Clam XL 4000T Hub house

[aanderud]

Thanks, Steve for the in depth explanation and for taking the time to use some of the social media avenues to address your customers. Appreciate the transparency!

[McGurk]

Well done! It's nice to see this addressed up front and forthright, instead of second hand speculation, which is what some (not all) of this thread has dealt with. I have had the correct-sized 4000t, and am happy to continue to use it. Thanks for the post, Steve!

[Walleyeman22]

Agreed. Thanks Steve, I believe that is simply what most folks were looking for, thanks for taking the time to post.

[TruthWalleyes]

That is really taking care of the customer...(Letting them keep the house)

CLAM sent me the wrong house two weeks ago. I got $34 back (FROM GANDER MT, FOR CLAM'S MISTAKE) on a $470 house($86 shipping included) and i get to wait two weeks for the right house to show up...

I would have went straight to Sportsman's Guide if i knew it would take 4 weeks to get the correct house from CLAM's shipping department.

It is really nice to see CLAM explain the reasoning behind the mistake on the 4000T.

[DTro]

Very happy to see an official statement about this Steve, thanks for taking the time to not only address it, but also adding details that you didn’t necessarily need to. Personally I think a simple “we are aware of the issue, please contact us” would have sufficed.

I also agree that the forums are really no place to do business, but sometimes they make a great place to broadcast a message such as this, and to be honest, I really didn’t expect anyone from Clam to chime in here. Having been involved with forum discussions for well over 10 years, it rarely (if ever happens), especially with an issue that could be construed as negative. I think Steve/Clam set a very good example and hopefully those considering purchasing anything from Clam in the future will take this into consideration and know that Clam will stand behind their products.

[going4it]

I was impressed that they are sending me a new one. I was really impressed when I brought up the zipper pull issues and she asked about my old house and said never mind I will just send you double the zipper pulls.

[Riffle]

Very happy to see an official statement about this Steve, thanks for taking the time to not only address it, but also adding details that you didn’t necessarily need to. Personally I think a simple “we are aware of the issue, please contact us” would have sufficed.

I also agree that the forums are really no place to do business, but sometimes they make a great place to broadcast a message such as this, and to be honest, I really didn’t expect anyone from Clam to chime in here. Having been involved with forum discussions for well over 10 years, it rarely (if ever happens), especially with an issue that could be construed as negative. I think Steve/Clam set a very good example and hopefully those considering purchasing anything from Clam in the future will take this into consideration and know that Clam will stand behind their products.

Exactly and at the end of the day, Clam was a victim of their own success. They had to balance meeting customer demand for these new shelters with the risks that backup suppliers might make mistakes. I was unable to find a 4000T anywhere, except from Reeds but even that was through their hsolist selling account. I think once the season got underway and word about how awesome these shleters are spread, Clam realized production capacity was going to be an issue, and they went to the backup factories. I'm guessing re-order activity by retailers was through the roof. If you think about it, the brand equity and goodwill they are generating with customers totally trumps the monetary loss they are going to have to absorb on the product replacements. This is a pretty good case study on how to properly manage a product defect issue.

[djt311]

Great explanation Steve thanks as I am on the receiving end of the smaller shelter size and still waiting to hear back from clam customer service to resolve the issue. Hopefully soon, the customer services regarding the missing mesh ceiling and broken zipper pulls I had a problem with were quickly resolved by Clam and hopefully this will be as well.

Do you know if Clam will be sending out zipper pulls with the new shelters as well since there was also a problem with the rubber zipper pulls breaking in the cold.

They really are great shelters.

[OnAFly]

Great reaction from Clam. Good to see they are standing behind their products.

Me, I got a good one so I'm a happy camper...literally. I've spent a couple nights in there and it's been awesome. It's probably one of the best ice fishing purchases i've made.

[nsnutter]

Tip of the hat to Clam for rectifying a problem and taking the time to explain the issue. My buddy is pleased with the customer service he received from Clam, and last night I fished in a "real" 4000t for the first time. HUGE difference!! Zippers worked great because the house wasn't warped from the material being too tight, and a noticeable size difference.

Good for you Clam, now introduce a floating ice suit, and there won't be a reason to shop any other brand

[TruthWalleyes]

I just measured my thermal command post to be 67 inches, not 72.

Hmmm

[Riffle]

Tip of the hat to Clam for rectifying a problem and taking the time to explain the issue. My buddy is pleased with the customer service he received from Clam, and last night I fished in a "real" 4000t for the first time. HUGE difference!! Zippers worked great because the house wasn't warped from the material being too tight, and a noticeable size difference.

Good for you Clam, now introduce a floating ice suit, and there won't be a reason to shop any other brand

You know, that just reminded me that one of the doors on my small 4000T was pretty dam tight to zip up, now I know why. Can't wait to get the real deal 4000T. I also have one pole that simply won't stay in the velcro strap on one of the walls. It's funny how all those things at the time seemed like one offs.

