Just Placed My First Order Too, But Not A Happy Camper....

[Caradoc]

She joked that if she wanted a kilted boyfriend she might have to take a trip to the US to find one!

I'm failing to see a downside to this. Especially for the single kiltwearers in the United States.

[davedove]

I'm failing to see a downside to this. Especially for the single kiltwearers in the United States.

Aye, some of us would be more than happy for a bonnie Scottish lass to make the trip over.

[GlassMan]

I'm failing to see a downside to this. Especially for the single kiltwearers in the United States.

One thing does come to mind...

The dental care system in the United Kingdom!

Okay, that was a bad joke.

[Nick Fiddes]

Thanks for the feedback Riverkilt. I'd like to clarify a few things from this thread you may find helpful.

1. You call us a "huge conglomerate". This is flattering, but we're actually a family business which has grown from nothing to offer the best range in the world (who else can show all tartan choices from every mill, or else weave any non-copyright tartan to order, affordably, for a single kilt?) by taking a very hands-on approach from myself and my partner. We may look like a big company because we try to apply best practice methods to everything from product selection to web development to staff training. (If you don't believe me, ask Ham, whom we've had the honour and pleasure to meet in person.) But we also reject 'big company' techniques like automated call-handling, in favour of a direct free phone line with a friendly expert on the end, trained always to put the customer's needs first!

2. Shipping costs - we do everything we can to keep costs down, and we're actively exploring new ways. The sad fact is that shipping tiny bits of metal a third of the way across the planet is never going to be cheap. We try hard to calculate costs accurately (mostly by weight) but as someone above explained well it's never simple and individual cases will always throw up variations. In cases of clear overcharging we'd generally adjust, but we do have to cover all our shipping costs (inc. packaging) as our goods prices are so competitive. We do not make a profit overall from shipping.

3. The discount we offer X Marks members is a genuine offer, reducing all our normal prices by an average of 10% (more on some goods, less on others). It's accessible automatically by clicking the banner at the top of the page. Or if you order by phone (free from North America or UK) we'll respect the offer too.

4. I'm sorry if you don't feel we provide the right information on the site. We do our best, and welcome specific suggestions. I do have to defend our staff training, however, which we think is the best in the business with a view to long-term career growth with us. Many competitors just hire untrained shop staff. We put all employees through an intensive training scheme focussed mostly on learning about the products, for a minimum of a month before they even get to speak to customers. We also have rigorous feedback systems for retraining where any error has occurred. No system is perfect, but we do take this extremely seriously.

I hope all that doesn't sound too defensive. I just wanted to lay some misconceptions to rest. I don't get the chance to check here as often as I'd like. But anyone wanting a personal response from me or our staff, please contact us directly and just ask!

Best

Nick

[Colin]

With Ron and Nick's responses on here, I think we should lock this thread. If there are any other issues between Ron and the company it can be handled privately. A customer had a few complaints, and the company has responded. End of story.