NukeMeSlowly
One of the Regulars
- Messages
- 129
- Location
- DC metro
[UPDATE - The Hat Company issued a 13 GBP refund this morning. That is all I asked for originally and still the only amount I was asking for via the PayPal dispute process. Consequently, I am closing the PayPal dispute with The Hat Company and now consider the matter at an end.]
I thought it would be helpful to relate my recent experience ordering a Christy Adventurer from The Hat Company.
I wanted a navy hat with a tall, straight crown and widish brim for just a little north of $100.
My first thought was an Akubra via Hats Direct but they only offer the Stylemaster in navy by special order and their navy is essentially black.
My next choice was a Christy Adventurer. I sent some inquiries about color, crown height, sizing, etc to Hornet Hats and The Hat Company. Having read here about the very blatant ribbon stitching on some Christys, I even asked about the possibility of having the stitching re-done before it was shipped. No one offered that service.
Since The Hat Company responded both quickly and completely to all my emailed questions, I opted to place my order with them. Among my specific requests, I asked for the hat to be delivered with an open crown.
I placed my order on January 15 and the hat arrived two days ago, so just about 3 1/2 weeks from start to finish. When I opened the box, I found that the hat had been shaped into a deep center crease with pronounced front dents. That was annoying but I was able to work it back out to an open crown with some effort. What really shocked me was the condition of the hat ribbon. There are fourteen tack stitches on the hat ribbon AND ALL FOURTEEN ARE LOOSE AND/OR HAVE THREADS HANGING OFF THEM. This is not an issue of aesthetics. This is obviously defective work, pure and simple. For good measure they threw in some loose threads and stitching on the sweatband too. Here are some photos to illustrate:
Now contrast that with the stitch work on the new ribbon Vince Corvelli recently put on my Akubra Squatter:
Assuming (now I not sure why) that the hat had been shipped directly from the factory, I was pissed at Christy. Not only had the person who stitched the ribbon done an obviously miserable job but at least one other person (whoever creased it into a center dent) had handled the hat and STILL they shipped it off.
I immediately sent an email to The Hat Company to inform them of the creased crown as a minor issue but the defective ribbon work as a major one. I stated my disbelief that anyone at Christy would allow the hat to leave their factory in that blatantly substandard condition. To cover my additional cost of having the ribbon stitching re-done locally, I requested that The Hat Company credit me back 13 GBP (~$20). I closed by stating that I was happy with their level of service and prompt email correspondence to date but that I was frustrated about having to have a new hat repaired before it had even been worn.
I did not receive a response until today. It was from The Hat Company's proprietor, Andy. Imagine my surprise when I read that the hat had not been mailed directly from the factory. It went to The Hat Company first. Andy had inspected the hat and then shipped it to me. In fact, it was Andy who creased it.
Why did he do that, despite my clear instructions to have it sent with an open crown? Because "it’s how I like to see them sorry I just can’t help myself (I know it was not how you requested it but as you’ve found out it’s easily pushed out." [Translation: Despite you paying for my product, I don't care about your needs. I do what I want. Deal with it.]
Why did he send the hat after seeing the clearly defective ribbon stitching?
"We sell very many Christy hats on a daily basis and have done for a lot of years I do not see the stitching as a problem and neither have our customers up until now. I will pass your comments and images on to Christy’s and forward on to you any reply." [Translation: There is no issue because I don't care and no one else has complained. What's your problem? I take no responsibility and pass the buck on to Christy.]
What about my request for a partial credit to pay for the ribbon repair?
"At the end of the day you have been supplied with a very fine product at an extremely competitive price" [Translation: Stop whining you ungrateful snot and be appreciative of our largesse. There will be no refunds.]
I fired back with a civil but frosty email decrying Andy's lack of professional ethics and integrity along with notice of a pending PayPal dispute and a detailed thread here on TFL describing my experience.
The irony (if that's the appropriate word) is that the Adventurer (shoddy ribbon work in my case notwithstanding) is a pretty nice hat for those looking for a tall & straight crowned, relatively inexpensive fur felt fedora in a range of standard colors that their nearest competitor, Akubra, does not offer even with a special order. I got a number of felt swatches (Red Wine is a winner!) along with my order and I will certainly be ordering more Adventurers in the future. Had The Hat Company simply stated that they screwed up, taken responsibility, and made some sort of effort to make amends, I would be ordering my hats from them.
