"TableWar.com False Advertising and Gaslighting - Battle Mats" Topic

I ordered this – link based on the pictures on the product page and a couple blog posts linking back to that exact mat.

What I received was

Looks nothing like what it's supposed to. It's clearly a misprint, like it ran through the Cyan cycle twice by accident or something.

I contacted their customer service, and they're lying to me telling me its supposed to look like that and nothing is wrong with it.

"The mats look very different under different lighting. All I can tell you is that the mats in our warehouse are the color you received and the designer confirmed that they are correct. I do not have a mat to send you that matches the box label (which always prints out differently than the mats due to CMYK coloring and the way they print on mats vs. paper). "

I've seen good mats from them before, but I can't abide this kind of underhanded treatment of customers.

If you purchased with a credit card, file a dispute with the credit card company. You should prevail base on the photos. While it appears what you received is a nice mat, it clearly is not the same color as the advertisement photo. Not even close to my eyes.

Based on a few other things in the photo, they either shot under 2500K LEDs or neons. In either case, the photos are going to come out very, very differently from the bright sunlight that you shot in. I'm not saying that yours looks *good*, or that it's *right*, but you should definitely take pictures indoors under different lighting if you're going to contest this.

Also, if the box photo is completely different from the product, set the box on top of the mat when you take photos, so that the color difference is clear.

I experimented with different lighting, and the closest I could get it to looking like the photos was under a very 'warm' tone den lamp. And it was still not particularly close to what's shone. One of the blogs I took those other examples from was also in a breakfast nook with plenty of sunlight. I just took it outside for that photo because it was so dark, I thought it wasn't photographing well in my game room.

I got a partial refund for the cost of the mat, but not the shipping, but I had to cut up a corner of the mat to get it.

Never doing business with them again.

Considering the one you received is nicer looking, what is the problem?

More of a Customer service issue that "false advertising" or "gaslighting" Like you said it looks like a bad print run that probably should have not passed QC. They should have refunded in full or sent you a new one.

That said I like my TW mat.

@DeRuyter It's only false advertising because TW is insisting mine looks exactly like the picture on their website. They are insisting there's nothing wrong with the print, they've got more of them, and they're going to continue selling them using the same pictures. I've got a problem with that.

As do the 2 or 3 other people I've found today with the same mat that agree with me, theirs looks nothing like the one I received.

The gaslighting is because again, TW keeps insisting there's nothing wrong with my mat, I'm incorrect that it doesn't match, it's just the lighting. I tried all the different rooms and bulbs in my house, warms and cools and naturals and incandescents and LEDs and fluorescents. And it looks obviously misprinted in every one of them.

I might have to order a few of these mats.

Anyone compared F.A.T. Mat quality to Deep Cut Studio Neoprene mats?

deepcutstudio.com

I found an older print run of the mat on eBay last week. It arrived last night, and lo and behold, I'm right, it's a totally different color, it's not 'my lighthing', TableWar area bunch of liars and cheats and I wish them financial distress.

My $.02 USD cents,

A similar, but different situation that bothers me is when someone (usually a dealer) lists something on eBay to sell. They list it with 'stock' photographs of painted figures. Then in usually very small print say 'this is a 'stock' photograph and the figures are new and not painted. Makes me figure that they are just trying to get your dollar, by any means possible!
Tom Semian
Irive, PA. 16329

The "We never make mistakes" approach is appalling.

I wouldn't buy from any supplier which doesn't have an actual business address prevalent on its Web site.

Just Facebook and Email details for commercial trading would be illegal under EU and UK regs.

Presumably they are US based?

On a more general point I've found it very difficult to find out exactly what you are buying with most of the mat suppliers. I did buy a "cloth" mat a while ago from a specialist maker, and this paper-thin nylon print arrived. Although the printing was good, it was so thin and slick that it slid all over the table in use.

I'm looking for 2 mats atm and finding it problematic. I want an oversize fleece in 6x4 and another in 8x6 to put hills under the cloths. One suppler just advertises "premium cloth", which could be anything. And for the 8x6 I don't want just a 6x4 blown up with the print definition reduced.

It wouldn't be fair to post without saying that quality, risk-free exceptions do exist. I've been delighted with my Cigar Box battle fleeces. An excellent, searchable Web site explaining & showing exactly what you are getting and products that do what they say on the tin when they arrive. I was even OK with all the import duties, shipping costs and VAT for the UK.

So caveat emptor, and keep yer hand on yer ha'penny until you are sure you are getting a good product. YouTube reviews can help, but even there gushing Product Placement reviews can limit objectivity

I would send both photos to them to highlight the difference.

I had a similar experience with Cigar Box, I ordered what I thought was a sand colored rough terrain mat and it showed up bright sulphur yellow. I contacted their service department and to their credit, they offered to refund my money if I sent it back. I just bought some sand colored spray paint and although it is very stiff now, it looks more natural.

Here's an idea ! Why don't you start your own mat printing business?

Here's a better idea. Do right by your customer.

You guys got into business to make money and never thought about the other aspects of it. One of those things being to do right by your customer who is spending their money with you and having expectations. You didn't want to take the hit on a bad print job so, you mailed out a substandard product.

You knew that when you stuffed that mat in the package but, decided to screw over the customer than do the right thing by him. It should never have been sent out.