[fishwater]

The company is fully transparent and accountable, while a minority of individuals in forums uses their anonymity and lack of accountability to distort facts and inflame what could be a healthy dialogue.

Steve Geertsen

CLAM Corporation

I know I should give up on this, and it's just my warped perspective, but I'm actually a wee bit more PO'd about my previous dealings regarding defective products considering how they have treated this recent problem. I think it's a good thing folks are getting the right shack, but kinda burns a bit. Yes, clam has been faithfully replacing these things for a while, gotta give it to them for that sort of tenacity. But, basically the poor experience I had wasn't transparent and Clam was never fully accountable, essentially only as far as the warranty demanded. Today yes, then no IMO.

As reference, here is a photo of my last remaining 2011 FrankenCLAM that I continuously rant about because of known assembly problems.

It's a Command Post Thermal with many many repairs applied. Every corner has been re-sewn, most of the poles loops have also been re-stitched. I could have clipped it apart and disposed of it and requested a new one at one time, but I thought it wasn't worth doing that considering the obvious waste being promoted.

My dad clipped two before he gave up on getting a 'good' one. The ones they sent in return after destroying the previous one was also just as bad. When I tried to communicate my pile of problems, they offered a little misinformation to start out, followed only by the simple acknowledgement that the warranty had expired and I was SOL.

If anyone doubts this, feel free to PM me. I'm actually a real person with a passion for ice fishing, not merely a troll looking to badmouth products for no reason.

[TruthWalleyes]

I have started the process of returning mine. Will be looking at other brands next ice season.

The 4000t were short by 5 inches and replaced.

The clam command post thermal i purchased was also 5" short but apparently within design specifications....i would not have decided to get this house with 5" less floor space, so I'll try another brand next year.

2 houses shipped to me, 2 houses returned. At $86 shipping each way....they're not making much money. I'm bummed, really wanted the house that they advertise, but that is not what arrived.

Their loss, i fish a lot and spend a lot of money doing it. They will have to earn their money from someone else.

[sausageman]

Sent in my information to Clam on Monday and a new Bigfoot XL4000T was waiting for me at the door when I got home from work today. I couldn't be happier with Clam's customer service.

Fishwater...I feel your pain for sure. I'm only going off my personal experience with Clam these past couple weeks. I thought Steve (with Clam) gave a great explanation of what happened with the manufacturing of the smaller Bigfoot 4000's.

[deerminator]

well color me impressed. that post fixed all of my concerns or doubts. thanks Steve, for making a statement. I agree, keeping the old hub is a generous resolution. it's just nice to hear Clam's side of it instead of social speculation that I myself was a part of as well. can't dispute the quality, it's a great shelter.

+1. Just got back from a week on the road for work and got an email from Clam saying they are sending a new shelter. That response was very well done. Thank you for all of the info Steve and Clam.

[going4it]

Thought so too till I opened my new one up and it was another of the small ones. Way to check before sending it out.

[BeenACrappieDay]

GREAT. now I gotta unbox the new one and check it. I have a kid due any day now, my season is likely done. was hoping to just let that thing stay nice and neatly packed until next season. Oh well. I am curious to see if I can notice the difference...

[Riffle]

Thought so too till I opened my new one up and it was another of the small ones. Way to check before sending it out.

Man, don't tell us that! This is my worst nightmare!

I'm on the east coast so my replacement hasn't come yet, so I'm praying I don't have any issues with the new one. The last thing I want is to have to ship product back to Clam.

Prsumably they have a good batch of 4000T that they got in that they spot checked and are now sending out as replacements, so to hear this really raises a red flag.

If I were Clam I would be inspecting each and every replacement they have to ship out to make sure there are no issues with sizing or otherwise.

[AndRo]

I submitted my warranty claim today... I have the smaller shelter, smaller skirts, no mesh and 3 of my zipper pulls broke right away on day 2 of use.

[AndRo]

I think the zipper issue is because my fabric is so darn tight.

[going4it]

I would check them. I couldnt believe it when I pulled it out and saw a short skirt, first time I have been disappointed to see a short skirt!! The weird part is they put the zipper pulls into the box but didnt check it. Hopefully I am the only one.

[AndRo]

I just heard back and they are sending me out a new new shelter with some additional zipper pulls. I'll let you know when I get my shipment.

[Riffle]

Got my replacement today. Everything looks good. I got a 12" skirt and all the other measurements are up to spec.

Man, is this thing a heck of a lot easier to setup than the other one, the hubs pop out much easier and the zippers are nice and smooth. It is also a darker hue of blue.

I didn't get the replacement zipper pulls in mine, but at this point I could care less, I'm putting my own paracord pulls on anyways.

[DTro]

I have not had one issue with my zipper pulls on my house. I did have one break on the bag, but I torqued into it pretty hard.