Taylormade Fitting Experience at The Kingdom ... a little bizzare

[j-rob]

Time for an update!

[Invisible-z]

The final rendered resolution will be posted. Actions are being taken now. That's the only update I have.

 

Yes, 9 days has passed (ie 19 days for me). Cant believe YOU guys are complaining :)

[Howard_Jones]

That service is terrible, however this is the part that is almost the most concerning

 

 

1045AM

Driver - one shaft and one head

Fairway - two shafts and one head

Iron - one shaft and 3 heads

Wedge - Hi Toe 60 only (no chip shots, bunkers, or rough)

 

 

That is NOT a FITTING, that is a demo! You could walk into any half decent golf store, anywhere in the world and get close to that level of "fitting". Either they fit you perfectly first go, or they didn't give a sh!t…. I've been to a fitting where we hit a good result on irons almost immediately, then spent the next hour on various other head/ shaft combo's to prove the initial result was spot on.

 

I'd be demanding the fitting feel back and I would not have even considered placing an order off of that experience.

 

I truly feel for you given the travel commitment of time and money.

 

Of course I'd give TM the chance to somehow make right the situation, but just refunding the fitting fees does not even come close.

 

i agree, this got nothing to do with club fitting, and if im not mistaking, that driver was not even adjusted on play length and balance, so this both can and should be done way better than this.

 

Refund of the fitting fee want cover the actual expenses used for "nothing", so TM really would have to stretch out to repair this, this is a scandal.

[Hack Daddy]

The final rendered resolution will be posted. Actions are being taken now. That's the only update I have.

 

Yes, 9 days has passed (ie 19 days for me). Cant believe YOU guys are complaining :)

 

Complaining? Most of us took your word about what happened on BLIND faith. Then you disappear like a baby daddy that owes back child support.

 

Then you say - oh theres a resolution, but I'll post it later.

 

Wtf

 

Mods should DELETE this. F*** this guy.

[AzSuperHack76]

The final rendered resolution will be posted. Actions are being taken now. That's the only update I have.

 

Yes, 9 days has passed (ie 19 days for me). Cant believe YOU guys are complaining :)

 

Complaining? Most of us took your word about what happened on BLIND faith. Then you disappear like a baby daddy that owes back child support.

 

Then you say - oh theres a resolution, but I'll post it later.

 

Wtf

 

Mods should DELETE this. F*** this guy.

 

Breathe..….

[deck]

That escalated quickly

[Spooky67]

^That DID escalate quickly!^

[Carolina Golfer 2]

You should have flown to Toronto and TXG instead!!

 

 

[Hack Daddy]

The final rendered resolution will be posted. Actions are being taken now. That's the only update I have.

 

Yes, 9 days has passed (ie 19 days for me). Cant believe YOU guys are complaining :)

 

Complaining? Most of us took your word about what happened on BLIND faith. Then you disappear like a baby daddy that owes back child support.

 

Then you say - oh theres a resolution, but I'll post it later.

 

Wtf

 

Mods should DELETE this. F*** this guy.

 

Breathe..….

 

We gave him the benefit of the doubt, and he basically did a drive by molatalv cocktail, and sped off. Lol

[Chip_Unsure]

The way the last post from the OP is written, I'd imagine he's talking to TM. If he's complaining correctly then there is the fitting, the flights, the accommodation and of course the club order to discuss.

 

I think it is well known that TM ready WRX, so to me not a massive surprise if the OP wants to let this issue work itself out before providing a update.

 

Maybe it is just my interpretation, but I get the feeling some people are suggesting BS in play. Personally I don't see why someone would want to post such a longwinded post if it wasn't at least someway accurate.

 

Like others, I am interested in how this plays out.

[golfortennis]

The way the last post from the OP is written, I'd imagine he's talking to TM. If he's complaining correctly then there is the fitting, the flights, the accommodation and of course the club order to discuss.

 

I think it is well known that TM ready WRX, so to me not a massive surprise if the OP wants to let this issue work itself out before providing a update.

 

Maybe it is just my interpretation, but I get the feeling some people are suggesting BS in play. Personally I don't see why someone would want to post such a longwinded post if it wasn't at least someway accurate.

 

Like others, I am interested in how this plays out.

