Topic: Marlin Crawler: A Reputable Company

[ToxicGumbo]

Hello, folks.  I'm not sure where else to post this message and it's not intended as a flame.  I have heard numerous reports of Marlin Crawler as being a very reputable company and as one of the best "go to" businesses for parts and advice.

Last November I made an online order for several items and requested those items to be shipped even if one is held on backorder.  One item was backordered, but the others never shipped.  I e-mailed several times over the past month and never received any replies.  Every time I call (over a period of weeks), either within or outside of business hours, I get the same generic phone message saying that the company is experiencing a high volume of calls and to call back later.  Meanwhile, I continue to see activity on all forms of social media and am receiving e-mail about new specials and to place orders online only.

I've asked in e-mail that my order be cancelled and see that it's still pending.  I'm also extremely uncomfortable at this point about my credit card information being on file and not knowing about any existing or pending charges.  Anyone have any luck reaching the sales group through e-mail or by phone anytime recently?  Anyone know how the company name appears on a credit card statement?

It's heartbreaking and disappointing to not have my first and only purchasing experience with Marlin Crawler not live up to the reputation I see in the forums.

Edit: Changed title and added strikeout.  Extremely positive outcome which I'll post about at the end of this thread.

Regards,
-Jeff

[HogCanyonHopper]

you need to give them a call. they are very reputable and should sort everything out for you. http://www.marlincrawler.com/contact

[JackKnife]

As far as the products that Marlin Crawler sells, they are of the highest quality.

However, their customer service leaves a lot to be desired.  It is almost impossible to contact them by telephone and emails go unanswered.  I wish you luck.

[Wainiha]

They're slow lately.  My order too.  But they said they were busy on the forum.  I figure they are too popular and have a lot of business.  Better a small family company takes a little longer for your quality product, than them selling out to a chain store with crap products and zero knowledge.

They have always taken care of me in the past.  You're not getting ripped off.  Just be persistent and polite.

I'm always embarrassed when I get upset too quickly....

[1985CRAWLER]

you will get your items if you still want them. over the holidays they received alot of orders and needed to put the phones on hold to catch up with all the incoming and past due orders.remember they are a small business..

  is the best and sometimes they throw in extra goodies for the late orders.

but you should call them, preferably early is when i get them to answer.

goodluck with it!

[CruelCrawler83]

Not gonna be shy here! I too have had the same trouble contacting them along with my buddies. A lot of the time with marlin they will take your money and give u nothing in return. I love marlin products but in my opinion they are Fawking up as far as service they have lost my buissness along with alot of my friends which could have added up to about 5 thousand dollars in product that me and my buddies wanted to buy. Sorry marlin but trail gear is all over you!!

[ToxicGumbo [OP]]

you need to give them a call. they are very reputable and should sort everything out for you.

I've tried, I really have.  Saying I've been trying to call for weeks and have sent email isn't an understatement.  I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, but the order was placed on 11/27 and their order form even allowed for items in stock to still be shipped despite any backordered items.  Why didn't those items ship?  Why are holiday and weekend order specials with waived shipping deals showing up in my inbox when nothing has moved on the existing order, no one is replying to previously sent messages, and no one's reachable on the phone for over a month?  I only even placed the order because their notification system emailed me that the item I wanted had just become available and that's the item that immediately was flagged as "backordered" and stalled the order.  It doesn't even make sense.

As far as the products that Marlin Crawler sells, they are of the highest quality.

Of this I have no doubt.  I've never read a single bad comment about Marlin Crawler and still think immensely highly of the folks behind the brand.  Vast participation in forums and the unique products Marlin offers in just about every category is mind blowing.  I recently chanced upon an R150f for $75 on Craigslist and it's sitting in the next room waiting for a beef-up  (those short shifters in the holiday ads look really nice, for instance). However, an arbitrary $350 charge from the pending order won't fly.  In November, yes.  In the first half of December, somewhat.  Now, I'm mostly broke after an expensive past month: girlfriend's daughter's birthday, girlfriend's birthday, Christmas, Russian New Year, anniversary, etc.

