Adventurebilt hats - anyone ordered from?

[T Rick]

There are volumes written on this subject on the web, I've sifted through just enough to understand Steve's predicament (quite a bit of his own making IMHO, even though the South turn the economy took certainly nailed the lid on his situation).

Bottom line, we've read this before. And we do sympathize with you. But you have but a few choices. Get a refund (if that is even possible). Wait it out (however long that may take). Send him more money, to be put at the "head of the line" as you are describing it (not something I'd be keen to do, and not certain that is even an option with him). And, litigate. (Did I say that out loud?- Has anyone taken that approach?).

Bottom line, sounds like he essentially went broke, and the alternative to charging more and putting new orders ahead of old would likely have been to shut the doors (no one gets a hat). This is the trouble when you deal with someone who conducts their business on the "rob Peter to pay Paul" principle.

Okay, said more than I should have I suppose. One more thing, from everything I've heard, if/when you ever do get the hat, it will be one damn fine hat (hence the desire to keep going with the delivery).

 

[Bebop]

Steve is very lucky to have so many people be so patient about all of this. I don't think there is another business that would get away with having people wait that long with no hope of receiving a product other than an email saying "it's coming" once in a while and not have some kind of litigation going on. I have one of his hats that he made a few years ago for me and I really don't understand why anyone would pay as much as is now required or wait any longer than a couple of months to get it. IT'S A HAT! Not more, not less. I think about putting it up on ebay to see just how crazy the whole Adventurbilt thing can be.

 

[RBH]

There are always things going on that 'we' dont know about.
But this dont sound right.
Maybe you are one of those that fell between the cracks.
Im not saying its right but maybe it happened.
I would drop a note everyday till I heard something.

 

[monbla256]

So I've been extremely patient waiting for my adventurebilt fedora to arrive, but its gone past ridiculous in my mind. It's been over three years now! THREE YEARS! I couldn't believe it when I counted the months from my order date back in March 11th of 2008. In my first email from Steve when i bought the hat he said "it will be at least 6 months, but you will get the hat this year for sure." So why on earth are the people spending $650 on a hat getting a 6 week turnaround when I paid the full price he was asking 3 YEARS ago (plus 3 months) and when he told me I would get it THAT YEAR?? To me that doesn't make sense. I mean, I fully understand he's got a LOT of orders and he's only one man making hats, but there's no way the people ordering a hat now and spending more should be put at the front of the line. At this point I obviously don't want my money back since I've invested so much time waiting and checking my doorstep every day for it to arrive, I just want it to actually arrive.

I've tried emailing steve many times without any response. Any time I have gotten a response it's to say the hat is 'only a few months away'.... then another YEAR goes by. Is anyone still waiting here? Did I get skipped over?

Sorry to vent, I just think this takes patience to a crazy new level.

Suggestions?

Going by just your statements, if I was in your situation I would not be here asking for opinions, I would be on the phone with the AG of the State he does business in finding out how to file a case of fraud against him. Remeber, by selling products across State lines he is ingaging in Interstate Commerce and there are laws concerning all of this. Call an attorney and stop jacking around . JMHO

 

[jlee562]

There are always things going on that 'we' dont know about.
But this dont sound right.
Maybe you are one of those that fell between the cracks.
Im not saying its right but maybe it happened.
I would drop a note everyday till I heard something.

Last I heard on COW a few weeks ago, Dec 07 orders were still getting received.

As someone much farther behind the list than 1BAT, I can certainly empathize. One has to consider also that most of these orders from Dec 07 are likely not TFL or COW members (as that was the slew of orders after it was announced AB was making the movie hats).

 

[bendingoak]

There are always things going on that 'we' dont know about.
But this dont sound right.
Maybe you are one of those that fell between the cracks.
Im not saying its right but maybe it happened.
I would drop a note everyday till I heard something.

Thank you for posting this.

 

[XPLSV]

It's been over a year since I've had a reply to an inquiry on my Nov 2007 order. I'm not pinging him with emails every day or week...but occasionally when the thought crosses my mind. The long period of non-responses and the fact Steve hasn't posted on COW since January is kind of killing my hopes that the hat will one day arrive...

 

[SgtRick]

Over 3 year wait....on a hat! You must be kidding me. Nothing takes 3 and a half years. An entire neighborhood of new homes doesn't take that long to build. There are some serious issues at this point. You are way past the emailing stage IMO.

 

[clevispin]

It would be interesting to see what kind of car this dude bought with the money he took from the members now waiting over 3 years. How can you relieve a man of hundreds of dollars and not even answer his E-mail? What state does he operate in? m

 

[1BAT4U]

Haha ya. Well, I'm not the type of guy to get mad or upset easily. And I know the predicament Steve is in, and its a bad one. I'm also a big Indy fan as most of you guys are too, so with 3 years + invested I just want the product to arrive so I have something to show for my patience. Also something to show my family that I have't been ripped off! I'm not trying to get revenge or sue the guy, but you'd think he could at least hire someone to answer emails and at least give semi accurate updates. Basically the last thing I heard from him was that I should have my hat by summer.... of 2010. I'm sure glad I bought an akubra federation last year to tide me over. Is anyone on here in contact with Steve? I guess at this point the only hope to receiving my hat is to wait some more, but I am pissed that new orders are going to the top of the list, thats just bad business to me. In the 3 years I've moved accross country and he hasn't even replied to my emails to send the hat to my new address!

