Adventurebilt hats - anyone ordered from?

[Mobile Vulgus]

He's not trying to force anybody to pay more later. That's just a blatant falsehood.

Oh, well I took this as saying he was doing so...

Steve has two seperate timelines on making hats. If you pay the new price of $650, the wait time is ~six weeks. If you paid the lower price of ~$400 or so you have a significantly longer wiat time. Any one who paid the lower price can give Steve the price difference & get bumped up the list.

It seemed pretty clear to me what that meant.

But if I took it wrong, then I withdraw my assumption.

 

[jlee562]

Oh, well I took this as saying he was doing so...


It seemed pretty clear to me what that meant.

But if I took it wrong, then I withdraw my assumption.

I don't know whether or not Bruce Wayne's statement is true or false, I haven't inquired myself. But even if true, there is no coercion of any kind on Steve's part for anyone to pay more to get their hat, nor does Bruce's post imply that Steve is coercing people into doing so.

 

[Bebop]

It's no secret that Steve has been in over his head for years now. He needs an assembly line and a team of customer service reps. Someone should be helping the guy with his business. They are nice hats (nothing any other good hatter can't do) but waiting years for one is just the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. They used to be a bargain at $265 but now it's just crazy to pay the current price and then wait this long. There are many hatters out there that can deliver a very similar product in a matter of months for the same price.

 

[scottyrocks]

It's no secret that Steve has been in over his head for years now. He needs an assembly line and a team of customer service reps. Someone should be helping the guy with his business. They are nice hats (nothing any other good hatter can't do) but waiting years for one is just the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. They used to be a bargain at $265 but now it's just crazy to pay the current price and then wait this long. There are many hatters out there that can deliver a very similar product in a matter of months for the same price.

I agree with you in general. But many people wait as long as they do for Steve's hats because he is the man that put fedoras on Harrison Ford's head in the latest IJ movie.

 

[Bebop]

I agree with you in general. But many people wait as long as they do for Steve's hats because he is the man that put fedoras on Harrison Ford's head in the latest IJ movie.

I am not an Indy fan at all and I didn't take that into account in my prior post. I forget just how dedicated the Indiana Jones fans are.

Steve should have taken that into account before the movie ever came out. I certainly thought two things as soon as I found out he was making the hats for the movie. One was, "how is Steve going to deal with the onslaught of business once this movie comes out?" I thought for sure he would have figured that into the scheme of things. The other was, "I'm glad I bought my hat when I did because the price is going to shoot through the roof!" .

Yes. I can understand wanting a hat from the original. I guess it's a matter of putting up with whatever you have to in order to have one.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

To make things clear, I said anyone who paid the lower price CAN pay the difference & get bumped up the list. You do not have to pay the difference. If you do not give Steve the difference, then you can continue waiting.

 

[jlee562]

I am not an Indy fan at all and I didn't take that into account in my prior post. I forget just how dedicated the Indiana Jones fans are.

Steve should have taken that into account before the movie ever came out. I certainly thought two things as soon as I found out he was making the hats for the movie. One was, "how is Steve going to deal with the onslaught of business once this movie comes out?" I thought for sure he would have figured that into the scheme of things. The other was, "I'm glad I bought my hat when I did because the price is going to shoot through the roof!" .

Yes. I can understand wanting a hat from the original. I guess it's a matter of putting up with whatever you have to in order to have one.

I've read a lot of Steve's posts on Club Obi Wan, and while I don't want to sound like I am speaking for him, my interpretation of his posts would be this: Steve is first and foremost an Indy fan. While he is now a pretty darn good hatter, his business as a hatter exists because he's an Indy fan. For a long time, there was no way to get a screen accurate Indy hat. Unless you get a custom from an Indy hatter such as Penman, AB, Garrison, etc, you can't simply buy a hat off the rack which will give you a screen accurate Raiders of the Lost Ark hat. The fabled Herbert Johnson Poet, in its modern form, is not made on the same block and not made with the same felt.

You can look back at how things unfolded and say that Steve had a bad business plan, and this and that. But the flip side of that is, Steve is a fan, and he knew, from his own personal search for the "right" Indy hat (by his own admission, he spent thousands of dollars before he got into hatting), that fans would want one. When he was in a position to give it to them, he wanted to make sure that everyone who wanted one, got one.

Is Steve in over his head? Yeah, probably. Should he have done things better? Yup, and he'll be the first to admit that. But the other half of that equation is that Steve hasn't missed an order yet and is working at a furious pace (15 hats a week is pretty darn impressive for a handmade hat if you ask me!), despite having some health problems this year.

You can look at it through a business perspective only and say he should have done this or that. But you can also look at it from the perspective of being a fan, and really wanting "the" Indy hat. Steve could have charged more earlier on and avoided (or at least minimized) the situation we've got now, but he didn't want to do that, because he wanted the fans to be happy. He's simply selling to a different segment of the hat buying market.

