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  1. #1
    Registered User flutch's Avatar
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    Angry Do not buy from Luke Ultralite!

    I normally don't write reviews but I want to warn everyone not to buy from https://lukesultralite.com/

    You will not receive your product!

    When I was in the process of talking to him about the jacket he responded very quickly, within 24 hours normally. I am 7'3" so I have a hard time finding clothes. He told me that he could make me a jacket. I even send him one of my jackets that he could use to ensure that the sleeves were long enough. I will never see that jacket again. One of my favorite winter jacks I had....

    Then all things changed.

    1. On Jan 22 I order my jacket for $415.98
    2. Wrote him on March 3 - No response
    3. Wrote him on March 6 - No response
    4. Wrote him on March 12 - No response
    5. Wrote him on March 30 - No Response
    6. Wrote him on April 14 - No Response
    7. Again today letting him know that I am calling my credit card company to cancel the order.

    Tried calling him multiple times at his phone number that is advertised on his website. He never picks up and the mailbox is always full.

    I just wanted everyone to know. That this company can not be trusted.


    Thanks,

    Flutch

  2. #2
    Registered User Studlintsean's Avatar
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by flutch View Post
    I normally don't write reviews but I want to warn everyone not to buy from https://lukesultralite.com/

    You will not receive your product!

    When I was in the process of talking to him about the jacket he responded very quickly, within 24 hours normally. I am 7'3" so I have a hard time finding clothes. He told me that he could make me a jacket. I even send him one of my jackets that he could use to ensure that the sleeves were long enough. I will never see that jacket again. One of my favorite winter jacks I had....

    Then all things changed.

    1. On Jan 22 I order my jacket for $415.98
    2. Wrote him on March 3 - No response
    3. Wrote him on March 6 - No response
    4. Wrote him on March 12 - No response
    5. Wrote him on March 30 - No Response
    6. Wrote him on April 14 - No Response
    7. Again today letting him know that I am calling my credit card company to cancel the order.

    Tried calling him multiple times at his phone number that is advertised on his website. He never picks up and the mailbox is always full.

    I just wanted everyone to know. That this company can not be trusted.


    Thanks,

    Flutch

    I am not defending nor bashing. Just shedding some light on the situation. See here: https://backpackinglight.com/forums/...kes-ultralite/

  3. #3
    imscotty's Avatar
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    Fluthch,

    I have ordered gear from Lukes Ultralite and their service and work was excellent. I believe that as the linked thread would indicate they are dealing with a serious medical situation. There is always a danger with these cottage companies that when you loose one key person , service can fall apart. I would cut them some slack and just request a refund. Hopefully Luke and his excellent company will be back on their feet in short order.

    Scott
    “For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
    the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


    John Greenleaf Whittier

  4. #4

    Default

    I believe he's offered to refund anyone who has been waiting a long time. He really should have stopped taking orders when he got extremely behind on orders, but I can see his perspective.

  5. #5
    Registered User Just Bill's Avatar
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    That is the trouble with one man bands... I'm not even open for biz, but if anything happened to me the doors would have to close for sure.

    Certainly sympathetic and wish Luke a speedy recovery.
    Certainly sympathetic to his customers as well.

  6. #6

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    Always a MAJOR red flag to me when an online retailer refuses/fails to prominently post REAL contact info and an actual location with street address.

    One-way-street "Form mail" is NOT email. I want real email. I want a real phone number, not what may be some disposal cell number. I want a real street address.

    All this has nothing to do with illness, losing an employee, nor any such excuses.

    Sorry to be blunt, but businesses that insist on a one-way street and want all my info and my money before telling me anything similar about themselves are using a bad business practice for some reason. "I'm shielding myself from personal responsibility" is not a legitimate reason IMHO.
    [I]ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: ... Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit....[/I]. Numbers 35

    [url]www.MeetUp.com/NashvilleBackpacker[/url]

    .

  7. #7
    Registered User scope's Avatar
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    They're not a company, per se, but a person you're doing business with. That is the risk in this transaction. Obviously things aren't well with this person and its good that you started the thread to say something about it as that's something that needs to get out there. However, I'm always taken back by the "woman scorned" attitude that I often hear with these threads. Have you no sense of reality that its nothing to do with trust? Totally agree with Rain Man that more needs to be done and that you should expect better. I'm guessing Mark's business decisions haven't been the best about what to do with Luke's customers.

    Personally, if I were you, I'd send them a package with a return label and bag/box to send your jacket you love so much back to you. I don't need to hear that you'll never get it back again, that should never have appeared in your post.
    "I wonder if anyone else has an ear so tuned and sharpened as I have, to detect the music, not of the spheres, but of earth, subtleties of major and minor chord that the wind strikes upon the tree branches. Have you ever heard the earth breathe... ?"
    - Kate Chopin

  8. #8
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    I had been in email communication with Luke's for a wind shirt. We had exchanged approximately 4 email and, after sorting out the details, I was ready to place my order. Then...all communications ceased. Weeks later, Someone posted on one of my threads, that Luke had been in an accident and that they weren't taking custom work. That's fine and dandy, I completely understand but, to stop responding to my emails without any explanation, not cool. I wish Luke a quick recovery and the company the best of success, but as a consumer...I'm not amused.

  9. #9

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    Luke has always had his number listed on his webpage- which is how I contacted him about some custom work a while back.

