Clam Customer Service and my JM5000 Thermal

[Savage Brewer]

So I had this happen about a week ago and decided to not post anything about it until after I had a chance to see how the manufacturer was going to handle the situation.

At the St Paul ice fishing show last Saturday and decided I was going to leave with a new hub shelter, after visiting all the booths two to three times, going back and forth I decided I was going to get a Clam - Jason Mitchell 5000 Thermal hub shelter. Thorne Bros gave me an awesome deal on it, but then again maybe the owner recognized me and knows how much I have spent with them this year and gave me a special deal.

At that point this is happening, getting my new shelter and for way less than I thought I was going to spend.

So on Sunday I decide maybe I should set this up a couple of times, just to et the hang of it with 5 sides. Get it put up and realize it has some major defects on one side.

So there I am, got my new shelter, but disappointed it has problems right out of the box. I take some pictures and email them to Clam's customer service department. It took a couple days to get a response but I expected that as this time of year has to be crazy for them.

I spoke with one of their guys, and decided a trip to Rogers for me was going to get the fastest turnaround. Went up to their new facility, set up the original shelter, and they were quite surprised as they have not seen anything like it.

So we walk over to the shipping lines and pull out a new one. To make sure that nothing is wrong and I am good to go, they help set up the new shelter and checked it out.

The new one was a bit too tight to close the zippers on easily. So we walk it over to the area where they are doing all the QC work for the BigFoot 4000T and we proceeded to custom trim my poles so it fits just right.

They also even gave me some free Clam goodies for my time and whatnot.

Just wanted to say thanks and also let people know that they are doing everythign they can right now, With it being right in the hart of ice season I am sure they are getting hit hard in the call center.

The end of the story is they took care of my problem, and were a pleasure to meet and would definitively recommend them to frinds family.

Now to get that shelter set up and catch some fish!

[MNCPRGUY]

Care to elaborate on what problem you had with the original 5000? Haven't seen a lot of responses yet and I am curious as to how you like fishing out of it also. They are definitely the sharpest hub house on the market IMO but they have yet to convince me there is enough difference to justify upgrading from my Bigfoot 4000. The added weight but same sq footage of fishable space is what is holding me back.

Anyway, back on topic... +1 on Clam's customer service. I have had problems with a Jason Mitchell Thermal X and a Bigfoot 4000 in the past. It's frustrating to open a new toy only to have flaws in workmanship but they have always made it right with me.

[Savage Brewer]

The original 5000 had one side where the quilting was all messed up. I honestly don't know how it even made it out the assembly line. The fabric was folded in on itself and lots of holes.

I personally find the 5 sided and 6 sided hubs a bit harder to set up, but if you have 2 people its not bad.

The Bigfoot 4000 is 64sq feet, where the JM5000 is about the same, but I find the space a bit more usable in the JM5000.

If you have an insulated BF4000 I wouldn't think the upgrade is worth it unless yours is needing replacement.

If you go out by yourself on occasion a 4 sided shelter seems easier to setup.

[aanderud]

You walked in with a bad one, and in fixing the issue for you the pulled one off the shelf that was also bad? The only reason you're walking out happy is that you spent the time to drive up there and they have that good customer service and were willing to custom cut those poles. I would give them 2 thumbs up for their customer service, but a big thumb down for their quality control!

Glad things worked out for you, but I wonder how long it'll take to get issues resolved for folks aren't within a quick drive of their facility or don't have the time to get there to get custom cutting. Mailing turnaround will take a while if it's going to take 3 or more houses before a good one arrives!

I'm really glad Clam is able to help those who drive in with bad product, but worried about how they're going to hold their solid reputation if they get a bunch of people from South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, New England, etc. buying the product and not able to simply drive to Rogers to have their issues fixed.

[Savage Brewer]

They are working through a process for QC on the hub style houses the way it sounds.

The way they explained it, is that all of the poles are the right length, but because of variances in the process of making the fabric shells sometimes a 1/2" error in sewing can cause alot of problems.

I am sure they are taking this seriously as they probably didn't want to be reopening and fixing hundreds of shelters.

I wouldn't be surprised if this has been already addressed with the factories that build the shells. As I have also heard of a few of the flip over houses being slightly undersized and some problems there also.

[Savage Brewer]

Also if all it needed was the custom cutting I could have done that in about 10 minutes at home.

So hopefully 90% of the people can fix it at home if they live a long ways away.

I am afraid if they have to pay people to pen up and QC every one before shipping out in Rogers, all it will do is drive up prices.