Now, I would sooner go hatless than send them anymore of my money.
I thought it would be helpful to relate my recent experience ordering a Christy Adventurer from The Hat Company.
I wanted a navy hat with a tall, straight crown and widish brim for just a little north of $100.
My first thought was an Akubra via Hats Direct but they only offer the Stylemaster in navy by special order and their navy is essentially black.
My next choice was a Christy Adventurer. I sent some inquiries about color, crown height, sizing, etc to Hornet Hats and The Hat Company. Having read here about the very blatant ribbon stitching on some Christys, I even asked about the possibility of having the stitching re-done before it was shipped. No one offered that service.
Since The Hat Company responded both quickly and completely to all my emailed questions, I opted to place my order with them. Among my specific requests, I asked for the hat to be delivered with an open crown.
I placed my order on January 15 and the hat arrived two days ago, so just about 3 1/2 weeks from start to finish. When I opened the box, I found that the hat had been shaped into a deep center crease with pronounced front dents. That was annoying but I was able to work it back out to an open crown with some effort. What really shocked me was the condition of the hat ribbon. There are fourteen tack stitches on the hat ribbon AND ALL FOURTEEN ARE LOOSE AND/OR HAVE THREADS HANGING OFF THEM. This is not an issue of aesthetics. This is obviously defective work, pure and simple. For good measure they threw in some loose threads and stitching on the sweatband too. Here are some photos to illustrate:
Now contrast that with the stitch work on the new ribbon Vince Corvelli recently put on my Akubra Squatter:
Assuming (now I not sure why) that the hat had been shipped directly from the factory, I was pissed at Christy. Not only had the person who stitched the ribbon done an obviously miserable job but at least one other person (whoever creased it into a center dent) had handled the hat and STILL they shipped it off.
I immediately sent an email to The Hat Company to inform them of the creased crown as a minor issue but the defective ribbon work as a major one. I stated my disbelief that anyone at Christy would allow the hat to leave their factory in that blatantly substandard condition. To cover my additional cost of having the ribbon stitching re-done locally, I requested that The Hat Company credit me back 13 GBP (~$20). I closed by stating that I was happy with their level of service and prompt email correspondence to date but that I was frustrated about having to have a new hat repaired before it had even been worn.
I did not receive a response until today. It was from The Hat Company's proprietor, Andy. Imagine my surprise when I read that the hat had not been mailed directly from the factory. It went to The Hat Company first. Andy had inspected the hat and then shipped it to me. In fact, it was Andy who creased it.
Why did he do that, despite my clear instructions to have it sent with an open crown? Because "it’s how I like to see them sorry I just can’t help myself (I know it was not how you requested it but as you’ve found out it’s easily pushed out." [Translation: Despite you paying for my product, I don't care about your needs. I do what I want. Deal with it.]
Why did he send the hat after seeing the clearly defective ribbon stitching?
"We sell very many Christy hats on a daily basis and have done for a lot of years I do not see the stitching as a problem and neither have our customers up until now. I will pass your comments and images on to Christy’s and forward on to you any reply." [Translation: There is no issue because I don't care and no one else has complained. What's your problem? I take no responsibility and pass the buck on to Christy.]
What about my request for a partial credit to pay for the ribbon repair?
"At the end of the day you have been supplied with a very fine product at an extremely competitive price" [Translation: Stop whining you ungrateful snot and be appreciative of our largesse. There will be no refunds.]
I fired back with a civil but frosty email decrying Andy's lack of professional ethics and integrity along with notice of a pending PayPal dispute and a detailed thread here on TFL describing my experience.
The irony (if that's the appropriate word) is that the Adventurer (shoddy ribbon work in my case notwithstanding) is a pretty nice hat for those looking for a tall & straight crowned, relatively inexpensive fur felt fedora in a range of standard colors that their nearest competitor, Akubra, does not offer even with a special order. I got a number of felt swatches (Red Wine is a winner!) along with my order and I will certainly be ordering more Adventurers in the future. Had The Hat Company simply stated that they screwed up, taken responsibility, and made some sort of effort to make amends, I would be ordering my hats from them.
Now, I would sooner go hatless than send them anymore of my money.