I'm always embarrassed when I get upset too quickly….

So am I.  That's why I feel extremely uncomfortable starting this thread.  However, after a month of not being able to reach anyone and watching new promotional offers pass by, I just want my financial information erased, the order canceled, and a formal statement that I haven't been charged (or credited back).  Actually, to be fully honest, I'd rather be able to just place or revise the order and get great products within several weeks.  Even just hearing back is encouraging and can go a long way with most customers.

The thing here is, I'm only posting this out of desperation and shouldn't have to rely on other customers to be the feedback mechanism and support group.  It's reasonable to believe that this order would be resolved in a reasonable amount of time or that the company that has a customer's financial information can be contacted.  I do greatly appreciate the feedback from everyone though.

but you should call them, preferably early is when i get them to answer.

Tried.  Over and over again.  I wouldn't have posted, but after 12 years of making massive expenditures for my previous employer, there are certain signs that start to make one worry (ie. no voicemail, same message in and outside of operating hours, never being able to reach anyone, never hearing back in email, inconsistent ordering information, limited methods of contact, signs of business activity in other ways for product sales).

Not gonna be shy here! I too have had the same trouble contacting them along with my buddies.

Reading this just makes me sad because I placed this first order with immense pride that I was finally ordering from "Marlin Crawler" and even bragged about it.  By posting here, I was hoping to hear something I might have missed or perhaps that would offer some solid encouragement, but it's looking like things might drag on for quite some time.

All this aside, my best to the Marlin Crawler family and I hope this past holiday season was kind.  There's no other company quite like them.


-Jeff

[JORAMI17.JC]

Sad to say I am going through the same dilemma though I just placed my order 12/26/2013. I fugured with the holidays it would take a while but as Toxic mentioned I have not been able to get ANY info on my order, I have attempted calling and sent an e-mail and no reply. I wasn't too concerned yet until I saw this thread. Now I'm left wondering if I should just call my bank and cancel the charge.

[HogCanyonHopper]

Sad to say I am going through the same dilemma though I just placed my order 12/26/2013. I fugured with the holidays it would take a while but as Toxic mentioned I have not been able to get ANY info on my order, I have attempted calling and sent an e-mail and no reply. I wasn't too concerned yet until I saw this thread. Now I'm left wondering if I should just call my bank and cancel the charge.

what does the status of your order say on your account info? if it says still processing, just relax. There is a link to contact them on the store website. Use it!

[JORAMI17.JC]

what does the status of your order say on your account info? if it says still processing, just relax. There is a link to contact them on the store website. Use it!

I just checked and wanted to make sure that I updated everyone. I was finally able to login after numerous failed login attempts, my order has already shipped and it even gave me a Fedex tracking #.  Good luck Toxic, hopefully yours is also in the works.

[ToxicGumbo [OP]]

I just wrote a message to 3/4 sales reps asking for a cancellation and mentioned this thread (I couldn't email the 4th since there's a limit based on submissions from a single IP).  My hope is that one of these folks will check their inbox within a month or two. 

Glad to hear that your order went through, JORAMI17.JC. 

HogCanyonHopper, I'm not sure if you're reading all of the information above.  I, if not others, have used the contact page links, phone numbers, etc. to no avail.  I've done this for a month.  They're taking orders daily within this time frame and are active on social media.  At the very least, this is horrible customer service with regards to taking on financial information and not communicating back to customer inquiries.  People--especially businesses--don't normally avoid checking their inbox for months at a time, so why not respond to even one of my messages?  If they're too busy to communicate with their customers, then IMO they shouldn't be taking new orders.


-Jeff

Edit: Use a VPN client to send a message to the 4th sales associate and also sent a message to the Facebook page moderator.

[HogCanyonHopper]

I hope you get it worked out. They are one of if not the most reputable companies in the game. I have ordered a bunch of stuff from them and have never had an issue, ever.

[ToxicGumbo [OP]]

I definitely have the feeling that the Martin Crawler crew are the sort that I could sit down with and order a few pitchers of beer for and have good conversation with.  Glad to hear that things have gone so well.


