written by GillPowell1959 on 23/06/2016
They sent the wrong item. I ordered a 5cm Vango Adventure sleeping mat. They sent a 3cm one. Big difference in price. I was told that "the pickers had picked the wrong item" . They arranged for item to be collected (within 2 days). Said they would not send correct product until they had received the returned item! What a cheek when it was their mistake! They have debited my account with the money but no goods! Appalling. A week later I've heard nothing about when I will receive the item I originally ordered. Delivery cost £5. I will be requesting a full refund including delivery costs if they are unable to deliver the goods I ordered. They certainly arranged for item to be picked up quick enough. Why can't their delivery be with the same speed! Their website leaves a lot to be desired. I should have taken heed then. I will never use this company again. I will also tell my friends and family not to use them! Cow boy company with useless staff!
written by 457Blake on 31/03/2016
website said 1-3 days delivery time. I ordered on bank holiday Friday needing delivery by following Friday. First thing Tuesday morning I checked that this would be possible. I was told 'yes, the package will be with you on Wed or Thursday'. indeed a package turned up wednesday but only had 1 of the 4 items in it. When i enquired about the other items I was told they are not yet in stock. Why was customer services not able to tell me this on Tuesday ?? Apalling. and they were pretty rude to boot !
written by Desiraet476 on 12/01/2016
I ordered a jacket in early December and hadn't received it by the 10th so rang them kept being put in a queue,rang a total of 5 times and took 40 mins of waiting as no.1 in the queue. Only to be told they were awaiting stock so I asked for the order to be cancelled. I have just received my mobile bill and the 5 calls to 0844 number have cost me £16.39!!!!!! I have just sent them a stinking email not that it will do much good. Please stay away from this company! I think this company should be made to advise customers that the 0844 number is a premium rate number. After all if they offered a good service there would be no need to ring them.
written by FennIV on 04/08/2015
Misleading website, 20 minutes wait to speak to customer service, advertise goods in-stock when they aren't. Had to cancel a holiday because of them. Avoid at all costs. They have now taken money from my account for an order which I have already cancelled. Absolutely shameful.
written by on 06/02/2015
I ordered several things, so I received them in quite a large box from the delivery man. The box was barely held together, with ONE flismy piece of parcel tape that barely hanging on. Not a good start. I then found the box that was meant to contain two thermals only containing one, with the box being very obviously previously opened, sporting a rip in one of the corners. Went to call them and didn't get through at all. The number held up as soon as it dialled. Tried a couple of times, and then a couple of times a few days later. Nothing. I then sent them several emails explaining my situation. No reply. I also had the unfortunate luck of ordering the wrong pair of gloves, so not I have to send them back to some random address, with no prior alerts, no return number, no nothing? It's a shambles. This is the worst service I have ever experienced. Although their prices may look good, they're actually not that lower than far more reputable sellers. Do yourself a favour. Do not buy anything from outdoormania.
written by 456Gauthier on 24/12/2014
I ordered a jacket for my son, size 32". They sent the wrong size. After contacting them via e-mail and getting no reply I called them... (a long call on an 0844 no!) They agreed I was due a full refund, including postage as it was their mistake. The original jacket was now out of stock! For speed, I ordered another jacket and then sent back the original in the returns paid bag they sent. When the 'refund' was eventually paid to my credit card I discovered they hadn't refunded postage!! I called them again and was kept in a queue for over 50 mins before I gave up. Initially I was 2nd in the queue then after 8 mins I was first. So now I'm postage AND tel call costs down. Avoid this company at all costs.
written by 385Neal on 20/12/2014
I have ordered a pair of winter boots from them. Order was delayed . Received item looked rubbish, like a Chinese fakie, with dodgy stitches and bits of glue on the side and that's for £30.. Anyway had to send them back and pay around £10 for delivery.. Called customer service- Amanda to complain, who hung up on me. Don't get involved.