 

Exactly. This whole "you haven't responded in x minutes DELETE THE THREAD" stuff is ridiculous. He spent a few days trying to work with them to get them to make it right. If he was trying to hit and run, unless he is making up the timeline, he posts it that same day. He has stated that they are currently talking. You don't go air all of that out, you let the process play out.

 

Hack daddy, do you ever do negotiations? Cause that ain't how you get anywhere.

 

Unless you're a TM fanboi to such a degree you want to see this gone.

[chrissdc]

I believe that the Kingdom will shut down within a year or so.

They are losing money at the Kingdom and I was told that they have a limited amount of time to break even or it will close down.

The tour players don’t go there unless they are in playing an event close by. The TM staff go to the players.

My kid was fitted there a year ago and the fitting was great. She must of hit 200 balls and putted for 45minutes during the fitting.

The woods, hybrids, and wedges she received were all okay and she loves them. The irons were not to the specs that were ordered. For 3 months she just saw balls doing strange things on good swings. Luckily a local club fitter was watching her during a lesson and saw what was going on and immediately knew the irons were messed up.

He corrected the issue and the irons are performing properly.

Always check the specs on the clubs after receiving them, especially on custom clubs.

My understanding is that for CS and clubfitting that if one can go to Callaway on the outside range, that is the way to go. All the TeamCallaway juniors we know are completely happy and are receiving a ton of stuff.

[Hack Daddy]

The way the last post from the OP is written, I'd imagine he's talking to TM. If he's complaining correctly then there is the fitting, the flights, the accommodation and of course the club order to discuss.

 

I think it is well known that TM ready WRX, so to me not a massive surprise if the OP wants to let this issue work itself out before providing a update.

 

Maybe it is just my interpretation, but I get the feeling some people are suggesting BS in play. Personally I don't see why someone would want to post such a longwinded post if it wasn't at least someway accurate.

 

Like others, I am interested in how this plays out.

 

Exactly. This whole "you haven't responded in x minutes DELETE THE THREAD" stuff is ridiculous. He spent a few days trying to work with them to get them to make it right. If he was trying to hit and run, unless he is making up the timeline, he posts it that same day. He has stated that they are currently talking. You don't go air all of that out, you let the process play out.

 

Hack daddy, do you ever do negotiations? Cause that ain't how you get anywhere.

 

Unless you're a TM fanboi to such a degree you want to see this gone.

 

There never would have been any negotiations.

 

I would have given them an end of business deadline to respond to me (from SR management), or I would have had AmEx reverse the charges, which they gladly would/will do.

 

Then I would have had my retained attorney send a letter of intent to recover money or there would be pending litigation.

 

Now, I know what you're saying - the litigation would coat more than you spent at the Kingdom. Yes, you're right... but I'm a man a of principle. And the story that taylormade got sued and lost because of poor customer service would have far greater ramifications for them, than not.

[Ritocop]

That's awful to hear they need to hire a new fitter disgusting.

[PIJoe]

Holy crap, what a terrible process. I sure hope it gets resolved to your satisfaction, because flying that far with all of the planning, execution, and cost associated and getting not only a bad experience but also bad product- is honestly unforgivable in the supposed CS age we live in now. SMH

[pinestreetgolf]

The way the last post from the OP is written, I'd imagine he's talking to TM. If he's complaining correctly then there is the fitting, the flights, the accommodation and of course the club order to discuss.

 

I think it is well known that TM ready WRX, so to me not a massive surprise if the OP wants to let this issue work itself out before providing a update.

 

Maybe it is just my interpretation, but I get the feeling some people are suggesting BS in play. Personally I don't see why someone would want to post such a longwinded post if it wasn't at least someway accurate.

 

Like others, I am interested in how this plays out.

 

Exactly. This whole "you haven't responded in x minutes DELETE THE THREAD" stuff is ridiculous. He spent a few days trying to work with them to get them to make it right. If he was trying to hit and run, unless he is making up the timeline, he posts it that same day. He has stated that they are currently talking. You don't go air all of that out, you let the process play out.

 

Hack daddy, do you ever do negotiations? Cause that ain't how you get anywhere.

 

Unless you're a TM fanboi to such a degree you want to see this gone.

 

There never would have been any negotiations.

