Askari

Here’s a warning for all potential users of this Internet tackle supplier. Don’t expect what you order, don’t expect it in a reasonable timeframe, don’t expect them to tell you your not getting what you ordered and best of all expect a written quote attributed to their head of customer services which says “tough luck” when you complain.
Here’s what they did to me and what you need to watch out for:

Firstly they have a minimum order level of ?30 so I put together an order for various things totalling ?47 on their website .( this includes their ?5.65 post and packing charge).
2 weeks later the parcel arrives with 2 of the items worth ?9.50 not enclosed and a little note on the invoice saying “ please reorder the item that is at this point , temporarily unavailable “.
Worthy of note was all the personal data I had filled in on the order like phone nos, address email etc and they didn’t even bother to tell me about the stock out situation.

So I rang them to enquire what the situation was. Helpful they were not !!!

You guessed it – I must place another order for over ?30 and pay ?5.65 post and packing if I want my bits that were ?9.50.
Well they can whistle !!!


This is not going to turn into a plug for other online tackle suppliers but I have had no problems only good service from all the other online tackle suppliers I have used in the past 2 years but steer clear of these cowboys.

The service from Askari was heavily criticised 8 months ago by myself and others. It's a 'pile it high, sell it cheap and sod any inidvidual who happens not to get what they paid for' kind of service. I received a reel that was damaged, sent it back, Askari lost it. Fortunately I sent it registered mail, I at least got back half of what the exercise had cost me. They wouldn't answer e-mails, took no responsibility for the crap service and generally decided that if they did not respond I'd go away. I did and took my service elsewhere. This was the second time they'd screwed up an order and I gave them the benefit of the doubt the first time, I should not have done so. You're also led to believe that they have a branch in the South East, somewhere around North Kent. In fact if you telephone to complain or query an order you go directly through to a nunmber in Germany (at your expense)the address in Kent is just a forwarding address where you can send back the rubbish that you need to return. From there it's returned to Germany. You get what you pay for these days and I'm afraid Askari are a long way from the kind of service provided by either BassPro or Cabelas.It also takes three to four times longer to get goods from Germany than it does from the US.

Basspro......now were talking.

Forgive me if I'm mistaken but I believe that the consumer laws have just been tightened up regarding web site shopping. In the consumers favour of course. Any problems and get onto your local Trading Standards, they'll be in the phone book and I'm sure they will help.

Kevan

I think you'll find that consumer law in the UK has little effect on a company trading in Germany

Gerry. I may be wrong but I think that is exactly one of the areas that the law has been tightened up in. We are both, UK and Germany, part of the EU which is why the laws have been tightened up. Hey, we've got to get something out of the EU ;-)

Kevan

I reckon you you should send them an email telling them that you have made your complaint public and get them to answer it through this web site see what apologiz you get then especially when they find out its one of the biggest fishing sites on the net and the bad publicity theyre getting is gonna cost em a lot of money

Did precisely that over on the Pike and Predators forum 9 months ago and told them what I proposed to do.There was a similar outcry from a number of dissatisfied punters.
It was a measure of the company that they did not respond and really didn't give a monkey's.
Perhaps we should bomb Dresden again, that might make them sit up and take notice.....

For all my friends in Germany
'Enschuldige bitte, es ist im Scherze'

Mark, that was the ploy i was going along and all they did was say publish and so what. I have toyed with the idea of sending the original post and accompanying documentation to the letters page of the angling times and anglers mail letter pages. However i suspect strongly that they wouldnt be published due to the advertising revenue these magazines receive from tackle suppliers. I mean when did you last see an revue from them saying a product was crap - never cause they cant.
My best course of action is never to use them again and try to dissuade aynone else from using them either.

My thoughts entirely Jim. At Xmas I published my worse and best tackle dealers list which started quite a debate. Askari would have topped the list even if I hadn't put them there myself.

Jim I'd send the letters off anyway. you never know they may publish them. Ok, so they get revenue from adverts but surely they will see the sense in not advertising for an unpopular company. Perhaps point out that at the end of the day adverts for bad companies put people off buying the paper/magazine.

Kevan