I wanted to get some really cool Renaissance clothing and weapons. I found their wide selection of items appealing; however, I found it quite odd that they didn't show their inventory. After picking out my items, I ordered them at the beginning of December 2009. The next day, the credit card was charged.
So I waited a week. No word from them. I checked my email everyday for the next two to three weeks. Christmas came and I was getting upset. So I shot them an email, asking them the status of my order. They said that there were a few pieces that they were out of stock (didn't specify what), that they ordered them, and my order would be there 07 Jan 2010.
So I waited. The day after New Years I asked them what was out of stock. A rather nice lady said that I could switch my items with something that is in stock and it could be there 14 Jan 2010. So I did.
As you might have guessed, 14 Jan 2010, no package, no email saying it was being delivered. I sent them another message asking why haven't I received anything. They told me to just wait. I sent a lot of emails after that, but they were ignored.
I searched them on the internet. I was so upset to find others that have had this similar experience. Found their rating at the BBB was an F (Now it is a C).
I canceled my order and demanded my money back. I talked to a woman saying that I have been doing research about your company and I think that you guys are running a scam business. She shot back, saying that they are not a scam. But I said why did you charge me immediately, why have I been waiting for a month, and why have others experienced what I have.
Well after that, I got an email saying that they were sorry and gave me free shipping, gave back the money for the shipping, and my order finally came at the end of January.
They have great products but they have poor customer service. I don't recommend this place at all if you want that ren-fair or LARPing items. Unless you could wait two months.
I am really sorry that happened to you. Have you gone to the BBB for a refund?
Thanks John for the updates, glad you got your refund :) I hope this business gets out of business.
The worst customer service ever. We have waited over 3 monthes for a bow that was promised in two weeks. They will not cancel the order and won't send the bow either. Buyer Beware!
Sometimes items are unavailable, its called backorder..
I use to work for Medieval Collectibles in Princeton, IN they are some of the worst people I have ever worked for in my life. The Husband and wife team that ownes the business doesn't want their customers to know that they are the only two that own the business. They alwasys tell the customers that the are owed by board of directors...NOT TRUE! They Live ON STATE RD 64 E. ...I worked for a period of time out of their basement before moving to a closed down clinic in Princeton. They say that they are in a wearhouse again NOT TRUE! They Are just as horrible with their work ethics ..No Lunch Break...As a matter of FACT no Breaks at all! Oh, and not allowed to talk to other workers.. Chad And ALisha the owners will lie to customers about when orders will be shipped and they will charge you as soon as you place the order. I would tell everyone not to order from them.. THEY ARE SLAVE DRIVERS!
Hello, My name is Licia. I am the General Manager at Medieval Collectibles. I want everyone to know that we take any complaints into great consideration. We have grown so much as a company by listening to complaints like these. The few complaints that are on the internet are all about Archery items, probably because these take the longest to get in. Bows and arrows are custom made. We have changed our policy on Archery items, if we don't have a bow or set of arrows, it will not be available for sale on our website, we update the site once a day with items as they get sold. We are very sorry to any customer that has waiting a unacceptable time frame for our Archery goods.
We really do care about our customers and strive to give the best customer service possible, we have tons of happy customers that we help daily. To see some of them, visit our facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/MedievalCollectibles
To address the comment made by MEOO77, that is completely fabricated by someone who is too timid to even say their name because they know its a lie. We do have a warehouse, we have a picture of it on our website (http://www.medievalcollectibles.com/t-about.aspx), it's not fake, drive by us and see! Yes, everyone gets a lunch break!
To anyone reading these posts, please know that we work very hard to keep our customers happy, that is our priority. If you have a problem, we definitely want to know about. Please call and ask for me, Licia, so I can work it out and make it right for you.
I can echo the complaints about Customer Service at Medieval Collectibles.
I purchased several items from them a month ago. One of them had serious blemishes, along with some other problems. I have emailed them twice at their service address, and recently followed up with a message entered on the Contact page of their own web site. I haven't received a single response.
By contrast, when I emailed them with a product question BEFORE I ordered from them, I received a reply within a few days, so I know their email system is working. They simply lose interest in you once they've taken your money.
The bottom line is, if you are going to represent yourself as an online retailer, you need to be able to conduct business via email.
In order to avoid Licia's accusations of cowardice, let me state that my name is John Bendiksen. Museum Collectibles certainly has my email address on file, as they have emailed me three times: once to answer the pre-order question, once to confirm my order, and again to notify me of the shipping date. And of course, there's all the emails I sent them after the sale (the ones they've ignored).
I've given up hope of getting any customer service from Medieval Collectibles. I will instead be adding my complaint to their growing collection on file with the Better Business Bureau (18 at last count; they are rated 'C' and presumably dropping fast). I am recapping my experiences with them here in hopes of sparing others the frustration of dealing with this horrible excuse for an online retailer.
08/30/2010 : I place my order for a leather breastplate and some other items. My credit card is charged immediately.
09/22/2010 : I have received my order, and the leather breastplate has problems and is unwearable. I email them, describing the problems with my order and requesting assistance.
09/25/2010 : No reply, so I resend the email.
09/30/2010 : (date approximate) I use the 'Contact Us' feature of their web site to remind them of my previous contact attempts, and request a reply.
