So, we ordered a tent from CampingStation.com, a site we whole heartedly recommend you AVOID at any cost. Which is a shame, it was a very very sweet tent. It was a very large, family “town home” style tent, with 4 separate rooms, each with their own exterior doorways. Was a great price for such a large tent too. But as I said, run, don’t walk away from that site!
The tent was ordered back in April. Our credit card was hit to reserve the funds, which means not charged, just an “approval” amount that is basically the same thing as it takes my money out of the ‘spendable’ column and puts it in the ‘belongs to someone else even though I do not have any new items’ column! The next day we get an email saying they have unexpectedly sold out of this particular tent, and expect their next stock delivery mid May. Figuring we have plenty of time before our Yellowstone trip, we might as well wait. It was a really nice tent, and perfect for our plans.
Mid May comes, no tent or order status update available. Phone messages are left. I should note also that the answering machine for the company is hardly understandable through the chinese accent, and I’m now made aware they are not only a camping supplies store, but also a fashion accessory outlet, and travel agency. Now I’m a little worried, but offering the benefit of the doubt.
We found a lot of things, other than just the tent on their site we needed (okay, wanted in some cases but close enough) for our camping trips we are hoping to take. Rounding up a good list of items we haven’t already found locally in stores, I put together a shopping cart, checked out, and got a confirmation of my order.
A few days after, we’re on a trip to Costco to get some food items and of course we come across quite a few camping goodies we’d love to have. Filling up 2 carts, not much food after all is said and done, we’ve included 2 tents! Great deal at $99 ea., they are 15ft by 12ft 4 person tents, with a front covered area. Thinking that if the CampingStation.com tent order ever does show up, we can just return these. If it doesn’t, hey, at least we’ll have tents right?
My new order of various items shows up. Of course, a few items we received are the wrong ones, and a number of them do not match their descriptions online in the least. Or should I say, the descriptions leave out quite a bit of information one would deem useful in making purchasing decisions… like the fact that the towels are the size of a kleenex, not a normal kitchen sized towel one would expect from a “kitchen camp towel” item name. Whatever. We can find a use for them and I really don’t want to have to deal with these people again.
Finally we get them on the telephone, and my wife discusses our options for receiving our tent we want so badly, and have already been held up for nearly $200 for. They expect a shipment any day now, and promised to mark our order as a priority to get one of the few they expect to receive. We have a glimmer of hope for about an hour until they call back. Why call back? To confirm we’re at the top of the list? To let us know they just checked and voila, they found a tent to send us today? No, just to tell us the manufacturer decided not to send them anymore.
Canceling the order was not the easiest, or hardest process. I guess you have to expect a retail business to try and turn a possible lost sale into something else, but they recommend a tent that is substantially different than the one we chose, but make sure to point out it’s in stock. No thanks. I already have tents by now anyway.
So, all said and done we’re going to go ahead and venture out with 2 tents. One for the boys, and one for me and the wife (and the dogs). Should give us plenty of room in each, and allow for lots of campsite layouts depending on site size and shapes. Unfortunately we still have to find some suitable towels for the camp kitchen, and get some pie-irons that are the right size and shape and don’t look like they’re going to melt if we make s’mores. But hey … we have tents.