Wickett And Craig...

[Chris of WV]

So, I decided that in order to help my belt business along (and to keep my costs low) I was going to purchase some of Wickett and Craig's English Bridle and Harness Bellies in order to make dress belts (less time in dyeing, finishing, etc.). So, I sent a request for information through their website. The lady that contacted me in reply was super helpful, sent me the sales flyers, and answered a couple questions for me (through e-mail). When it came time to call and place my order, I could not get ahold of her... For three days straight she was there (according to her voice mail, which had the date updated with her voice), but she couldn't get to the phone or was out in another part of the warehouse...

Ok, no biggy, I'll just get ahold of another sales rep. I remember reading Glen's name on the forums here a couple times, so he was next on my list. I got ahold of him on the first try, and he happily took my order, saying they would get it out right away... That was on Tuesday, July 19th. So, I sat (after giving him my credit card information, address, e-mail, phone number, etc.) and watched my bank account, looking for the debit that would denote that my order was being processed... Nothing... No call, no invoice, no e-mail... I was just about to cancel my order this Monday (July 25th), but just as I was getting ready to call I saw the money leave my account for the amount specified. So, I hung up the phone.

I received the leather yesterday, and I will say that it's beautiful (even for bellies), and that I can't wait to make something out of it, but I must say that W&C's customer service leaves a bit to be desired. I know I'm a small fish in a big pond (I can assure you, my order was tiny and my bank account never goes above the three figure mark- one of the reasons I was worried about when the money would be take out, lol), but I did expect a little more... Am I wrong for that?

Best Regards,

Chris

[joet]

So, I decided that in order to help my belt business along (and to keep my costs low) I was going to purchase some of Wickett and Craig's English Bridle and Harness Bellies in order to make dress belts (less time in dyeing, finishing, etc.). So, I sent a request for information through their website. The lady that contacted me in reply was super helpful, sent me the sales flyers, and answered a couple questions for me (through e-mail). When it came time to call and place my order, I could not get ahold of her... For three days straight she was there (according to her voice mail, which had the date updated with her voice), but she couldn't get to the phone or was out in another part of the warehouse...

Ok, no biggy, I'll just get ahold of another sales rep. I remember reading Glen's name on the forums here a couple times, so he was next on my list. I got ahold of him on the first try, and he happily took my order, saying they would get it out right away... That was on Tuesday, July 19th. So, I sat (after giving him my credit card information, address, e-mail, phone number, etc.) and watched my bank account, looking for the debit that would denote that my order was being processed... Nothing... No call, no invoice, no e-mail... I was just about to cancel my order this Monday (July 25th), but just as I was getting ready to call I saw the money leave my account for the amount specified. So, I hung up the phone.

I received the leather yesterday, and I will say that it's beautiful (even for bellies), and that I can't wait to make something out of it, but I must say that W&C's customer service leaves a bit to be desired. I know I'm a small fish in a big pond (I can assure you, my order was tiny and my bank account never goes above the three figure mark- one of the reasons I was worried about when the money would be take out, lol), but I did expect a little more... Am I wrong for that?

Best Regards,

Chris

W&C can be a little slow, but well worth it. I've ordered from Glen before and had the leather split to my specifications (for free)and was always pleased when it arrives. I usually order one side per year, as, like you, my bank account always stays low. I've never ordered via the internet. Always via phone. With the way things are going these days I'm afraid good customer service is almost non existant in a lot of places.

[Spinner]

One thing most folks may not know is that W&C just finished their annual cleaning and machine tuning (the do the whole tannery once a year) that requires a two week shut-down of production. Normally if the order involves something the maintain regular stock in, 9/10oz carving sides for example, it takes about 2-3 days for it to ship. If it's something they have to cut, skive or dye it's usually a week or so before it ships. It's my understanding that right before the shut down that they don't prep as much stock before hand so they have less to move/shift around and then it takes a week or so to get caught up afterwards. So aside from the first 3 weeks of July, they are pretty much on par for delivery times when ordering direct from a tannery in small lots.

I normally try Matt first as he's easier to get a hold of, Glenn is pretty responsive as well but Linda seems to be the busiest of the three. She may be the one who works with the like of Louis Vitton and such, who also order from them. Never had a bad conversation or experience with any of them. As for the billing and money pull, that's normal. It takes billing about a week to process the orders coming in but as a show of good faith, W&C will always ship when your order is ready, even if the billing hasn't processed yet.