 

I would have given them an end of business deadline to respond to me (from SR management), or I would have had AmEx reverse the charges, which they gladly would/will do.

 

Then I would have had my retained attorney send a letter of intent to recover money or there would be pending litigation.

 

Now, I know what you're saying - the litigation would coat more than you spent at the Kingdom. Yes, you're right... but I'm a man a of principle. And the story that taylormade got sued and lost because of poor customer service would have far greater ramifications for them, than not.

 

Wait, you’d reverse the charges then sue them to get back the money they no longer have because you reversed the charges?

 

Somebody’s full of it and it ain’t the OP.

[Hack Daddy]

The way the last post from the OP is written, I'd imagine he's talking to TM. If he's complaining correctly then there is the fitting, the flights, the accommodation and of course the club order to discuss.

 

I think it is well known that TM ready WRX, so to me not a massive surprise if the OP wants to let this issue work itself out before providing a update.

 

Maybe it is just my interpretation, but I get the feeling some people are suggesting BS in play. Personally I don't see why someone would want to post such a longwinded post if it wasn't at least someway accurate.

 

Like others, I am interested in how this plays out.

 

Exactly. This whole "you haven't responded in x minutes DELETE THE THREAD" stuff is ridiculous. He spent a few days trying to work with them to get them to make it right. If he was trying to hit and run, unless he is making up the timeline, he posts it that same day. He has stated that they are currently talking. You don't go air all of that out, you let the process play out.

 

Hack daddy, do you ever do negotiations? Cause that ain't how you get anywhere.

 

Unless you're a TM fanboi to such a degree you want to see this gone.

 

There never would have been any negotiations.

 

I would have given them an end of business deadline to respond to me (from SR management), or I would have had AmEx reverse the charges, which they gladly would/will do.

 

Then I would have had my retained attorney send a letter of intent to recover money or there would be pending litigation.

 

Now, I know what you're saying - the litigation would coat more than you spent at the Kingdom. Yes, you're right... but I'm a man a of principle. And the story that taylormade got sued and lost because of poor customer service would have far greater ramifications for them, than not.

 

Wait, you’d reverse the charges then sue them to get back the money they no longer have because you reversed the charges?

 

Somebody’s full of it and it ain’t the OP.

 

Reversing the charges for the clubs and fitting, idiot. I'd sue them for airfare, lodging, etc.

[pinestreetgolf]

The way the last post from the OP is written, I'd imagine he's talking to TM. If he's complaining correctly then there is the fitting, the flights, the accommodation and of course the club order to discuss.

 

I think it is well known that TM ready WRX, so to me not a massive surprise if the OP wants to let this issue work itself out before providing a update.

 

Maybe it is just my interpretation, but I get the feeling some people are suggesting BS in play. Personally I don't see why someone would want to post such a longwinded post if it wasn't at least someway accurate.

 

Like others, I am interested in how this plays out.

 

Exactly. This whole "you haven't responded in x minutes DELETE THE THREAD" stuff is ridiculous. He spent a few days trying to work with them to get them to make it right. If he was trying to hit and run, unless he is making up the timeline, he posts it that same day. He has stated that they are currently talking. You don't go air all of that out, you let the process play out.

 

Hack daddy, do you ever do negotiations? Cause that ain't how you get anywhere.

 

Unless you're a TM fanboi to such a degree you want to see this gone.

 

There never would have been any negotiations.

 

I would have given them an end of business deadline to respond to me (from SR management), or I would have had AmEx reverse the charges, which they gladly would/will do.

 

Then I would have had my retained attorney send a letter of intent to recover money or there would be pending litigation.

 

Now, I know what you're saying - the litigation would coat more than you spent at the Kingdom. Yes, you're right... but I'm a man a of principle. And the story that taylormade got sued and lost because of poor customer service would have far greater ramifications for them, than not.

 

Wait, you’d reverse the charges then sue them to get back the money they no longer have because you reversed the charges?

 

Somebody’s full of it and it ain’t the OP.

 

Reversing the charges for the clubs and fitting, idiot. I'd sue them for airfare, lodging, etc.

 

Of course you can recover airline tickets and hotel in a non-fraud-breech action because those are reasonably foreseeable incidental damages to a club fitting that was below expectation.

