# Gamekeeper Catapults.



## CatapultCrazy (Sep 4, 2016)

I ordered a GK Catapult on the 18th of August and it has still not arrived, I've recently emailed him about it and I've still got no reply. I don't know what to do, any help and advice?

Thanks, CatapultCrazy


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## ggustafsson (Jun 12, 2016)

Don't worry! I also had to wait several weeks longer than expected. It sucks but I'm pretty sure you will get it


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## roirizla (Dec 3, 2010)

He's not good at managing customer expectation but he does pull through eventually. What did you order?

Sent from my ONE A2003 using Tapatalk


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## CatapultCrazy (Sep 4, 2016)

roirizla said:


> He's not good at managing customer expectation but he does pull through eventually. What did you order?
> Sent from my ONE A2003 using Tapatalk


I ordered a TTF Bat.


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## Pro-Shot (UK) Catapults (Apr 21, 2010)

Are you going to the UKCA shoot later this month in sheffield you could email him and ask him to bring it there for you
he will deliver tp you pal what delivery time was quoted at the point you paid for it


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## CatapultCrazy (Sep 4, 2016)

Pro-Shot (UK) Catapults said:


> Are you going to the UKCA shoot later this month in sheffield you could email him and ask him to bring it there for youhe will deliver tp you pal what delivery time was quoted at the point you paid for it


 I have already sorted it out. It will be delivered later this week, anyway Sheffield is too far for me!

Thanks for telling me though!


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## bigdh2000 (Feb 9, 2015)

Glad to hear this got sorted. Never known John to be anything more than an upstanding individual. His only problem is that he is always extremely busy.


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## CatapultCrazy (Sep 4, 2016)

*NOTE* ALL ISSUES HAVE BEEN RESOVLED.


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## pult421 (Aug 13, 2015)

CatapultCrazy said:


> *NOTE* ALL ISSUES HAVE BEEN RESOVLED.


 awww.. the mob just had new torches made.. youre telling me were not burning gamekeeper catapults to the ground??? Lol jk man. Glad everything worked out.


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## CatapultCrazy (Sep 4, 2016)

pult421 said:


> CatapultCrazy said:
> 
> 
> > *NOTE* ALL ISSUES HAVE BEEN RESOVLED.
> ...


Cheers.
Regards, CatapultCrazy


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## Deadeye Dave (Jan 7, 2017)

Gamekeeper catapults has the very worst customer service that I have had the misfortune to encounter. I'm still waiting for the order that I placed on 28th December 2016. He doesn't even have the decency to reply to emails. 
He has no problems at all taking the money though......


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## brucered (Dec 30, 2015)

Deadeye Dave said:


> Gamekeeper catapults has the very worst customer service that I have had the misfortune to encounter. I'm still waiting for the order that I placed on 28th December 2016. He doesn't even have the decency to reply to emails.
> He has no problems at all taking the money though......


That's why I only use PayPal. If I am getting close the claim period and haven't received an item, a claim goes in.

I've only had to do it a couple times, but PayPal always comes through.


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## bigdh2000 (Feb 9, 2015)

Deadeye Dave said:


> Gamekeeper catapults has the very worst customer service that I have had the misfortune to encounter. I'm still waiting for the order that I placed on 28th December 2016. He doesn't even have the decency to reply to emails.
> He has no problems at all taking the money though......


John has really withdrawn from the catapult scene these days as noted by his lack of presence at some of the main British shoots. I have heard rumor that you are just one of many with the lack of delivery problem. It used to be you had to wait a few months to get your item, which everyone knew. These days that has stretched a lot longer and some never even receive their item. It is very disappointing to me since John is a really good guy who just got on the wrong side of selling more than he can deliver.


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## romanljc (May 26, 2014)

Wow did not think there was that high demand for costume slingshots that it would take that long to get one.


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## Deadeye Dave (Jan 7, 2017)

In my opinion, to take an order (and the money) when knowing full well you will not deliver and ignoring the customer who was kind enough to give you the business to boot, just lacks any sort of class or dignity.


