Goodbye Smartpak

[GraceLikeRain]

So am I the only one who didn’t know that Smartpak’s Ultimate policy is not the one on the website?

I went back and forth through multiple people and was told I can get an exchange, or nothing. My blanket and sheet are 5 years old. At the time both blankets failed (4 months in) the sheet and turnout were on backorder so I purchased rambos elsewhere assuming that when I had time I could send them back in for a refund. They were professional laundered and in a spare closet since 2015 because emotionally I haven’t been in a place to go through all of his things since he passed away.

“We are so confident in the toughness and durability of the SmartPak Ultimate Turnout Sheet, that if anything happens to this blanket within 10 years of your purchase, we’ll replace or refund it—no matter what! It’s that easy.”

The fine fine print not visible anywhere that I could find is that it is actually “refund during the first 60 days”. Otherwise, you are stuck with an exchange as the only option no matter what. So at 61 days your only option is to start a loop of blanket exchanges for the next 10 years? That makes beyond zero sense.

I have no need for an 80" sheet and turnout blanket. My only option apparently is to resell them for a massive loss or keep them as a morbid tribute to a neurological horse that I still can’t talk about without crying. If they are not being willing to honor their published policies for someone who has been a customer since 2007 I think that speaks volumes.

[MissAriel]

That really stinks. Given your situation, I would probably exchange the old ones and sell the new replacements - at least you would get more than selling the damaged old blankets. That is probably the most you can hope for with the least hassle and heartache.

[cloudyandcallie]

Why I loved Kaufman’s, and why I love Dover.

[Vindicated]

I think allowing an exchange after 5 years is beyond good business.
I know that the blanket has a 10 year warranty, but think about this from a business standpoint-Which you are not, you are thinking of it emotionally. Which is fine, you are allowed to grieve. However, before you bash something think about it from all perspectives.
My thoughts on the 60 day refund window, by then you should know if you like the fit/style/ect. Then it is all durability.
Makes perfect sense to me.

Agree with MissAriel, get your replacements and sell the NEW blankets. Then you are not out that much.

[Guilherme]

@GraceLikeRain

So am I the only one who didn’t know that Smartpak’s Ultimate policy is not the one on the website?

I went back and forth through multiple people and was told I can get an exchange, or nothing. My blanket and sheet are 5 years old. At the time both blankets failed (4 months in) the sheet and turnout were on backorder so I purchased rambos elsewhere assuming that when I had time I could send them back in for a refund. They were professional laundered and in a spare closet since 2015 because emotionally I haven’t been in a place to go through all of his things since he passed away.

“We are so confident in the toughness and durability of the SmartPak Ultimate Turnout Sheet, that if anything happens to this blanket within 10 years of your purchase, we’ll replace or refund it—no matter what! It’s that easy.”

The fine fine print not visible anywhere that I could find is that it is actually “refund during the first 60 days”. Otherwise, you are stuck with an exchange as the only option no matter what. So at 61 days your only option is to start a loop of blanket exchanges for the next 10 years? That makes beyond zero sense.

I have no need for an 80" sheet and turnout blanket. My only option apparently is to resell them for a massive loss or keep them as a morbid tribute to a neurological horse that I still can’t talk about without crying. If they are not being willing to honor their published policies for someone who has been a customer since 2007 I think that speaks volumes.

Hold on a minute!!!

You quote the guarantee as being:

“We are so confident in the toughness and durability of the SmartPak Ultimate Turnout Sheet, that if anything happens to this blanket within 10 years of your purchase, we’ll replace or refund it—no matter what! It’s that easy.”

So if they are offering you a replacement after five years I’d say they are doing what they promised. That you would rather have cash refund is interesting but not binding on THEM. Frankly, I say if you can get a 10 free replacement loop going on things that horses regularly destroy you are in a very good place, indeed.

They are doing just what they said they would; neither more nor less.

G.

