Christmas hat disappointment

[Matt Deckard]

Matt...Indycop and I were discussing this very subject earlier today. Hatco may be more interested in their cowboy line, thus leaving the dress hats to fall by the wayside. Then again...their cowboy line isn't exactly up to standards either. They have every opportunity (by reading sites like ours and others) to get the pulse on what they're doing right and what needs to be done. I think they honestly don't care...and this shows in everything they do. At a time when businesses are closing left and right...they have study groups commenting on a daily basis (us) about the hats they would like to see and buy.
Many of us have been waiting for the Nostalgia to come out, and the mixed reviews are plentiful. There are also hat stores still waiting to receive their stock of these hats. Just like better gun manufacturers have "custom" shops, maybe they could offer something similar. I've read many a thread that discusses the need for the Whippet, Stratoliner and other classics be reproduced. The problem would be that even if they were able to make these hats, the quality would not be there. Just look at their catalog...you'll see endless variations of the same hat...and very little else.
Ok...I'm sorry if I've droned on about this subject, but we need these old companies to find that touch of quality again.

Well I think the start of getting them to get a better bead on what's going on is to start a thread titled "Bring back the Whippet. I have a few and I'm sure other's here have a few as well... It's one of those hats that just had a great crown and brim proportion. If they were boots they would have more to work with yet hatting today seems to be a game for the custom shop when it comes to fur felt. Stetson needs to cut back on their models and focus on a few that are open crowned and made to a higher standard.... I wrote a long letter to them a few years back before I talked to them over the phone... I was pretty much trying to show them how Akubra was grabbing the Indiana Jones hat market by making a more screen accurate product while they argued that they used to have the license to sell Indy hats... Doesn't mean much to me if the hat looks like something else. Anywho... even though they are a new company and only Stetson in name, I think they should work on their history and roots when it comes to dress hats and make a Whippet like a whippet... even if the felt wont be near as good, they can make a hat with the same dimensions and trimmings.

 

[Colby Jack]

Matt...you nailed it!:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap The thing is...they need to start listening, and then actually apply some effort in putting out a fine dress hat.

 

[carldelo]

This is my point

I don't believe we need to toss Hatco and the Stetson line under the bus with Hats-Plus based on this incident.

Thanks Carter, the point was not that the hat was a defective Stetson, but that a defective hat made it to a customer. As I said in my OP, I have 4 very nice Stetsons, 3 modern, so they do make a quality product. I think the point is to frequent retailers that take the time to inspect their product in order to protect their own interests as well as guarantee customer satisfaction. In practice, it's much more important for an online retailer to inspect their product, as the customer is not physically able to do it himself before the purchase. Failure to do so results in unnecessary shipping and return expenses as in this case.

If Bencraft ever gets their delayed shipment of the Stetson Nostalgia, I'll be over there post-haste to look them over in person, and fully expect to see a high-quality item. If the Nostalgia looks funny on me (a distinct possibility), or suffers from the middling quality issues mentioned by Matt, I'll probably opt for a gray Ashland if they have one in my size. At least I'll be able to look it over before buying it.

 

[HamletJSD]

How's that for customer service ...

Ridiculous, honestly, but since politics are a no-no here on the Lounge I will not elaborate.

 

[Wolfwood]

Ridiculous, honestly, but since politics are a no-no here on the Lounge I will not elaborate.

Well, I admit that the increased prices of everything is a definite downside of the system. But, the system is designed to protect the weak and is not going to chance very soon...

 

[HamletJSD]

And I don't mean to insinuate that your system needs to change... if it works for you, more power to you!
I responded thinking on the psuedo-intellectuals that surround me. I get bombarded with their absurd idea that everyhing Europian is automatically superior to the "American way," and that we should "obviously" be emulating it over here.
My remark was in haste and not directed at you or anyone here at the Lounge...

- Jacob

 

[Mr. Paladin]

I don't believe we need to toss Hatco and the Stetson line under the bus with Hats-Plus based on this incident.

I agreed completely with carter and with carldelo's last post; I believe Hatco has improved its quality recently and doesn't need to be "bashed" for this incident.

As does carldelo, I also have several really nice recent modern Stetsons that give great service (and none of them are westerns currently, but that may soon change). Few products have the same care/quality/handwork applied to them now as compared to fifty+ years ago and while consumers can and should expect functional durability, style, and looks from a modern product, the handwork of master craftsmen exists rarely anymore unless a custom product is ordered from makers like Mr. Fawcett, tonyb, Major Moore, and several others who frequent this forum (or as Colby Jack mentioned at the Colt Custom Shop and I recently saw some horrible work from them)!

In fifty years, when folks are wearing their modern "recycled cardboard greenware" hats because felt is outlawed as banned animal material in the new Green World, they will all bemoan the loss of the production hats that are rolling off the lines today.

 

[carldelo]

Closure

In order to remove the bad taste of my Christmas hat purchase disappointment, I went by Bencraft last Wed. and picked up a replacement Stetson Ashland in caribou. It's a discontinued hat and I got the last one in my size. Full price, it was a little dusty and I wish it had the nice brown sweatband, but hey, stores need to make money too, right? Anyway, I have now officially put this episode behind me thanks to a little retail therapy. Cheers, Carl