-Jeff

[Wainiha]

OK.  11/27 is too long to go without response.  I agree with that.  If they tell you the order will take a month and you agree, fine.  I there has been a month with no communication that is unacceptable.

I still say you're not getting your money stolen.  They are just slow.

Communication and reciprocity are the key to ANY relationship.

[ToxicGumbo [OP]]

For transparency, the order was processed on 11/27, the first email was sent on 12/9 after noticing nothing shipped.

I think Wainiha's use of the word "relationship" is a good choice.  Right now I feel like the guy who took a girl out for a three-digit lobster dinner, night of mudding, and deer shining only for her to ignore my calls and emails asking why I haven't heard back from her.  Only now I'm coming across as psycho by emailing her family and friends trying to find out what happened.

Who wouldn't enjoy a night out like that?


-Jeff

[superyota]

You won't find better quality than Marlin Crawler.  You might pay more, but you get why you pay for.  You can't beat the customer service.  I dont know of any other vendor that will go out of their way and drive cross country to help a customer in need.  that in itself says alot.

As for your order, its always better to call to place an order than do it online.  It takes time to update a website.  And if you're busy, it might not get done right away. 

I see a lot of posts on here about how people have such a hard time getting through when trying to call in.  I have got the busy message maybe 3 times total.  99% of time I call, someone answers right away.  They might put me on hold, but it usually isn't for more than a minute tops. 

There are lots of options out there as far as vendors.  But if I have to choose between marlin and another vendor, il choose marlin, except for bobby longs .  But that might be soon to change with the direction everything is going.  And please don't turn this into a longfield vs marlin vs dirty 30 are the same.  There is already a thread for that.

Hope this helps.

Edwin

[ToxicGumbo [OP]]

I see a lot of posts on here about how people have such a hard time getting through when trying to call in.  I have got the busy message maybe 3 times total.  99% of time I call, someone answers right away.  They might put me on hold, but it usually isn't for more than a minute tops.

It's great to hear that you've had such a positive experience via telephone.  Not sure why it hasn't been working out for me.

Update: Dave called this afternoon to alert me that my order will be cancelled (pending).  Unfortunately, he called when was on the can, so I only heard the message later and kept getting a busy number before having to go back to work.  Thanks for the update, Dave.

That leaves me with several questions though that I'll pose to him via the contact form:

1) Why the conflicting order info of a part becoming available only to immediately be listed as backordered and not be restocked in a 41 day period?
2) Why didn't the items that could ship within that same of time not ship if that choice was specified?
3) Why did using the main contact form multiple times lead to no response in that same timeframe?
4) Was the phone line really booked solid from open to close surrounding the holidays and if so, why did my order sit while others were fulfilled?

Anyway, yes, I think it was pretty clear early on that Marlin Crawler is reputable and maintains an active business.  I was afraid they were going under or that their quality of service had dropped.  I'm glad there's a potential conclusion to this and that it's pretty well known, but not necessarily stated anywhere, that orders can take months to be fulfilled.  That can really make or break a project and I think any future orders will be for Marlin-specific products which aren't needed immediately.

-Jeff

[superyota]

I would call and talk to them.  Call and ask for big mike.  They are great to deal with it.  Hopefully this gets take. Care of soon.

[ToxicGumbo [OP]]

Will do when I can sneak out of the cubefarm for a bit and/or immediately after work.  Thanks.  I did write to Dave though just in case.



-Jeff

[Bandit83]

Same issues for me. Can't get anyone on the phone, no one has responded to my email, it's been 7 days since I placed my order (with express shipping option) and my items haven't been shipped yet. You can't do business like this these days. There are other shops offering these parts.
I won't do business with them again. Slowest service I've ever experienced and worst communication. I'm sure the staf is nice and I'm sure the parts are good. Unfortunately I'm looking for professionalism in doing business and Marlin Craswler doesn't have it.

[ToxicGumbo [OP]]

Shortly after writing Dave, he called me again on my cellphone.  We spoke for over an hour and half.

Crow has never tasted finer.

