I'm pretty pissed about my X-Tours

Golfdog · July 31, 2005

Cally can kiss my patoot

I decided to pay $1,000 for a set of irons this year. The irons were Callaway X-Tours, with X-100 shafts. When they arrived at my club's pro shop, the set was missing a 9 iron, and a shaft band was missing on the PW. The rep ordered the 9 iron to be sent overnight, but the club was sent out on 3-day delivery, so I got it about 5 days later because of a weekend. Okay, this stuff happens, I guess.

When I hit these irons, they felt kinda harsh, and weren't quite as good on the range as the $300 Hogan Edge Pros I'd been playing for a few years. I relegated the X-Tours to my backup bag. It turns out the X-100s X-Tours were actually XX flex. I called Cally and they agreed to reshaft them. I asked for DGS300s. When I got the sticks back two weeks later, they were shafted with 3 DGS300s, and 5 DGS SL 300s. WTF!?!. I called Cally, and they were willing to fix the error. I requested overnight shipping and expedited service, and was told that would be no problem. Five days later(!), I got my return shipping label, which had been sent to me via regular mail. At this point, I decided to reshaft them myself and said the heck with Callaway.

About 6 weeks ago, I put the X-Tours into play, and discovered that I was scoring much better with these sticks (more the 2 strokes better per round, at an index of 0.9). Now, after playing and practicing with the X-Tours, the emblems on the back of the clubs have started falling off! First the 7 iron, then the 8 iron. Needless to say I am pretty disgusted with Callaway. WTF is going on with Cally that they are screwing up so badly? Ely must be rolling over in his grave.

m3nace · July 31, 2005

Callaway is having some serious customer service issues at the moment. Took them two weeks to respond to my email for X-Tour reshafting, only to tell me to call.

On the other hand my buddy emailed asking for a free headcover for his tour fairway wood and he had it two days later ... ???

kenfuji · July 31, 2005

imho callaway makes great clubs, but they always bite off more then they can chew. from the past they should know they can't keep up with demand on newly released drivers alone. what where they thinking when they release a several new irons and on top of that new drivers and fairway woods. this all trickels down the ladder and the end result is unhappy customers, reps and retails.

maui, man i would be furious also after spending all that money on a new set of irons only to get wrongs shafts, not once, but 2x. It's obvious you enjoy the clubs, i would just get those emblems re-epoxied, or pull all the emblems off to show your unhappiness with callaway co. and just add some lead tape to get the SW back up

JHR · August 1, 2005

At least they are willing to fix them.

Golfdog · August 1, 2005

At least they are willing to fix them.
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Yeah, if you don't mind shipping parts of your iron set to Callaway for weeks at a time.

JHR · August 1, 2005

I agree with your frustration, I was not siding with Callaway, I was just saying, that with customer service the way it is in any business these days I give them some credit that they are fixing it. I hope they get them right for you. And I am thankful that mine have had no problems thus far.

Golfdog · August 1, 2005

I agree with your frustration, I was not siding with Callaway, I was just saying, that with customer service the way it is in any business these days I give them some credit that they are fixing it. I hope they get them right for you. And I am thankful that mine have had no problems thus far.
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FWIW, Cally isn't fixing these, I am. Cally offered to do the original reshaft (to their credit), but screwed that up so badly that I decided to do the reshaft and all additional work myself. I agree with you about Cally having a great attitude about customer service, but the company has slipped very badly in their fulfillment of their customer service promise.

mat562 · August 1, 2005

Off at a tangent slightly, but just while we're on the subject of customer service, I'll throw Nike into the mix.

I recently had my 5 iron nicked whilst on the course. After the initial annoyance I thought "what the hell, I'll stump up for a new one."

I rang the original supplier (a UK-based golf store) and told them what had happened. Waited a while, to be told "No. we can't get you a 5 iron alone. we can order you a 1 or a 2 iron, but to get another 5 iron, you'll have to buy another set."

I'll not print my reply, but suffice to say, not happy.

Contacted numerous other retailers in the UK. All said they were unable to supply "just a 5 iron" and apologised. One told me "Yes. There'll be no problem" after listening to me describe the club I wanted (Nike blade) and then said "Is it the Oversize Pro Combo or the Pro model???

By now, getting exasperated, I called Nikes UK arm. No eMail address, and a nice recorded call-centre "Press '1' for sales, and '6' if you are by now suicidal...."

Their reply was an unhelpful "No. we can't just sell a five iron, and anyway you'd have to buy it (even though I've just told you you can't) through a retailer..."

"But I've got the serial number here...."

"Sorry. Can't help."

AAARRRGHHH!

Contact Nike USA.

"Sorry, but we can't arrange an international order since you are in the UK..." Hmmm...

In desperation, and thanks to a member on this site (thanks bordercollie) I found one at Ironfinder.

Edwin Watts, Godblessem, can also seemingly get one for me - a new one, which I'd prefer - for $100 plus shipping to blighty.

Obviously Nike can give me a 5 iron without any rigmarole, unless Edwin Watts have got some incriminating photos of Nikes CEO in their possession, so why can't Nike Europe/UK be a bit more reasonable?

As a contrast, the exact same thing happened about 15 years back when one of my Ping Eye2+ BeCu irons got pinched. Gave my club pro the serial no. of my set, and about 70 quid, and in 3 days Ping gave me a new 7 iron....

Times they are a changin...

ksmiffi · August 2, 2005

I had a custom order set of x tours that were supposed to be D4 and they came in D2.

