HockeyGiant

[TBLfan 25]

Ok here's the story: I ordered(friday afternoon 5pm EST) a pair of Mission L5 skates from hockeygiant for a closeout price of $29.99. Order goes through, I pay with my credit card and later recieve an email of my order. I look back at hockeygiant's website(a few mintues later) and see the price has gone up to $79.99. It remained that way for the entire weekend. I get a call on Monday at 1:12pm EST saying that they were out of stock and they really didn't offer any good deals for me or any solution to resolve my obvious unhappiness at this. I sent an email later that day and have yet to hear a response. I obviously have no idea and nothing but speculation that they would rather sell a pair of skates for $80 than $30 but regardless they should try to make ammends with me, as an unhappy customer.

I was in contact with another member who "purchased" the skates for $80. He has kept informed as to the going-ons at his end and hopefully he will chime in with his comments.

I decided to not wait another day and go ahead and call to see what they could do for me. After 20 mins and being put on hold for probably 6 times I explained for the third time that "I was just going to use those skates as a backup" and that I really don't need new skates(it was just a deal I couldn't pass up on). After all is said and done I'm getting a pair of one90 gloves for just under $100. I'm not incredibly happy but I did get $30 off the cheapest price I could find on gloves I was planning on buying.

Overall, I feel that their customer service could have been better. Regardless whether they soldout at $30 or $80 it's never to be known by me. There it is, take it as you want. There's my story, would I order from them again? Maybe... but just another reason to go to your LHS than to order online.

[mack 44]

They are just a brutal company to deal with and I've passed on some seemingly good deals because of their general crappiness. This bullcrap they do with "specials" that have a shelf life of a couple hours is insane.

[kosydar 0]

Their CS has been crappy for a long time. I remember three or four years ago I ordered some blades and they sent me the wrong kind. I emailed them asking how to return stuff, etc. and their response was that I infact did get the same blades that I ordered and that I wouldn't be able to return them. I bitched at them for a while and finally just accepted that it wasn't worth my time to fight this. Fast forward a couple of months and I get an email from somebody high up at HG. He told me that I was going to be receiving a $50 gift card for having to put up with with their poor CS which he assured me was completely redone. Funny how I never got that gift card.

[NJ2000DEVILS 0]

They might have problems, but what large retailer doesn't.

When it comes to closeout equipment though, you can't beat them.

As far as your situation with their customer service, you did receive a discount on the gloves, and that is far better than some stores who will give you nothing.

[shute 4]

go epuck.com all the way!

[Chadd 916]

You were so upset that you spent $100 on gloves? Wow, you really showed them.

[TBLfan 25]

I was upset at them not honoring their price but I also got the gloves I wanted for cheaper than I was going to pay. This is why I'm not really pissed or satisfied either. I mean seriously, what am I going to do? Sue them?

[kosydar 0]

Not shop there anymore?

[tsanga 0]

HG also happens to be one of my LHS choices. Their in-store customer service has been nothing but first rate as far as policies go. I wish they had better skate fitters, but it seems like you can only find good skate fitters at the mom-and-pop type LHS's anyway. Once they even honored one of their famous temporarily-reduced online prices for an item I bought in-store, after I mentioned to them that I came it for the price I saw online earlier in the day.

Hmm, good in-store service, terrible online/mail order service. Sounds like one other online retailer....

[TBLfan 25]

Not shop there anymore?

i probably won't.

epuck/eastwesthockey/LHS > hockeymonkey > ebay > hockeygiant

[tsanga 0]

Ultimately, it's all PP.

:P

[DamnLocust 0]

Sorry in advance for the long post.

I was the other member who ordered the L5s (at $79.99) on friday evening, aroung 8pm. I got my call Tuesday afternoon, when they offered me L7s got $140. This was a showing of them "splitting the difference" with me. Problem was, I was still paying nearly twice the original price I intended to pay, and I can still live with my current skates, for a little while anyway. I told them I'd call back the next day.

The skates had remained on the page until at least Sunday evening, but were not on their page on monday. When I got home last night (tuesday), I saw that the L5s were back up for the same price of $79.99. I immediately called them up and basicalled flipped my lid on the poor girl who picked up the phone. How could they have put the same skates BACK up on the page in the same size, just hours after telling me they were sold out? She kept her cool, however, and apologized for the inconvenience. After calling up the warehouse in Minnesota, which had been showing 1 pair in stock, she came back on the line to tell me that they did not have any there, but promised to call mission directly in the morning to see if they have any more in stock, and that she would call me the next day.

