Honigs Plate Coat - Buyers Remorse

[ntimmerman]

So after years of wanting a plate coat but not willing to pull the trigger because of the price, I finally bit the bullet and placed an order with Honigs the first week in January for a B3S Plate Coat. I could just imagine putting it on for the first time with my Honigs Poly Wools and perfectly shined New Balance plate shoes - it would be like putting on a tuxedo! First class all the way! At least that is my opinion...

 

To be fair, Honigs web site says "Plate coats are for sale by special order only. Delivery typically takes 12 weeks. Special order item - non-returnable." When I placed the order on the phone, I was told 8-12 weeks for delivery. While I hoped that it would come in 8 weeks, I expected 12 and did not start calling Honigs to find out the status until the full 3 months had passed. That is when the situation went from bad to WORSE.

 

I understand that Honigs outsources the product and thus have little control on when the coat comes to them. However, they have full control over their customer service. I sent 3 e-mails to which I never received a response. I placed 5 calls to the Michigan office looking for someone who could update me on this. Each time I was told "let me check on that and I will call you back." I NEVER RECEIVED A CALL BACK IN ANY INSTANCE, which is unacceptable under any circumstance. Finally on call 6 (today) I was told that the coat should be at Honigs within 7-10 days. So here is the timeline I have been dealing with:

 

January 7 - Order placed

March 4 - 8 week point (Longshot - but based on Honigs statement on the phone, the first date that my coat might arrive)

April 1 - 12 weeks since order was placed. First tried to contact Honigs via email

April 6 - First call placed to Honigs

April 23 - 6th call placed to Honigs. Told to expect 7-10 more days before it arrives at Michigan office. I expect this is business days and not calendar days.

 

If I give Honigs the benefit of the doubt and it takes only 7 calendar days to get to the Michigan office, then 3 business days to ship to South Carolina, the earliest I might have it is May 5th. However, I think it is reasonable to expect at this point that the date will more likely be May 12th or beyond. 

 

That is 125 days, or just shy of 18 weeks!!!! And the best that Honigs will offer me is a $20 gift certificate towards my next purchase. Yep. Twenty whole dollars!

 

Needless to say, Honigs will never see another penny from me. And if anyone out there has been looking for a 44 Long plate coat, keep your eyes on ebay. I'll even put the Honigs gift certificate in the pocket for you! 

 

By the way, the average temperature in South Carolina on May 12th is 83 degrees.

 

 

[ElkOil]

Sorry to hear! I haven't made any special orders from them, so all of their off-the-shelf stuff ships in a timely manner.  I've not yet had any problems with them, but others here have ordered their plate coats, so I'm sure they'll chime in.

[BaltimoreUmpire]

I've never ordered a plate coat from them but I will say they never have contacted me back when they say they will, I initate all conversations with them.

[johnnyg08]

I actually have had pretty good luck w/ Honigs and I've also ordered a plate coat from them.  

 

Are you dealing w/ their Michigan office?  

[Tksjewelry]

I've emailed and called them many times but it wasn't until I finally got to talk to someone at their Michigan office that I got my answers. From what I've seen they have quality items but their general customer service is lacking. Next time i call them I'm just going to keep trying until I get to speak with someone in Michigan.

[johnnyg08]

I have only dealt w/ their Michigan office and while some instances have been a bit hairy, they've ended up taking care of me. 

[BuckeyeMike]

For you veterans out there, Honigs will put a note on your account and give you 10% off future purchases.   I've used Honigs A LOT for this reason.

[Mr Ump]

I have the Honig's plate coat...44 long, and love it. Although you might miss prime plate coat wearing season being in the south,  I say keep your coat and wear it next season. The coat does it's job and does it well. If it is something you always wanted then keep it and wear it. It is a lot of fun to wear.

 

As far as Honig's customer service I find asking for a specific person works best. I always refer to 'Alex' when calling Michigan and have had great results this way. I will say a $20 gift certificate seems a bit low for your situation. Your wait is excessive and you deserve a better comp. I would ask for an owner and for a better comp.