 

[bendingoak]

It's very easy to come to the game and Monday morning quarter back what Steve is doing. No one here could have predicted the onslaught of orders and yes steve made the mistake of nit jacking up his price as soon as he got the Indy 4 gig. I'll sure people would be calling him a thief if he did have the for site to raise his prices.

On the outstanding orders and new orders.

People who have paid the old price are on his list in order received and will get their hats in turn. He works Monday though saturday working long days to fill
them. Making them all by his hands and his hands only. Not claim handmade and using all sorts of machines and calling it handmade. He wouldn't bring in a few people to help or change production because that just wouldn't be the same.

Now for the new price orders. Anyone who pays the new price does NOT jump the line of the people who have been waiting. He works those orders on his one day off Sunday. If anyone on the first list wants to pay the difference he will work them on his day off and they will get their hat sooner. Steve does not get a lot of orders with the new price. To imply that he is racking it in on the new price while the one who have been waiting is just not fair or true. Very few hats have been made and sold at that price.

I don't see how anyone who can tell Steve what to do with his time off. And yes he deserves some time off. He should not be expected to work like a slave but he does.

Yes, steve dug himself into this hole but he will deliver to those customers waiting. He works longer hours than most people. With his health issue I'm amazed his still walking and talking.

What steve does can not be made by just any other hatter.

 

[monbla256]

It's very easy to come to the game and Monday morning quarter back what Steve is doing. No one here could have predicted the onslaught of orders and yes steve made the mistake of nit jacking up his price as soon as he got the Indy 4 gig. I'll sure people would be calling him a thief if he did have the for site to raise his prices.

On the outstanding orders and new orders.

People who have paid the old price are on his list in order received and will get their hats in turn. He works Monday though saturday working long days to fill
them. Making them all by his hands and his hands only. Not claim handmade and using all sorts of machines and calling it handmade. He wouldn't bring in a few people to help or change production because that just wouldn't be the same.

Now for the new price orders. Anyone who pays the new price does NOT jump the line of the people who have been waiting. He works those orders on his one day off Sunday. If anyone on the first list wants to pay the difference he will work them on his day off and they will get their hat sooner. Steve does not get a lot of orders with the new price. To imply that he is racking it in on the new price while the one who have been waiting is just not fair or true. Very few hats have been made and sold at that price.

I don't see how anyone who can tell Steve what to do with his time off. And yes he deserves some time off. He should not be expected to work like a slave but he does.

Yes, steve dug himself into this hole but he will deliver to those customers waiting. He works longer hours than most people. With his health issue I'm amazed his still walking and talking.

What steve does can not be made by just any other hatter.

Have read thru ALL this stuff about his problems. He definately does have himself btw'n the proverbial rock & a hard place but the bottom line is that those who paid FIRST, regardless of price changes, should get their hats BEFORE those who bought later. THAT'S the ETHICAL thing to do regardless of how much he has to work. With all this going on in his business practices, should someone ask me if they should buy one of his hats, I COULD NOT tell them to do so no matter how good his product is. JMHO

Onward thru the Fog

 

[Mobile Vulgus]

... see, that is how it struck me, monbla. I mean, I know some of these guys love Steve, but come on. At some point you have to assess the situation honestly. Glad to see I am not alone in my feelings that something went awry in the Indy Hat world.

Of course, I do have sympathy for his predicament. He made some unwise decisions early in the game. That happens. Especially when people first start a business. Comes with the territory, I'd imagine. Anyway, I wish him luck in sorting it all out.

 

[bendingoak]

I didn't want those ol grapes anyway?

 

[Bruce Wayne]

...but the bottom line is that those who paid FIRST, regardless of price changes, should get their hats BEFORE those who bought later...

You did not read Bendin Oaks post. The higher priced & newer orders he works on on his day off. Working on those hats does not slow down anyone else getting their hat.

 

[bendingoak]

You did not read Bendin Oaks post. The higher priced & newer orders he works on on his day off. Working on those hats does not slow down anyone else getting their hat.

And to date since he started that. We are talking a hand full of hats. I think you guys are really not being fare.

 

[jlee562]

And to date since he started that. We are talking a hand full of hats. I think you guys are really not being fare.

Another good point...since Steve made that announcement, I think 3, maybe 4 people at Club Obi Wan have gotten a $650 AB in the 8 week timeframe. It's not as if Steve is making dozens and dozens of hats at that price.

 

[Bebop]

It's very easy to come to the game and Monday morning quarter back what Steve is doing. No one here could have predicted the onslaught of orders and yes steve made the mistake of nit jacking up his price as soon as he got the Indy 4 gig. I'll sure people would be calling him a thief if he did have the for site to raise his prices.

