anyone ever order from Equestrian Collections?

[bayknight]

I placed an order with them back on 02/25 and I have not received an update of any kind. I logged into my account and their is no update of any kind. Why do they take this long to complete an order?

I only ordered gloves and a belt. Should I not have ordered from them?

Needless to say I am starting to get frustrated...

[Serah]

Thats really strange... I order from them all the time and have nothing but great things to say about them. Have you given them a call???

From my experience this is out of the norm, I use them quite frequently and find them to be prompt and accurate... I'm sorry you're not getting the same results...

[vxf111]

Order from them? Yes.

Received any communication? No.

Received the items I ordered? No.

I wouldn't hold your breath on your item, it probably wasn't available so they just cancelled your order without any communication. They seem to do that often. Do a search, many people have posted.

[Duskylove]

I also order from them alot and have never had a bad experience. I agree with the above poster, try giving them a call.

[Lucassb]

http://chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=184318&highlight=equestrian+collections

[SpicyMonarch]

I've ordered from them a few times before and don't really have anything bad to say. They could have been a little quicker with their shipment, but I have always gotten everything ordered.

[bayknight]

ugh...what I ordered was a new item for Spring from the Heritage Glove line, so they better have that item! ....:mad:

[syntheeya]

I have only had bad experiences from them. No commuication. Usually takes forever, if you even get what you order at all.

Yuck. :mad: I go anywhere else now.

[cobiemurphy]

Same experience for me.
Ordered a set of boots for my horse, never received them, never got a reply to my emails asking why it had happened.

[Renn/aissance]

Run away, Simba. Run away and never return. :no:

Sadly in my experience this is par for the course for this store.

[Two Black Cats]

I ordered a show shirt recently and it took nearly a month to arrive. when I called after a week and a half, I spoke with a very nice lady who said that she'd "check into it", took all of my contact info, and never called me back. They have a great website and some good deals, but customer service? Nosomuch.

[bort84]

Well, I've heard mixed reviews about them. I didn't have too much trouble with them when I ordered from them in the past, but shipping absolutely takes longer. They generally don't have things in stock but have to send for them from the original company. This makes shipping take a good bit longer than from a place like Dover or SLT.

Also, they sent me a crop in a box instead of a whip tube... It was broken. But if you call them, they were always pretty pleasant and willing to help and give information.

So maybe give them a call?

But, in general, unless the product is dirt cheap on their site and not elsewhere for some strange reason, I'd avoid them because of the shipping hassle/uncertainty.

[bayknight]

well I sent them an email yesterday and I received a response that my gloves would be coming in tomorrow as they had to wait 5 days for them to come in from CA. Well I said if they didn't come in I would cancel my order, and the next response I received ( just a few hours later) was that my order had shipped. I logged into my account and it stated that the order had shipped, so I guess I wait and see how this pans out...

[Wizard of Oz's]

I have ordered from them a handful of times, and while they do take a little longer than usual, I'm very happy with everything I've bought from them. I always order early if I know I'm ordering from them--I would never try to have something rush delivered if I was in desperate need of it. I'd just go to dover, though I have found that Equestrian collections usually has great sales.

[Holly Jeanne]

I wish I had searched COTH before I ordered from them. Item came quickly but didn't fit. I returned it immediately and got an e-mail notice of receipt that said it would take up to 30 days to receive my credit :eek: but it was vague about how I would be credited so I followed up on it. After two more e-mails, they confirmed that I would receive a credit on my credit card. Well, today is 30 days since I received confirmation of my return and still no credidt or anything else from them. My credit card payment is now due so I contacted the credit card company about it. :( They are now on my avoid at all costs list. :no:

[Portia]

I've given up on them too. With me, somehow they kept screwing up the shipping address. Every time, no matter that I entered it fresh every time, they left off the suite address when they shipped it -- which when you are delivering to a 52 story office building is kind of important. So the slow shipping was made even slower. Plus some other customer support and lack of communication problems as mentioned above. The products they sent were fine, though.

