St. Kilda USA Question.

[Dajo95]

I have had some recent difficulties that has gone on for 8 months now. I have found that some items were delivered on time and as ordered and most others have taken far too long and when delivered were not as ordered. Communication started out good with Ralph then eventually went down hill quickly. I still have an item that I want to return to him because it was delivered in the wrong size (even after telling him 2x) but he has never responded to me. That was a month ago. I have let it go by now after all the hassle I have been through with the other items. Oh well

[Thomas H]

I have had some recent difficulties that has gone on for 8 months now. I have found that some items were delivered on time and as ordered and most others have taken far too long and when delivered were not as ordered. Communication started out good with Ralph then eventually went down hill quickly. I still have an item that I want to return to him because it was delivered in the wrong size (even after telling him 2x) but he has never responded to me. That was a month ago. I have let it go by now after all the hassle I have been through with the other items. Oh well

Yes , that sounds right , starts out great and goes down hill . with a sudden happyness once it arrives , this is normal. you will need to remind him or he will forget , with Grandfather Mt. games just around the corner -I am sure he is busy ,but dont let them forget about your order. They were not going to send me mine and I had to tell him I needed it for an AGM my clan was having and He overnighted it to me . but I waited for 1 month more to get the rest of it. Hope it ends as well for you as it did for Harold . I am glad it worked out for you Harold.

[Harold Cannon]

Once I found out Scott Chalmers from Gaelic Themes was backing him I wasn't as worried. I had the option to go to him if it went badly.

As far as what I will be making, first my kiltmaker will be getting a sizable chunk fo a new kilt. I will also be making a skirt for my wife and a sash to go with it. I am also trying to decide if I should have a vest or an evening plaid made.

[creagdhubh]

Great news!!!

[Braw Cathairneach]

"...My advice would be to challenge the charge to your credit card, tell Ralph to cancel the order and contact St. Kilda SCOTLAND about the issue. They weren't the ones who charged you (Ralph was), but I'm sure they'd like to know that he's still using their name and trading under their banner. Order the fabric from another reputable dealer.

Thank you for your advice. Your suggestions were implemented with the caveat that the gentleman would be paid if the sartorial goods were forthcoming and in proper sizing. The gentleman has thus far not responded to my conciliatory offer to remedy the concerns. It is increasingly apparent that your suggestions may have mitigated a some grief.

The firm in Scotland appears to be straightforward business people. They disavowed any connection with the gentleman, but were very kind about passing my concerns on to him.

[Braw Cathairneach]

It would be incorrect to say that St. Kilda USA provided unsatisfactory service. More to the point is that neither service nor product was forthcoming weeks after the estimated delivery time. One email requesting my patience was received early on. No further email contact was provided. One phone message with an incoherent phone number was left on my answering machine. Attempts to phone St. Kilda during business hours reached a rather unprofessional telephone greeting that sounded like a residential phone with children in the background. This was a déjà vu experience; perhaps the same purveyor from another time & place? Red flags occurred with the invoice and the business card that prudently caused me to transact my purchase with a debit card vis-à-vis the cash that I intended for the purchase. The debit card company thankfully returned my investment to me.


Conversely I’ve received satisfactory service from:
Ø Burnett’s & Struth
Ø Scot Web
Ø J. Higgins
Ø Celtic Croft

[jmcneil62]

Ralph has received a lot of negative feedback on this forum , however I can only relate to my experiences with Ralph. I purchased 3 kid kilts at the Grandfather Mountain Games in 2012. While he didn't have our tartan, we ended up with Black Watch for the girls, the girls didn't seem to care they just wanted to compete in the games wearing kilts. Before the weekend was over our family ended up ordering 5 kilts in our Clan tartan. Ralph promised delivery with in 5 to 6 weeks. All the kilts and other accessories were delivered with in the time frame promised. Therefore my experience leaves me with a very satisfactory rating for Ralph and his business. I would also like to ad that several members of our clan associated had good service from Ralph and had recommended for us to check with Ralph before purchasing kilts,,, good quality and reasonable prices.