"Hotz Mats still in business?" Topic

Is Hotz still functioning? I purchased some items last March, received half the order and now cannot get a response to my emails. Seems like 3+ months should at least get an email reply on the missing items.

There have been many posts here on TMP similar to yours with regard to Hotz. Lack of email responses & long wait times seems to be a common complaint. Hopefully this is just another one of those lulls in communication.

Great product. Horrible, HORRIBLE businessman. Too bad.

In answer to your question, he shouldn't be. You're lucky to have received half of your order. I ordered items in October 2012, paid for in full, received no word until February 2013 after multiple requests for information that it "only needed to be packed for shipping" and have heard nothing since. A lack of response to emails is standard operating practice for him. A class action lawsuit from all of us who have been defrauded by this man would be a great next step, if just for the principal of the matter. It frosts me when I see his advertising banner still being displayed on the TMP pages. Good luck getting the rest of your order.

It frosts me when I see his advertising banner still being displayed on the TMP pages.

Sorry, but no one has ever come to me to file a complaint against the company.

Last month I ordered a few sets of his felt fields and they arrived to me in about 10 business days.

Hotz reminds me a lot of New Wave, 20% of the time things go off with out a hitch, 80% of the time you never see your product or your money again.

From what I've seen around here, it's more like 20% things go off without a hitch; 80% of the time you *will* see your product, the only question is when.

The only time I ordered from him was Fall 2010. It took about six weeks for the order (1 star mat) to ship, but it arrived. My experience is thirty months stale, however.

My experience HAD always been very good. Good product shipped very promptly. I had ordered from them several times and received each order in less than the stated delivery time…

That is until this February. The order is missing. No responses to numerous emails.

I'm still hoping for a delivery.

Yea…
a multiple month turnaround for a product you should have in stock is ridiculous…

I think I know why it happens and I don't remember seeing an account of people never getting the product.

My guess is that he runs mats to fill in time between larger projects for his main company (whatever that is) So a flurry of mats go out every 6-8 weeks and the rest of the time your basically ignored. In my experience, It's not the delays but the ignoring that causes the most issues.

Our old system was prone to some nasty delays at times. If I sent an order in and the printer screwed up then it would take another 3-4 weeks to get it back. My seamstress would regularly travel for he family's business and cause even worse delays. I could have a mat order on deck for 2 months or more.

It may also be a case of stock issues. He is most likely buying felt in bulk so if the roll of black runs out then he waits for a good deal of orders to come in so he can justify a larger bulk order to save some cash. It's not a great business model but that hasn't stopped others from doing similar.

Now if there was just a comparable product that was much better quality for only $10 USD-$20 more…

My experience is that if you use the web site to order your mats you receive them in reasonably good time.

However, anytime that I have emailed Eric there is never a reply. This despite the notice to email him for the discount offer (when you buy four large fields you get a modest discount of $2 USD off per filed).

As always a good product but poor service and communication.

Hotz Mats isn't the only thing Eric does. He is an illustrator and must meet certain deadlines. He is much in demand. You can see his work for wargaming if you own the two ACW Dixie card games by Columbia Games. Eric did all the illustration and research on the uniforms for the game. I know that he often takes commissions with a tight deadline and has to put off everything else to meet the deadline.

That is no excuse not to respond to customers. HE decided to go into business and advertise HIS product. He should deliver in a timely manner or get out of the business. The complete lack of response makes the customer feel like the vendor doesn't give a crap and that in all probability your money has been stolen. A customer will understand an email explaining a material shortage and an anticpated delivery date; a customer does not understand being blown off and ignored.

I've never had a problem but it might be an idea to add a banner to the web site explaining that orders can sometime takes many weeks to send out.

I always thought the delays occur because he waits for enough of one type to be ordered before making them up as a batch. If he's silk screening that would make a lot of sense.

I've purchased 3 mats in three separate orders over 5 years. Haven't had a problem.

Well, that might explain why he has not replied to my emails last week and this. But he does ask for emails on his website, so here's hoping he bucks up.

No email reply, no money from me. Simples…

of course, that does leave me looking for an alternative flocked field supplier – any takers?

I ordered some Felt Fields about 14 days ago and they arrived today in the Czech Republic – I'd call that a pretty fast turn around. I guess it may just be a case of tight deadlines and what's in stock – nothing more sinister than that.

I have ordered Hotz products for years via the website. With one exception the goods took MANY MONTHS to arrive. Extremely poor service and communication virtually non-existant. His bad customer service is now legendary in the wargaming community. If there was an award for Best Product, Worst Service, he would win hands down. I currently have an order that has not been filled for several months, and he has not responded to correspondence.

I recommend Hotz be banned from advertising on TMP.

Yet we continue to use his services. Strange heh?

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I think I've finally reached the breaking point, however.

I ordered some fields from Hotz for the first time about a month ago and just received them yesterday. The website warned of slow delivery. Everything seemed to be in order and on the timescales listed on the site.

My HotzMats arrived (see my earlier post). Two mats and some terrain. They are great but they sometimes take a bit of time to get.

I made my order a year ago, in late August 2012, for a single Euro fields hexmat and a number of river sections. My numerous e-mails enquiring about delivery have had precisely two responses from Eric, in January and June of this year, both of which stated that the order would be shipped within a week. Sadly, nothing has arrived.

Is this an unusual story? Am I ever likely to receive my order? How many people never receive the stuff they pay for?

I ordered some mats, roads and rivers in March. After about six months of unanswered emails, I finally got the roads and mats. Still no sign of the Rivers. Its now November (ie. 8 months!!)and no responses to my emails again.

I strongly recommend not ordering from this guy. Not only is his customer service *terrible*, but it's bordering on fraudulent (taking people's money and never supplying the goods is fraud IMO).

I placed an order back in October. I emailed Hotz at least a half dozen times and even called leaving him my contact information. Finally just this past December I filed a claim with PayPal. Apparently PayPal was able to get through to him because he responded about two or three days later telling me that he will ship my order on the coming Tuesday (This was Dec. 13th). Me being a fool then closed out my claim as I assumed he would ship my order.

Well it is now a new year and still no order and I can not open another claim to get my money back. But I did some research on PayPal and I can file a Fraudulent business complaint. This will lead to them closing out his PayPal business account.

I have emailed him today giving him till this coming Monday to either refund my money or to provide me with tracking info for my "shipped" package. If anyone here knows this guy personally and you see this posting let him know as I do not know if he even reads his emails.

If I do not hear from him by Monday I will go ahead with the fraud claim on PayPal and I will keep you all posted on how that works out. If you have been waiting forever for your paid for products I do suggest that you file a complaint with PayPal and try to get your money back.

This was a $139.00 USD USD USD order and I'm not just going to sit back and get ripped off quietly!

My money has been refunded.