I order 2-4 sides from them per month and after doing so for the last year I've gotten used to how things work. Funny thing, they simply do things how every company used to do them, we've just gotten used to the Tandys & Amazons of the world with their instant processing. Personally, I'll wait a few extra days for the quality.

[Art]

Chris and Joet,

While W&C are a pretty big operation Square foot wise, they have a very small staff. Of the 3 folks in Sales, usually someone is on the road, and I think there are fewer folks in shipping. Those two "departments" take up less room than my shop. Finishing takes up a lot of room, but again, not many bodies in there. It is amazing what they do with the staff they have. Because of this, your order is pretty much custom, and handled by someone who cares. When I go there, there is always a 6'X6'X10' pile of orders waiting for the shipper to pick up. I got up there late one time and they waited while we got our order together and Matt packed it so we could take it with us. They stayed late to service me. That's customer service. Also they maintain and retool the plant July 5 to 15 so that could have slowed things down. I have no problems at all with their customer service, on top of that, the product is great. They are out in the boonies though.

Art

[rawhide1]

I'll just add I've always had great service with them also.

Mike

[Scary Leatherworks]

I think that the hold-up was as stated earlier that they had their shut down which just ended. They started shipping orders again on the 17th I believe. I was looking on their website and noticed the shutdown. I called and placed my 1st ever order with them in the beginning of the shut down so I know how you feel. I waited last week watching for my money to be withdrawn as well. I figured they had a lot of orders to get shipped out when they started again. I must say that the leather I received was the most beautiful side I've ever seen. well worth the wait. and now I have to wait for my new Cobra class 4 to arrive, which I'm sure will also be worth the wait

Scott

[Chris of WV]

Just to clarify, I have no issue with the wait time, to be honest (other than when to expect the draw from my checking), it's the lack of communication... I'm used to waiting for things (an eBay seller had me on hold for two weeks one time, and another vendor had me on hold for a month), but I am used to good lines of communication between the vendor and me... In the cases I mentioned before, the eBayer (and most that I've dealt with since) e-mailed me almost daily, updating me as to the status of my order and what the problem was (they stuck part of my order in with someone else's without realizing it and had to get it shipped back to them and then to me, quite a hassle on their part).

In the case of W&C, I never received an invoice for my total amount (I got a guesstimate from Glenn on the phone, which was close) or any kind of update as to an approximate ship date. I understand that some business' still do business "the old way", with no instant checkouts or anything like that, and to be honest, I don't mind that style of business, since i work at a business just like that (I may be only 21, but I am also one of those people who will drive 20-30 miles out of the way to buy something from a local vendor that I could get online cheaper and even sometimes quicker), but I guess I might want to save up and next time actually go up and visit 'em... A look around + getting some leather seems like a good combination to me, lol...

As I said, no issue with the leather. It truly is Beautiful! And I can't wait to start on making some stuff out of it!

[BigRiverLeather]

I've had some sketchy results with HO lately and am considering giving WC a try. Even the "A" grade I've been getting from Goliger is no better than the $5/ft HO I was getting from Springfield which I was their Craftsman Sides, C & D grade (I learned this is what they had been shipping me for quite some time while I thought I was ordering the B grades). My first side of A HO from Goliger (They are the only retailer that sells A grade in onsey - twosies) was glorious. I used 95% or more of it on my holsters, the last 4 or so have been mediocre, have to to cut around stretch marks and striations, getting about 65-70% usage. Keep in mind, these are backs with the bellies cut out.

So, my question is, will the WC leather WOW me and provide me with the usable amount of leather I require? When I'm paying $7.20/ft I expect near perfection. I can pay $2 a foot less and get the same guess work by buying Craftsman Sides.

I guess I should just take the chance and get one. I just like how HO works with my holster work, I know what to expect when forming and dying. Maybe it gets better with WC?

[Art]

If you are going up to W&C, please give Matt a heads up before going. They are strictly a tannery, they may or may not be able to show you around if you just drop in. There is no retail store, going up there is a courtesy they extend at their discretion. And wear Boots not sandals or flip flops.