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## Emilyscott9810 (Oct 10, 2016)

Right here i am speaking on the behalf of my sponsor GAMEKEEPER JOHN as i do not like to see him being slagged off, can i just stop yous a minute to maybe consider maybe the guys having family problems we all have them some worse than others?? And also for 1 you ordered over christmas gamekeeper johns most busy time of the year this guy got that many orders and was that busy he has had to remove palmswell and sapele faced catapults and customs from his website and is now only doing standard patterned multiplex! You also need to remember these are all hand made and not mass produced on a machine! As for john going quiet and not been attending some of the most important british shoots that is just completely over exaggerating he missed one shoot last week the first he's ever missed due to having plans for a family members birthday not that its anyones business but his own, hes left groups to try and get his head down and to crack his orders off faster. His emails are jam packed he's working down his order list as fast as he can and you will 100% receive your catapults..you have got to also remember some of yous are over seas and there's also postal time on there aswell. If you's have that much of a problem when u get your catty take it and do not bother ordering again.


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## brucered (Dec 30, 2015)

A simple automated response and note on his website would go a long, long way to ease peoples minds and stop rumors. As well as not allowing any new orders, if the site is still accepting them. He wouldn't have to get into the details, just something advising people of the expected delay and not to expect a personal response to emails.

Customer and people are accepting of personal things getting in the way if they know that's the case. They don't want to hear excuses second hand from friends/fans and be ignored, that's when people start speculating, spreading rumors and venting.

This applies to slingshots or any retail business or service operating online or in a physical store/shop.

That said, I hope all is well with him and his family.


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## romanljc (May 26, 2014)

Usually any business would either give the money back or give a new time frame and a option for a refund .
Maybe in UK things are different.


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## Deadeye Dave (Jan 7, 2017)

[quote name="romanljc" post="863297" timestamp="1493234527"]Usually any business would either give the money back or give a new time frame and a option for a refund .
Maybe in UK things are different.[/quote

No things are the same..... Only the service varies.


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## romanljc (May 26, 2014)

Deadeye Dave said:


> Usually any business would either give the money back or give a new time frame and a option for a refund .
> Maybe in UK things are different.[/quote
> 
> No things are the same..... Only the service varies.


I never order from John but usually any business will have some guarantee service warranty or time frame telling what to expect if it says 6 8 weeks it's 6 to 8 weeks if it says 6 to 8 months or something else Xct..

And I would not go by just one complaint because it's not reliable enough to judge


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## bigdh2000 (Feb 9, 2015)

Emilyscott9810 said:


> Right here i am speaking on the behalf of my sponsor GAMEKEEPER JOHN as i do not like to see him being slagged off, can i just stop yous a minute to maybe consider maybe the guys having family problems we all have them some worse than others?? And also for 1 you ordered over christmas gamekeeper johns most busy time of the year this guy got that many orders and was that busy he has had to remove palmswell and sapele faced catapults and customs from his website and is now only doing standard patterned multiplex! You also need to remember these are all hand made and not mass produced on a machine! As for john going quiet and not been attending some of the most important british shoots that is just completely over exaggerating he missed one shoot last week the first he's ever missed due to having plans for a family members birthday not that its anyones business but his own, hes left groups to try and get his head down and to crack his orders off faster. His emails are jam packed he's working down his order list as fast as he can and you will 100% receive your catapults..you have got to also remember some of yous are over seas and there's also postal time on there aswell. If you's have that much of a problem when u get your catty take it and do not bother ordering again.


Did not mean any offense. John is a good buddy. I thoroughly enjoy all his videos of the various shoots of which there have been very few as of late. I knew there have been family issues that have been worrying him but tried to refrain from stating that. I wish I was other there as I would run over and help him out since it is something I can do.


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## roirizla (Dec 3, 2010)

It's all about managing expectation. If he's having a hard time, fine, spend the 5minutes to update your site to let people know what will happen once you take their money. If John pays his gas by direct debit each month but then they cut his gas, guess what he'll do if he wasn't told that his supplier is running short? Not that I'm comparing a big company to John. Just illustrating what expectation vs. delivery results in.

I hope he gets it sorted. The guy is respected & well liked otherwise.