Glad to see this thread re opened. It's my only source of hope talking to you guys!

 

[W4ASZ]

The only way for the seller in this situation to make this "right" is to fill the oldest orders first even if it means suspending the taking of new orders, or taking new orders with the caveat that there will be a substantial delay as the older orders are fulfilled.

 

[1BAT4U]

100% Agree

 

[Rick Blaine]

Prima Donna

Steve is very lucky to have so many people be so patient about all of this. I don't think there is another business that would get away with having people wait that long with no hope of receiving a product other than an email saying "it's coming" once in a while and not have some kind of litigation going on. I have one of his hats that he made a few years ago for me and I really don't understand why anyone would pay as much as is now required or wait any longer than a couple of months to get it. IT'S A HAT! Not more, not less. I think about putting it up on ebay to see just how crazy the whole Adventurbilt thing can be.

:arated:

Agreed, I dunno if even He, HIMSELF could make a hat with sufficient space for what his ego has done to his HEAD! Is there a 9 7/8 block?

 

[buler]

:arated:


Really???! Do you know the man? I think that comment is out of place for the lounge and maybe if you think about it, you'll erase it.

B

 

[bendingoak]

Let me clear up something once again.

the new price for a handmade/customer pure beaver hat from steve ( $650.00). That price tag has sold him a few hats and those hats he works on his one and only day off a week. The man works 16 hour days, 6 days a week, Working on "the list." that everyone is waiting on. No one is being bumped ahead of anyone. I think he should at least be aloud one day off. and if once in awhile ( and not that often) he makes a hat for someone that he works on that day off at that new price tag. I don't see a problem with that. It is his day off.

 

[Woodfluter]

I don't have one on order but will share a thought...and encourage everyone to have some sympathy.

If you've been in business for yourself you might have fallen a bit behind, and then found yourself still farther off schedule. The longer you wait to communicate about delays, the harder it gets. You tell yourself you'll work twice as hard and catch up and not have to make those phone calls, send those e-mails. Yeah, it's surely the right thing to do, but Mr Delk may have reached a point where it's pretty uncomfortable. Piling on won't help get the orders filled faster - it'll make matters worse. Gentle and frank encouragement will be more beneficial than talk of lawsuits - if you can reach him.

One of my two main wooden flutes was made by Patrick Olwell. He takes a deposit, puts you in the queue, and calls when you're place comes up. And then you pay the current price, not a previously-agreed one. I only had to wait for 10 years and a few months, primarily because he's very highly regarded and a one-man operation. I've heard or read very few complaints...players understand that estimated times are apt to stretch, and order knowing it's a long-term gamble on getting one at all!

Yes, it is somewhat different when you've paid full price in advance, and hats vs flutes (both often have custom features). I get all that. But this suggests either a different business model or better communication. I very seriously doubt that such craftsmen, who often could make more money doing something less laborious, are trying to rip anybody off.

Mr Penman, thanks also for helping to put this in perspective.

- Bill (without a dog in this race)

 

[fmw]

I'm sorry, this sort of thing is inexcusable. A custom maker of anything should stop taking orders when the waiting time gets excessive. This happens in our industry too. A maker gets popular, takes people's money, enjoys the new prosperity and never catches up with the orders. After a while his reputation is tarnished and the orders stop. It is something like a Ponzi scheme. It is bad business whether you are a hatter or the maker of the best flutes in the world. Too many things can happen in a long period of time.

It sounds like this fellow is at that point. Sorry to hear it.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I'm sorry, this sort of thing is inexcusable. A custom maker of anything should stop taking orders when the waiting time gets excessive. This happens in our industry too. A maker gets popular, takes people's money, enjoys the new prosperity and never catches up with the orders. After a while his reputation is tarnished and the orders stop. It is something like a Ponzi scheme. It is bad business whether you are a hatter or the maker of the best flutes in the world. Too many things can happen in a long period of time.

It sounds like this fellow is at that point. Sorry to hear it.

He makes the high price fedoras on his day off. Making them has NO EFFECT on the long list. Like John said, he works 6 hours a day 6 days a week.

 

[DJH]

He makes the high price fedoras on his day off. Making them has NO EFFECT on the long list. Like John said, he works 6 hours a day 6 days a week.

Well, actually it does. He could be making hats for the people who paid him 3 years ago on his day off instead of taking money from more people and sending them to the front of the line.

Like FMW wrote, this seems like a Ponzi scheme to me as well. I'm sure he didn't intend it to work out this way, but that is the result.

 

[rlk]

He makes the high price fedoras on his day off. Making them has NO EFFECT on the long list. Like John said, he works 6 hours a day 6 days a week.

NO EFFECT on helping the backlog, yes. The extra time could and should be used to catch up on the earliest orders--this time on more profitable new orders prevents the potential use of this time for that purpose. Understandable, but just creating a rationalization, not the fairest policy.