Jack M Posted February 26, 2009 Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 It might be helpful if you stopped thinking of Catek as a "company". It's Jeff and what, one other guy? I think of Catek, Bomber, Donek, Coiler, Prior, etc as PEOPLE (in many cases one or two people) doing us all a big favor. These are smart people, they could all surely make MORE money doing something else for a <i>company</i>. If the day ever comes that the bad vibes outweigh the good, and customers are a bigger PITA than not, they can simply walk away from it all and then we're all effed. P.S. Bomber is able to do their thing with two people, so why can't Catek offer the same level of customer service? Sean already answered this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted February 26, 2009 Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 Now, now Sean, I know Fin has a big house in Aspen with a hot tub. I seen the pix of it every year. And I think the only time he makes more TD3s is when he is out of hookers or blow. That is how they roll in CO. This Jeff cat is probably making a bee line for Atlantic City with all the money he is making from selling long plate kits, but I don't know that. + 1 on that. I really hope the OP did not send this back. No Jeff is funding his Yacht for the next Newport to Bermuda race....once he gets there I think he's moving on to the Caymans so he can hide all his money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDY_2_Carve Posted February 26, 2009 Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 I think of Catek, Bomber, Donek, Coiler, Prior, etc as PEOPLE (in many cases one or two people) doing us all a big favor. These are smart people, they could all surely make MORE money doing something else for a <i>company</i>. If the day ever comes that the bad vibes outweigh the good, and customers are a bigger PITA than not, they can simply walk away from it all and then we're all effed. You're right Jack, and I think all of us are thankful and appreciative of the few industry folks we have supporting us. They are doing us a favor, sure, but this is, however, a business. That is the bottom line for all of these companies. If it was not profitable they would not be doing it I'm sorry to say, and I would argue that customer service plays a big part in that. Perhaps there is a reason why Bomber is full time and Catek is part time. Following me? Sean already answered this. And I still think Donek's excuse is invalid as far as the simple task of answering an email. This is not the first post about poor customer service or lack of communication from Catek. There is a pattern developing here that sadly isn't helping them. If Bomber has a pin that is breaking on their product it is in their best interest to remedy the problem. Look at how Bomber handled that issue-another example of fine customer service. How much time was invested in fixing that problem? I received a a mass mailer from Catek a couple days ago that probably took a several hours to compose but yet they can't take the time to reply to one guy's email? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twelsch42 Posted February 26, 2009 Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 Sometimes you make sacrifices to be on the bleeding edge of a niche sport. Vote with your money. My Catek FR2's have made my time on the snow infinitely more enjoyable. It's hard to put a price on that. Infact, think they're way under-valued. I value being able to purchase a beautifully engineered product directly from the designer/manufacturer. I value knowing that my money will be put into development rather than marketing. If you want to shop somewhere more customer oriented, plenty of people will take your money. But buying from Catek is worth every penny. T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack M Posted February 26, 2009 Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 You're right Jack, and I think all of us are thankful and appreciative of the few industry folks we have supporting us. They are doing us a favor, sure, but this is, however, a business. That is the bottom line for all of these companies. If it was not profitable they would not be doing it I'm sorry to say, and I would argue that customer service plays a big part in that. Perhaps there is a reason why Bomber is full time and Catek is part time. Following me? I'm not arguing against that, I'm just saying holding a <del>company</del> guy like Catek to the standards of a company like Burton is unreasonable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twelsch42 Posted February 26, 2009 Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 You're right, it's not a question of brand quality. It's a simple you get what you pay for. If Catek wanted to sell their bindings for $799 I bet their customer service would be spot on. Not everyone can afford to keep all the whiners happy. You got a refund, end of discussion. Spend your money somewhere else next time. I fully support them, and their business model. As it is their bindings are under-valued, it's not a quality issue like you said. This topic is beat, and this being a competitors board, probably not the place for this discussion to continue. T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullwings Posted February 26, 2009 Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 You're right, it's not a question of brand quality. It's a simple you get what you pay for. If Catek wanted to sell their bindings for $799 I bet their customer service would be spot on. Not everyone can afford to keep all the whiners happy. You got a refund, end of discussion. Spend your money somewhere else next time. I fully support them, and their business model. As it is their bindings are under-valued, it's not a quality issue like you said. Have you looked at the price of the Catek FR2 Pro EVO ($449)?!?! They are the MOST expensive binding on the market ANYWHERE for SOFT or HARD boots. THE END. Also, i'm still missing the elastomer from my power plates i ordered and paid an extra $10 for. I didn't even get the old D2 elastomer. Awesome quality, poor customer service. I'll still stand behind their product, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twelsch42 Posted