Took them personally back to Callaway in Carlsbad as i only had a couple days left in So Cal, onto Palm Springs, then back to Singapore.

Callaway said they'd reweight them overnight so i went back next day, picked them up and didn't check them till i was in Palm Springs the following day.

The cavities on every iron were scratched as it looked like someone took a skewered instrument to dig out the plate. These were basically brand new by the way.

I was a little angry due to the damage, but used them. Sure enough the plate slips after 1 hit with the 2 iron so i didn't use the whole set.

Called Callaway, they said they replace them due to the damage etc.

Great. 3 weeks later they send the clubs to my friends place in So Cal as i've already returned to Singapore.

Replacement set came, they are all RIGHT HANDED when they should have been LEFT HANDED.

So now i'm expecting my new set next week, 2 months after i picked them up initially, and an extra $180us dollars in shipping and tax.

Pretty poor in my opinion for an already expensive set, $1180 2 - pw.

And if these things (x tours) mess up again once they are here, i'll be going off bigtime. Because so far these irons have cost me $1360.

Seriously everyone comments on how good Callaway customer service is, and i think their intentions are good, but to be honest, when you are paying premium and somewhat high prices for their gear, then their customer service should be a lot better, and a helluva lot more efficient.

Also twice Callaway forgot to put the return shipping labels in with the boxes.

DemolitionMan · August 2, 2005

Ask CS for the name of the CS Manager, write a detailed letter to that manager about your experience. Keep to the facts and stay away from commentary. You can have one sentence in the beginning and one at the end about your disappointment, sadness, whatever, but keep it to the minimum, it will be obvious you are mad, no need to repeat a dozen times. Do not be insulting.

Conclude the letter with a request of what you want to make the situation satisfactory for you. A $100 credit towards Cally stuff? Two dozen balls? A wedge? Whatever, give the manager a couple of ideas.

Send the letter registered mail. You have nothing to lose at this point, you already lost. But I am willing to bet that a professional letter to the right person will get you a response and one that will make you happy.

Good luck.

JHR · August 2, 2005

Ask CS for the name of the CS Manager, write a detailed letter to that manager about your experience. Keep to the facts and stay away from commentary. You can have one sentence in the beginning and one at the end about your disappointment, sadness, whatever, but keep it to the minimum, it will be obvious you are mad, no need to repeat a dozen times. Do not be insulting.

Conclude the letter with a request of what you want to make the situation satisfactory for you. A $100 credit towards Cally stuff? Two dozen balls? A wedge? Whatever, give the manager a couple of ideas.

Send the letter registered mail. You have nothing to lose at this point, you already lost. But I am willing to bet that a professional letter to the right person will get you a response and one that will make you happy.

Good luck.
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Demo is right, thats the best way to go about it. Like the man said, you have nothing to lose.

seahwk95 · August 2, 2005

Ask CS for the name of the CS Manager, write a detailed letter to that manager about your experience. Keep to the facts and stay away from commentary. You can have one sentence in the beginning and one at the end about your disappointment, sadness, whatever, but keep it to the minimum, it will be obvious you are mad, no need to repeat a dozen times. Do not be insulting.

Conclude the letter with a request of what you want to make the situation satisfactory for you. A $100 credit towards Cally stuff? Two dozen balls? A wedge? Whatever, give the manager a couple of ideas.

Send the letter registered mail. You have nothing to lose at this point, you already lost. But I am willing to bet that a professional letter to the right person will get you a response and one that will make you happy.

Good luck.
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"Keep to the facts and stay away from commentary."

This is the best advice by far I believe. Either thru a letter or over the phone, discussing the facts using diplomacy and civility kind of sets you apart. Both Cally and Nike probably have people calling CS every day getting all pissy about petty issues and you don't won't your issue ( your quite serious issue I might add) lumped in with theirs. That being said, I'd probably be seriously pissed at this point in either case (Callaway or Nike) but I try to make that point known as a last resort or when I've hit a dead end so to speak. Either way Good luck getting it resolved!!

JS

Golfdog · August 2, 2005

Hi,

I have been playing my x tour x 100's for a week. I have just read your post. Are all x100 for xtours "xx" or just your set?

Thanks.
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Just mine. I don't think the Dynamic Golds are sorted by flex, just weight. Sometimes you get a set that is firmer or softer than normal. I think this is what happened to me. The X-Tour has a standard bore, so unlike other Cally designs that can stiffen the flex of a shaft, the X-Tour hosels don't have an unusual effect on the shaft. Mine felt really harsh when I first got them. If yours were XX, you'd probably know it.

sactown · August 5, 2005

What had happened to you is aweful. I hate to say this but...I had the exact opposite experience this past week with Callaway. I ordered my set of X Tours with PX 6.5's which took about 5 weeks to make. I had called every other week to speak to CS to monitor the progress the my new "investment".

CS told me that they have received such a big response on their new line that they could not keep up, but with this type of "special order", they would try and make it happen somehow.

When the clubs arrived, they arrived PRIORITY NEXT DAY! Also, to much of my suprise, there was one other package AND another bonus. They shipped a forged wedge to my spec's and a dozen of HX tours! ;)

I go and call them, due to them being on my speed dial, to thank them for their kindness. They look me up in the system, and tell me that my sticks were built by their tour van. Whether that is true or false, I appreciate the extra mile that they went to make a customer happy without even asking.

By the way, the clubs were perfect to spec, and they are in the bag for a very long time....or until something else comes out :vava: