Clam XL 4000T Hub house

[BeenACrappieDay]

I can only imagine how [PoorWordUsage] Clam is gonna be that this thread is here and that word got out and they have a dump storm on their hands. What an embarrassment. Horrible QC.

[McGurk]

I measured mine tonight after setting it up to dry. It is an XL4000t that I purchased from Gander Mountain in January. It has the ceiling pockets. I measured right to Clam's numbers, 8' square and 82" tall in the center. FYI the corner height is 70" or 5'10". The skirt is also 12" wide around the whole bottom. Good luck to all the rest of you!

[sausageman]

Well, I have the "small" Bigfoot XL 4000T. I'm super happy with the shelter overall....but not happy I paid $100 more then I should have. I see the XL 2000T for $229.

[pushbutton]

Not good at math, but you probably paid less than 5 dollars too much. You got the thermal, while the 2000 is not. In earlier posts, saw that clam was giving out a superior storage system if you did not have the mesh. Not, being a homer or an apologist....just saying......suspect they knew early on, for sure by now..... hopefully they own up to it, but at least are making good on it and would probably take the upgraded storage over the mesh pocket and slightly bigger.

[sausageman]

Yes you are right!!! I thought the Bigfoot XL 2000 was thermal. I feel a little better now. Still love this portable shack even though it is a smaller version of the XL 4000.

[BeenACrappieDay]

the organizers they sent out as a replacement for the mesh are fine, if it was a flip over. the only straight across poles in the hub are the ones leading from the corner to the middle, at an upward angle, essentially eliminating a pie shaped piece of your shelter if you were to hang a coat from it. not to mention it hangs down 6-8 inches on its own, meaning if you installed it you'd have to duck under it. although nice on it's own, it is not a useable replacement for this hub. and they never acknowledged the smaller size, only said it was in place of the mesh. I've used mine a lot, and there are definitely applications where that 12" skirt would come in handy. if you bank it with good heavy slush from the holes, you don't need to worry about anchoring in <20 MPH wind. but with the shorter skirt, that becomes a little more difficult. I will be pushing for a replacement. I like to fish with friends and that extra 6" across would be really nice for elbow room/hole spacing.

[nielsencod]

Haven't heard back from clam yet. I agree,I love the shack but I feel if your gonna sell it as a big foot xl4000t it shouldn't be the size of a 2000.

[BeenACrappieDay]

got an email this morning, they acknowledged nothing and pawned it off as a "manufacture defect." I would say this situation is a little more than a defect. it's a mislabeled model being sold at a higher price point. I am disappointed in Clam. As said here by someone else, they want a ton of info to process a warranty claim. I'll do it, but I'm still pretty dissatisfied with the whole situation.

[NKLCOLT1911]

got an email this morning, they acknowledged nothing and pawned it off as a "manufacture defect." I would say this situation is a little more than a defect. it's a mislabeled model being sold at a higher price point. I am disappointed in Clam. As said here by someone else, they want a ton of info to process a warranty claim. I'll do it, but I'm still pretty dissatisfied with the whole situation.

sounds like a good reason to switch brands

[McGurk]

I have used mine a few more times on the ice, and I have to say I do not regret getting one in the least. It still amazes me how much room is in there after I set it up. For S&G's I drilled a spear sized hole to see how it would work. No problem at all, and I may drill a 6-hole triangle in the 2) non-door corners the next time I am out to see how sight fishing would go. The thermal material does let a lot of light through, which is a drawback, but you can still get it relatively dark. Not like a spearer would want, but for all other purposes it is pretty slick.

[Walleyeman22]

Here's an update regarding my friend's contact with the Clam warranty department:

Clam called him back last Friday and told him they would be sending him a new house, which he received at his house yesterday. While I think they showed excellent customer service by sending him a new one, they still avoided the question as to why these were ever in production. He said when he asked the gal on the phone she quickly changed the subject.

So, kudos to Clam for making it right, but I wonder how many others out there have this same thing going with them and will never know because they haven't read this thread......I guess that's their worry.

I really feel they should have posted a recall on their HSOforum, even now, but that would probably end of costing them too much in the end...........or it could save them a customer in the future-especially when some of these folks realize there house is a different size than their neighbors next year when there on the ice!

[Lusid]

It's probably a no question asked replacement if people bring it to their attention. Otherwise a hush / hush situation.

[Walleyeman22]

That's exactly what it is!

[BeenACrappieDay]

did he send his original one back? if so did they send him a box, come pick it up, what happened with that?

[Walleyeman22]

They told him that they normally ask folks to destroy defective products, and that was all.

[EJ]

SO...Is he going to destroy the old one, sell it as a Hybrid 2000/4000 or pawn it off as a slightly used 4000 and sell it?

[IceIceBaby]

It sounds like there should be one of the following: 1. class action suit or 2. a case for the attorney general 3. contacting the Better Business Bureau or 4. all of the above. It burns me, when companies know they're in the wrong and don't own up to it or make an attempt to make it right, and not just to the people who know they've been screwed, but especially to those who don't.

Clam has been having problems for the last couple of years with quality control. This about does it for me.

[djt311]

Wow, i Have the big foot as well, i am guessing they gave me the smaller version as well as my skirt is definitely not 12 inches but the 8 inches and it did not have the mesh ceiling. I had all ready contacted them about that issue and the zipper pulls breaking and they sent me the storage things and some zipper pulls. I now will have to measure the thing to see if it is the actual right size. I love the shelter but more room would be even better. Love the product but will be extremely disappointed if have the smaller one. You would think that you get what you pay for in the box.

[Walleyeman22]

I think there are a lot of them out there...........hopefully the word gets out so they can get what they paid for.

I don't know what my friend is going to do with his old house, I think he should sell it and give the money to the guy that noticed he was getting screwed!!

[deerminator]

I called them today as my work schedule finally allowed! They took down my e-mail and I got a response from the Warranty department immediately. Basically, they asked for a photo of the receipt and photos of the problem(s) along with a description. I sent everything they asked for so we'll see how they respond. I'm confident they'll make good on things but its a little unsettling that I'd never have known other than for this site.

[nsnutter]

My buddy got his replacement sent to him overnight. Good turnaround from Clam. Kind of weak that it happened in the place.

[JohnMickish]

I don't work for Clam but do believe that they have the best customer service in the ice fishing industry. Like every industry out there, some of their products are made by others with spot checks for quality control. Some bad models got by the system, it happends. It was a mistake. Here's a question. Have you ever purchased a shirt that had mistake on it? Bad seam, threads or anything like that out of the ordinary? Of course you have. It's a mistake.

I have the XL4000T and love the house, as I loved the Denali before it and the X2 thermal before it. The other brand house before the X2 was ok but had a really cheap pole system and cheap tub.

My point is this. Nobody was intentionally being defrauded or tricked into buying something other than what was on the box. Let their customer service department do their job and take care of it.

[DTro]

Please don’t confuse quality issues with customer service, they are 2 completely different things, especially in today’s environment in which imports and rebadging are prominent. I have always heard nothing but good things about Clam Customer Service and if Clam is recognizing a quality issue or defect and replacing it with a new one (at no cost), from a consumer standpoint that is really about all you can ask for (post purchase).

The quality control thing is a different animal and always a learning experience for both companies and consumers.

[McGurk]

...My point is this. Nobody was intentionally being defrauded or tricked into buying something other than what was on the box.

Not to argue, but I disagree. Clam is marketing and selling an XL4000t, which was supposed to be a thermal house which was larger than the XL2000. There is a quoted size difference and oversize skirt, and the picture of the 4000 shows a ceiling pocket right on Clam's HSOforum. The "small" XL4000t that is being talked about has none of those, but is an XL2000 frame with a thermal covering. I would wonder what your reaction would be if you were one of the few with the "small" 4000.

That being said, I don't understand why Clam would make 2 different frames for practically the same footprint. Build it for the XL4000 size, and simply make a non-insulated cover and call it the XL2000. Unnecessary product development and part stocking if you ask me.

And you are right; poor product quality control is not the same as poor customer service, but the former can result in the latter if not handled properly, and we will have to see how it goes from here on out.

[deerminator]

Yeah, I'm not sure why its taking so long for this to be all worked out. Probably a lack of communications within. I doubt there is some massive cover-up. Sorry but, as a communications professional, I know that most companies know better than that. The ones who don't usually go out of business pretty quickly. And this isn't really anything that would require crisis communications. If they do realize there is an issue, the simple and prudent course of action is to admit they made a mistake, utilize every communications channel possible to reach those who might have bought the wrong shelter, and offer them a replacement if they choose to take advantage of it. I as a consumer would not hold that against them. People and companies make mistakes. You own up to it, make good on it, learn from it and try not to repeat it. That is how you build loyal customers, even when you've goofed.