February 26, 2009 Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 That would be too bad if the non-pro model was discontinued. If I remember it was about $80 less. I still say that these bindings play a large part in how much fun I have on the mountain. I guarantee I wouldn't get as many days on snow if I didn't own the FR2's. T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mat Laf Posted February 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 I think you are all missing the point here... The original poster paid for an item, and then was emailed about shipping terms that were not acceptable to him. Have any of you ever purchased a product, from any company, that appeared to be available and then you were later told it was backordered or not able to be shipped right away....and then you canceled? I'm sure many of you have. This situation is very similar and the original poster was no longer interested in this item and terms and requested that Catek cancel the transaction [PRIOR to the item being shipped]. It appears that he was frustrated by their lack of communication (as many people are) and he simply wanted to cancel the transaction. This issue appears to be less about the actual time it took to deliver the item (which seems to be a fair amount of time) and more about a company not listening to their customers. If you email a customer and notify them that an item will not ship right away, and the customer chooses to cancel the item, you communicate with the customer! Not ignore them and ship anyway. Customer Service 101. While running a company in the snowboard industry is very admirable, and much smaller in scale than big-business, it is not a green-light to ignore your customers no matter what your personal situation might be. Catek should have a disclaimer on their website: "Caveat emptor: Customer understands that we may or may not return emails or phone calls. In fact, it may take you several attempts and long periods of time before we actually communicate with you". This will solve a lot of headaches for everyone involved. In all seriousness, my recent experience with Catek was nothing short of miserable. The OP wasn't about bitching someone or tear someone down, As I said before, I really like the quality of their product, I would have expected the same for their customers service... I carve it down on the slopes this morning and I actually feel better, be sure that if Catek wrote me a mail back I will post it here and be glad to say that we work things out... Bah, pis pour les chialeux, crossez vous avec une poignée de braquettes et envoyez moi 145$ par paypal, le dossier va être réglé... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhaskins Posted February 26, 2009 Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 Been there, done that, have the Tee shirt. The OP makes me look good for waiting 20 days to bitch. Do a search on 'Catek Customer Service" and do some reading. Catek makes a fine product, stands behind it, and I am impressed. After my little tizzy last November, I got my bindings a few weeks later, and after that orderd and received another set of bindings and some other parts from Jeff & Co. I have learned to sit back a little in my chair when dealing with them - patience. I know of no person that has been stiffed by them, no design flaws, just a little pause in communications now and then. I have spent over a grand there and got value for my bucks. I would buy from them any day. And will again. And the bitch about customer service? TD3's were out of stock for extended periods. I bought from Donek when they were re-tooling and it took a lot of time to receive my boards (it was ok, it was the summer). Other industries with great products have there fulfillment issues also. My Subsonic boards took over 6 weeks, my Radical trucks took a while AND they forgot to bill me. We ironed all that out (BUY RADIKAL!!!!!!!! and SUBSONIC!!!!!!!). Quality stuff there. Give Jeff a break. I have had suppliers loose loved ones, get divorced, get injured and have no communications, and felt bad when I got testy with them. Chill. If Jeff is a one-man operation he needs some lead time and understanding. Or, you can purchase a lesser product elsewhere. Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohiomoto Posted February 26, 2009 Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 It might be helpful if you stopped thinking of Catek as a "company". It's Jeff and what, one other guy?I never knew that. I don't know who's behind the company. I just see a very professional website and nice products. The presentation makes me believe that I'm dealing with a company that has a staff who should be able to help me and I base my expectations on that. I haven't dealt with Catek. I'm just making a point. They look like a company so it's not such a reach people will expect them to act like a company. Customer expectations. I deal with it all the time in my bussiness. People who know how hard I work and what I deal with cut me slack. People who don't bitch. You know what I mean? As far as Bomber goes, I didn't realize they were small either. I feel really bad that I wasted so much of Michelle's time when I couldn't decide what to do with my new boots that didn't want to fit in my old bindings. She took the time to reply to every email I sent. She was great! I thought she was just a customer service representative. I didn't realize she was one of just a few people who run the company. I'm even more impressed with Bomber know that I know that. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobdea Posted February 26, 2009 Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 subsonic!!!!! I got one, I likes. got a screaming deal on it too, good people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gecko Posted February 26, 2009 Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 subsonic!!!!! I got one, I likes. got a screaming deal on it too, good people. yes Scott and his apprentice (or is it 2 now) are very good people and his turn around is down to a few weeks...BTW for anyone interested in buying a New England manufactured long skate board keep you eyes on Mile High Skateboards for the Clutch 442 which will be manufactured in Bristol RI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted February 26, 2009 Report Share Posted February 26, 2009 I thought [Michelle] was just a customer service representative.Model T-1700, liquid metal. Very, very efficient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mat Laf Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Still have no reply from Jeff, the plates were sent back and arrived on march 6th at the compagny... I sent a few emails and no response yet... