Anyone else having issues with Smartpak?

[seabreeze]

I’ve had shipping problems, too. I ended up canceling one order. Another thing I ordered on a Tuesday should’ve shipped on Wednesday with my Barn Saver shipping. Didn’t ship until the next Wednesday and I didn’t receive it until the following Monday, so it took an extra seven days to arrive. My Barn Saver shipping items used to arrive on Friday, too, but not anymore, which is fine, but if I order in-stock items on a Tuesday, it should go out the following day.

Add me to the orders-from-Riding-Warehouse-whenever-possible club.

[horsepoor]

I’ve stopped using SmartPak since they continue to use OnTrac for shipping. After multiple OnTrac mishaps (my “favorite” was when they left my package up at the main road, which is 1/2 mile from my house and has nothing at that place that says my address or anything – fortunately my neighbor happened to pass, see this package laying on the shoulder and brought it to me!), I let SmartPak know I would no longer order since they would not provide another shipping option. It just wasn’t worth the hassle of retrieving my packages from the various places OnTrac flung them, or repairing the damage the drivers did to our place, or worrying they’d run over me or my animals. If a vendor uses only OnTrac, I no longer will order from them.

[cuatx55]

I had to inquire about where part of my order was, but they quickly told me they were running behind on production due to some big sales. Overall good service lately, but yes shipping can be weird. They told me it would be later, but i literally got two packages the SAME day? could you not pack them in one box then?

I still prefer riding warehouse, but SP is my other go-to store.

[Sarah_from_SmartPak]

Hey COTH-ers!
Thanks for the feedback, and for being SmartPak shoppers (at one time, if you’re not still).

You guys are right on the money that things are a little backed up in our Plymouth warehouse this week, due to unusual spikes in the number of new products and the recent influx of orders due to sales (both very high quality problems that we count ourselves lucky to have!). We’re incredibly sorry to have let some of you down, and we’re working really hard to get back on time, including having SmartPakers from all across the company chipping in picking and shipping orders (I was shoulder-to-shoulder with Paal, our co-founder, CEO, and fearless leader, in the shipping stations last night, and I’ll be back in tomorrow morning for some weekend catch-up!). In the meantime, we’ve updated the shipping ETAs on our website to account for the slight delay, and we’re giving free expedited shipping upgrades to any orders that go out late, though unfortunately even that’s not been enough to make up the gap for some of you, and all I can offer you at this point is my apologies and my assurance that we’re not taking this lightly.

Commitment to powering happy riders is core to everything we do at SmartPak, and you all are right that this is not representative of the “knock-your-socks-off service” we pride ourselves on delivering. That’s why our senior leadership team is getting together first thing Monday to figure out exactly what went wrong, and how we can avoid lapses in service like this in the future.

For those of you who mentioned longer-term issues, I wanted to clarify a few things. First, we did open a second distribution center back in 2015 to better serve our west coast friends, which is why some of you aren’t seeing any shipping delays (yay for progress!). However, that also means that those of you who are my New England neighbors may have a slight delay in some of your orders, when the item you want is only in stock in our secondary location. That’s a bummer to have slower shipping times, of course, but the good news is in the old days, we’d just have been out of stock on that item altogether, and now we’re in stock, just with a slightly longer time in transit. However, our estimated delivery times should be accurate (when we’re not experiencing an unexpected lag like we had this week), so if you ever experience a shipping time that’s slower than what our site promised, I strongly encourage you to call, chat, text, or email us and we’ll make it right, right away. We are simply not willing to settle for anything less than exceptional service.

@Lmabernathy - you’re not alone in your frustration at the lack of clarity on our free shipping for SmartPaks over $40, and we’re actively crunching the numbers on whether or not we can afford to make that more clear/universal. While you’re right to think “a $40 supplement order is a $40 supplement order,” the packaging, materials, and labor that go into making two 28-day supplies of SmartPaks does increase the cost in a way that’s not quite parallel to either a single horse’s SmartPaks or a bucket of supplements. However, riders like you with multiple horses on SmartPaks deserve to be treated like the fantastic horse owners you are, and I’m hopeful we’ll be able to improve your experience soon.