10/05/2010 : Still no answer; I send the email yet again, with a preface that specifically directs it to Licia's attention.
10/11/2010 : I receive an email from a nice person named Jennifer, apologizing for the slow response and promising to bring my email to management's attention.
10/18/2010 : I am 'CCd' on email from Jennifer forwarding one of the many copies of my email to her manager Licia.
10/27/2010 : Another 9 days has gone by without a reply, and I've given up.
So I'm out $115 on a blemished and unwearable piece of 'armor'. Before you consider buying anything from them, consider this:
- As others in these forums have pointed out, the will charge your credit card immediately, long before they actually ship you anything. This itself is a sign of a sleazy business.
- When the inevitable problems arise with your order, they will absolutely disappear from sight, refusing to respond to emails and messages left on their own web site. However, they will continue to spam you with promotional emails... proving that there is nothing actually wrong with their email.
In the interest of fairness, I am making this final report on my experiences with Medieval Collectibles.
Thanks to the intervention of the Better Business Bureau, I was able to return the 'breastplate' for a full refund. MC also paid for the return shipping, which was a nice touch that they were not obligated to do.
It's a shame that it took the BBB to get them to respond to me, but at least I'm no longer out the money.
The above information is false. No order has been taken from Bonita Spring for any amount.
Hello everyone,
I placed an order for an umbrella sword in http://www.medievalcollectibles.com the Nov 16 (Wednesday) and I received it the Nov 21 (Monday)! Very fast, with very good prices.
Delivery by UPS with tracking number.
No problem, everything is perfect.
The customer service by Jennifer is WONDERFUL.
She take care the customer very very well.
I give them 5 stars.
Honest company and honest person.
Sure, I recommend this company and this person.
Remember this person (JENNIFER), she's a Guardian Angel.
Thierry
From GA,
Another fake review - this is a complaint forum, people don't go on complaint forums to file good reviews - any company who pays people for fake GLOWING reviews must be pretty dang shady - AVOID them like the plague.
My experiences with MC and their subsidiary Dark Knight Armoury have been largely positive; the only thing I do not like is that you have no idea of what's in stock and what's not until after you order and you get a message stating to that effect- but your card is still charged. I am glad they have Jennifer (as I've dealt with her on occasion as well and her pleasant demeanor sort of makes up for the shenanigans of charging your card for items that aren't even in stock) and I am glad that I've been able to order and return if necessary just about anything that I've wanted over the years. I don't understand why they can't keep up with what they have in-stock and what's not- it would certainly help to mitigate instances such as the above and I think customers would be happier overall. Nothing worse than paying for something that isn't there.
I was going to order some clothing items for my son to wear to a Renaissance Fair. But I always search on google first to see if anyone has been scammed. I really liked the site, but after reading all the complaints about people not receiving their orders, I will have to look elsewhere. Does anyone know where I can order some things, that will ship fast? A trusted site?
I spent HOURS online trying to find pieces of clothing to complete the look for my costume. I was alarmed by how few companies specialize in the look/feel i was going for. After stumbling across medieval collectibles, i decided to take a chance of these guys. I have to say, I'm more than impressed. Shipping was fast and easy, and the quality was absolute perfection. My biggest reservation was a quality product for the price point of the items. My expectations were more than exceeded. I could not be happier with my purchases. Medieval Collectibles had everything I was looking for to complete my look. I also spoke with Dee who was very kind and courteous over the phone. I will continue to buy from here and encourage others to do the same.
This company is HORRIBLE! DO NOT ORDER FROM THEM! They have had my money for 3 months now and I have yet to receive my order! Everything I attempt to order is out of stock. I finally found some things that were not out of stock and according to the web site it said they would ship them in 5 - 7 business days - that was a month ago. They charged my credit card as soon as they got my order knowing their items were out of stock. I am BEYOND FRUSTRATED with this company and now that is it March I am still trying to get the Christmas presents I ordered.
I ordered two items from them that met the requirements for free shipping. No hint given that both were on backorder at the time I paid for them. One item was ready within a reasonable time, but I hard to argue to get the shipping charge waived. I was told the other item would be on backorder for up to two months. I emailed after two months and was told they didn't expect it for up to two more months. A few days later I got an email saying the manufacturer had discontinued it and giving me some alternative products instead. One was similar in quality, but $32 more than the item I had paid for. I asked about the possibility of a discount, and was offered 10%. Since I'd been getting pop-up ads offering 10%, I didn't feel that was making much of an effort, and wrote to say so and if they couldn't do better to just cancel, which they did today. The customer service reps are pretty great, and I have sympathy for them because it's got to be really hard to try and make up for really poor business practices. But at this point, I'd have to be an idiot to consider buying anything from them again, so I'm done with Medieval Collectibles for good.
Ive oredered at least 15 items and have received them fast. If it is out of stock its because some items are actuall made by them. The leather goods in particular. Its not amazon so dont expect amazon timeframes. This is specific and hard to find merch especially at the quality and price. I love this sote and have nothing but great things to say about them.
No one goes on a complaints board to file a good review - this is obviously a paid-for fake review, which would only be done to attempt to sway potential customers doing their homework. Don't fall for fake reviews like this, there are far too many reviews on the internet stating their products fall apart and they don't honor their return policy - CAVEAT EMPTOR.