UKC

Has anyone bought anything from "Map and Compass Outdoors" online shop www.mapandcompassoutdoors.com ? I ordered a jacket from them last week and was advised that it had been dispatched on Friday 21st May. Still nothing received and phone calls just get diverted into cyberspace. Although a bit early to start panicking, alarm bells are ringing loudly. Has anyone used them successfully or otherwise?

In reply to RogerM9:

People have posted about issues with this retailer before, but I never saw if anyone reached resolution.

e.g.
http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=392219

In reply to RogerM9:

I'm sure there was another thread about this company, but can't seem to find it. From what I remember it seems that it's run by some guy registered in Southern Ireland, and their warehouse was supposedly in Kent. Also from what I remember is that I doubt you'll see your jacket. Hopefully you paid via credit card and you'll be covered. I'd contact your credit company and let them know.

I hope it gets sorted.

In reply to RogerM9:

The London address is just a mail drop:
http://www.mbe.co.uk/londonkensingtonhighstreet/find_us.aspx

The domain name doesnt have public info available which would always put me off any online shop.

In reply to another_mark:
A different search shows up :

Domain name: MAPANDCOMPASSOUTDOORS.COM
Created on: 2009-04-01
Updated on: 2009-04-01
Expires on: 2011-04-01
Registrant Name: SCOTT WALKER
Contact: Scott Walker
Registrant Address: Cornmarket
Registrant City: Wexford Town
Registrant Postal Code: Ireland

The web site mentions map and compass ltd - checking with companies house there *is* a company of that name but it seems to be mapandcompass.co.uk who sell maps and are based in wales.
http://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk/208e60ef874fd61a421dd7333d168d0c/compdeta...

There is an Irish business called map and compass
http://www.cro.ie/search/CompanyDetails.aspx?id=350750&type=B
Seems more likely
Telephone+353 (0)86 826 5907
Email: sales@mapandcompassoutdoors.com
Website: www.mapandcompassoutdoors.com
Address: Outdoor Clothing, 74 High Street, Killarney, Co. Kerry, Republic Of Ireland

In reply to another_mark: Thanks Mark. I wonder whether they dispatch from Ireland or UK. If it doesn't turn up tomorrow I'll have to buy from another source, and if this one turns up I'll just flog it on Ebay. If not, that's what credit card protection is for. I'll keep you posted as to the outcome so anyone else can form their own opinion as to whether they want to deal with this company.

Thanks for all replies so far.

Regards, Roger

In reply to RogerM9:

I'm another potential victim of mapandcompassoutdoors.com. I placed an order almost two weeks ago and despite receiving a dispatch notice, no goods have arrived. I have asked them twice for tracking details for the items ordered but they just gave me some waffle about road service and ash clouds....certainly no tracking information.

I paid using a debit card however I will be filing a claim with my bank if the stuff doesn't show next week. Apparently your bank can perform a 'Chargeback' to recoup the money.

I'll be keeping my eye on this thread.

Thanks all

In reply to RogerM9:
the site is hosted on a (dedicated) server in Ireland, and the first contact phone number is also Irish. I'd imagine the London address is just a 'drop box'. Given the explicit response times in their terms and conditions ('We are committed to dispatching your item the same day on all orders placed before 12 noon' and 'we will aim to respond within 24 Hours') this might be sufficient to threaten to go legal - or at least to share with their Payment Gateway provider who will take a dim view of miss-selling.

Hi,

Anyone actually received their goods yet from this place. Unfortunately I only came across this thread after I placed an order with them on the 24th May. Stranegly my order number at that time was 2405, the order date, am I being paranoid it's fictitious??!!

I got a very short email from them on the 28th May indicating goods have been despatched, no tracking number included.

