I've been a Smartpak customer for 15 years. That's a hell of a long time to be a customer. Allen, Fiona, Theo, even Koko and Ben all had Smartpak supplements. When my senior MinPin needed supps to be comfortable, he got a Smartpak as well. They had best in class customer service, super quick shipping, and the convenience was off the chart. I spent years telling everyone to go there.
At IBM, I actually worked on their marketing management product and they were considered a best in class company.
Fast forward to now. I no longer know when I'm going to get stuff I order. Or if I'm going to get it at all. I ordered a saddle blanket and show shirt for my show on Sunday. They were both in stock and showed delivery early this week, so I figured it was safe. I got a confirmation email saying that the order was processing, everything was in stock. Yesterday a box arrived and I opened it with great excitement. My new saddle blanket is gorgeous, but there was no shirt in the box?
My order now says 'out of stock' and expected back in stock in January. No notification, no nothing. My order shipped note only had the saddle blanket listed, but I figured the order had been split between two shipments. It happens when it comes out of different warehouses. I cancelled the order. No time to order another shirt, so time to improvise. I really want to show with my new purple saddle blanket!
The Smartpak brand items are dropping in quality with each year. I got a flysheet and it fits quite odd through the shoulders and the halter loop is a joke. My most recent pair of breeches are so tight in the thighs I can barely get on the horse. I've worn the same size breeches from Smartpak for ages but here I am with breeches that fit very weird. If that's how the clothes are going, I'm starting to wonder about my Smartpak brand supps. Just what corners are they cutting?
The inventory is increasingly drop shipped which means I have no idea when or even if I'll get my order. The order for my western boots took so long I cancelled it, then had them show up a week later. I'm starting to get charged shipping despite my SmartPerks because not all items are included anymore. Shipping is slow, communication is awful, and the in stock inventory is dropping away to nothing. With the new non-horse CEO, I don't expect any of this to improve. I've come to terms with the fact that it's time to jump off this sinking ship.
So where do people get their supplements? I'm going to have to get on the baggie train, so I guess I can order from wherever I want. It's going to be very tough for my unorganized butt to keep my horse in supps without a subscription but I can't keep giving my money to a company that's failing at every turn.
One adult amateur rider's flailing journey through horse ownership, wonky cervical discs, and still chasing the Bronze Medal in dressage.
Ughhhh I feel you on the smartpak thing. I have dropped my supplements down to practically nothing but... I am debating just getting the hoof supplement elsewhere. I know platinum performance products are amazing quality... but their price reflects that.
ReplyDeleteI am seriously debating switching to Farrier's Formula Pelleted Hoof & Coat Supplement for Horses for Horses through Valley Vet. I would have to make my own containers, and it would be expensive. So not sure yet.
I've been delaying for so long but I think I can save some money by bagging my supps on my own. Only $15 but hey, that's a couple lattes.
DeleteSmartPak used to be my go-to because of how quickly they shipped everything along the east coast. Now they're absolutely useless and I only from them if I see some crazy deal on something I'm in no hurry to receive. Such a bummer.
ReplyDeleteHeartbreaking, right? I could set my watch by them for years and now I can't trust them to ship anything.
DeleteSame this happened to me. In April I placed an order for a monogrammed saddle pad over the phone with a Smartpak rep. My ordered was cancelled by Smartpak the day after it was supposed to be delivered. I called and asked for the reason and was told the item was out of stock.
ReplyDeleteI also bought 2 pairs of piper breeches this year in the same size. One was too big and one I could barely fasten. This was the same size that I ordered last year. I did the same thing as you and canceled my supplements and looked elsewhere. Mine are all fairly easy keepers and seem to be doing just fine now with a ration balancer added to their grain.
Ration balancer will definitely be part of this, but still need a biotin supplement and a selenium supplement. Pony grows feet so slowly and there's no selenium in our hay.
DeleteI bag my supps. I mostly buy from my local tractor supply but I find ValleyVet has the best price for farriers formula. I never order from smartpak anymore, but i will say I got a sheet from them earlier this year when I desperately needed something and it was quite good quality.
ReplyDeleteSmartpak got two chances and the blew both of them. Ordering online is about being able to rely on the item being as described on the website, and reliable shipping...
ReplyDeleteI order individual vitamins and minerals - E, biotin, lysine and turmeric from mybesthorse.com. Can't say enough good things about their customer service. I get bulk magnesium citrate and psyllium from bulkfoods.com. They're website is a little clunky but if you have to follow up they're very nice on the phone. Good luck!
I get a bunch of my supplements from scahealth.com. I don't buy their own supplement, but they have the best prices on large containers of the supplements I use (Animed, etc). I get some supplements from RW. I use little tupperwares (super tiny ones) instead of baggies as I can use them a lot before needing to wash them and I have some that are like 7 years old. I hate trashing plastic bags. I've done the math before and Smartpaks work out to be 2-4 times as much $$ as doing my own from bulk bucket purchases. I've only ever used Smartpaks when a horse was at a trainer that was far away so I couldn't drop of containers regularly.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the link! Also going to hit Amazon and get some little tuperwares so I don't have to deal with baggies.
DeleteEmily already mentioned it, but I was going to suggest Platinum Performance as well. I have fed a variety of their supplements and found them to be an EXCELLENT Company to work with. Even when I cancelled my supplements, it was SUPER easy! As far as other items, my go-to is always the Riding Warehouse. If they don't have it, which is rare, I'll grab something from Dover (only when I have a coupon). I haven't bought anything from SmartPak in a long while. I can't say I've had a bad experience, but Riding Warehouse always beats their prices and shipping speed.
ReplyDeleteI'm really interested in the Platinum products, but powder is usually a non-starter for me. Too many horses leaving their supps in the feed tub. But with the flavoring options, do you find the horses are good about finishing them?
DeleteI fed Platinum Performance, which has a texture thinner than oatmeal, but much coarser than a powder. I also fed their hoof supplement which is a fine powder but the dosage was so small it stuck to Speedy's senior feed easily. I also fed the flaxseed oil which both horses loved. For a while, I also fed their Platinum Bars. Both of my horses loved every supplement Platinum makes. Yes, it is expensive, but I think the quality is better than most any other product out there.
DeleteI only needed the hoof supplement as an injury grew out, so that was a short term thing anyway. When Speedy was diagnosed with Cushing's Disease, I couldn't afford PP and the Prascend, so I quit the PP. I also found a cheaper Flaxseed oil which Izzy really likes. If I ever need a supplement again though, I'll definitely look at PP first.
I am honestly thinking of switching for other reasons, I haven't had any problems with Smartpak yet but they do not include diverse models in their advertising and Dover does.
ReplyDeleteI haven't even looked at Dover in so long that I didn't notice they update their models. I'm glad they're catching up with the times. Maybe I should reactivate my catalog.
DeleteKind of glad to hear I'm not the only one thinking this. Their customer service used to be practically unparalleled. I got orders usually before they said they'd arrive, never ever late, now mine have come late a few times. And the non-free shipping for everything for having SmartPerks is infuriating. I still do like some of the products I buy there, but I'm definitely getting more and more frustrated with them.
ReplyDeleteI wrote a blog post about this exact topic recently, including a link to the containers I have that are working really well for me: https://www.cobjockey.com/2019/06/product-review-salad-dressing.html
ReplyDelete