When she called today, she informed me that Mission does not have any more L5s in my size, but she also informed me that her manager authorized a sale of the L7s to me for $111, which she claimed was their cost. I took them.

I actually did get some service from the young lady who I spoke to regarding the skates, and HG did come down from their original offer, which were both factors in me accepting the deal. I think it's still a load of crap that the skates remained posted after they had sold out, and even worse, that they went back up on tuesday night. I don't know if it is actually their cost on the skates, but it's still a good buy.

I only shop online if what I'm buying is on clearance or is just too good to pass up. In the future, however, I will try to stay away from HG specials unless I can call them and confirm that the item is in stock.

[gman 0]

i probably won't.

epuck/eastwesthockey/LHS > hockeymonkey > ebay > hockeygiant

Have you tried inlinewarehouse?? They are pretty to me. Just a thought.

[JR Boucicaut 3777]

Sounds like bait and switch. Not good.

[jay 1]

Their in store (HG Anaheim) customer service has been great for me as well but the online biz is obviously run separately. For example, I bought a pant shell on sale for $10. It was a bit too small so I brought it back the next weekend (reciept & tags inlcuded) and tried to swap it out for another one off the rack. Apparantly they went off sale that week or something and the normal sales guy wouldn't honor the original price I paid. Asked for a manager and he was like no problem and then gave me a $10 credit for the trouble. That's good CS. Not honoring a web listed price is not. It's also against the law in CA. If it's advertised you must honor it.

[hockechamp14 0]

couldn't you have just cancelled your order or told your credit card company not to pay it?

[Jim A 4]

HG uses a nearly real time inventory system, but there are times on closeouts when they run out of stock before it refreshes, or at times..the inventory just isn't there especially when getting down to the last couple items supposedly in stock, happens in every retail/mailorder/internet store .....they are well known for the price flucuations in the clearance sections, it works...makes people keep checking and making those impulse buys..more places should do that..

having spent time at HG, there were times I was looking for product that supposedly was in stock on my sales floor but was nowhere to be found..

they are too big a retailer to worry about getting $50 back if the sold something at the wrong price...and I've taken back more items there that were the biggest BS warranty claims to make someone happy then my other years combined...along with just selling things at cost at the retail level to make someone happy because they got a junk piece of gear..

[JR Boucicaut 3777]

That makes sense. Thanks for the clarification.

[Fletch 219]

I've never had a problem dealing with HG (numerous in-store visits and a few online purchases) or HockeyMonkey (Hawk Hockey in store). I guess I've been lucky :)

[golfpuck 0]

i guess this is where a phone order has it's advantages.

you can have the person check if the item is actually instock...

all business have this.. sold out/ boarderline bait and switch

even at the grocery store... they advertise a sale on what ever.. toilet paper, or laundry detergent.. and if you go saturday afternoon.. usualy they are sold out..

people dont generaly get as upset....

[Jim A 4]

just fyi...it is impossible for a person at HG to check to see if something is in stock...the warehouse alone is over 50,000 sf and they would see it in the system as you do..its just when you get down to the last couple of things in stock, no matter who you are dealing it...its a dice roll...

[DamnLocust 0]

Sounds like bait and switch. Not good.

That's the same thought I had at the beginning, but they were cutting off $60 from their current selling price. I was really sauced when the L5s went up on the page again, but at least they made an effort to locate a pair of the skates for me. I probably would have paid the $140 after they made theeffort, but they lowered their price even more, which showed me that they were trying to work it out with me.

At the end of the day I wound up with a top of the line skate for $110, so I guess I still came out of it pretty well.

[hockeyherb 1]

HockeyGiant screwed up one of my orders too, but it was totally to my benefit.

I orderd my kid the Vapor XXX mini hockey set with the goal and two sticks. They called me later and said they were out but did I want the A&R brand set instead. It didn't look near as cool but I took it anyway just so the kid would have a set to play with.

The A&R set showed up and then a couple of days later the Vapor XXX set showed up as well. No extra charge! Thanks HockeyGiant! Now we can play end to end! :lol:

[DamnLocust 0]

ha. Now I'm seeing the L5s up on the page AGAIN.

Wouldn't it be something if 2 pairs of skates show up? How do you think an L5 boot would look with a Hum'er chassis?

[TBLfan 25]

haha, I better get a pair! I'm seriously pissed off at HG, that/this is very poor buisness practice. It's one thing to run out of stock, but it's another thing to keep advertising it, as well as "selling" it after the fact.