After requesting a tracking number I got the following today:


Hi Jon
Our sincere appologies you have not recieved your order and that we did not respond , the item has been sent via standard post as you may be aware this is to stop delays from the ash cloud as we ususally send via air from our warehouse in ireland.This service does not have tracking im afriad

We expect your item to be here this week if it is not we will refund dont worry

Kind Rgards
Jane bamforth
Customer Team


Credit card company is following this up now.

Any factual stories from other people on MapandCompass? Please keep them factual though since I think UKC will have to remove any inflammatory statements or speculation about Map and Compass.

In reply to Jaypee: i ordered a pair of berghaus kibo last august prior to a trip to chamonix. they did eventually arrive a couple of days before my off. slow but they DID arrive. good luck. they were based in wexford in ireland but they now have a shop in killarney county kerry.

I bought a Berghaus fleece over 28 days ago and it still hasn't arrived. Payment was taken from my account when I ordered. They don't asnwer the phone and phone messages have never been returned.

I have had a couple of emails returned from customer services, each time saying "I should receive the item later in the week". I never have.

I have sent a recorded letter to their address in Kensington, I can only hope the reply to that. Next step will be to inform Visa and start a claim!

In reply to sc00ter_stg:

next immediate step is to get hold of trading standards surely.

Three weeks now and still no sign of my order. Several emails have been exchanged where I was assured that, yet again, it would arrive by the end of the week and the 'ash cloud' excuse, however still no tracking details (as requested several times).

In the last email I sent, I contacted them and threatened to go to my bank to get the transaction 'Chargeback' as it was purchased on a Debit Card. The bank said it wouldn't be a problem however a Chargeback can only be performed 30 days after the payment was taken... which isn't a problem, I can wait.....

In reply to The Green Giant:

Or, Watchdog! they seem to get results lol

In reply to RogerM9:

I purchased a harness from them a few weeks ago and got the ash cloud excuse. However if you log in and check the status of your order, like mine I'm sure it will say it is waiting to be processed despite them telling me it had gone out. I made a couple of calls and they didn't have to say anything but I could tell they only posted it out on the day of my second call which by then had been well over a week. I got it 3 days later, despite the 'ash cloud.'

Best advice I'd say is to keep calling, my stuff arrived eventually but I wouldn't use them again.

Good luck and let us know the outcome.

When did you place the order and when did you receive the goods? I've been trying to contact by phone unsuccessfully and they refuse to answer emails the moment you start to complain. The 'live chat' feature on the website doesn't work either.

A real shining example of customer service.....

OK now there has been a development. I have just received an email from mapandcompassoutdoors.com, short and sweet:

“Your order has been recalled and you card has been refunded”

I am amazed that they managed to recall the order because they told me it didn’t have a tracking number, so my suspicions about it even being dispatched in the first place have just been confirmed. Anyway I am glad they eventually decided on this course of action or maybe they just happened to come across one of my reviews.

I’m off to place my order with a reputable outdoor kit supplier. There is hope after all and I really hope those of you who are still waiting for good or refunds get resolution soon. I’ll keep on monitoring this thread….

In reply to Goldfishrock: do you have evidence of the refund in your bank/on card?

Just a thought before you splash out again.

No, just waiting for it to show up on the account.... if it doesn't I will just get the bank to 'Chargeback' in a few days (which I believe will affect their credit rating too).... just gotta play the waiting game

I'm another victim. Two words: Steer Clear!

I ordered some boots from them in April and have had the same experience as others on this forum. All excuses under the sun (including the ash cloud). On four separate occasions they have told me that my goods are "on the way", yet each time nothing materialises.

I asked for my money back three times from the company and each time they simply dodge the question with the usual "it's on the way" response.

Eight weeks later, I have now filed a dispute claim with my credit card company in an attempt to get my money back.

In reply to RogerM9:
[guessing]....
This company could be one of the few I've come across where they advertise stock they don't actually have.
They wait for an order to come in, contact the distributor and order the product, when it arrives it's finally shipped on to the customer.
Too many links in the supply chain to make it efficient.
[/guessing]
Dodgy I know, hence I never deal with these companies professionally.
Good luck with your orders.
Drew

OK.... they have now credited my account with the refund so at least I don't have to deal anymore with this company..... it's left a very nasty taste!