@trubandloki - first, thanks for the tag! Second, without looking at the details of your account, I can’t say for sure why your treats shipped separately from your SmartPaks. One explanation is that the treats were only in stock out west, and SmartPaks always ship from Plymouth. More likely, however, is that due to the warehouse delays we’re experiencing this week, we’re trying to get everything out the door as quickly as possible, which means that we’re shipping everything the minute it’s ready to go, not grouping orders. As you noted, we normally try to group orders going to the same place at the same time because it saves packaging and helps the planet. However, because we’re working extra hard to get orders out on time, we’re not holding things up for grouping, even though this means we have to pay extra to ship things separately. It’s worth the extra cost of shipping and packaging for us to avoid disappointing riders with unexpected delays if at all possible.

I hope you all understand that this lengthy reply is not intended to be defensive - in any way - but simply to be transparent and help share what’s going on “behind the scenes.” Because I can assure you that our commitment to powering healthy horses and happy riders hasn’t wavered a bit since SmartPak was founded back in 1999. I know that we did let some of you down recently, but I can assure you that I (like the rest of the SmartPak leadership team) go to sleep, wake up, shower, graze my horse, and drive around on the weekends thinking about ways to better serve you and the horses you love.

If you ever have a disappointing experience with us, I strongly encourage you to call, text, chat, or email to give us a chance to make it right. You’re welcome to email me directly, using the contact info below. You truly are the reason we’re here, and our smarts are at your service.

Have a great ride,
SmartPaker Sarah
VP of Brand & Customer Experience
SMann@SmartPak.com

[danacat]

I ordered a CO Pro 11 helmet 6 7/8 size – it came lightening fast – was a tiny bit too big so I called Smartpak, talked to rep and ordered another in the next smallest size which should have been a 6 3/4. I kept the 6 7/8 for comparison purposes.

Second helmet arrived lightening fast but it was a 6 5/8 (why?) which was way too small.

I sent BOTH helmets back – wanted refund on one and exchange on the other for correct size of 6 3/4. Still waiting for refund and exchange.

Here’s why the sizing problem happened: SmartPak’s size chart for this helmet (and maybe other CO’s) is not in correct fractional order from small to large. The 6 5/8 size is listed in between the 6 7/8 and the 6 3/4.

Rep I spoke to went with the chart rather than math. My fault in part for saying ‘next smallest size’ rather than 6 3/4.

[soloudinhere]

As an update, the rest of my order shipped. At 11pm on Friday night. With expedited shipping, so it will not be picked up by UPS until Monday morning, which is also the expected delivery date.

Still pretty disappointed. There was zero benefit to me for the upgraded shipping, since it would arrive in 1 day anyway. I’m 2 hours from the east coast warehouse. So right now I have an order arriving more than a week after I placed it, with zero communication from Smartpak that it would be delayed or really zero remediation to make it right.

[TWH_Girl]

Thanks, Sarah. I’ve been a long time customer and SP has always been great to deal with. A minor blip on occasion isn’t enough to deter me. SP still remains my go-to tack store.

[trubandloki]

Thank you @Sarah from SmartPak .

I was in no way upset about my treats shipping separately. The horses do not complain when a box with treats in it arrives.

[My_Two_Cents]

Sarah from Smartpak.

Thank you for communicating what goes on behind the scenes. I know some people find it frustrating when things they have ordered do not show up when expected. A lot of people have no idea what it takes to work in retail, both in person and on the internet. There are a lot of things that are out of your control. I 've had packages sit in shipping warehouses. Not Smartpaks fault. Every glitch we have had with Smartpak has been fixed without issues. I know sometimes things break, etc, and a person needs a replacement right away. However, some people need to plan a little further ahead in case of backorders, shipping delays, extra busy shipping departments. They also need to take responsibility for timely orders. If Dobbin is going to run out of treats, supplements, or your breeches don’t fit, etc, Don’t wait until Wednesday to order for the weekend! Please thank all the people that put out extra effort to get orders out on time. People should also deal with the company they have issues with directly first instead of going to social media. Save social media for when you come a cross a company that is impossible to work with. I don’t think Smartpak falls in that catagory.

Happy Smartpak customer.