[rjg2a]

Hi everyone,
I just wanted to let you all know that I've forwarded this onto my friends at Equestrian Collections. I worked for them for about 2 years a few years back, and I can tell you, they all really care about their customers and are always working to improve their customer service.

Just to let you all know, they recognize that super fast shipping isn't their forte. Instead, they specialize in bringing a ton of variety that you can't find at other stores.

They're trying to rectify the shipping issue. They've started an Express Shopping section of the site, where they gaurantee that any items in that section will ship out same same if the order is placed by noon that day.

http://www.equestriancollections.com/express_shopping.asp

I really care about them and almost everyone who works there is a horse person. I know the company has made mistakes in the past and I'm not saying they're perfect. But I know them all personally, and they're good people. They answer the phone from 9-5 EST (877)872-4415 and are located outside of DC in Northern VA (Manassas).

Thanks for listening.

Kindly,
RJG

[Tha Ridge]

Had an issue too when I ordered a pair of boots and noticed that after a couple of days they hadn't shipped. I only ordered them from Equestrian Collections because it appeared they had them in stock, otherwise I'd have ordered from SmartPak.

Well, after not shipping I called them and only then did I discover that they don't actually have anything in stock, but rather have to order it. :no: I canceled my order right then and there and since SmartPak still didn't have the item, I ordered it from VTO and had it at my door three days later.

Even worse, the woman on the phone at Equestrian Collections basically blew me off and didn't care. I'm sorry, but variety still doesn't make up for treating your customers like crap. Equestrian Collections will never, ever, not in a million years get my business again - partially because of the customer service, and in large part because of their [edit] website.

[To My Surprize]

I ordered the supreme mountain horse boots from them in May and I got them in under a week, in great condition and they were great to deal with. They had to get up here to canada and there were no problems. I wouldnt have any probs ordering there again.

[Holly Jeanne]

31 days now after receiving an e-mail that they received my return and still no credit. Unacceptable! I won't take a chance again. Ironically, I ordered something else a day or two before from another company (not horsie - onlineshoes.com). I returned that item (fit again) and had a credit on my credit card two days later. I WILL order from onlineshoes.com again.

[Rbow]

Order from them? Yes.

Received any communication? No.

Received the items I ordered? No.

I wouldn't hold your breath on your item, it probably wasn't available so they just cancelled your order without any communication.

Ditto

[sarcam02]

Wow - surprised to see so many people have had past issues. In my experience they have been really great and customer service has been superb

[Across Sicily]

I recently ordered and was not amused.

Put in order for 2 pairs of jods in mid-May (the 14th or so). Only place that carried them that I could find on the Web. Fine. Needed them by 3rd of June. Figured, no problem, right? Get a call A WEEK LATER saying that my shipping address had an "error". What error? The wrong zip code error... well... the zip code was the correct zip code, but UPS "would not recognize it". Which I found very hard to figure out because I've had many things shipped UPS with that very same zip code, but whatever. Item ships a week+ later. It is now 29th May and I am starting to wonder where my package is. Very badly need by 3rd June for a horse show. June 1st, UPS knocks on my door while I'm in the bathroom, and where they usually just leave it by the door, apparently Equestrian Collections decided to ship it with a signature necessary (WHY?!?!?!?!) so no package for me that day. The following is UPS's fault - go down to UPS location to pick up package, they can't find it that night, say they will deliver next day. Next day, no package by 6pm, I call and they say they have held package for me to pick up but are CLOSED now so tough cookies. @#$@# Finally pick up the afternoon (after waiting for HOURS at UPS) on 3rd June and screech off to horse show, which although it didn't begin til the next day, I'd been planning on being there around 11am and it was a 3-4 hr drive.

Now. I don't know why Equestrian Collections decided to ship my order with signature confirmation; the jods weren't particularly expensive, and it was SUCH a HUGE hassle to get that package. HUGE! I would like to exchange them because they are much too long but I'm afraid to, lest I have to repeat this saga once again. And besides, I need the darn jods.

