What should I do? I ordered from Clansmen Knitwaer

[tulloch]

Hmm. 5-6 weeks quote, it has been 8-9 weeks. I would give it a little longer before threatening anything. Having just received a precious tank that took three years I am the model of patience and tact. Mine was from a friend / neighbor but still...

Did you pay with credit card? They can be your worst enemy when it is difficult to pay them off but they can be your best friend when there is a dispute regarding a purchase.

[Thomas H]

Yes ,I paid with a Credit card, I talked to him yesterday and 3 monthes later they still have not even started on the kilts.
He said it should be done soon but I have not cancelled due to I can not start over now.
But if I do not get them before Oct 10 ,I am going to cancell
due to I will not need the kilts after Oct 15 , untill next year.

I bought the Kilts for the clan Ferguson AGM at stone Mountian OCT 15.

I am beside my self at how long Kilt companys take to make Kilts.
I mean if we took as long on our jobs here ,we would be fired ,I think
Kilt makers do it on Purpose, Its crazy, No one should have to wait this long.

[Paul Henry]

snip...
I am beside my self at how long Kilt companys take to make Kilts.
I mean if we took as long on our jobs here ,we would be fired ,I think
Kilt makers do it on Purpose, Its crazy, No one should have to wait this long.

I'm not defending in any way, but please don't tar all kiltmakers the same way, for a special order tartan it can easily take anything from 3-4 months for the tartan to be woven, sometimes even for a standard tartan if the weaver is out of stock they often wait until there are a few orders before weaving it again, I had a cornish tartan on order, and it took 12 weeks to get. Most of the time I allow about 3-6 weeks to turn around a kilt,also depends on when the client wants it, but I have been know to have finished some in a week when it was really important.
I suppose I'm trying to defend many kiltmakers that are generally much more honourable!

[Silent Raven]

I just recently ordered a kit from Scotland, in a tartan that isnt always a stock tartan, and i got it almost 2 months later from my original order date. I went through A.S. Campbell and they were great! check out my recent thread with my review and some pictures of the kilt i got. I had no hassels from them at all they are an A+ company for sure! Now Im not telling you what you should do, but it i was in your Brogues i wouldnt be the least bit happy.

[Riverkilt]

Clansman Knitwear is NOT a kiltmaker - he's a guy who takes your money for a kilt then finds someone to sew it up. Ask him WHO exactly is sewing your kilt. Doubt he'll tell you. Worse, you have no idea the manner THAT kiltmaker will sew your kilt.

There is a BIG BIG difference between paying a guy/middleman/jobber to have SOMEONE ELSE sew up a kilt for you for a cut of your money and dealing direct with the person who is going to sew up your kilt.

Should you choose to deal direct with a kiltmaker - rather than a middle man - then its also in your best interest to clarify if they are a full time kiltmaker or a part time kiltmaker. Obviously you're wait is gonna be longer for a part time kiltmaker.

Just my experience - a full time kiltmaker sewing a hand sewn kilt should take from two to three months depending on the usual - what tartan, is it available from the mill, and what other orders are in front of you in line.

Next kilt - order directly from a full time kiltmaker and experience the difference...including quality - their name is on it.

[Dale Seago]

Very true and very well said, Riverkilt.

[longhuntr74]

I am beside my self at how long Kilt companys take to make Kilts.
I mean if we took as long on our jobs here ,we would be fired ,I think
Kilt makers do it on Purpose, Its crazy, No one should have to wait this long.

Thomas...like Paul, I'm not defending this particular company...but I think this is a quite untrue and unfair statement. I think you're venting your frustration and would hope that you don't really believe that kiltmakers purposely make people wait on their kilts. That would make absolutely no business sense.

First, I think somebody already said this earlier in the thread, but it is important to note that this company IS NOT A KILTMAKER. They are a retailer. They outsource their orders to some anonymous maker. I personally would never buy a custom order kilt from anybody but the person that would actually be making my kilt for me! That's all I'm saying on that subject.

Second, regarding the amount of time to have a kilt made: I have made two kilts myself...personally. The full 8 yard one that I made took me at least 45-50 hours of work. That is AN ENTIRE WORK WEEK!! If you put that in context, this means that I would only be able to make approximately 45-50 kilts per year if I were doing it full time. Now most professional kilt makers are much faster than that, but they also have a waiting list too. You aren't their ONLY customer....so even though they might take your order, it doesn't mean they start on your order the next day. Paul already explained how long it can sometimes take to get the material...and then you have to wait for your turn to come up in the queue.

Finally, as I understand it, you paid full price up front for the kilt? This is something I would also not be willing to do...especially with a vendor that I don't have a lot of trust in. The most reasonable business practice, in my opinion, is to require a down-payment (50%) as a retainer that covers the cost of the material plus some....and then a second payment down the line (typically when they are ready to start work on your kilt...but possibly when they finish your kilt if you have a good record with the company and they know that you aren't going to leave them holding the bag). That way, the vendor doesn't get stuck holding the bag, but they are also not holding on to your money while they are working on other peoples orders.

Just some thoughts for any future purchases you might make. Summarized:
1. Avoid the middleman...order direct from the custom maker.
2. Do your research before committing to a purchase.
3. Custom work takes time...if you are buying from a well established craftsman (or woman), it will take even longer because they do such good work that many people are wanting what they provide.
4. Don't pay full price in advance if you can avoid it.

[Thomas H]

Thank You all for your Post .

First , I was told that it would be only 4 to 5 weeks and that did not happen.

Second ,this is the first kilt I did not buy off the rack ,as it was a made to order Kilt. and I was so excited to buy it.

As far as price ,I was told by Clan Ferguson (I just joined only 2 months ago )
That I should use Clansmen Knitwear as they were using him for a Package deal-- They have all got there Kilts all ready ..

I was told Friday that Ralph has not even started on my kilts yet.

So all that to say ,I am still waiting for them , I can not start over as I have ran out of time -Waitng on the first Kilts.

All this would have been ok but Ralph gets angery we I ask him about the Kilts.

I will never do this again with any Kilt Maker , As I can not believe that ,it takes months to make a kilt.

I can build an engine in a day , but it takes Kilt makers Months, ????

Any way I can only pray I get my kilts before Stone Montain on OCt 14-15.

Thank you all for letting me vent ,

[Paul Henry]

Snip....

I will never do this again with any Kilt Maker , As I can not believe that ,it takes months to make a kilt.

I can build an engine in a day , but it takes Kilt makers Months, ????

Any way I can only pray I get my kilts before Stone Montain on OCt 14-15.

Thank you all for letting me vent ,

I only want to repeat again, it takes time to make a kilt, perhaps anything from 20 -25 hours for a traditional 8 yard one, so yes it doesn't take months, but often ordering the fabric does take many months, and then the kiltmaker puts the order into their own timetable. You have been treated very badly, no question about that, but PLEASE don't think all kiltmakers are the same, that's all I ask.

[Mikilt]

Many (Including myself) are lured by Clansman Knitwear's low price and offer to give you a kilt in your specific clan tartan. But as we are seeing, there is a reason that such offers are not the norm.

While I have been lucky and I haven't been burned by a middleman, I respect the experience and wisdom of the members of this board. From now on, it's dealing directly with actual kiltmakers.

To the OP, I realize that I haven't answered the "What should I do?" question. I don't have a simple answer other than "Wait". Sorry, friend.