written by zboblamont on 13/12/2014
What they advertise is a stock which does not exist. After 2 weeks I requested they cancel the order which still shows up as live on their system 5 days later. Prices are good, but meaningless if they cannot supply the goods. If you can visit their premises you may pick up a bargain, otherwise it is a lottery.
written by TEDSALLY on 05/12/2014
returns services is awkward,expensive,time consuming and unrewarding, high shipping charges and long refund delays.....go to a shop rather than buy from this lot online........they are a nightmare to deal with!!!
written by russelldj on 18/11/2014
Ordered jacket yesterday online. Shown available for next day delivery. Worried by comments here I called this morning. No stock. Should have stock in a few days. I didn't risk it, I cancelled. Not too long to answer phone and polite and helpful when they did, but what a waste time!
written by blackhawk0093 on 05/08/2014
Cancelled my order because it was "sorry sold out" - that was the only message I received. Surely they knew the item was out of stock before I ordered? This is simply not an acceptable practice for any business. I am now scrambling to find replacement gear in time for my trip, and have to deal with having a costly hold on my credit card (to their credit, they never charged it, but there is a pending transaction which results in a reduced amount of credit I can use). I can't believe I didn't at least get a personalized and sincere apology and explanation. My trip is in jeopardy and all I get is a three word 'explanation/apology'? Would never shop with again.
written by GlennOliver on 15/06/2014
We ordered almost a grand's worth of ski gear prior to our April holiday. Several of the items weren't delivered prior to our departure, with no communication to explain one way or the other if they would or would not be delivered. Phone calls to the company required 45-60 minutes of ringing to get through to their supposed customer service and then did not resolve the issues. One item which did arrive was too small, so was returned and a size bigger purchased. The bigger size did arrive but Skimania pretended they had not received the returned item (which was posted carefully), didn't refund the cost (£75) and refused to communicate in any meaningful way about it, This is a genuinely awful company and I advise you very strongly to take your business to a company which does have some customer service and some morals.
written by on 04/04/2014
I purchased three items from skimania.com, attracted by their good prices and 'next day delivery' on the particular products I needed as I required them urgently for a ski trip. Three days after purchase (and payment taken), I received an email saying that my order was to be delivered, so I stayed at home all day to receive the parcel. Only one item arrived. So the next working day I phoned the company. They could not guarantee when the rest of my order would arrive, possibly the following week as they were waiting on the suppliers. Yet I had been told it would be delivered the next day. I made numerous expensive calls to the company, always waiting "1st in the queue" to speak to an operator but never getting through after that first call. A week later I received a generic email saying my order had been cancelled as there was no stock. So I was left without my products, am still yet to have the money refunded, and no remaining time to purchase the items I required. Completely unacceptable and unprofessional.
written by Camilac468 on 20/03/2014
I placed an order for a coat that was showing in stock. I did not receive any confirmation email. A week later I had not received delivery and sent an email to chase it up. No reply. A couple of days later I phoned. Yes they had the order and they had the email asking about delivery, but no they didnt have stock but had put an order with their supplier and I would get delivery the following week. Emails and calls and 4 weeks later, I call to find the supplier has been unable to supply and that my order had been cancelled. What about an email to tell me this, I asked?
written by on 18/02/2014
I bought a pair of HiTec Para Mud & Snow boots in November 2012. By January 2014 my feet were getting wet, and I discovered that there were leaks where the Vibram soles are attached / glued to the uppers, and also a hole had developed on one of the uppers - which looked as if it had come about because of the stress of flexion.Anyhow I contacted Outdoormania, and even emailed them photos of said boots. They didn't want to know, and simply quoted the 365 day manufacturers guarantee. To be fair to HiTec, I have contacted them, and they have said send the boots back, and if they agree with my description of the problem, they will send me another pair.