[Corey Bechtold]

This company is definitely doing things right! They have good people working for them now and they TRULY care!!!

Glad they took care of you.

Good fishing,

Corey Bechtold

[cableguy2]

They are working through a process for QC on the hub style houses the way it sounds.

That was the same thing that was said last year with all the issues on the 4000's......Guess it is a long process

[JohnMickish]

The bigfoot 4000 is the most popular hub house on the ice there is bound to be some that slip thru the QC cracks. One thing that is for sure, if you are the unlucky recipient of one of these houses, Clam will take care of you.

[Tube_hoggin62]

I would like to share my experience with Clam Customer Service earlier this afternoon. First off, my experience could not have been better!!!!. Last winter, I purchased a bigfoot 4000T and absolutely loved it. This past weekend, I must have gotten a little aggressive on the zipper and popped it off the track. Don't get me wrong, there are improvements I would like to see made to the zipper systems on these hub style houses to try to minimize some of these issues. However, it was extremely cold and I should have been more careful. Today, I called Clam with my problem. The gentleman I spoke with was very friendly, and seemed interested in my concerns. Right away, he said he would be getting me a new house. After telling him I will be leaving for Lake of the Woods next week, he told me he will personally go out and open up the new house that he will be sending me, set it up, and make sure everything is just the way it should be. I am sure 99.9% of them are, but the fact that he is taking extra time to make sure the house is right, made me very happy. This was his decision, as I did not ask for any of this. He told me it will be mailed out tomorrow. After this experience, I will always give my business to Clam, and will make sure my fishing buddies do the same! Clam is top notch company in my books!

[amateurfishing]

a true story..............

I purchased the clam conversion auger kit, had it out for test on first ice, drilled 4 holes, it worked great. went fishing for first time on 5-6 inches, drilled about 6 holes with it, and one of the blades fell off!! I had no idea I needed to double check the screws out of the box. called clam, said would work on a warranty replacement but needed to check stock status, etc. I called back next day and ended up talking to a sup and they said would send out replacement immediately, (this was on a tues)& I would easily have it for weekend. weekend came & went, no new screws r blades or even mon-tues of the following week (and I live 6 miles away). couple more phone calls to clam. They were so disappointed the president of the co. called me personally to acknowledge their dis satisfaction of my issue being resolved. they put one on hold for me on wed & Thursday evening after he got off work @ clam pro angler Mike Raetz personally stopped at my front door to hand deliver me a new set of blades & screws. Not only does this level of customer service blow me away, the people that run & work for this company are some of the most friendliest and customer service orientated you will ever meet! I ended up getting to talk to mike for bout 15 min or so, what a thrill. So if you purchase a clam product and are not 100% satisfied with something, I do urge all to let clam know your situation and I am sure they will be working very hard to resolve any issues and make sure you will consider them in the future as well. You may not see how hard they are working behind the scenes, but I promise you they are, and even though it may not be on the timetable to your liking, you can expect the issue to be a one & done scenario. Thanks for all your hard work clam co.! You can make a little ice angler feel like a million bucks.

[amateurfishing]

a true story..............

I purchased the clam conversion auger kit, had it out for test on first ice, drilled 4 holes, it worked great. went fishing for first time on 5-6 inches, drilled about 6 holes with it, and one of the blades fell off!! I had no idea I needed to double check the screws out of the box. called clam, said would work on a warranty replacement but needed to check stock status, etc. I called back next day and ended up talking to a sup and they said would send out replacement immediately, (this was on a tues)& I would easily have it for weekend. weekend came & went, no new screws r blades or even mon-tues of the following week (and I live 6 miles away). couple more phone calls to clam. They were so disappointed the president of the co. called me personally to acknowledge their dis satisfaction of my issue being resolved. they put one on hold for me on wed & Thursday evening after he got off work @ clam pro angler Mike Raetz personally stopped at my front door to hand deliver me a new set of blades & screws. Not only does this level of customer service blow me away, the people that run & work for this company are some of the most friendliest and customer service orientated you will ever meet! I ended up getting to talk to mike for bout 15 min or so, what a thrill. So if you purchase a clam product and are not 100% satisfied with something, I do urge all to let clam know your situation and I am sure they will be working very hard to resolve any issues and make sure you will consider them in the future as well. You may not see how hard they are working behind the scenes, but I promise you they are, and even though it may not be on the timetable to your liking, you can expect the issue to be a one & done scenario. Thanks for all your hard work clam co.! You can make a little ice angler feel like a million bucks.

