MLD

Did MLD tell you that it would arrive by Friday? If not the front page of the MLD website states the wait time and when most items will ship. The other small items state they will ship in one week or less.

My personally experiences with MLD/Ron have been fantastic. Once when I expressed on this website that I was having trouble pitching a new shelter, Ron emailed me with instructions and suggestions.

Brad

On the Top of the Home Page at MLD:

"October 16, 2011 Most orders are taking 2 – 7 weeks from order date. See more info below. Thanks!"

(Below)
"Orders are built in the order they were received. Most orders for major items (packs 2 , quilts 7, bivys 6 , shelters 7 ) taking about 2-7 weeks to SHIP after an order online. Most smaller items (stakes, poles, line, Ti Pots, mitts, gaiters, chaps, etc.) usually ship in about 1 week or less. We estimate the wait time based on the orders coming in and projected trends. The estimate is good faith but can vary one to two weeks during very busy times."

I've had great customer service from MLD. No, they don't ship instantly, cuz they don't build up a bunch of things ahead of time – which let's you get just what you want.

Sorry you didn't notice the info on the home page, it's always frustrating when you're expecting one thing and you get another. But I'm not sure what else Ron can do to let you know? They are a really small shop, and don't use hundreds of low paid workers in China!

I've yet to be disappointed in anything I've gotten from MLD, even if it took longer to ship than Moosejaw!

In my case I didn't get any communication when my order actually shipped. It just arrived one day. It also took 3 emails to get a response about a problem with my order information. Happy with the gear but I didn't get the feeling they were happy with my business.

I was impressed with the proactive nature of zpacks; a very different experience. I really felt he appreciated my business.

I'm not complaining. Just noting how the little things affect future purchasing decisions.

Stephen and Brad, you guys are definitely right, it does say that stakes and such will be sent off in a week or less. But like 'that one dude' said, I definitely didn't feel like my business was appreciated. Sure, I could have gotten those stakes from anywhere, and it probably wouldn't have taken a week to ship them out, but I do like the idea of supporting the little guy. Now that i know small orders like this do take a while, I will probably look elsewhere for accessories and non-custom gear.

Working in the retail industry, I do understand how people like one-on-one service, making them feel important and appreciated. I'm sure Ron is a great guy and does what he can to help, but even an automated email saying that the order has been accepted, describing when you should expect it, etc. would be much appreciated. Just a heads up would make a huge difference.

Like I said, dealing with Joe, I felt like i was dealing with a fellow BPLer(I'm probably spoiled by now). He acted as though I was his one customer for the week and he sent out the gear asap. That's the kind of service that makes me go back again and again, knowing what kind of service to expect, instead of playing guessing games and eying the mailbox for my new gear. To be completely clear, I'm not hating on anyone here, because Ron does describe the shipping ordeal on the homepage, I personally just like the idea of an order confirmation and recognition of purchasing from that company.

I have had my small orders from Ron shipped in much the same manner. I like Ron, I've always been more than pleased with my MLD products, and I make sure to give them a look when I go to buy something.

Did you add a comment to your MLD order that you needed the item ASAP?

I have one item from MLD and have read many good lines about Ron's service. You probably could have helped yourself expressing need for quick shipment. Assuming well that just begs for problems, at least in my experience. I am sure Ron wants your business, he just needs to know your needs to see if he can adjust his end to meet them.

Hi Everyone-
We absolutely do value each order and every customer.

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Matt- We are very sorry you were not satisfied with our service. If you had called or just added a little note in the order comments that you had a big trip in the same week as the order and needed the one item ordered in 3 shipping days we could have tried to help you more. (You should have received an order confirmation with the order- that is an auto function that goes out with each order.)

“noneur business” – We are also sorry if you had a problem – since your profile is anonymous we were unable to look back in the files to see what that was about or to follow up in any way. Maybe a little late now anyway.

---

I wanted to note that our cottage biz is a bit different from many others in one key way: We offer a wider range of unique gear – more than any other three cottage gear companies combined – including all the little accessories like the $8 ground cloth ordered by Matt.

If you count up all the stock items and all the permutations of the stock options – add the regularly requested custom options (we’ve built over a dozen very custom items this week) – we offer well over 500 items and that is a core of our customer service. (The one Superlight Bivy comes in about 30+ configurations of zip side, size, hood options, floors, fabrics, etc.)

Sure – we could offer only 50-70 total products like most other small cottage gear companies and then we could shift resource to other areas- but folks really do order all those options all the time. We think that is where we need to keep a lot of the customer service focus pretty sharp – Choice.

Another option would be to not offer any small priced items – or to charge a lot more for them. This may sound odd – but we do not make any money on single item orders under about $15. Add in the order processing, pulling, packing, shipping, stocking and filling of that order plus any emails and the time=money equation is in the negative. We offer those items as a customer service and are always happy to help. (Note that one long time cottage gear company that offered many many small priced and unique items recently closed- that was one of the reasons.)

On the positive side – no order in the shop is now older than 4 1/2 weeks- way down from the 12 weeks wait this Summer and we are reposting some items we took down in order to catch up because so many people have asked for them to be offered again.