[rjg2a]

Hi everyone,
Yesterday, Equestrian Collections told me that they added a new feature. Now every time a customer service rep calls or emails someone about their order, it's logged in the customer's account under "Track Orders" so you can see if you've missed a call, or if the email went into spam.

I was the official "test pilot" and used it on an order I made. It worked nicely!

[Quinn]

This is a great example why I do business with EquusNow! The customer service is outstanding.

http://community.webshots.com/user/ballyduff

[gasrgoose]

Hi everyone,
Yesterday, Equestrian Collections told me that they added a new feature. Now every time a customer service rep calls or emails someone about their order, it's logged in the customer's account under "Track Orders" so you can see if you've missed a call, or if the email went into spam.

I was the official "test pilot" and used it on an order I made. It worked nicely!

I wonder if it will make a difference. Several people have stated that they placed an order and never heard back from the company. As never received any communication. If they don't call there is nothing to log. Sounds like a disfunctional company, that is trying to put a "system" in place to fix a lack of caring. I'll be suprised if they get things turned around.

But, you ordered from them and I doubt you are the only one still ordering. I guess there is nothing to loose if you are not in a hurry.

I'm curious though, RJG2A, knowing the problems why did you order from them? There are so many companies COTHers give high praise to, just curious

[Holly Jeanne]

I guess there is nothing to loose if you are not in a hurry.


Gotta disagree with you there. I'm still out the $$ I was supposed to receive as a credit on my charge card. 32 days and counting....

[superpony123]

unfortunately, they have similar issues to Dover (which i do believe everyone hear is fully aware of) and its too bad, because they have such a nice site and a wide variety. it seems to be very hit or miss with both stores, with a major lack of communication.

[TheHorseProblem]

I ordered some paddock boots and bell boots from them a few months ago. Maybe it's that I'm so used to the Amazon.com model of online purchasing, but it bugged me that I didn't hear back from them. I emailed a week later and got a quick response, that the bell boots were on back order but the paddock boots had shipped. When I finally got the bell boots (the PC ballistic ones) they were both right boots. They wanted me to send them back for an exchange--why not just send me the left boot? I elected to save myself the trouble and just keep the boots.

But the silence about the order was disconcerting, as many here have mentioned. On the other hand, I get emails from them daily with special offers on Ariat closeouts!

They might want to update their ordering software.

[rjg2a]

I wonder if it will make a difference. Several people have stated that they placed an order and never heard back from the company. As never received any communication. If they don't call there is nothing to log. Sounds like a disfunctional company, that is trying to put a "system" in place to fix a lack of caring. I'll be suprised if they get things turned around.

But, you ordered from them and I doubt you are the only one still ordering. I guess there is nothing to loose if you are not in a hurry.

I'm curious though, RJG2A, knowing the problems why did you order from them? There are so many companies COTHers give high praise to, just curious

Hi Gasrgoose,

I worked there for 2 years on the technical back end, handling data, product updates and working with customization applications that plugged into the existing software they use to run the site, so I never worked in customer service but I was in the same building and we were a pretty close group bunch.

The problem that they say is happening is that they ARE calling people, they ARE emailing them, but for some reason occasional customers aren't getting their messages. The Customer Service department has a very advanced tracking system that logs each "touch" to the customer. The problem they think is that emails aren't being received and messages aren't getting heard. Who knows why -- spam filters, blah blah blah. The idea is to give the customer access to the times that customer service has called/emailed them, so they can work to alleviate the "No one called me" issue.

No, they aren't the fastest to ship and have had some other problems. I'm not saying they're perfect. But they're working on being a better company every day. They are not trying to 'put a "system" in place to fix a lack of caring', they are trying to put to use their technological firepower to give customers a better experience and address their needs. Like every company out there does.

