Ladder stand/blind tower new package condition?

[RGrizzzz]

I've put up a number of ladder stands over the years. They're kind of a pain, and not super easy to move. I was looking for something with more room, and something I might be able to move easier. This year I purchased a tower/pop up blind combo from Cage blinds. It got here last week. The boxes appeared in decent shape. Upon closer inspection, when I went to move the boxes from the driveway into the garage on Friday, I found 5 nuts/bolts laying in the driveway. Not a good sign. This am, I cracked open the tower boxes to figure out what was missing and was pretty disappointed in what I found. There was ZERO padding/paper between all the metal components. There is a fine layer of surface rust on some of the parts, and a significant number of gouges in the paint. The bag of parts was somehow torn open and was missing about 20% of the parts. What do folks consider acceptable condition when purchasing a new ladder stand or metal blind tower? How would you expect a company to make this right? I'm not super optimistic about having another box shipped, as there was zero padding, so I'm expecting a similar outcome. I feel like the last few ladder stands I helped assemble were packaged more carefully than this.

 

[jsasker007]

I wouldn't be very happy about it either. Looks like they re-sold a stand that was returned or something. If all of their stuff looks like that "new" out of the box they won't be around too long. Good time to test the customer service to see if the company gives a damn and stands behind their product. Hopefully they go above and beyond to try to make it up to you. Looking forward to see how they handle it.

 

[T-Max]

At the very least they need to ship you replacement hardware. Is the light surface rust from those parts? Or is it like rust dust from other parts that settled on yours? Its hit or miss with those things. If you like the stand, I would spray a little spray paint over it once you have it in place. It should still outlast you.

 

[TenPoint]

Looks like every metal ladder stand I’ve gotten shipped to me.

 

[RGrizzzz]

I called their customer service, and they requested pictures. I sent these, so we will see what they come back with. It is light surface rust. When I stood the box up, it sounded like there was sand falling through the package. I wasn't expecting perfect, but this wasn't the cheapo Sportsman Warehouse or big box black Friday special priced unit.

There are some YouTube videos of people assembling this unit. I didn't see any packaging material between the parts in the few videos that showed open boxes.

 

[jsasker007]

Bought some redneck blinds and they were packaged well. Don't have anything else to compare it to personally.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

I would be disappointed by the missing bolts and also the number of scratches. I don't think the scratches or surface dust will cause any major issues, but when I buy something new I expect it to look new.

It will be interesting to see how they respond.

 

[BenA]

It looks like they need to do better with packaging. A lot of that looks to be from shipping damage, but they should package it to account for that. Shipping handlers are rough, and everybody knows that. They should replace the missing pieces at least.

 

[Maddog66]

I heard Lee and Tiffany Lakosky have an employee who’s job it is to assemble stands and set them up in the spots selected. Thereby completely insulating themselves from the insanity of this job.

Hell it probably isn’t even true (I hope it is), but if I ever win the lottery I’ll never sit on another concrete floor with double and triple of every tool I own strewn about (except 10mm), with bloody knuckles, a sore back, 10,000 mosquitos, and thinking I’m the biggest dumbass on the planet for not being able to figure out instructions backwards, upside-down, in the wrong order.

Did I mention I commiserate with the OP and wish him the best?

 

[The Fishman]

If you go to the store and buy the floor display model or a scratch and dent item, you should expect a discount. I would expect the same here. I would ask for a 20% discount and any missing hardware. Explain to them nicely that they will spend more on shipping it back to their warehouse than the discount to you. If they agree, put it together and touch up any missing paint or rust areas.

 

[jsasker007]

I heard Lee and Tiffany Lakosky have an employee who’s job it is to assemble stands and set them up in the spots selected. Thereby completely insulating themselves from the insanity of this job.

Hell it probably isn’t even true (I hope it is), but if I ever win the lottery I’ll never sit on another concrete floor with double and triple of every tool I own strewn about (except 10mm), with bloody knuckles, a sore back, 10,000 mosquitos, and thinking I’m the biggest dumbass on the planet for not being able to figure out instructions backwards, upside-down, in the wrong order.

Did I mention I commiserate with the OP and wish him the best?

10mm and 3/8 are the 2 you always need but can never find in my own experience. Why is that?

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

We put up a ladder stand at the property a couple weeks ago and were surprised to find the factory forgot to drill a hole. That really sucks when you find that out at the property and the drill is at home.

 

[bwoods11]

We put up a ladder stand at the property a couple weeks ago and were surprised to find the factory forgot to drill a hole. That really sucks when you find that out at the property and the drill is at home.

We had a similar situation, the ladder end would not fit in the base … 1/8 of mile off the road. It’s annoying.

 

[BenA]

I've got a haybale blind sitting on my back patio right now that I just finished putting together. I have to take it apart to transport from Louisiana up to Kentucky shortly. I didn't want any surprises when I got there like missing parts. I also wanted to be able to break it down where I can transport in larger pieces if possible saving time onsite. I can take pictures as to the steps because the instructions are not really great. I ended up having to take it apart some during the initial build because some holes weren't lining up right. I ended up having one side on backwards. Now, I know not to do that again.

 

[Maddog66]

 

[Maddog66]

 

[RGrizzzz]

Update. They replaced box 2, which had the missing parts, scratched parts and surface rust. I didn't open it, but I trust I have enough good parts to get it together now.