[findeight]

No longer use them but have noted similar with Amazon Prime. Recently ordered 4 DVDs on the 3rd. Advised 3 would ship the 4th and deliver the 5th, which happened. The other was back ordered (GoT. Season 1 Blue Ray, not a shocker they were back ordered) scheduled to ship the 11th, deliver the 12th. Note a very large regional Amazon fulfillment center is 40 miles away.

About the 10th was notified GoT still delayed, would ship the 14th, deliver the 15th, the very next day, the 11h, a plain white unmarked van pulls up, driver comes to my door and hands me GoT season 1 on blu ray.

The envelop contained the DVD and revealed what was going on and is probably going on at SP- my DVD did not bear the shipper address of the nearby fulfillment center, didn’t even say Amazon but another company name with a shipment originating point several states away…,so Amazon does not have everyone of the thousands of things they sell in the warehouse inventory , some items ship from different originating points and arrive seperately. Sort of like drop shipping.

I bet SP doesn’t have every item they ship in their Ma, warehouse inventory depending on another location or even a third party source and shipper they may or may not own. The person you talk to has no idea where it’s originating and just goes by the same information on their screen you see in your e mail or order.

Had a similar experience ordering pet supplies with AP, split delivery dates within the same order, first part right on time, backordered items changed to later several times and turned up unannounced on my porch 2 days before latest promised shipping dates from distant shipping address and unfamiliar company name.

Industry growing pains I suppose trying to source everything everybody could possibly want. Actually really not bothered by it as long as I get my stuff…although coming early without notice means it’s sitting on the porch if I’m out so town. Boy would that thief be disappointed…cat food…

[soloudinhere]

To address some points made:

1. I did contact them several times asking where my order was. The first few times were pleasant enough, “okay you guys are behind, thanks.”

When it got to be Friday and there was still no information about shipping I got a little peeved.

And the item still hasn’t left the warehouse, fyi.

2. Are you suggesting that one should just assume that the “ships by, arrives by” date provided by the vendor isn’t accurate? We all make purchasing decisions and part of those decisions is how long it will take to get an item. Sometimes we need things and we order based on being able to get them. That’s not on me, the customer, for not “ordering sooner” it’s on the vendor for saying they can deliver and then not doing it.

I would have been fine with a couple extra days. A week was not what I anticipated and at no time did Smartpak reach out to me to say their warehouse is 5 days behind, did I want to keep the order? I had to ask them every time and it’s worth noting I was promised the items would arrive today and they haven’t even left the warehouse.
​​​​
I’ve worked retail and I have owned my own online retail business. I’ve been the one packing orders at 2am. To imply that I don’t know how it works and I should just have somehow predicted this totally unreported delay is kind of ridiculous.

[Monica67]

@Lmabernathy

I was just about to post about smart pak. I have 2 horses on a 29.99 dollar supplement. so my total order should be around $60 + tax and free shipping since my order is over $40, right? Well, the first month that was the case, then unbeknownst to me the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th month they decided to tack on shipping because each smartpak wasn’t over $40. When I called and asked about it the first month, the one where I agreed to the credit card charge, was a computer glitch. The other months were correct and even when I expand details on my order history it says Product:29.99, tax:2.68, total:41.62 no shipping charges are listed. Just the math doesn’t add up. That whole thing is just scammy. If you don’t want to offer free shipping don’t offer it. If I order over $40 in smart paks don’t try to fine print someone about it has to be per horse. A $40 supplement order is a $40 supplement order.

I had the same issue and have emails from them telling me the Smartpaks for EACH horse need to = to or be more than 40.00 to qualify for free shipping, NOT your total order. I cancelled Smartpaks for 2 horses due to this RIDICULOUS policy.

[Sarah_from_SmartPak]

@danacat

I ordered a CO Pro 11 helmet 6 7/8 size – it came lightening fast – was a tiny bit too big so I called Smartpak, talked to rep and ordered another in the next smallest size which should have been a 6 3/4. I kept the 6 7/8 for comparison purposes.

Second helmet arrived lightening fast but it was a 6 5/8 (why?) which was way too small.

I sent BOTH helmets back – wanted refund on one and exchange on the other for correct size of 6 3/4. Still waiting for refund and exchange.

Here’s why the sizing problem happened: SmartPak’s size chart for this helmet (and maybe other CO’s) is not in correct fractional order from small to large. The 6 5/8 size is listed in between the 6 7/8 and the 6 3/4.