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrutton Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 I had a question on some older Catek parts that I wanted to purchase. I can guess the answer. But no response from them yet - it's been a week. Now compare this to Outdoor research. Wow. I emailed them about a decade set of old mittens that I had where the seam-tape had delamed. They replaced the mittens with a new set of mittens. I emailed them to tell them that they were tight. They emailed me back the next day and said they'd upgrade me to the next size up. That's pretty amazing customer service and super fast easy to deal with communication. Paul - still a Catek happy consumer.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nekdut Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 I'm at the two week mark as well. Placed an order for some screws and the D3 kit, and was charged immediately. No email confirmation nor any answers to my questions about older parts. :rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjl Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 I ordered some replacement straps for my FR1s a week and a half ago and they shipped on Saturday I think. Service has always been slow but consistent for me with Catek. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carvedog Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 The only way I received reply's was by being a pain in the ass,..... Well my Granny always said to do what you are good at. The issue is NOT about time, it is about respect and priorities. Like respect for other types of carving than the ones you approve of???? Model T-1700, liquid metal. Very, very efficient. Cyberdyne systems? "And it absolutely will not stop" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mat Laf Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 I'm at the two week mark as well. Placed an order for some screws and the D3 kit, and was charged immediately. No email confirmation nor any answers to my questions about older parts. :rolleyes: I know your pain... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slider32 Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Something to think about, Most credit card companies prohibit businesses from billing a customer before the item has been shipped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mat Laf Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 So let me see: You order a piece of equipment in the height of the season, bitch and moan when you can't have them immediately, make Jeff and Scott take time out of their day from customers who aren't impatient to return said items, and you expect them to put you at the top of their list of priorities?Amazing. All this because you couldn't wait 10 days for an upgrade to your bindings? You don't seem to get that quit right... the time is not the major point, it's the lack of communication that cause this post that the real problem. If Jeff or Scott had respond to my mail or my long distance phone calls before the plates were sent, I would'nt be writting that right know... AMAZING... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carvedog Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Something to think about, Most credit card companies prohibit businesses from billing a customer before the item has been shipped. That sounds like complete crap. If you do online processing it processes immediately and then you get the goods sent later. You don't seem to get that quit right... the time is not the major point, it's the lack of communication that cause this post that the real problem. If Jeff or Scott had respond to my mail or my long distance phone calls before the plates were sent, I would'nt be writting that right know... AMAZING... Maybe if YOU had communicated that if they didn't drop what they are doing immediately to ship to you ( and it still got there in 7 days right? ) that you were going to send them back - they might have told you where to go and saved us all from this thread and follow up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mat Laf Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Carvedog, Even if I really don't think were gonna agree on that thread, I truly appreciate the fast feedback that you give me and thats what I would expect from someone who does business... If you take two minutes of your time to try to convince me that it is the right way to do business and you totally support it, fine, I wish that Catek offers you a job as director of the customers service for the entire world:biggthump Have a nice day sir, carve it down the slopes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carvedog Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Carvedog, Even if I really don't think were gonna agree on that thread, I truly appreciate the fast feedback that you give me and thats what I would expect from someone who does business...If you take two minutes of your time to try to convince me that it is the right way to do business and you totally support it, fine, I wish that Catek offers you a job as director of the customers service for the entire world:biggthump Have a nice day sir, carve it down the slopes! Now that was funny. Maybe we get to carve together someday. I agree we may not agree on this issue. Just thought that your reason for sending them back was a little off. I mean it was 7 days until you received them, which means they shipped virtually the same day you ordered. At this point, even though I don't agree on the reasons, if they gave you a return you should have heard back. 10 to 12 days in process????? Long enough I imagine. I hope you do get your refund promptly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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