regards,

This response is thorough, professional, and sincere and an example of customer service that is becoming all too rare. I commend you for it and will certainly check with Mudhole the next time i need to order something. Thank you.

It has been said here before: The forum is not a place to complain about orders or service from companies. It can do a lot of unnecessary damage.

David Dosser
Coshocton, OH

maybe this post should be closed ??

Bill - willierods.com

Closed or not, I think this thread will do more good than harm for Mudhole. It is hard to frivolously harm a great company.

Very true !!!

Bill - willierods.com

Just to offer a different viewpoint. I do think it is best if a vendor tells you something is backordered and gives you the option of shipping what they can now, or holding the order until they can fill it in total.

I order a ton of stuff for work. It is depressing to see one order broke up into multiple shipments (with shipping and handeling added to each one) when you were originally quoted something different online.

This is not intended as a knock on Mudhole in any way. Just to say I can understand Scott's point. Even if I think posting it here wasn't the best way to handle it.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

I have a different take then Russ. I often place orders (with Mudhole and others) for many items that do not relate to one build and I want everything shipped that they can, especially do not hold for out of stock item arrivals.

Then call them and ask to be sure they have all you want to order ?????

Bill - willierods.com