Despite a poor reputation here, they're also very successful and have a lot of return customers, some people that have over 50 orders with Equestrian Collections! They're the #1 Mountain Horse retailer in the US. Equestrian Collections evolved out of the 1824 clothing line which pioneered plus size riding apparel. I'm not saying they deserve a trophy but there are a lot of satisified people out there, or the company wouldn't still be in business. 1824 was founded in 1994. That's 15 years in business. They also ship internationally and have a large following there as well.

That's all I got guys. I probably shouldn't even be opening my big ol' yap since I'm not "official", but I put a ton of effort into the company and I know that there are many happy customers out there. I'm a pretty loyal person, and after years of reading this board, I thought it might be time to stick up for a company that gave me a lot.

If any of you guys want to come say hi to me at Loudoun this weekend and talk about any of this, I'd be happy to. I'll be wrestling a yearling in the VPBA Futurity and I have another one showing that day but otherwise introduce yourself.

Thank you for reading,
b

[gasrgoose]

Thanks for the answer. Maybe they will get things turned around. But it is a tough economic time to be fighting a not so stellar reputation and apparently some technological problems as well. I have nothing personal against them, there just are several other huge vendors with great reputations. Good for you to stick up for your friends and former employer.

Good luck at your show this weekend. My daughter is showing in Conyers, GA. She is having a blast, but no blue ribbons yet.

[rjg2a]

Thanks for helping me express myself better, Gasrgoose. I have to admit that I'm fairly terrified of the Chronicle boards (although I love them to pieces and don't know what I'd do without them) after years of lurking and very few posts and I appreciate your kindness.

Outside of here, the company is really pretty well liked. They know that people are very used to the Amazon way of doing things, and that's a tough scenario. Outside of the Express Shopping, Chris (the owner) told me that in the pipeline is an automated system that will calculate the shipping time on each item, in the event it isn't in stock. So that's a turn in the right direction as well as far as managing customer expectations.

The other thing that Equestrian Collections does really well is bring variety. They offer all of the size and color options from vendors. So that means if you really want a Centaur sheet in one of their seasonal plaids that matches your barn colors, but you can't find it at most places, you'll at least be able to find it at Equestrian Collections. And this is a message that they haven't been good at trumpeting in the past. Does it make up for 2 right footed bell boots? Absolutely not.

[TheHorseProblem]

The other thing that Equestrian Collections does really well is bring variety. They offer all of the size and color options from vendors. So that means if you really want a Centaur sheet in one of their seasonal plaids that matches your barn colors, but you can't find it at most places, you'll at least be able to find it at Equestrian Collections. And this is a message that they haven't been good at trumpeting in the past. Does it make up for 2 right footed bell boots? Absolutely not.

That is true. I have a really difficult time finding breeches that fit me. There are always three feet of 30R, and four inches of 34L on the racks. So I often will try on the 34R and then order the longs online. I have ordered breeches from EC before, and I probably will again.

The horse I bought the bell boots for is lame again, maybe because he has two *left* feet.

[atouchofclass]

I really love EC. I look at them more as a shopping service. Now where else can I see just about everything that is available from so many companies. Most sites have a little of this and a little of that.. never the whole collection or related items that co-ordinate with the item I am looking for. So the extra day or so for shipping does not bother me. It is a trade-off that is worth the slight wait.

[TheHorseProblem]

I have a new beef with them:

I have tried repeatedly to unsubscribe to their daily barrage of emails. Nothing works! Argh!

[Renn/aissance]

The problem that they say is happening is that they ARE calling people, they ARE emailing them, but for some reason occasional customers aren't getting their messages. The Customer Service department has a very advanced tracking system that logs each "touch" to the customer. The problem they think is that emails aren't being received and messages aren't getting heard. Who knows why -- spam filters, blah blah blah. The idea is to give the customer access to the times that customer service has called/emailed them, so they can work to alleviate the "No one called me" issue.

With all respect, that sounds like a load of manure to me. If it were only "occasional" customers not getting their messages, their e-mails, their whatever, this company would not have such a wretched reputation for customer "service" that just doesn't care. It is not that hard to get your e-mail into someone's inbox, instead of their spam folder. If they can't handle that, clearly they need to hire a teenager. Or they need to start being honest about their communication problems, which seem to be more on the human than the technologic end.

