Spinoff: Reminder to all that Smartpak has been bought out.

[vxf111]

I actually live in NJ, profile info notwithstanding

[akor]

I remain reminded a bit of the "parable" of the frog in the pot of boiling water.

Based primarily on what I do for a living, I was quite suspect of what would "come down" from the merger/combination, etc. So far, I give them credit for going with the let the frog slowly boil to death in the pot as the water is heated.

First, they don't carry sore no more. EVERYONE ELSE stocks Sore no More. There HAS to be a link between what they replaced it with and the parent company.

Second, the really fun videos from them to make them seem very "down to earth." When has the last one come out?

Third, price increases. One can understand the need to increase prices, and in if they were still "just smartpak" I would just move on...but, bigger companies have bigger staffs of MBAs such as myself that have to justify their existence. As it is, my radar is up.

As of now, I still rate them A+ on customer service. Likely because the A+ employees are still there. It will take time, but smartpak not changing is somewhat like gravity going away. "tis the way of the world though, and suspect my spending choices and patterns help get us here.

[CindyCRNA]

I love Sarah in the Smartpak videos!

[keysfins]

They should, but IME Dover is extremely NOT ORGANIZED when it comes to sales tax. When they began their expansion outside of MA I don't think they ever got a computer system that could handle it-- they just started opening branches without addressing it.

If you buy something in a sales tax state (say, MA) and return it in a non-sales tax state (say DE) they don't give you the tax back on the return. I am not a tax expert but I worked retail for a BIG company and we were told you HAD to give back the original tax or else it was actually illegal. I run into this issue every time I order only (sale to NJ) and return something (my closest/easiest store to get to in in DE).

We have a local Dover where I am in Colorado. The online entity is actually separate from the brick-and-mortar stores. At least that's what one of the sales assistant told me when I was trying to get something that the store did not have in stock, and wanted to order from the (sales) catalog.

I am going to be in the local area of the SmartPak store. Anything I should expect there, or look forward to? Sales that aren't in the catalogs?

[vxf111]

We have a local Dover where I am in Colorado. The online entity is actually separate from the brick-and-mortar stores. At least that's what one of the sales assistant told me when I was trying to get something that the store did not have in stock, and wanted to order from the (sales) catalog.

I am going to be in the local area of the SmartPak store. Anything I should expect there, or look forward to? Sales that aren't in the catalogs?

I don't think they can both say they're separate entities and process each other's returns while retaining the tax.

[AKB]

I used to love Smartpak. My horse vitamins, senior supplements, Prascend and anything else I needed arrived on schedule. Since pharmaceuticals were discontinued. I have been at a loss. I need to buy the pharmaceuticals elsewhere and don't want to deal with lots of companies. Therefore, I discontinued my Smartpak supplements, and will buy supplements where I buy Prascend. I tried to order a Charles Owen helmet last month and was told SmartPak doesn't carry my size (7 5/8)and won't order it. That is it. Smartpak is no longer my preferred online store.

[trubandloki]

Thank you Smartpak for your very well worded response!

She did really, really push getting them in smartpaks, but I held my ground. With 3 boarded horses, it was over my budget and I don't mind making up my own "smartpaks" lol.

Did you check your actual supplement, some are actually cheaper per serving in smartpaks than they are in a bucket.

[Sandy M]

Thanks for the kind words! I consider myself lucky to serve such a fantastic audience, so it's a win all around :-)

I don't see any response to the price increases. I know prices on EVERYTHING go up, but I've received NO (repeat NO) notice of the price increase, just a higher charge on my credit card and no explanation. I'm probably going to be cancelling, once I've check out stuff locally. I always used to "do it myself" and it won't be that much hardship to return to that policy.

[roamingnome]

I tried to order a Charles Owen helmet last month and was told SmartPak doesn't carry my size (7 5/8)and won't order it. That is it. Smartpak is no longer my preferred online store.

Was it by chance the wide-brimmed CO helmet? I ordered one from them, but it was too small. Returned and wanted the next size up- 'no can do'. They said they couldn't order it either. Turns out, the size I got was the largest made 7 3/8 I believe, so in my case, they couldn't order it even if they wanted to.