written by tomlinsonmt on 18/12/2013
I made a substantial order for ski clothes 10 days ago and was told an estimated delivery time of 3 to 5 working days. After 10 days I began to wonder where my good were and when I rang up I was told that none of my items were in stock and I would have to wait until they were back in. They also couldn't give me any timescales for getting anything in stock! Unbelievable! The excuse I got was that their 'website does not speak to their stock system' so it's always out of date[!!] If I had not have rung to chase this order up they probably wouldn't have told me that my items weren't in stock at all. I have now had to cancel my order and try to find all my gear elsewhere. This is a huge inconvenience and I didn't even get an apology. You would be advised not to order from here.
written by on 21/11/2013
This company is a joke if you go to the store the staff are lovley but hopeless. But avoid trying to buy anything on line as it is a joke none of it is in stock. If you try to call you can be on hold for 2hrs yes 2hrs the first time I called it was 45mins. Appalling service when you get through cancelled order was sent out which I then had to pay to send back I bought one jacket in store and ordered the other to be sent to my home I phoned to check it had been ordered as I didn't have much confidence in the staff and lo and behold it hadn't and I was told I hadn't paid for the jacket I had bought the previous day even though I had the recept in front of me. It then took 2 more attempts to buy the jacket which unfortunately I couldn't get from any where else. there was so much more that I wont bore you with but 2 jackets which should in total have cost me just over £90 ended up costing my £130 this is not including the phone calls and stress which is the reason I ordered on the internet in the first place. Just don't bother.
written by on 23/08/2013
July 2013 Where to start!. A failed attempt to buy a product and we are now £10 down on the deal after wasting 6 weeks and hours on the phone firstly: DO NOT BELIEVE POSITIVE 5 STAR REVIEWS on TRUST PILOT as THESE ARE FAKE. 1. Most of them are from the local area (ie freinds & family) 2. Many are submitted immediately after a negative review to counter act the overall rating score. secondly: THEY HAVE VERY LIMITED STOCK ON SITE. DO NOT BELIEVE THE WEB SITE. In other words this is NOT a `live stock` system .... they promise items are in stock on the website but in fact often when they recieve your money ONLY THEN do they order them from their suppliers... This is why so many complaints are made as stock does not arrive on time or is often unabvailable. Thirdly: Their CUSTOMER SERVICE IS ABYSSMAL. they do not get back in touch if there are problems even after promises to do so. so you could be sitting waiting for months none the wiser... what kind of customer service is this in the modern era? We returned a coat (which arrived late) as it was too small, immediate replacement was promised. we paid for return recorded delivery, Only to find (6 weeks later!!!) thet they did not have the stock at all. Then followed over 1 1/2 hours of phone calls (from us) to get some kind of compensation. They eventually offered an inferior jacket that would have cost us £3.50 less to buy and that was supposed to make us happy. As 4 weeks had past we could not find the reciept for the postage so they wouldn`t refund that either so we are £10 down over all. These lot are a bunch of amateurs, it is amazing they have stayed in business... especially with all the bad reviews (they don`t seem bothered about these!. I pity the poor telephone operatives who have to deal with irate customers like me and can`t do much to help. they wont be in jobs long at this rate as this company deserves to go bust. Here are a sample of other reviews to support my experience with these amateurs: Avoid Worst online shopping experience I've ever had. TERRIBLE!! If I could leave less than 1 star I would. Ive never had an experience like it! No Contact I have never felt compelled enough to write a bad review on the internet, but I felt it necessary to warn people about using Outdoor Mania Beware misleading advertising ....This particular advert was, purely and simply, a misrepresentation of the facts (if not just plain lying!) My advice would be to avoid ordering anything from Outdoormania as, from my perspective, at the very least, they lack common courtesy and their customer service is non–existent. Avoid this company This is the first time I have sent a review even though I have made hundreds of transactions on the internet.. and would say avoid this company they do not know what customer service is AVOID- DODGY COMPANY AVOID AT ALL COSTS! This company seem like a bunch of amateurs. Shame on them, now I only hope I recover my money, what a shameful experience!!!!! Given 1 star because I couldn't give 