[Jarrid Houston]

These are some great stories! Working with my ICE TEAMates at the Duluth Ice Fishin show this last weekend I mentioned more times than I can remember that CLAM customer service is 2nd to none! It's great to be part of such an awesome organization. Bring it!

[Corey Bechtold]

Dude that's awesome!!! Glad to hear that you were treated so well!

Good fishing,

Corey Bechtold

[harvey lee]

Glad Clam has great service but it sounds like it is needed with thier product. maybe a bit more on the QC and life would be better for all.

Always like to hear that a company takes care of thier customers but as Brian said, need some better qc for thier product.

Who wants damaged product when they open a box

[fishwater]

I really can't believe CLAM is still taking it on the chin with shoddy HUB construction. Do they find a new village to setup manufacturing each year and give up all sense of a collective memory? I wouldn't want a house that required custom pole trimming to work right; sounds like a nightmare WHEN the HUB falls apart and needs fixin.

[Garett Svir1582813971]

After working with team Clam this past year, I can assure you that all of there employees are passionate anglers themselves and test these products extensively. In any manufacturing process a small amount of defects are inherent. It is great to hear so many stories about how they go the extra mile to make customers happy!

[ZachD]

Love my JM5000

[JohnMickish]

No company makes a perfect product 100% of the time, none. Things happen in productions that can't always be caught before they get to the customer. What separates the companies is how you get treated after the purchase. I can assure you that Clam cares about the product that has their name on it, and that Clam wants you the consumer to be very happy with it.

[palisade1kid]

To start off I spent all last winter fishing in different styles of hubs. This year I chose the JM 5000. Now zipper issues were common in all except the Eskimo Fatfish...the fabric hangs pretty loose. At 1st I thought ..this is the one but, then the wind picked up. Flapping away the sides drove me nuts.

I saw the quality in the JM 5000...poles were also an issue but not with the JM 5000 being the thickestest in the biz. I also liked the 5 sides....no corners really...more useable space.

I had been out in 20 below last weekend and we stayed warm...with tons of elbow room....3 guys...chairs..heater...rod cases...fish bucket..cooler and still room to get up and move around.

Now back to the zippers. I find that mine is tight but I have my way...I pull in the pole a tad and zip away. The zipper is as heavey as any I have seen in any shelter. I guess whay I'm saying is that I am happy.

The carring bag could be a touch bigger ...but I'm learning how to stuff it when it is as cold as it get's here in Mn.like last weekend.

I know the investment Clam has made in being the best in the biz which is why I chose them and in turn they chose me...hence the Power Stick position. Those that personally know me know I am hard on my gear...it flat out gets used in all kinds of conditions.I demand quality...if I'm getting shut down ...well there is no room for that. Any company can have issues...the real mark of their integrity is how they handle them and in my mind Clam rates high...again a mark of a good product.

I have recommended this hub full well knowing I do not have to worry.

[SouperStar22]

I love my JM5000 hub its nice in the cold I took it out maybe four times this year and it awsome. One thing is the zipper to the door is tight but like paliside1kid said I pull the side in a little bit and zip it up and push back out and is all good. Palisidekid for the bag issue I use a ratchet for the bottom of the flaps when putting back in the bag that way I dont struggle with putting back in the bag with all the flap not going in. The ratchet will help it hold till it goes into the bag.

[DTro]

Until companies (not just Clam) quit buying bulk junk from China, slapping their name on it, and not doing their due diligence on quality assurance, this problem won’t go away.  

 

I recently purchased one of those small tripod folding chairs that several companies put their names on.  This one was a Frabill, and it lasted 2 trips and totally collapsed on me. $20 chair=2 trips    I know Frabill would probably replace it for me if I called, emailed, etc, (they have great customer service too) but seriously do I want another one?  No thanks.  I just want something that last a couple years.  Is that TOO MUCH to ask for??

 

The customer service is NOT the problem with Clam.  It’s the disposable gear they are putting their name on.   After losing a jig box out of my Clam Rod Locker the other day because of the defective zipper that randomly splits open on the case, its going to take a lot for me to come back around to this brand.   And NO I DON’T want another cr4ppy rod locker

[harvey lee]

Gotta go all Made in America and forget about the overseas junk, you are correct DTRO. Lot's of junk out there. It's geting worse every day as many companies are only looking at thier profits, keep kicking out junk product, won't have to worry about the profits as there will be no sales.

Build a good product, don't worry about CS, you won't need it like some of those who use the China dump.

I have read so many posts about Clam's products issue's, I do not know if I would even bother to purchase anything they sell.