Art

Just to clarify, I have no issue with the wait time, to be honest (other than when to expect the draw from my checking), it's the lack of communication... I'm used to waiting for things (an eBay seller had me on hold for two weeks one time, and another vendor had me on hold for a month), but I am used to good lines of communication between the vendor and me... In the cases I mentioned before, the eBayer (and most that I've dealt with since) e-mailed me almost daily, updating me as to the status of my order and what the problem was (they stuck part of my order in with someone else's without realizing it and had to get it shipped back to them and then to me, quite a hassle on their part).

In the case of W&C, I never received an invoice for my total amount (I got a guesstimate from Glenn on the phone, which was close) or any kind of update as to an approximate ship date. I understand that some business' still do business "the old way", with no instant checkouts or anything like that, and to be honest, I don't mind that style of business, since i work at a business just like that (I may be only 21, but I am also one of those people who will drive 20-30 miles out of the way to buy something from a local vendor that I could get online cheaper and even sometimes quicker), but I guess I might want to save up and next time actually go up and visit 'em... A look around + getting some leather seems like a good combination to me, lol...

As I said, no issue with the leather. It truly is Beautiful! And I can't wait to start on making some stuff out of it!

[Spinner]

I've had some sketchy results with HO lately and am considering giving WC a try. Even the "A" grade I've been getting from Goliger is no better than the $5/ft HO I was getting from Springfield which I was their Craftsman Sides, C & D grade (I learned this is what they had been shipping me for quite some time while I thought I was ordering the B grades). My first side of A HO from Goliger (They are the only retailer that sells A grade in onsey - twosies) was glorious. I used 95% or more of it on my holsters, the last 4 or so have been mediocre, have to to cut around stretch marks and striations, getting about 65-70% usage. Keep in mind, these are backs with the bellies cut out.

So, my question is, will the WC leather WOW me and provide me with the usable amount of leather I require? When I'm paying $7.20/ft I expect near perfection. I can pay $2 a foot less and get the same guess work by buying Craftsman Sides.

I guess I should just take the chance and get one. I just like how HO works with my holster work, I know what to expect when forming and dying. Maybe it gets better with WC?

As for the wow factor, I believe so. Also, don't forget to ask Matt or Glenn about how the "Overstock" leather looks. I just received 2 sides I ordered after talking to Matt who said the overstock was looking very nice due to a recent run they did for a big name designer purse & bag maker. Matt was right and they are gorgeous, in fact the quality is as good if not better than their "A" grade I have bought in the past. Here's a picture of a tank bib blank I did from their B grade not long ago. My bibs start out as 28" x 24" blanks so as you can imagine I don't have the time or use for a side that doesn't have a ton of usable leather. The blank in the picture is drying after tooling and it's known that cased leather shows it's "spots" better than dry...this piece has nothing but goodness to show.

and here is a pic of the finished bib installed...as you can see, it tools and wet forms nicely and the grain shows nice and even.

[Chris of WV]

If you are going up to W&C, please give Matt a heads up before going. They are strictly a tannery, they may or may not be able to show you around if you just drop in. There is no retail store, going up there is a courtesy they extend at their discretion. And wear Boots not sandals or flip flops.

Art

Oh, I definitely wouldn't show up without asking (and possibly begging and pleading), lol... But I must admit that I would love to see a tannery and learn about how everything works... Plus, to be honest, I could never afford a trip up there anyhow...

[Matty]

How BIG were the bellies you got from them? I was asking linda about them, and she ended up screaming at me in email saying "our bellies are definitely NOT.........."

I know they're not as "wide" as I wanted, but that was a real turn off. Just thought I'd ask, since I was thinking about buying some of what you bought. All I needed was a square foot or two. I know bellies are irregularly shaped.

[benlilly1]

I've ordered twice from W&C. First order great product reasonable time for shipping. Second order just a little longer in receiving the leather but it was a very nice side. Pleasant phone conversation too!

[Art]

I haven't had any problems with W/C either. I pretty much get whatever I order, but if it requires finishing, I don't expect it the next day or even the next week.

Art

I've ordered twice from W&C. First order great product reasonable time for shipping. Second order just a little longer in receiving the leather but it was a very nice side. Pleasant phone conversation too!