I placed a duplicate order with outdoorkit.co.uk who were a pound or so more expensive. I had a dispatch note lastnight and I am positive that by the time I get home I will find the goods waiting for me. It's amazing that they can deliver so quickly with that ash cloud still preventing goods arriving from Ireland

In reply to dirtbag1:


And this could mean, just to clarify, that the "ash cloud" excuse means that they have had huge delays getting the stock in, in the first place.

So the "ash cloud" excuse could be genuine, but they seem to be selling stock that they don't actually have, which is not ideal, and they are then lying about claiming that people's goods have been despatched, which is just poor.

Not this company, but work ordered a mini computer from a supplier, which was a new model, and we did pre-order it, aware that it had to come from the manufacturer in China, and wouldn't be ready for a few weeks anyway. Then the ash cloud came up, and there was a huge backlog in items getting shipped out from China to Hong Kong, and then another backlog for items destined for Europe. Took about a month extra to arrive at the UK distributor.

BTW I'm not excusing this Map and Compass company, just trying to shed some light on what may be the basis of their "ash cloud" excuse.

||-)

In reply to dirtbag1: Hi Drew, not supporting the M&C outdoors position but many do this - went mattress hunting recently and they pretty much said 4 to 8 weeks to make the mattress as they do not hold it in stock. As they could make one side soft/medium/hard and again on the other side they would need to hold nine variants to cover all bases (as a single item) then there is the normal, king and queen size so they would have to hold 18 mattresses of which any time someone buys one they would be out of stock for 4 - 8 weeks waiting for the replacement. The same happened when I bought a new car. Had to wait for manufacture.

Not saying this is the same but something to consider. Hope business and climbing is good.

In reply to grumpybearpantsclimbinggoat:
If I'd got such a fancy multi-density mattress there's no way I'd ever get out of bed....

In reply to dirtbag1: It's now very hard to get up for work - the future crashmat for the bouldering wall is fab to sleep on though!

In reply to Dominion:


PDP-8...?

In reply to captain paranoia:

Err, no.

Something a bit smaller, and cheaper.

http://www.itechnews.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/GuruPlug-Server-PLUS-Pa...

mini computer, not minicomputer...

I used them this winter to order a pair of crampons on "1-2 day delivery". They did arrive eventually after around a month. In the intervening period I had tried daily to contact them, cancelled my order, requested a refund, contacted the UK importer of the crampons (who knew of the problems with this retailer) and bought them elsewhere. When the owner of the company (Scott Walker)did get in touch with me (around 5 weeks later) he was extremely rude and offered no explanation (this was before the "ash cloud" excuse!). I eventually got a partial refund from Map & Compass and claimed the balance from my credit card company. All the other people I spoke to about them and all the internet postings I saw described similar experiences. I advise writing to them by recorded mail to request a full refund, if it's not forthcoming the only other option would be to claim through your credit card company. I'm surprised Mr Walker is still trading under that name to be honest.

Further to my last mail; as Map & Compass are based in Ireland and selling "cross border" by internet to customers like ourselves in the UK, customer complaints to the regulatory bodies are made more complex. You can use the European Consumer Centre in Essex, or the National Consumer Agency in Dublin if you wish to file a complaint. However the most effective route (after claiming the money back from your bank) might just be to contact the UK distributor of the brand you have ordered. Most distributors do not want their products sold by "dodgy" retailers and will want to know if this is going on. There are enough good online retailers around who provide a professional service. If the retailer does not have a UK phone number and staff who quickly answer the phone then it's probably best not to bother ordering from them.

In reply to jonlawton: Passed through Killarney last week and their bricks & mortar shop was selling off all it's stock at a 50% discount. Either the best climbing sale in history or the business is being wound down.