[gnhbua93]

I have the Honig's plate coat...44 long, and love it. Although you might miss prime plate coat wearing season being in the south,  I say keep your coat and wear it next season. The coat does it's job and does it well. If it is something you always wanted then keep it and wear it. It is a lot of fun to wear.

 

As far as Honig's customer service I find asking for a specific person works best. I always refer to 'Alex' when calling Michigan and have had great results this way. I will say a $20 gift certificate seems a bit low for your situation. You wait is excessive and you deserve a better comp. I would ask for an owner and for a better comp.

Good advice from Mr Ump, think with your brain don't think with your emotions.

[zm1283]

Dispute the charge on your credit card. Tell them you paid for (I assume you paid already) the coat and never received it.

 

I've never had a problem with them but I would dispute this in a heartbeat. 

[tcasterlin]

I've just this minute completed an order for some shirts, I anticipate no problems but I agree completely with zm1283, dispute the charge and that should get their attention.

[scrounge]

Their website is so archaic and hard to use that I absolutely refuse to use them. Half their products don't have pictures, their layout is garbage, it just reeks of disorganization. With ump-attire.com and purchaseofficials.com being much easier to use AND often cheaper, why bother.

 

Plus nothing good ever comes out of Ann Arbor. Everyone knows that.

[ZebraStripes]

I like ump-attire and purchaseofficials, but some of the Smitty stuff that they sell is pure crap.  Granted this is for football, but I had two brand new balled penalty flags from Smitty that came from one of the two listed and after one game they had both torn beyond use.  Same thing with Smitty bean bag markers.  I've gotten Smitty combo pants, Smitty officials shorts and Smitty Officiating Pants and all three had the zipper break in a 2 week period.  Everything from Honigs so far has lasted.

[RingEmUp]

I typically use Smiteez for my gear and uniforms.  These guys have been great for me.  I looked at ump-attire for stuff but they never had my sizes in stock. 

[Welpe]

I got burned by Honig's lack of customer service around some low quality football pants they made that still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It's one of the reason I haven't brought myself to buy Poly Wools because I don't want to spend that much money with them.

[catsbackr]

Sorry to hear about your problems with Honigs.

 

I have spent thousands of dollars with them, plate coats, shirts, poly-wools, accessories, etc.  I've always ordered through their North Carolina store and have had zero problems.  Great customer service and communication.

[Pete Peterson Sr]

Dispute the charge on your credit card. Tell them you paid for (I assume you paid already) the coat and never received it.

 

I've never had a problem with them but I would dispute this in a heartbeat. 

So steal the coat as retribution for it being unacceptably late ? Yeah, that's a good plan.

[BaltimoreUmpire]

Dispute the charge on your credit card. Tell them you paid for (I assume you paid already) the coat and never received it.

I've never had a problem with them but I would dispute this in a heartbeat.

So steal the coat as retribution for it being unacceptably late ? Yeah, that's a good plan.It would at least wake them up, maybe they don't ship it to you then, maybe they take the time to call the buyer and figure out the problem, there are ways you can do this and still be in the "right" it just puts the ball in their court.

[umpref19]

Call the conn. Office always get a live person

[gnhbua93]

Call the conn. Office always get a live person

Unfortunately, Honig's lost when they decide to finish their business relationship with the former Honig's Northeast owner.  A great College umpire, former MiLB umpire, a good friend but most important a great person.

 

http://allsportseast.com/

[Razzer]

Any updates from Honigs

[zm1283]

Dispute the charge on your credit card. Tell them you paid for (I assume you paid already) the coat and never received it.

 

I've never had a problem with them but I would dispute this in a heartbeat. 

So steal the coat as retribution for it being unacceptably late ? Yeah, that's a good plan.

​How is he stealing the coat if he doesn't even have it yet (As of last Thursday) and they won't respond to his inquiries? I guess we're supposed to roll over to businesses that act like jackwagons....

Unfortunately all umpire suppliers have their issues. I like Officially Sports and Purchase Officials, but they don't have some of the brands I use. I've never had a problem personally with Honigs but I've read stories. Their website isn't great but I don't need 10 high-res shiny pictures to figure out how to order mask pads. Everyone worships at the feet of Ump-Attire but I've had two bad experiences with them in the last year where they won't stand behind products and won't price match according to their own policy.