[emipou]

SP is a company kind of known for their amazing return policies, but they also need to draw a line somewhere or they won’t have a business.

Agree with @Vindicated you are grieving and have that right, but you need to see things from their side.

I think the best to hope for after 5 years is a replacement then to sell it. Do you know anyone who has a horse that might fit that size?

[MissAriel]

@Guilherme

Hold on a minute!!!

You quote the guarantee as being:

“We are so confident in the toughness and durability of the SmartPak Ultimate Turnout Sheet, that if anything happens to this blanket within 10 years of your purchase, we’ll replace or refund it—no matter what! It’s that easy.”

So if they are offering you a replacement after five years I’d say they are doing what they promised. That you would rather have cash refund is interesting but not binding on THEM. Frankly, I say if you can get a 10 free replacement loop going on things that horses regularly destroy you are in a very good place, indeed.

They are doing just what they said they would; neither more nor less.

G.

Yes, SP is following the letter of their guarantee, but it is a poor choice of phrasing because it leaves open this type of misinterpretation. There doesn’t seem to be any fine print that stipulates under what conditions they provide a refund vs the replacement, leaving it up to the buyer to guess it could be either at any time. Better would be to say refund within 60 days or replacement for up to 10 years.

[clanter]

mu guess the “60 day” is a carry over from the Fair Credit Billing Act of 1974.where a credit card holder has 60 days to dispute a charge from date of receiving the statement

[enjoytheride]

I find Smarpak’s blanket policy overwhelmingly generous. The fact that you can no longer use that size blanket is not their problem and is stated in their fine print, which you can read or not read.

I think you are letting your emotions make you irrational.

[mvp]

@MissAriel

Yes, SP is following the letter of their guarantee, but it is a poor choice of phrasing because it leaves open this type of misinterpretation. There doesn’t seem to be any fine print that stipulates under what conditions they provide a refund vs the replacement, leaving it up to the buyer to guess it could be either at any time. Better would be to say refund within 60 days or replacement for up to 10 years.

Yup. I think it’s implied that the customer, not Smartpak determines which option is taken. The ‘or’ means pick one option. The last, somewhat gratuitous, enthusiastic sentence. “It’s that easy,” makes the person reading the sentence is both going to have the easy time AND that there is not additional fine print to be read.

[enjoytheride]

@mvp

Yup. I think it’s implied that the customer, not Smartpak determines which option is taken. The ‘or’ means pick one option. The last, somewhat gratuitous, enthusiastic sentence. “It’s that easy,” makes the person reading the sentence is both going to have the easy time AND that there is not additional fine print to be read.

I disagree, I think that you have to read the fine print to figure out what “or” happens to be. There’s always fine print.

Also, I don’t understand why she can’t just exchange it for a new blanket then sell that new blanket. She might lose a little but she’d be in a better position than if she hadn’t gotten it from them.

[GraceLikeRain]

Fair feedback.

I called before ordering in 2014 because it honestly seemed too good to be true. She walked me through the 2 sentence policy and we even talked about the refund because I was afraid that the style may not fit this specific horse as he grew. She assured me I could do a refund, exchange, in store credit, or exchange up a size if needed in the future. While this seemed unusually generous it was the policy specifically communicated to me, which informed my decision.

In contrast, a former boarding friend returned hers for an in-store credit in August. A Facebook friend last winter bragged on SP for her full refund. I know several people who have exchanged up and down sizes because an old horse destroyed a blanket and they bought a new horse but it was within a small margin (e.g., 78 to 80).

I spoke to 4 people in total, each offered me different variations of why an exchange was the only option and the last 3 all referenced my horse being gone, which must have been noted in call 1 because I definitely did not bring it up with them. That made it much more emotional for me and definitely not something I’d been prepared to speak about fielding calls from my work office.

It’s a blanket and sheet, I’ll survive I know. There are much bigger problems in the world. I just wish I’d known going in that what was communicated would not be honored and that the options seem to depend on who you speak with first.