 

You should have chartered a private jet who knows how much you could sue for!

[mctrees02]

lol it’s fun to smack somebody who throws the “im gonna sue” line around but doesn’t have a good understanding of what sorts of things actually have legal merit.

[dpb5031]

I've had 2 experiences with TM custom fittings. First was my daughter's full bag fitting at the Kingdom at Reynold's Plantation, second was my own driver fitting at the Kingdom in Carlsbad. Both experiences were excellent and most of the clubs were built on the spot. We tried multiple shaft/head combos, and the fitter spent an extensive amount of time with us. Ours were wonderful experiences, so I'm very surprised to hear this from the OP. The only nitpicky complaint I could even think of is that they didn't have two of the newest and most talked about shafts on hand for me to try, but they seemingly had everything else.

[fawley]

lol it’s fun to smack somebody who throws the “im gonna sue” line around but doesn’t have a good understanding of what sorts of things actually have legal merit.

 

This would have been one of the most entertaining law suits since King Leo threatened to sue for liable! Coincidentally, King Leo also felt it important to mention that his lawyer was on retainer.

[Spooky67]

The final rendered resolution will be posted. Actions are being taken now. That's the only update I have.

 

Yes, 9 days has passed (ie 19 days for me). Cant believe YOU guys are complaining :)

 

Any updates?

 

I read that you will post the final resolution. That being said when you enter a public forum and pst a complaint, then you will have people that are interested in the process and outcome. Also you will have people that will think you have moved on if an update isn’t posted on a semi-regular basis. Just updating the thread once or twice a week with “still haven’t heard back” or “TM is working in a solution”etc is all guys would need to know you are still active in the thread.

 

Hope you understand that people are vested now that you’ve told your side and they want to know how TM responds, takes care of their customers...

 

Hope your situation gets resolved favorably and I hope you share all of the details with us because as of now all we have is a very, very, bad account of TM/the kingdom nit taking care of their customers.

[RainShadow]

I don’t buy TM or Nike anything......eliminates a lot of headaches and frustration.

That said, I’ve never gotten a set if clubs that were exactly as I ordered them.

Srixon, Mizuno, Titleist, Callaway.....all iron sets have been off, either SW or lie angles. Grips not logo down as requested

It’s an industry wide problem.

[cardoustie]

I've never had a TM fitting but have had multiple in depth fittings locally with PING and TITLEIST and my goodness their customer service is top notch !!!! I've heard the same about Callaway

[Hack Daddy]

I don’t buy TM or Nike anything......eliminates a lot of headaches and frustration.

That said, I’ve never gotten a set if clubs that were exactly as I ordered them.

Srixon, Mizuno, Titleist, Callaway.....all iron sets have been off, either SW or lie angles. Grips not logo down as requested

It’s an industry wide problem.

 

And what exactly is your malfunction with Nike?

[2ball]

ummary of our $1,300 (2 pax) experience at The Kingdom by Taylormade in Carlsbad

 

The short version:

- 4 hybrid missing in order

- iron set lie angle adjustment missing

- wedge lie angle adjustment missing

- putter lie angle adjustment missing

- grip size too big

- the grips options incorrect

- 5 emails ignored

- client’s request not followed

- the client has to initiate contact with TaylorMade to move things forward

- delayed order by over 1 week or more

- incorrect order placed and with no confirmation from the client

- client forced to take on the order

 

Taylormade responded, read below

 

 

The long version:

I was very excited about my fitting at the Kingdom. I've had a good fitting experience down at Titleist TPI just next door about 6 years ago. The experience was amazing. I read great things about Taylormade fitting too at the Kingdom and given their recent marketing effort I had high hopes. Itwasawhooping $650 pp but if the fitting is as good as the one I got down at Titleist, I'd say its worth it.

 

Anyway, so here we go.

 

I made my booking via our club about 2-3 months in advance. We had sent numerous emails to confirm and reconfirm because my dad and I are flying across the big pond for this fitting and made sure TM knows about it. Don't want to get bumped off last minute, etc.

 

On the day of the fitting, we got an email from the receptionist asking us to send in our CC for authorization at8AM. I replied promptly and approved the authorization. Small hiccup she probably forgot but its all good!

