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  1. #1
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    Claytor lets me down

    I have been a big fan of Tom Claytor's hammocks, promoting and praising them on this forums and several backpacking forums like Backpacker Mag and whiteblaze.

    I'm still very satisfied with my Claytor hammocks, but I can no longer recommend his hammocks because a recent recommendation to a friend has resulted in an unsatisfactory experience.

    My friend inspected her Claytor hammock upon receiving it and she found that the inside hem was fraying near the middle of the hammock (just about where one would have the back of her knees while entering or exiting the hammock.) There was also a double row of removed stitched marks where the side of the hammock had obviously been mistakenly folded and stitched together, then the stitching removed.

    Upon contacting Tom about the defects she was told to burn the frayed edges and not worry about the errant stitch holes. That simply is the worst possible response he could have given. It exhibits not only a complete lack of concern for quality control of his product but also a "customer be ****, I've got your money" attitude.

    The response should have been "send me back the old one, a new one is already on the way, I'll refund your shipping cost."

    I don't know how much Tom made on that deal by screwing my friend, but he will never make a another penny on any other friend of mine.

  2. #2
    Senior Member zukiguy's Avatar
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    Wow, that does kind of stink. My Dad always said a satisfied customer tells one friend, a dissatisfied customer tells "All" his friends. I guess this is the case with this purchase. Now, thanks to FB, forums, etc it's pretty easy to tell all your friends and all your friend's friends.

    I know the Claytors are supposed to be top notch and they're priced accordingly. That seems like a pretty sad response. Did your friend e-mail any photos along with the correspondence?

    I've had items that had small defects and being the DIY kind of person I am, I'd rather not spend the time mailing items in for warranty work when I can repair them in minutes. Sound like in this case there wasn't an option though. No good!!

  3. #3
    Senior Member MedicineMan's Avatar
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    Claytor,Clark,Hennessey. They all had their day.

  4. #4
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Dang, that is a bummer to hear! Considering that my Claytor No Net is one of my most consistently comfy hammocks and works better with my PeaPod than any thing I else I have used with the pod, including the Speer hammock it was designed for. And it was pretty inexpensive.

    Plus, I think Croc Sanders recently got a defective No Net ( way shorter than supposed to be) and they completely made it right. Just the opposite of the experience of this thread. But this is not good to hear.

  5. #5
    Senior Member DuctTape's Avatar
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    I have been a big fan of Claytor, this disturbs me. I think your friend should reply to Tom and link this thread.

  6. #6
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    I have had nothing but good experiences with Tom, and as I said, I'm still fully satisfied with my Claytor hammock and my past dealings with Tom.

    His response was a shock to me.

    Yes, she had sent pictures and a full explanation. He might be right that the errant stitch holes will not hurt the hammock, and that the frayed hem could be repaired with a lighter. If it was my 3rd hammock from Tom I might have just gone along with his suggestion. But for an introductory product purchase it is inappropriate in my opinion.

    This is a young woman's first hammock. She's an avid outdoors person. She'll probably relay this experience to many more potential customers than I'll come across over the course of the remainder of my life.

  7. #7
    Senior Member Cannibal's Avatar
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    I think Mr. Claytor goes through periods of discontent.

    A couple, maybe 3, years ago there was a ruckus about his shipping. More precisely, about his lack of shipping. There were very exaggerated delivery times for a few months and more than a couple of email exchanges that were anything but friendly. Then, all the noise just went away and it was business as usual. I hope this is the same thing. Hate to see the good guys put on a black hat, ya know?
    Trust nobody!

  8. #8
    Senior Member bob2guns's Avatar
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    my 2¢ on claytors

    i got a few things from claytor.....thought the quality was right up there....
    but there was a couple mistakes like croc. had... and a replacement that was one for the books....you dont wanna kno...
    no complaints on quality at all for the most part...but dealing with a shop in thailand is not working....

    i just deal with US companies now ...with exception of DD Hammocks...still amazing to get one day standard free shipping from scotland...

    sending something back to SE asia is nuts...i think tom runs the shop remotely ...has local people build and ship...i really dont think hes around that much with his other interests...which is great on his side of it....

    but i'll just deal with US based shops .... with shops like warbonnet and fourdog and arrowhead and 2Q/ZQ ... what more do you really need...

  9. #9
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bob2guns View Post
    i got a few things from claytor.....thought the quality was right up there....
    but there was a couple mistakes like croc. had... and a replacement that was one for the books....you dont wanna kno...
    no complaints on quality at all for the most part...but dealing with a shop in thailand is not working....

    i just deal with US companies now ...with exception of DD Hammocks...still amazing to get one day standard free shipping from scotland...

    sending something back to SE asia is nuts...i think tom runs the shop remotely ...has local people build and ship...i really dont think hes around that much with his other interests...which is great on his side of it....

    but i'll just deal with US based shops .... with shops like warbonnet and fourdog and arrowhead and 2Q/ZQ ... what more do you really need...
    That is probably the safest approach, considering what a hassle it could be to deal with Thailand, including shipping. Still a shame though.

    Though it gets very few rave reviews around here, it ( No Net ) really might be my most consistently comfortable non-bridge hammock except for the heavier and longer/wider Safari. It is certainly a tie for any other. It is a little narrow for some, but that seems to not be much of a problem for me. It is extremely forgiving as to how much- or how little - sag I use. It is one of my top hammocks for being able to sleep in the mid-line as well as diagonal. It has less sag ( once I get in ) than any other hammock I have used, with the stock suspension on one end and a Harbor Freight strap on the other. I don't know what is up with that. Most other hammocks once I get in I am noticeably closer to the ground than before I get in. Not so much with this hammock.

    There is almost never any significant problem with calf pressure or knee extension. I can lay on either side with legs straight or fetal with at least adequate comfort. And a kind of unique benefit: I can lay on my side, even a smidgeon towards my stomach, in the Pea Pod. Due to the hammock being narrow, my face/nose/mouth will be right on the edge of the hammock. I can rotate the pod for a vent hole right at my face, looking just slightly down towards the ground. And NOT breathing into the hammock or pod. My breath goes out the vent hole, condenses and falls to the ground. As cold air sinks, it does not tend to flow upward into the vent and into the pod. And this is comfortable! And WAY warm! That right there is really hard to beat or even match, I'm here to testify! Which is probably why I often end up choosing this combo for cold trips.

    Still, you don't want to have to deal with an uncaring manufacturer and poor customer service. And who knows if the current hammocks are even still made like mine from years ago?

  10. #10
    Senior Member WetRivrRat's Avatar
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    There are those good at making things...

    There are those good at making things right...

    Rarely are these the same people.
    We all know of the original "Walk off the war" thru-hike - but, check out these guys, they're helping folks 'walk off the war' today -
    Donate to help fund gear for the warriors who are coming back home and need help walking off the war!
    WarriorHike.com

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