Last Note: A customer called me late night Tuesday this week and needed a pack for a trip this weekend – we checked stock and it shipped the next day. Let us know and we can try to help.

….is a two way street. I've been happy with my MLD order and service from the past and would definitely order again.

The MLD website clearly says small orders can take up to a week to ship and you didn't ask for expedited shipping. You just assumed he would ship it immediately (which wouldn't necessarily guarantee delivery by Thursday). So rather than own up to your own poor planning you come on a public forum to complain that you don't feel appreciated. Really?

I think a better way to summarize the OP's experience was that MLD's speed of service is good, but Zpacks was better for this transaction. That doesn't mean MLD's customer service is poor as there is a lot more to it than just speed of delivery.

One example of good customer service is managing customer expectations which MLD plainly does on their website by not over-promising the delivery times. Their business model trades speed of delivery for product options. We as customers decide if that is a good business model. Most other cottager's have the same wait times w/o the options so kudos to MLD IMO.

Ryan

"Stephen and Brad, you guys are definitely right, it does say that stakes and such will be sent off in a week or less."

I fully admitted poor planning and a lack of knowledge of the shipping situation, simply because I did not pay attention to the MLD homepage. My fault. All i was doing was sharing the two different experiences I had with two different companies for two similar products. Zpacks sends out gear that is already in stock within a day or two, like the website says. I was wrong to assume the same for MLD. I received an email from Joe the next day informing me that he shipped out the package. I was hoping to receive the same from MLD. Ok, so my expectations and assumptions got the best of me. My appologies to anyone offended in this situation. I have been on edge waiting for my shelter to arrive for my trip that was sent out last week, shipped priority, and still hasnt arrived.

Thank you Ron for your response, I have nothing negative to say about your company or customer service, my experience with another company was different and thats all i was trying to say.

Would like to add my appreciation and strong endorsement of MLD and Ron.

Have purchased many items from MLD in the past several years. Couldn't be more satisfied with MLD products, MLD's communication of helpful and important info at its website, or Ron's ethic of going the extra mile for customers.

My most recent order (bear bag system) was submitted to MLD after I first checked with Ron to see if it could be shipped with delivery in time for an upcoming trip.

I checked with Ron before ordering because I knew from MLD's website that their usual time frame for shipping might not get the bear bag to me in time.

Ron told me that the order would be delivered before I left for my trip.

And it was.

My only suggestion for improvement would be for MLD to reduce the price of their cuben products by, say, 95% or so (;>)

PS — Just want add this edit to say that the MLD's Bear Bag System is excellent — not only ultra light, but super strong and voluminous. It's like MLD's website says, if you can get it in the bag, you can hang it.

Thanks, Ron, for great gear and for outstanding customer service!

I've had great service from both mld and zpacks.
Ron has been very responsive when I've called and let him know
about unique situations.

For the those of us who buy a lot of stuff on the Web, we have been "spoiled" by Amazon/REI/Backcountry, etc., and often even eBay sellers, because they have the money/time to utilize automated tracking systems that provide you with step-by-step updates for every stage of the transaction, often to include confirmation of delivery to your address.

I have probably bought stuff from almost every cottage maker out there. I have not had any problems with product quality or communication… with the caveat that you need to read everything on some of the Websites.

The small guys are busy making gear and don't have the time to follow-up with new orders every few minutes to communicate back, to ship daily, nor do they have the resources to implement state of the art web-store software. It goes with the territory… but most of the stuff we buy cannot be gotten anywhere else.

Here is how I would rank the best communication-wise from my experience:

TOP TIER

#1. Dan McHale – he only sells custom packs and has a different model than the others

#2. zPacks – given he sells many small items, he is the best all around

#3. Tim Marshall – updates along the way

#4. Gossamer Gear – they seem to ship from in stock items only and not custom-made for the most part

#5. Cat Trowel/Dirty Girls/Other single item gear sellers – only one product and you get it quickly

#6. TarpTents

#7. I have probably forgot someone

#8. Everyone else

Just understand the expectations before hand. Do not expect things to be shipped immediately. If you need it right away, then CALL first.

If you want something yesterday, at least look at the website.

I've been very happy with MLD's customer service and I never had any issues with them. Ron Bell has always been responsive to my emails. I recently placed an order for a Trailstar on October 20th, which included some custom modifications. The MLD website says shelters would take 7 weeks after placing the order, so I didn't expect to see the my order until mid-December. Lo and behold, my Trailstar arrived on October 31st, just 11 days after placing my order – way ahead of the 7 weeks. So I was very happy.

Zpacks is extraordinary in their shipping for in-stock items. My experience with them is they usually have the order in the mail within 24 hours after placing the order. Kudos to Zpacks. I would not consider that the norm – just exceptional service on Zpacks part. I think 1 week shipping in general is a more reasonable wait time for in-stock items.

I would also like to add ULA to your list… A week into the PCT they let me swap out my Ohm for the circuit (personal choice) I had my backpacking waiting for me at the next town. Great Customer Service and great product.

-Joshua-

MLD has provided me with excellent service and quality.

Gary Thompson