 

No one was there to greet us at the HQ (unlike Titleist) so we wandered up to registration and got ourselves registered. The security guy didn't seem to know what was happening. Eventually, he found our booking. While we were being checked in, I got an email from the same receptionist with a single sentence "are you two on your way".

 

Was that a rhetorical question because I just authorized the payment like an hour ago. A little rude but no biggie I thought. After the check-in, we were told the Kingdom is at a different location so we had to drive across the street to get there. OK, so now we were 25 minutes late when we go to Kingdom's front door.

 

When we got to the front door of the Kingdom the doors were locked. So... I thought had those guys left because we are late?? Just when we were about to drive back to the HQ, we were greeted by the receptionist with no much of a smile. We walked in through the doors and then was told to go back out to the car to get our own bags. My dad is over 65 so I went and got both our bags while they watched. Certainly not what I read about and not how Titleist treated me back in the days. Whatever, we are on vacation and came here for a good time I thought to myself.

 

Belowthetimeare fairly accurate because I had time stamps on all my photos

 

August 1st - day of fitting

10AM

intro, warm-up, etc.

 

1015AM

We used Gears (https://www.gearssports.com/) go for a 3D swing motion analysis. I thought that was a complete waste of time from a fitting perspective. We got a USB at the end with our 3D swings recorded so I suppose that's why we did it. The fitter didn't seem overly enthusiastic about it too (honestly, I wouldn't either if I knew this was gonna be pointless).

 

1045AM

Driver - one shaft and one head

Fairway - two shafts and one head

Iron - one shaft and 3 heads

Wedge - Hi Toe 60 only (no chip shots, bunkers, or rough)

 

1215PM

The fitter took me in to get my driver put together. That was pretty cool.

 

1230PM

Fitter wanted to send us out but I reminded him I had a putter fitting too. We went through the putter fitting

 

1240PM

Got my spec sheets and we were done. I was told to make the order through them because Kingdom orders tend to be faster (I later verified with TM sales that this is not true). The only difference is it comes out of a different account (ie e-commerce vs wholesale) but its essentially the same speed. TM sales told me though I should get a discount of ordering through the Kingdom. Well, we didn't get any.

 

9PM

I reviewed the spec sheets and researched the metalwood shafts and saw some possible mistakes. I had couple questions for our fitters so I emailed them a thank you note with my questions. This was where the nightmare began.

 

August 2nd - Thursday

no response after 24 hours. Follow up email sent from me

 

August 3rd - Friday

Still no response after 24 hours. Another follow up email sent. Finally got a short response that night. The fitter said its the weekend and will reply after the weekend. Umm... ok

 

August 6th - Monday

When I finally got the actual response (6 days after the fitting), the fitter simply attached the spec sheet which I got on the day of my fitting and asked what I want to be changed. You can imagine I almost jumped out of my skin. Did you read my email?

 

Repeated my questions in another email. Got a response the same day and he corrected me on what I thought were mistakes. Nice, at least movement here.

 

August 7th - Tuesday

I decided to call the fitter the following day tofurther clarify on the shaft choices and close out on all outstanding questions so we can move the order along.

 

The response I got about one of his shaft choices was along the lines of "I am not too sure about the shaft profile actually. I didn't read up on them but I know you needed something low spin. I really don't know those shafts too well but you could go with either one. You hit the ball well enough and they would fit you. Pick one of them".

 

Umm... seriously? Is that why I flew halfway around the world and pay $650 bucks to get this sort of answer. For a moment I wondered if he was just toying with me because I know he had worked there for quite some time. By the way, the shaft I was mentioning is Mitsubishi Tensei CK Series shaft. I wasn't sure if I was getting the pro or normal version. The cost of the shaft upcharge for pro version was $200. After the call, I still wasn't sure which I was specced for because he didn't know which version he fitted me for. WTF.

 

Well, so after the call I was going to make the purchase anyway (we were both eager to get new clubs). I wrote the fitter a confirmation email and spelt everything out for him to confirm the details of our conversation. I was uncertain whether he would my order right so I asked to get a breakdown on the invoice so I could check all the specs before the order is placed. Oh right... and the guys at the Kingdom never told us how much the cost of the equipment was. I suppose they just expected us to open our wallets and pay up no matter how much it would cost?