Really? No one could have predicted that the hat maker of an Indiana Jones movie hat was going to be inundated with orders by the unbelievably loyal fans of his hats? I, like thousands of others did. And I'm not even in the business.

 

[bendingoak]

Really? No one could have predicted that the hat maker of an Indiana Jones movie hat was going to be inundated with orders by the unbelievably loyal fans of his hats? I, like thousands of others did. And I'm not even in the business.

Yes, everyone knew he was going to get slammed with orders and he did adjust his price but you have no idea how many in a short period of time I'm talking about. No one could. You don't have all the information.

 

[mingoslim]

Were I an early customer I'd cancel and expect my money back immediately.

I know that this thread is a little disheartening, and I am not thrilled with the stuff I am reading here . . .

What I can tell you is that I have sent him several messages asking about getting my money back . . . he has failed to acknowledge those messages. For that reason I have to hope that I will eventually get my AB.

I have NOTHING against the man personally . . . he may be a fine person, and his hats have a reputation of being great.
I just would warn anyone not to spend their money with him . . . the customer service and ethical issues listed here are reason enough for the warning.

 

[johnnycanuck]

Ok I feel compelled to jump in here. I do own an Adventurebilt hat. A Crystal Scull 7 3/8 LO. I managed to get my order in a week before the world knew Steve made the hats for the movie. Now it did take a year and a half for it to be delivered to me. But I knew what I was getting into when I ordered, as it was already about a nine month wait when I ordered it. I was also aware of the lack of communication I was going to have with Steve, That’s just how he operates. If you do any on-line research about the product you are buying (and you should) you would know this. In fact if you go over to COW they have threads keeping track of where he is in his orders and what the latest wait times are.

Why did I order this hat with a silly long wait time? Before he got the movie contract it was well known that he made the best Indiana Jones hat around. I love Indiana Jones. Always have. I have two Akubra Federation I have tried to make into a Indiana Jones look. Someone yells at me “hay Indy!” I love it. No one I personally know hates Indiana Jones, so such statement are fun. I always wanted a fedora just like his. I saved up the money, I waited my time and now I have the hat I wanted since I was a little child sitting on the living room floor watching Harrison Ford do his thing.

It is one of the best hats I own. The felt is super soft, smooth finish with just enough stiffener to keep its shape. I look in the mirror and it is Bang on, Indiana Jones, from every angle. If you want “The Hat” get it from the source.

If you don’t like how he does business. Don’t order from him. You didn’t know how he runs his business, next time do some research before you put your money towards something.

It is what it is.

My two cents worth.

Johnny

Also if you don’t like the price or the wait there are a lot of other hat makers out there that make very good Indiana Jones hats. Penman being one of them.

 

[gtdean48]

....

It is what it is.

My two cents worth.

Johnny
....

Best post of this thread!!!!

 

[DanielJones]

I agree with you Johnny. If it is the Indy Hat you're looking for, Steve is the best source. The business was a hobby for a fan of Indy who wanted the just right Indy Hat. Then it became a business to get the other fans the just right Indy Hat. Now we all guessed that his orders would increase after the announcement that he was the hatter for the 4th film, but not to the extent that it exploded. No one could have predicted that. If you're thinking in the hundreds, guess again and go much higher, and it happened basically over night. Yeah, there may have been some business mistakes, but honestly, what business man doesn't make them from time to time? We try to learn from them and truck on. He's basically one Roman at the gate, facing down the Hoards that are coming his way, out for blood.

Instead of being destructive to this business and the man within, why can't we find constructive things that would help him out? Why can't we just show how great a community we are and pitch in some ingenious ideas that would work in helping Steve out in this tough time? Instead, we sit here and poo poo his business practices and hope to see a catastrophic failure, so we can say, "See, I told you so!". And don't hand me the load of malarky that says, "Oh no we wouldn't.":suspicious: I know human nature better than that. We are utterly fascinated with the proverbial train wreck. So please, let's step off of this Steve and Adventurebilt bashing train at the next station, and if you have any genuine ideas that could help his business practice out in a big way, offer them up. Be constructive.

I for one want to see this business flourish. For that matter I want to see any hatters business flourish without the constant undermining. It seem that no matter how many 'atta boys' you have, all it takes is one 'aw s##t' from someone to ruin the whole game. How can we as a community be of some help? I'm no business man, and I have no idea how to run a business, but I am full of positive hope. There have to be some brilliant small business men here in this community that have weathered the storm of the past few years and come out on top. What did you do different to not sink below the waves? Any and all intelligent ideas should be offered up and reviewed. Like I said before, let's be of some help here instead of a hinderance. This is a time in history that needs community, and this community is no different than any other out there.

So what say you? Are the folks here up to the task of being a help? Do you have anything constructive to offer?:help:

That's all I have for the time being. Back to your normal programming.

Cheers!

Dan