I don’t know if I can stomach selling the sheet and blanket. I gave away a pile of his things a few weeks ago after having them in the spare room for 4 years. The idea of having someone haggle over his bridle that I’d been so excited to buy or the boots he only got to wear once was just too much. I gave them to Pony Club to use or resell at a fundraiser, maybe I’ll do the same for his blankets. Time softens the edges around loss but it is surprising the unexpected things that can bring it back to the surface so viscerally.

[Wind_Horse]

My condolences on the loss of your horse.

I honestly don’t understand the frustration with SmartPak’s policy in this situation. If, after only 4 months, both the blanket and sheet did not perform as promised, you had the option to get a refund OR a replacement. You choose to hold onto them and purchase replacements elsewhere.
Now 5 years later you want a refund and Smartpak says they will replace them. The way I read the policy, you’ve got another 5 years and you can still get a replacement.
That seems way beyond fair.

However, I do agree with this…
Better would be to say refund within 60 days or replacement for up to 10 years.

[GraceLikeRain]

@Wind Horse

My condolences on the loss of your horse.

If, after only 4 months, both the blanket and sheet did not perform as promised, you had the option to get a refund OR a replacement. You choose to hold onto them and purchase replacements elsewhere.
.

At the time that they failed every which way possible (liner, hardware, straps, all in about a week period). Both the blanket and sheet were backordered in his size. I couldn’t leave him naked in February so I bought a rambo sheet and blanket from Dover if memory serves because there was a sale or some incentive. Perhaps if I’d been more insistent at that time I could have gotten a refund then but I assumed I could down the road because a representative had told me a refund at any point during the 10 years. I didn’t realize it was a time-sensitive thing.

[MissAriel]

@enjoytheride

I find Smarpak’s blanket policy overwhelmingly generous. The fact that you can no longer use that size blanket is not their problem and is stated in their fine print, which you can read or not read.

I think you are letting your emotions make you irrational.

@enjoytheride

I disagree, I think that you have to read the fine print to figure out what “or” happens to be. There’s always fine print.

Also, I don’t understand why she can’t just exchange it for a new blanket then sell that new blanket. She might lose a little but she’d be in a better position than if she hadn’t gotten it from them.

OP said she can’t find fine print that states that the refund is only an option for 60 days. I also couldn’t find it after looking. If you see it in the fine print somewhere, please share.

[downen]

First of all, I’m very sorry for you loss. I just put down my old guy last week, and it’s never easy. They leave a huge whole in our hearts.

This situation is exactly why Smartpak lost my business years ago.I used their IR supplement for years. Their lofty claim at the time was their supplements were GUARANTEED to work in two months or your money back (see screen shot below). I had ordered shortly before my guy foundered severely, and all I asked for was a refund for the one order, after I’d spent probably thousands over the years. NOPE, but they were happy to insult me with a lecture on how to manage a Cushings/IR pony, even though I’d been successfully managing him for years working closely with my vet, and age just got the better of the situation. Can I prove the supplement was the issue? Of course not, but how could anyone PROVE any of their supplements did or did not work? It was simply a marketing technique on their part, and a good one because it sucked me in. And gosh, I wonder why they don’t advertise this “guarantee” any more? Because too many people probably called them on it and they realized they would lose their fannies honoring it.

When I posted my experience here, many posters were quick to defend them, but I am done with them. IMO Smartpak was built on unrealistic and borderline shady promises that I believe could not be sustained profitably in the long run, and I’m not surprised to see story after story these days of how they are falling short. [ATTACH=JSON]{“alt”:“Click image for larger version Name: smartpak1.gif Views: 1 Size: 20.8 KB ID: 10538920”,“data-align”:“none”,“data-attachmentid”:“10538920”,“data-size”:“full”,“title”:“smartpak1.gif”}[/ATTACH]
EDIT: I stand corrected! They are STILL offering crazy guarantees! What does 100% Happiness even mean? I can guarantee I’m not happy, and OP certainly isn’t happy, as are many others I’ve seen posted.