During our conversation, we spoke about what happened with my order, some of the processes involved in the day-to-day operations of Marlin Crawler, various product offerings, my own objectives,  the history of the business, the employees, relationships with customers and suppliers, etc.

One of the most significant footnotes Dave made was about how great all of you guys are. 

You help shape the business, you help provide feedback on products, you help others (like me), you offer advice, and you provide criticism.  It's you guys who built up the reputation of Marlin Crawler which influenced my having placed an order and after talking with Dave, I agree 100% with all the customer comments which led me here and about the character of the Marlin Crawler brand.

Dave could have simply excused the matter by mentioning the holiday rush and some ambitious internal projects, capping that off with the use of clever salesman speak to keep my order open.  My order was retained, thankfully, but he didn't fight me in the slightest to make the purchase and he came across as entirely genuine and human.

As a specialty store with many custom items, at times there will be build delays which can be further aggravated by order quantity/interest.  There might also be delays on orders where they piece together products from multiple vendors.  Over all, however, they're in the process of fulfilling any outstanding orders and are continuing to evaluate better ways to address some of the concerns we've raised here while keeping the customer better informed.

I reluctantly moved to Kansas and left behind a father in a nursing home along with ongoing family problems for a wonderful woman and her daughter.  It hasn't been easy starting over and going 6 months without solid friends while also working at a job that can be uncomfortable at times.  Jumping in my truck at the end of the day or going on a ride during the weekend has been cathartic and liberating. I'm thankful that Marlin Crawler has worked with me on this order and resolved the matter, but especially to Dave for his encouragement and advice.  He's a good guy and fully embodies the spirit of "Marlin Crawler"'s reputation.

I highly recommend Marlin Crawler as a source for parts and services.  If a significant delay or problem occurs and you're not having any success by phone or via the primary contact form, the sales associates are there to help out and can be contacted further down the same Contact page.


-Jeff

[Rocksurfer]

...and you have added to that reputation.

[Wainiha]

Good stuff.

[TheChewMaster]

Glad to hear it worked out. You will be impressed with what you get, I know I was.

[BigMike]

ToxicGumbo,

I was not involved with this but had no doubt that our staff would take the utmost care with your assurance as our customer. I want to thank you for your follow-up to this thread. I knew Dave was on the phone for quite a while and am not surprised with the positive outcome. We definitely have a great group of guys working here, all excellent team players, we just need to improve certain technology aspects of our customer relations and for this I wholeheartedly take the blame. We have a new internal system we are rolling out later this week that will provide the necessary foundation for new improvements to finally be implemented, many of which I'm sure you two discussed. Two thousand fourteen is planned to be a banner year for us and we will be unrolling some pretty cool stuff as things start getting underway.

Please keep this thread updated so we can make sure we get everything right moving forward, and just as important, that our products meet your expectations!

Regards,
BigMike

[superyota]

Awesome!

[Bandit83]

Well I never got my email responded to.  I did receive my parts after 8 or 9 days.  I had paid extra for the 2 days shipping.  I had emailed after 5 days or my items not being shipped to cancel my order. I don't know how many times I have tried calling.  That didn't happen.  One of the parts ended up being wrong, so I can't even put this experience behind me yet.  I will tell anyone who asks that I'm sure they are nice people if you can ever get through to them.  I'm glad that someone got a 90 minute phone call, sounds ridiculous to me.  How many people couldn't get through during that time? Anyway I guess I'll deal with the return process now and just chalk this up to lesson learned. 
I order a lot of parts online... We all do.  They aren't running some kind of unique business over there.  Other companies communicate with their customers and offer quick shipping.  Anyway I wont go on.  This thread is for people that have already been burned anyway.   

[ToxicGumbo [OP]]

Sorry to hear about the shipping delays. I received a shipping notice after the conversation mentioned above with an "expected delivery" that passed well before the items shipped, but everything arrived as of this past Saturday and the order appears to be spot on.  Couldn't be more delighted.



I'm definitely going to put the beer koozie, opener, and magazines to good use well before the tooling around begins.  Thanks, guys!



-Jeff