Farm House Tack customer service - update #33

[mbhorse]

Do they typically have poor customer service and slow communication? Placed an order March 10 and they charged my credit card that day. Did get an order confirmation email that day, then nothing. Called a week later to check on order and was told they would get back to me. Almost a week after that I received email saying item was in shipment they were expecting in 7-10 days. When I ordered online item was showing as in stock.

Sent email yesterday asking about status, and received email today saying my email was forwarded to Customer Service and they respond to emails in order received. No other updates. About ready to cancel my order, but they’ve already charged my card.

[Tini_Sea_Soldier1]

The worst. In store and online.
Can’t tell you how many problems I’ve had and the poor customer experience I’ve had.
I honestly hate when I have no option but to buy from them. Thankfully, with so many Euro stores now drop-shipping, it’s become less of a necessity and “magically” I receive my items and they’re never “stuck in customs” for 4 weeks.

[NaturallyHappy]

The sold a saddle for me…I chased my
money for months.

[Gardenhorse]

I’ve generally had good customer service. It did take over 4 months to get a breastplate my mom bought me for Christmas 2021 but they said that was a manufacturer supply chain issue. It may be because my mom is pretty relentless, but they eventually ended up splitting the difference in price with her on a different (more expensive) breastplate that was in stock.

[Displaced_Yankee]

I had a similar experience as you. Ordered an item that was “in stock”. A week or so later I got an email that they were expecting the item in a shipment in 7-10 business days. Life got busy and I kinda forgot about it until it showed up one day. “Oh yea, I forgot I was going to try that bit!”.

[OnDeck]

I’ve had great experiences in the past but recently it took me months to get a defective item exchanged.

[mh97]

Same thing happened to me… ordered items that were indicated to be in stock… got strung along with slow responses to my emails for almost 2 months. I finally got an answer that it was going to be another month before they came
into stock, I requested a refund and they did give it to me but aggravating and a waste of two months waiting. Ordered the same items from SmartPak and had them in under a week.

[Halternatively]

I’ve also had terrible experience with Farmhouse and am relieved to hear I’m not the only one! I refuse to buy from them after my last experience. There are too many lovely retailers out there who have excellent customer service, like Chagrin.

[Peggy]

I’ve had good luck, both years ago and just over a year ago. Most recently I wanted a particular bit that I couldn’t find locally. I found it on their website, called them, they didn’t have it at their main store but checked the Wellington store and then had it, sent it via expedited mail and I got it in time. Maybe my experience was anomalous.

[Tha_Ridge]

This was my experience with a show coat a few years ago, too—but it does seem like their online ordering set-up is a bit behind the times.

[saturnalian]

I’m actually glad to read this, lol. I’m a WOC and went to visit WEC late last month. On the last day, my husband (white male) and I decided to take a look at some of the tack shops and went into Farmhouse… it was busy but not hectic, and my husband couldn’t help but point out that we were the only people who were not greeted and asked if we needed assistance. I saw something cute and went and stood by the employee but was promptly ignored in order to greet another person coming through the door. She then went about her business, continuing to ignore me. No, I was not wearing breeches, but others who were greeted weren’t either.
Couldn’t help but take it personally and left with a bad taste in my mouth (same experience if not worse at ExEq or whatever it was next door as well) but I’m happy to hear that maybe it wasn’t just a me thing.

[SillyHorse]

@saturnalian

I’m actually glad to read this, lol. I’m a WOC and went to visit WEC late last month. On the last day, my husband (white male) and I decided to take a look at some of the tack shops and went into Farmhouse… it was busy but not hectic, and my husband couldn’t help but point out that we were the only people who were not greeted and asked if we needed assistance. I saw something cute and went and stood by the employee but was promptly ignored in order to greet another person coming through the door. She then went about her business, continuing to ignore me. No, I was not wearing breeches, but others who were greeted weren’t either.
Couldn’t help but take it personally and left with a bad taste in my mouth (same experience if not worse at ExEq or whatever it was next door as well) but I’m happy to hear that maybe it wasn’t just a me thing.

It’s sickening that anyone still has to deal with this awful behavior.

[Pezanos]

NOT a you thing. I was at WEC last month and got the same treatment as an over-the-hill not-size-00 person. Which I found kind of weird because the actual WEC visitors and riders seemed slightly more diverse than in Wellington. I will make an exception for the Beneath it All store, where Alison tried very hard to be helpful and responsive to my questions. But 100% agree on Farm House and the place next door being truly awful to go into.

[wanderlust]

I am SO sorry and disappointed to hear this. I had the nicest experience with them last year at WEC and ordering online previously (although not recently), but another friend also had a terrible time with their online ordering recently. I hope they read this and reach out and apologize/make it right to you.

[NoSuchPerson]

It’s a mystery to me why the place is so well regarded in the horse world. I’ve shopped there online, at the main store, and at the store at TIEC. Shopping at the physical locations I encountered bad or no customer service every time. Like @Pezanos, I’m an over-the-hill not-size-00 person so maybe that contributed.

Shopping online I’d say I’ve had a 50% success rate, “success” being defined as receiving the correct merchandise in a timely manner. I finally said “never again” last year when I had to get really aggressive to get an issue taken care of.

I hate it when a store makes me get ugly like that. I end up doubly ticked off - mad over the problem itself and mad because they made me go Hulk on them.

[AmmyHunter]

I have had good experiences at the main store in person and over the phone. I don’t trust their website when it says something is in stock - all too often you place the order and then you have to wait for it to ship from the manufacturer. I have had the staff at the Tryon store try to tell me a helmet fit great when it plainly gapped at the sides of my head and in no way had a proper fit. And a friend consigned a saddle and had to chase them endlessly to get her money - they didn’t even tell her when the saddle sold, and then gave her the runaround on getting her money. So, it’s a very hit or miss experience with them - they do have some knowledgeable employees in the main store, so if I need something they carry I just call directly.

[akhunterrider]

I ordered a backpack a couple years ago that ended up being out of stock and they emailed me in a timely manner to let me know the color I ordered was out of stock, they had the other color in stock and shipped it promptly.

I ordered a closeout hunt coat from them years ago over the phone and that experience was fairly pleasant.

They regularly do closeouts on high end riding apparel via Facebook, but the items are still full price on their website. I don’t really agree with that marketing tactic, but I guess it could have something to do with getting in trouble for advertising items well below MSRP on their website. i just bought a pair of breeches through them on Facebook yesterday, so we’ll see when I receive them.

I ordered a Tailored Sportsman sun shirt a couple weeks ago, along with some hair nets and it took several days for the package to be shipped. On the contrary, I ordered from Equus Now in Ohio twice and both packages were shipped same day.

[showy]

@akhunterrider

They regularly do closeouts on high end riding apparel via Facebook, but the items are still full price on their website.

I’ve bought multiple brand new high end hunt coats via Facebook from them and it’s insane. $180 for a brand new Samshield or Vestrum jacket when they are $500+. I don’t know how they’re doing it. I will say it was super easy via Facebook and shipped in less than a day. I bought a coat Tuesday and showed in it on Saturday.

Never ordered online but won’t be.

[NothingSimple90]

I also had pretty terrible customer service a few times. The first time, I ordered breeches on the website that showed as available. Waited a week then heard that they were actually NOT in stock, but they offered the same brand of breeches but different sizes and colors… Um, no thanks? They wouldn’t refund me and instead gave me a gift card, which I used to order another item that was eventually out of stock again.

[endlessclimb]

Had a similar experience with the item saying it was in stock, but it was not. Cancelling was relatively painless, but I had to call to ask why it hadn’t shipped yet.