Rep I spoke to went with the chart rather than math. My fault in part for saying ‘next smallest size’ rather than 6 3/4.

Well that sounds awful! And not at all like it’s your fault. I’m so sorry about that. I have our web merchandising team looking into this and we’ll make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else in the future. Thanks for letting us know!

[Sarah_from_SmartPak]

@soloudinhere I absolutely don’t blame you for being frustrated or for posting, as you did try to get us to address this in the normal course of business, and we let you down (I’m looking into that specifically and will follow up with our Customer Care team leaders when I figure out what went wrong). I was just going to ask you to email or DM me your contact info so that we could make this right for you, but I just saw an email from you pop up in my inbox, so you can look forward to an immediate reply once I’m able to dig into your account a bit. Thanks for your patience and for giving us (one more) chance to make this right.

[drafting_dots]

@Monica67

I had the same issue and have emails from them telling me the Smartpaks for EACH horse need to = to or be more than 40.00 to qualify for free shipping, NOT your total order. I cancelled Smartpaks for 2 horses due to this RIDICULOUS policy.

They don’t have to offer free shipping at all. It’s a PERK. As long as the policy is stated (IMO even in fine print… because everyone should learn to read the fine print), I don’t see the problem.

[Sarah_from_SmartPak]

@My Two Cents

Sarah from Smartpak.

Thank you for communicating what goes on behind the scenes. I know some people find it frustrating when things they have ordered do not show up when expected. A lot of people have no idea what it takes to work in retail, both in person and on the internet. There are a lot of things that are out of your control. I 've had packages sit in shipping warehouses. Not Smartpaks fault. Every glitch we have had with Smartpak has been fixed without issues. I know sometimes things break, etc, and a person needs a replacement right away. However, some people need to plan a little further ahead in case of backorders, shipping delays, extra busy shipping departments. They also need to take responsibility for timely orders. If Dobbin is going to run out of treats, supplements, or your breeches don’t fit, etc, Don’t wait until Wednesday to order for the weekend! Please thank all the people that put out extra effort to get orders out on time. People should also deal with the company they have issues with directly first instead of going to social media. Save social media for when you come a cross a company that is impossible to work with. I don’t think Smartpak falls in that catagory.

Happy Smartpak customer.

Thank you so much for the very kind words, and for reading my (admittedly lengthy) post. I’m so glad that you’re a happy SmartPak customer - we sincerely appreciate the opportunity to be your partner in your horse’s care! (Is Dobbin your horse’s name? If so, LOVE IT, and please give him/her an extra treat from me!!)

[soloudinhere]

@drafting_dots

They don’t have to offer free shipping at all. It’s a PERK. As long as the policy is stated (IMO even in fine print… because everyone should learn to read the fine print), I don’t see the problem.

It might be a perk, but it’s a perk that is necessary to remain competitive in the online retail market.

Santa Cruz Animal Health sends me 25lb buckets of supplements for free. I’m sure they don’t enjoy doing it, but it’s part of the reason I buy things from them.

[trubandloki]

@soloudinhere

It might be a perk, but it’s a perk that is necessary to remain competitive in the online retail market.

Clearly not because Dover has been around for a good long time and not had free shipping.

Does the 25 pound bucket of the supplement you want meet the free shipping requirement at Smartpak? That sounds like a pretty expensive bucket.

[Abbie.S]

You know, even if I’ve not always had perfect service from Smartpak, I do appreciate their candidness and willingness to own their stuff whenever someone asks questions, even very specific questions.

I’ve never gotten that from Dover.

[drafting_dots]

@trubandloki

Clearly not because Dover has been around for a good long time and not had free shipping.

Does the 25 pound bucket of the supplement you want meet the free shipping requirement at Smartpak? That sounds like a pretty expensive bucket.

Agreed. And I just checked out that site hoping for a better deal. I only compared one type of supplement to one I get from Smartpak. There is a $50 free shipping minimum. The supplement is $33 (more than I pay for a 30/day comparable Smartpak) and it is not individually packaged (necessary since I board). I do a lot of research before I buy things online, and generally there is maximum $5 difference between products, after whatever shipping is calculated. The fact that Smartpak extends a free shipping deal at all to me is a huge bonus, and one I can’t get elsewhere.