[SmartPaker Sarah]

Hey COTHers,

Sorry for the radio silence! Holiday is always a busy time around here, but I've been keeping up with the conversation and want to thank you all for sharing your thoughts and experiences. I know there are a couple open questions, so let me get right to it:

First, they don't carry sore no more. EVERYONE ELSE stocks Sore no More. There HAS to be a link between what they replaced it with and the parent company.

Our friends at Henry Schein leave 100% of product decisions and selections up to us, and we trust our Merchandising team to make sure we have everything you need to keep your horses happy & healthy. We think Sore No More is a great product, but unfortunately there was a change in the way the product was distributed to us and we are working hard to get that fixed. I just spoke to our Merch team this morning and they said you can look for it on our site soon!

Second, the really fun videos from them to make them seem very "down to earth." When has the last one come out?

Today! I should know https://youtu.be/Ov_GTuKBKog (And as proof that we didn't just post it in response to this thread, here's the previous one from two weeks ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWpS-Sfhut8)

I am going to be in the local area of the SmartPak store. Anything I should expect there, or look forward to? Sales that aren't in the catalogs?

Thanks for asking! Our Retail Store does have an awesome Clearance section that's totally separate from the products listed on our website. You can find the address, hours, and more here: https://www.smartpakequine.com/content/store

I tried to order a Charles Owen helmet last month and was told SmartPak doesn't carry my size (7 5/8)and won't order it. That is it. Smartpak is no longer my preferred online store.

I'm really sorry to hear about this disappointing experience, and I can certainly understand your frustration. We used to offer special orders for every manufacturer and distributor we worked with, but over the years our Customer Care and Merchandising teams found they were investing a lot of time and energy investigating orders that rarely ended up getting placed. It proved to be a very expensive service that resulted in very few orders. In an effort to keep costs down (so we could in turn keep prices as low as possible), we stopped offering special orders altogether a few years ago. All that said, I do think that accommodating customer requests is absolutely in keeping with our unrelenting focus on customer service, so I'll be revisiting this decision with our team to see if we can't find a compromise that works for everyone. Thank you for raising the point.

I don't see any response to the price increases. I know prices on EVERYTHING go up, but I've received NO (repeat NO) notice of the price increase, just a higher charge on my credit card and no explanation. I'm probably going to be cancelling, once I've check out stuff locally. I always used to "do it myself" and it won't be that much hardship to return to that policy.

I'm so sorry to hear this! We send price increase notifications by email as our first option, and resort to mailed letters only if we don't have a valid email address on file (or if our emails have been blocked or marked as SPAM). Both emails and letters went out last week, so it's possible your letter is still on its way to you. However, price changes aren't going into effect until 12/28, so you shouldn't have seen any change yet. If you'd be willing to call 1-800-461-8898 or email CustomerCare@SmartPak.com, I'd love to have our team look into your account details to see what's going on.

Last but not least, thanks again to all the folks chiming in with their positive SmartPak experiences. While the constructive and critical feedback definitely help us get smarter, the positive comments are akin to the spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down

[trubandloki]

We used to offer special orders for every manufacturer and distributor we worked with, but over the years our Customer Care and Merchandising teams found they were investing a lot of time and energy investigating orders that rarely ended up getting placed. It proved to be a very expensive service that resulted in very few orders. In an effort to keep costs down (so we could in turn keep prices as low as possible), we stopped offering special orders altogether a few years ago. All that said, I do think that accommodating customer requests is absolutely in keeping with our unrelenting focus on customer service, so I'll be revisiting this decision with our team to see if we can't find a compromise that works for everyone. Thank you for raising the point.

All I am going to say on this is I totally get why you stopped offering this service but I have been thankful you did offer it (in the past) more than once. You very nicely found me and let me order a product I wanted/needed.

[kch7238]

[QUOTE=Tiffani B;8427803]So one bad experience and you're done? That seems a bit harsh.

Tiffani, I would have been upset if I ordered over $80 worth of products and never received them from any company. They don't get a pass because they are SmartPak.

UPDATE: I was contacted by SmartPak and they are refunding me for the supplements I never received. I didn't expect that, but I truly appreciate it and will happily return as a customer. I have to say that they couldn't have been nicer or more helpful.