0 They simply ignore their customers. Saying "ArgGGhhhhhhh" about sums up using this company! AFTER SALES??? WHAT AFTER SALES??? I won't use this company again. Unacceptable. .....cancelled order. Goods were subsequently dispatched anyway - too late to be of any use Avoid! Positive responses are false! Items were fine, service was non-existent. AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE. They have ruined my dad’s Christmas present Awful Company Avoid! ...... an apology but that was only after I pointed out how much it cost me chasing them to do what they said they would. Appallingly bad, no customer service, AVOID AVOID AVOID If i could rate them with a minus score I would. Very poor Very poor company. Avoid this company at all costs 1 star rating is to good for them..... liars! Shocking!! - Avoid at all costs Avoid this company at all costs, It will cost you! Awful customer service After nearly three weeks none of my E-mails has been replied to. Customer service is non-existent. Rogue Traders The trader has made excuses about poor service in 2008, but in 2011 nothing has changed. Buyer beware. Poor customer service - don't buy!!! will also be in touch with trading standards. AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE communication from this outfit is NIL. This cynical lack of customer service means they will soon go bust, so some poor soul is going to lose their money and won't get their order - be warned! HOPELESS,USELESS,PATHETIC... DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES BUY FROM THIS COMPANY Worst customer service I've ever had How does a company that has such a bad customer service like this survive is beyond me.. Wish I had read these reviews before. Buy your goods at your own risk but I will NEVER use them again after this....... Unfair It seems, for reasons beyond my comprehension, that this company's main business objective is to frustrate customers! Poor Horrendous customer service PROCEED WITH CAUTION I live a short distance from Outdoormania's shop. I checked the stock of the item I wanted online and it stated it was in stock so I went down to the retail outlet to purchase. Lo and behold the item I wanted was not there. The customer service was terrible. It seems as though they allow people to purchase things online under false pretences i.e stating they are in stock when they are not. Beware of using this company. All the negative reviews are spot on an replicate our experience precisely. My wife bought me a jacket off these chancers unfortunately she read good reviews for the jacket but forgot to check the company.
written by Elosito on 16/07/2013
I ordered a tent (Coleman Cobra 3) from these guys which stated in stock and free next day delivery on the website. 4 days later, no tent, and no confirmation of dispatch. I sent them an email as it says on their website, only to receive a message back saying that the email couldn't be delivered due to 'quota full' (whatever that is). So rang them up, went through the usual ridiculous automated telephone service, then waited 5 minutes on hold. Got through to the customer services, who said that they were waiting for their stock to arrive! Why then does it say 'in stock - next day delivery' on the website? Oh, they answered, its not an automated stock system! Complete rubbish. They also claimed to have sent me an email 2 days ago saying it was delayed, but I didn't receive anything from them. Has left me in a situation as I need it for 2 days time. Have returned to the usually trusty Amazon, and paid a bit more for next day delivery. I wont be using this company again, and I don't recommend you do either.
written by Madamepompidour on 06/04/2013
I ordered items from OutdoorMania and after a week they had not arrived and I had not received the dispatch notification. I gave up trying to speak to them after 1 hour and 15 mins and sent a mail cancelling my order (again didnt have any response from them). A week later I received notification of my order being dispatched and the items arrived while I was on holiday. I now have to pay over £9 to send the stuff back. Too early to say about the refund but don't expect it to be easy from the comments here. They have dreadful customer service. Maybe they make so much money from the premium phone line they just dont care. Avoid!!!
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Gillpowell1959's Response to GillPowell1959's Review
Written on: 23/06/2016
Update. After waiting over 30 minutes to speak to someone today, 20 minutes of that being told I am first inline! they advised they do not have any 5cm vango double sleeping mats in stock and that an email was sent yesterday advising I would get a full refund. No email and no refund to date. Looked online and they are advertising 5cm vango double sleeping mat in stock! What a shambles. I will be speaking to trading standards about them.