 

August 8th - Wednesday

My confirmation email was not responded to after 24 hours.

 

Well, OK I wanted to get this done while I am still on US time, so I called the receptionist to follow up on the issue since its now administrative related work and I am guessing she would put in the order. By that time, I was on literally sitting in a plane that wasabout to takeoff back to Asia. She immediately sent me the invoice w/ breakdown (thank god) immediately. I hung up and I looked through it. Guess what? THERE WERE MISTAKES ALL OVER THE ORDER!!! Before the plane took off, I emailed her immediately to amend the order. The email was sent before I shut off my phone.

 

No surprise my email was not responded to for 24 hours.

 

August 9th - Friday (Asia time)

I am back in my home country after a long flight and 15 hour time difference. Opened up my email with no reply to my email. I emailed the receptionist and told her to cancel her order while I make the order on my own. She later wrote me a somewhat angry email stating "I’m a little confused at what your expectations are at this point considering I have had no access to email". OK, well she said mentioned TM email has been down on Tuesday but honestly not my problem. Someone on your team made a mistake. Fix it. At least that's how good teams function.

 

I emailed their director to stop the order before this gets more complicated. Dealing with this aftermath is going to be so fun, especially with a 15 hour time difference.

 

I hope they will come their senses... I really look forward to what happens next... :telephone:

 

 

August 10 - 16th

I spoke with the Director of Taylormade Kingdom. He apologized and want to make this right. Actions are being taken.

We spoke on the phone for about 30 mins. He went on to explain the situation. I can't imagine how anyone can explain this away. It wasn't his fault. He was very sincere. He apologized for his team. My fitter also proceeded to send me an apology email which I am grateful. Offered to make this right. I am down with that.

He confirmed he would refund our experience and give us a second fitting free-of-charge. That doesn't make up for the fact that I flew in from Asia and that I will have to fly back again for another fitting. But a step in the right direction.

He offered to make sure our order gets sorted and give me a bunch of freebies (ie balls) and clubs to test.

 

Aug 18

Part of our order has arrived. Some clubs are missing. I don't blame the Director as the order was already put in before he had a chance to amend any mistakes. I notified him of the mistakes.

 

Aug 21

Another part of our order has arrived. The Director gave me a call to follow up the order.

I got some freebies - balls, clubs, extra shafts. Very grateful to get new toys to play with but I don't know how to fit myself despite the extra shafts options. Regardless, a good gesture and an honest attempt to salvage the situation within his power

Director went on the explain the contents of the package in great detail and promised to follow up.

 

Aug 22

Irrelevant but I went to a shop with a GC quad and paid to smacked balls non-stop for 2 hours. All I can say is unless you know the meaning behind the numbers and know how equipment impacts them... data don't mean much. Still glad to finally able to play with my set.

 

Aug 23

My dad's wedges are still missing. They are being followed up.

There is a loose particle in the Driver head and needs to be replaced

 

 

Sitll working things out. Working with the Director on the follow up has been great so far. He shows sincerity and motivation to want to get this resolved.

 

Hey Taylormade get your s@#t together and make this right!

[2ball]

The only reason I use AmEx is for exact reasons like this.

 

OP, I hope you do as well. Call them and dispute EVERYTHING. You will at least have that piece of mind knowing AmEx will reverse everything.

 

I don't know why anyone supports TM. Literally the worst OEM in golf.

 

amen i love my americanExpress Blue Card for this reason Amex goes to bat for their customers. i would return everything and get your local media involved it is a great story/blog to share for all of TMs competitors.

[2ball]

I've never had a TM fitting but have had multiple in depth fittings locally with PING and TITLEIST and my goodness their customer service is top notch !!!! I've heard the same about Callaway

 

GOOD TO KNOW, VERY GOOD TO KNOW....

[Invisible-z]

A final update on this.

 

American Express is refunded all our money back. So another word, I got my fitting fee back (actually they never charged me) and all our clubs are free (well, they should be... I wasn't actually fitted for them)

 

I got some freebies as well and I am putting them up for sale.

[Anser]

No, you're not entitled to anything free.

 

A refund yes, never do biz with them again, sure. But you aren't owed free product.

 

Amex is eating that, and that's why Amex charges twice the percentage per card swipe to retailers.