[downen]

I will never EVER give SmartPak another cent of mine and here is why:

I have a 21 year old 12.2 Welsh pony whom I've owned since the age of 8. Since he's been cresty with fat deposits on his buttocks since I got him, I've managed him carefully. As his age increased and I thought he was getting crestier, I put him on SmarkPak's IR supplement, I believe it was called SmartIR or something. Doesn't look like they carry the same thing any more. Anyway, it was touted to help control blood sugars, help prevent laminitis, blah blah. I believe they as much as guaranteed it. So in addition to being super careful with his diet, I threw away my money on that stupid supplement. At about age 18, he finally tipped the metabolic threshold and foundered. He rotated in both feet, and it was a very scary time until we were able to get him stabilized on Prascend. So I wrote SmartPak asking to recoup at least some of my sizeable investment in their useless supplement. You know what I got? A LECTURE on how to manage an IR pony!! I'm still fuming about that, if you can tell. 100% satisfaction guarantee, my fanny!

Second reason: Edited because I was totally incorrect on this second point. Sorry, Smartpak!

Thirdly: A horse I got last year came with his monthly supply of SmartPaks. He wasn't eating his grain, and at 17.3, I was worried about him not getting his calories and nutrients, plus he needed his joint supplement. It took me a bit to realize he hated his SmartPaks! Once I started giving him my own go-to joint supplement and Horseshine, he's gobbled his meals down and licked the bucket clean every time.

So good luck all you SmarkPak loyalists... they are great... until they aren't.

[vxf111]

If only an unregulated supplement could prevent laminitis. I think we all wish that was true but.... That seems like an unrealistic expectation to me. Did your vet suggest skipping MEDICATION and instead using a feed supplement?!

[Sparky Boy]

My horses and I would die without smartpak! Well, not really but I couldn't be happier with the products and customer service. Unfortunately the closest English tack store is 2 hours from me but Smartpak arrives at least twice a month

[amb]

Turns out, the size I got was the largest made 7 3/8 I believe, so in my case, they couldn't order it even if they wanted to.

I was wondering if there was some of that going on--I'm another happy retail store customer, and in trying on CO helmets for my big misshapen head the other day they had a good selection all the way up to size 8!

Anyway, I thought there was still a middle ground in which they would not do truly special orders, but for stuff that they sold but just didn't happen to have the size they would still get it from a distributor the next time around. I'll be sad if that's no longer the case! (I'll ask as well next time I'm at the retail store, too, but apparently perspectives on what's going on still differ! My experiences there have mostly been pretty awesome, though.)

[downen]

If only an unregulated supplement could prevent laminitis. I think we all wish that was true but.... That seems like an unrealistic expectation to me. Did your vet suggest skipping MEDICATION and instead using a feed supplement?!

I didn't expect it to prevent laminitis, I did expect it to control blood sugar and reduce fat deposits AS IT WAS ADVERTISED TO DO, WHICH IT DID NOT DO, or else get at least some of my money back, per their GUARANTEE.

My vet was closely involved in his care and he did not think he required medication before the incident. We still don't know what triggered the laminitis... his diet and environment were closely controlled. My vet just thought his metabolism finally tipped over to Cushings. My point is the supplement was useless in that I saw ZERO results in the two years I used it, and only kept him on it because of their GUARANTEE.

[AKB]

Smart Pak Sarah, thanks for your responses. I appreciate that you are listening.

[vxf111]

I'd love to see that advertising/guarantee.

Your vet doesn't seem to blame the supplement for your horse's condition?!

I think your expectations are borderline outrageous. Maybe it worked for 2 years and then stopped. Maybe something else triggered the laminitis. Isn't that just as likely? By your logic these explanations could all be true.

I thought I had heard it all... But this really takes the cake... You wanted a refund on supplements your horse ate for 2 years with no issue because it didn't cure an incurable condition and because your horse foundered for reasons you cannot link to the supplement?! REALLY?!

I didn't expect it to prevent laminitis, I did expect it to control blood sugar and reduce fat deposits AS IT WAS ADVERTISED TO DO, WHICH IT DID NOT DO, or else get at least some of my money back, per their GUARANTEE.

My vet was closely involved in his care and he did not think he required medication before the incident. We still don't know what triggered the laminitis... his diet and environment were closely controlled. My vet just thought his metabolism finally tipped over to Cushings. My point is the supplement was useless in that I saw ZERO results in the two years I used it, and only kept him on it because of their GUARANTEE.

[vxf111]

I've been taking calcium supplements my whole life. They are touted to make bones strong. I broke my finger a few months back. I guess Costco owes me a HUGE refund?! They have a money back guarantee too ?!