I am hopeful that Equestrian Collections will turn something around because I remember when the company was 1824 and sold products that no one else did. The website does show a great variety. It would help if they had in stock products that they advertised on their website--some of which have been discontinued by manufacturer for 2 years. On the other hand, I will not be ordering from them until I hear more good than bad about their ability to get a product from warehouse to front door in a reasonable amount of time. Until then I am sticking with online places like Smartpak and my local saddlery.

[onelanerode]

I've ordered from them once before and while it took some time to get my items, I don't remember having any problems with the order itself.

I placed another order with them a week ago, and as of a few minutes ago it had not yet shipped. I do appreciate the wide variety of stuff they have and the prices, and that's the reason they got my order this time—I wanted two items that were really tough to find at all, and they had both. No one else had all the stuff I needed, and doing it piecemeal makes for some really high shipping costs. :no:

Hopefully it'll show up in the next week or so and everything will be correct. If not, they'll get lumped in with Dover, and I won't do business with them again unless it's something I can't find anywhere else (and that's pretty darn rare).

[Omaha]

After calling and asking some questions about an item, I placed an order with them 6/14, which I figured would be early enough to get my items before 6/30. I received an email two days later saying one of the items was sold out. No big deal, I had them substitute another item. Didn't hear anything else from them, so I thought I was good to go - sent them an email on the 23rd asking "when will my stuff ship?" and they said they were waiting on the substituted item. Well, after seeing that my order status still showed "not shipped" online, I called this morning, 12 days after I placed my order, and apparently the items I wanted are discontinued so I'm SOL.

The question I have is whether they were ever going to tell me this, or would I have been waiting forever for these items? Shouldn't the rep that I talked to before I placed the order have been able to tell me that the item was out of stock and couldn't be ordered? It's frustrating to wait so long, only to be told "sorry, sold out."

[seeuatx]

2 Bad experiences.

Placed order for a ratcatcher in early 1/07. Nothing special, just plain old shirt. No confirmation, no calls, no emails. NO answer to my emails. FINALLY received shirt in late MARCH.

I thought it might have been a fluke, so I went to order half chaps from them in August 07 (actually hubby did as they were for my B-Day... he was on the ball ordering 3 weeks before). Bday came and went with no reply to his barrage of emails. He finally gave up, ordered from Dover (after having to spill the beans on what my b-day present was to be... poor hubby was trying to surprise me with a "see, I do listen to the horsey talk" present) half chaps came 3 days later. Tried to cancel order from EC... No response at all. October of 07 I get a package with a pair of half chaps from EC. It's ridiculous.... will NEVER order from them again.

[Guin]

I've never ordered from them, and clearly am never going to, after hearing these stories! :eek: I'll stick with Victory Canter and VTO, thanks anyway.

[Renn/aissance]

The question I have is whether they were ever going to tell me this, or would I have been waiting forever for these items?

I ordered with them twice (gave them benefit of doubt the first time) and this happened to me both times. Based on my experience, you may not have heard from them at all. I had to hound them a bit via phone and e-mail to figure out where the heck my horse's blanket was.

[reefy!]

When they first became Equestrian Collections, they had a 'look at our website, enter to win a gift certificate' type deal. So I looked, I entered, I won!

IIRC, it was a $100 gift certificate (I never win anything like that so I was excited!!) and I picked out a new show shirt in a pale yellow color. I received it and it was a little too small so I sent it back to exchange it for the right size and waited. And waited. And waited some more. I waited several weeks and finally called them only to be told that shirt, in that color, in that size was on backorder. Okay, I could wait. A month or so later I called again and the shirt was now out of stock and was not going to be backordered. But they never contacted me. So I got my credit and tried ordering a blanket instead. Same story, waited and waited and waited and finally called. That, too, was out of stock and no one bothered to tell me.

I told them to keep their gift certificate and invest it in their customer service! Needless to say, I have never ordered from them again.