My mom recently sent me the annual BDay package. A Snow Peak Trek Starter Kit that I have had my eye on for some time and priced through a .COM . Everything was great with the Titanium Trek 700 & Spork, however once I got to checking the kit out further I found that i had been shipped a Giga 100, not a Giga 100A (A=Automatic Ignition). I called said .COM and they informed me since the kit comes direct from the manufacturer to them that they were not involved and basically that it was between me and Snow Peak. So I found SP's # easy enough, they dont make you dig for it.. I called and the person I spoke to was more than understanding while listening to my situation. After my whole story about my kit not having the auto ignite he asked for my order #, I explained the part about said .COM and that the order was not through Snow Peak directly to him. No problem he said (heard that bf, we'll see what results we get), discussed which model stove I got, after a brief talk he informed me he would be sending me the auto ignitor free of charge.

Great.... Why should I have to mod it myself and go to extra work for the .COMs mistake.. but the manufacturer was willing to work with me and so me with them. The package came within 2 days. Simple instructions, 1 screw out, 1 screw in (no giggling Blast), presto, now I have the Giga 100A that I origionaly ordered.

My ? is this...what other companies have all of you went through that have great service? And if you have a moment, tell us the story about what happened and why you would go back to them in the future.


No COI or befits from snowpeak..etc...

Leatherman. Sent them my many-years-old PST, told them I broke the screwdriver tip through what was unquestionably abuse, and asked to be billed for the repair. They not only fixed and returned it for free, they upgraded several of the other tools to the latest design and lubed and cleaned it, too.

Broke my Sweetwater filter, and the maker sent a replacement for free, no questions, no proof of purchase, no postage, one phone call, all handled by the guy who answered the phone.

Guyot- stainless steel water bottle with a leak. I contacted them in the evening, they sent me a replacement the NEXT day. I know they are a small company, but when the owner's family is handling the customer service is feels shiny and warm.

Oh, and Blast might not giggle, but the admonishment made me giggle. :P

OT real quick.. did it have the same hex-screw type lanyard (w/wrench included) that comes on their FireFly?

Continue on..

Henry Repeating Arms

Sent an email asking if they had recommendations for fine tuning and smoothing the trigger. My email was immediately answered by the owner/president of the company. He said they'd be happy to do the work for me. An entirely new beautifully done trigger and hammer arrived in about three days. No cost. The original trigger was not bad, it could have just used a little improvement which I was more than willing to do myself. The new one they sent is smooth and crisp like a target trigger.


Kel-Tec CNC Industries

I called and asked if I could buy a spare magazine follower, they mailed three to me immediately, for free.


The Sportsman's Guide

I received a riflescope with a damaged lenscap. They sent me an entire new scope immediately and a prepaid shipping label to return the old one. I had the new one in my possession so quickly that I hadn't even had a chance to send the old one back yet. (Not to mention that the scope was typically $100 at other online merchants, and Sportsman's Guide had it for $29!)

That kit you got is awesome!
I have 2 of them + other gear from them as well, TI is awesome

Amazon.com has gone above and beyond for customer service for me a couple times.

Steripen. Got a unit that didn't work. They sent me a new one immediately and trusted me to send the old one back. And they paid shipping both ways.

I'm sure I've posted this info before but it bears repeating, for hardware, industrial type supplies and other mechanical odds and ends, you can't beat McMaster-Carr.

Their prices aren't always the lowest I'll grant you but their customer service is exceptional. I've been purchasing items from them for a few years now and have never had a single problem other than the one order in which I made a mistake that they rectified. I can order from them on a Monday afternoon and will usually have the items on my porch no later than Wednesday, usually it's next day.

There's a reason why people buy old McMaster-Carr catalogues on ebay, they're extensive, chock full of great info. Reminiscent in some ways of the Whole Earth catalogues in that they share lots of information as well as giving you the specifics on the items listed. They're also very hard to come by if you don't buy in volume, luckily their website is a online version of the printed catalogue and works very well.