Smarkpak defenders: You’re on!

[Guilherme]

@GraceLikeRain

Fair feedback.

I called before ordering in 2014 because it honestly seemed too good to be true. She walked me through the 2 sentence policy and we even talked about the refund because I was afraid that the style may not fit this specific horse as he grew. She assured me I could do a refund, exchange, in store credit, or exchange up a size if needed in the future. While this seemed unusually generous it was the policy specifically communicated to me, which informed my decision.

In contrast, a former boarding friend returned hers for an in-store credit in August. A Facebook friend last winter bragged on SP for her full refund. I know several people who have exchanged up and down sizes because an old horse destroyed a blanket and they bought a new horse but it was within a small margin (e.g., 78 to 80).

I spoke to 4 people in total, each offered me different variations of why an exchange was the only option and the last 3 all referenced my horse being gone, which must have been noted in call 1 because I definitely did not bring it up with them. That made it much more emotional for me and definitely not something I’d been prepared to speak about fielding calls from my work office.

It’s a blanket and sheet, I’ll survive I know. There are much bigger problems in the world. I just wish I’d known going in that what was communicated would not be honored and that the options seem to depend on who you speak with first.

I don’t know if I can stomach selling the sheet and blanket. I gave away a pile of his things a few weeks ago after having them in the spare room for 4 years. The idea of having someone haggle over his bridle that I’d been so excited to buy or the boots he only got to wear once was just too much. I gave them to Pony Club to use or resell at a fundraiser, maybe I’ll do the same for his blankets. Time softens the edges around loss but it is surprising the unexpected things that can bring it back to the surface so viscerally.

I’m sorry for your loss but I don’t see how you were misled or wronged.

If this policy had been explicitly pointed out to you would you have not placed the order? If you can honestly answer, “yes” then you’ve got some grounds to feel wronged but if the answer is “no” then it’s “no harm, no foul.”

Take the offered exchange and if you can’t use the product then donate to some worthy cause that can.

G.

[GraceLikeRain]

@Guilherme

I’m sorry for your loss but I don’t see how you were misled or wronged.

If this policy had been explicitly pointed out to you would you have not placed the order? If you can honestly answer, “yes” then you’ve got some grounds to feel wronged but if the answer is “no” then it’s “no harm, no foul.”

Take the offered exchange and if you can’t use the product then donate to some worthy cause that can.

G.

I bought the blankets because a rep explicitly told me I could choose between refund, store credit, or exchange (with the option to change size). This was the sole reason I decided on their product. The other features of the blanket in terms of denier, design, etc. were mirrored in other blankets at a lower price point in 2014. I was buying for the protection. If a rep had said refund in first 60 days or same size exchange for the next 9 years and 10 months, I would have picked a different blanket.

[Haybert]

I think you are making it hard on yourself to pursue this, you are squandering time to heal by trying to get a refund when you probably should donate these items. It just confounds the process.
Selling, as you probably guessed gets very little in lieu of the time and effort, but if the blanket failed early on, that’s when a refund should have been pursued.

Sadly I think they saw it as someone “cutting their losses” and so aren’t keen on a refund. Though it is odd, I get it.

I rarely shop SP, been happy with other vendors.

many condolences

[mvp]

@enjoytheride

I disagree, I think that you have to read the fine print to figure out what “or” happens to be. There’s always fine print.

Also, I don’t understand why she can’t just exchange it for a new blanket then sell that new blanket. She might lose a little but she’d be in a better position than if she hadn’t gotten it from them.

There is not always fine print. If there is, there has to be some way of finding it. And that has to be in whatever size print they use in the first place.

I don’t think the reader/consumer is obligated to assume anything that is not put into writing. After all, the whole point of writing (in any size font) is to make the terms of the deal clear, and not assumed. Not the OP’s fault that Smartpak can’t compose a sentence that uses “or” in a clear way.