    When the accident occurred, his brother was helping with some of the logistics. This is where they screwed the pooch with the customer. Luke has such a loyal following that if a press release was issued immediately during that time, he wouldn't be in the PR nightmare he is now. Instead it seems he tried to keep afloat hoping everything would resolve itself but sunk deeper.

    I agree his handling of orders and the customer service side of things was a total disaster and unfair to the customer. However, I do believe he will right the ship and is in no way a con or thief.

  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by capehiker View Post
    Luke has always had his number listed on his webpage- which is how I contacted him about some custom work a while back.
    Where? I can't find anything but the contact form.

  11. #11

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    Unforeseen accidents or illness can occur which cripple a one person business. But if that happens, the ethical thing to do is advise everyone with pending orders of the situation as soon as possible. If materials have been purchased to produce the order and/or the product is already partially completed, one would not want to loose that order and do a refund, so letting the customer(s) know there will be a significant delay and the reasons for it would go a long way to insuring against those losses.

    Hopefully this Luke guy will get back to work soon, but in the mean time it seems he lost a lot of good will in not keeping his customers informed.
    Follow slogoen on Instagram.

  12. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by CalebJ View Post
    Where? I can't find anything but the contact form.
    I don't see it either. Interesting. I admit I haven't been on his page since this all started but I swear it was in the contact page. Several people on other forums have mentioned calling him as well. I assumed (oops!) his number was still up. My apologies!

  13. #13

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    I ordered a rain suit 4 months ago. He hasn't returned any emails in 2 months. Injury or no injury, it shouldn't take 2 months to respond to an email. My quoted 8 week wait has now doubled, with no end in sight. He may have been reliable in the past, and he may return to being reliable in the future, but for now, I would SERIOUSLY STAY AWAY FOR NOW UNTIL HE GETS BACK ON TRACK. Seriously just stay away for now.

  14. #14

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    PS. his phone number is on the bottom of the homepage, not that he answers it or anything.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by scope View Post
    Personally, if I were you, I'd send them a package with a return label and bag/box to send your jacket you love so much back to you. I don't need to hear that you'll never get it back again, that should never have appeared in your post.
    Wait. What?

    Dude sent them his jacket as a pattern. Luke has his jacket. Luke f'd up the order, everyone is sad Luke got hurt but that doesn't change a darn thing. Luke must post the dude's jacket back to him, at Luke's effort and expense, ASAP. Otherwise, there's this little thing called "criminal conversion"...injury or not, Luke cannot retain possession of other people's property after demand for return of the property has been made. Same with money deposits. The intent to permanently deprive an owner of the use or benefit of property is exactly what theft is. Luke is not in hospital. Luke is at work again, full-time. He is taking orders. No excuse for retaining possession of dude's property.

    So, as far as this nonsense about how YOU don't need to hear that dude won't get his jacket back...why don't you call Luke and tell him to get dude his property back? That way you don't have to hear about it...

    And, as far as this nonsense about "that should never have appeared in your post", I say to you "WHY THE HELL NOT?" Luke has dude's property. Dude has tried everything short of the Police to get his property back. Maybe a good public shaming and loss of business is just what ole Luke needs to return dude his property...but maybe you have a better idea?

    So, tall dude, if you are reading this and still don't have your jacket, call the police department in the town you sent your jacket to. Tell them what has happened. I'm betting your jacket gets FedEx'd to you....

    And before any Luke fan goes all ape-crap on me, wake up. Luke has had this dude's property for THREE MONTHS now and WON'T SEND IT BACK. If Luke doesn't want the po-po knocking on his door saying "People are saying you won't give them their property back!" he or his brother need to get their act together. How about before Luke takes ONE MORE FREAKING ORDER he returns everyone's property and everyone's money that have been rightfully demanded from him? How about that, eh?

    It's a shame it has come to this. But Luke is taking orders as I type and not dealing with his past mistakes. These mistakes are going to come back and bite him. Hard. And soon. Tall dude isn't the only person pissed off at Luke. Not by a long shot.

    Once Luke's credit card dispute percentage gets high enough, the processors will cut him off. And then he is left with only PayPal...

  16. #16
    Registered User -Rush-'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by flutch View Post
    I am 7'3" so I have a hard time finding clothes.
    If I were you, I'd look up a guy that lives near you named Bill "Skywalker" Walker. He's a thru-hiker and has written several books. I bet he knows all the great vendors for you tall folk.
    "Though I have lost the intimacy with the seasons since my hike, I retain the sense of perfect order, of graceful succession and surrender, and of the bold brilliance of fall leaves as they yield to death." - David Brill

  17. #17

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    I called his phone number this morning. Someone called me back in 2 minutes asking if someone called at this number. I asked if this was lukesultralite. He sounded surprised and said that Luke was hanging a door and if he could call me back. I explained that I was trying to find out about an order I placed 3 months ago, and lost communication with 2 months ago. He said he'd make sure he'll call me as soon as he was finished. Never got a call back, nor do I expect to. Who ever answered seemed to be caught off guard, as if he wasn't expecting to get a business call. I'm getting very off put by this whole situation and think I'll just have to resort to trying to get my money back through the bank. Shame, I never expected all of this from all of his reviews as this was my first time ordering from him.

  18. #18
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    So sorry. I'm sad this has come to this.

  19. #19
    Registered User JPritch's Avatar
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    Sorry bro. What a f'ing headache. And the nerve of the guy above to tell you what you should/not be feeling or what appears in your post. Wow.

  20. #20

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    At this point folks should be getting refunds and doing charge backs.

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