Sent from my ONE A2003 using Tapatalk


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## Henry the Hermit (Jun 2, 2010)

Emilyscott9810 said:


> Right here i am speaking on the behalf of my sponsor GAMEKEEPER JOHN as i do not like to see him being slagged off, can i just stop yous a minute to maybe consider maybe the guys having family problems we all have them some worse than others?? And also for 1 you ordered over christmas gamekeeper johns most busy time of the year this guy got that many orders and was that busy he has had to remove palmswell and sapele faced catapults and customs from his website and is now only doing standard patterned multiplex! You also need to remember these are all hand made and not mass produced on a machine! As for john going quiet and not been attending some of the most important british shoots that is just completely over exaggerating he missed one shoot last week the first he's ever missed due to having plans for a family members birthday not that its anyones business but his own, hes left groups to try and get his head down and to crack his orders off faster. His emails are jam packed he's working down his order list as fast as he can and you will 100% receive your catapults..you have got to also remember some of yous are over seas and there's also postal time on there aswell. If you's have that much of a problem when u get your catty take it and do not bother ordering again.


This is not a new problem. These complaints go back years.

http://slingshotforum.com/topic/39576-bad-service-from-gamekeeper-catapults-and-blood-shot-catapults/?hl=gamekeeper


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## romanljc (May 26, 2014)

Emilyscott9810 said:


> Update from john himself yesterday


Wow time to get some undocumented workers to help out john lol
All joking aside he should just make it CLEAR IN writing delivery times will very from weeks to months .xct depending on supply and demand. .xct 
A Lot of people don't care about long wait times , as long as you are up front about it .


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## Henry the Hermit (Jun 2, 2010)

Emily, I removed you youtube video because advertising is not permitted outside the Vendor forums.

Henry


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## Emilyscott9810 (Oct 10, 2016)

Henry the Hermit said:


> Emily, I removed you youtube video because advertising is not permitted outside the Vendor forums.
> 
> Henry


It was not advertising if you were to watch it you'd hear its actually him explaining his delays and showing how many catapults are parcelled to go out today and just explaining he has alot on and showing that they are still being finished to a high expectation and not rushed and sent poorly.


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## Deadeye Dave (Jan 7, 2017)

Emilyscott9810 said:


> Henry the Hermit said:
> 
> 
> > Emily, I removed you youtube video because advertising is not permitted outside the Vendor forums.
> ...


If he spent more time posting catapults and less time posting YouTube videos he'd have less criticism on here and a better reputation.


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## romanljc (May 26, 2014)

Deadeye Dave said:


> Emilyscott9810 said:
> 
> 
> > Henry the Hermit said:
> ...


Not sure this thread is advertising for John unless you believe in the theory of bad news any news is good news for advertising


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## Henry the Hermit (Jun 2, 2010)

I didn't say the thread is advertising. I said the YouTube video is. If the thread were advertising I would remove the thread.


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## romanljc (May 26, 2014)

Henry the Hermit said:


> I didn't say the thread is advertising. I said the YouTube video is. If the thread were advertising I would remove the thread.


Ok sorry I see what you are saying now


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## romanljc (May 26, 2014)

And I agree with you Henry


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## mattwalt (Jan 5, 2017)

Look John's a nice guy. But he needs to approach his business differently. The way its going he may well end up being the victim his own popularity. As he's making to order (Not custom) he's going to make it harder for himself no matter how much is going on in his life. And considering most people I know who buy stuff in the UK expect delivery in 3 days... Like roarizla says he has to manage people's expectations - communication is key to this, being email responses or a website message. If you have to wait months to get something you're excited about - by the time it arrives you've probably swung to the dark side.

I see so many great companies go down simply because they run into these sorts of issues - machine breaks down, life issues - orders get out of hand - get bad customer sentiment - and worse negative purchase dissonance. Once there is a negative stigma involved with a company its almost impossible to rectify. Sad but true.

He needs to move from made to order - to stock carrying and selling/delivery on demand. Then items would simply be out of stock...


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## flipgun (Nov 14, 2012)

I think this thread should be an eye opener for anyone that has thought about going into this end of our sport.


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## Mr.T (May 4, 2017)

Hello shooters,
28.2. I ordered a TTF palmswell pocket poacher. I have not received slingshot yet, I have not received the answers to my emails !!! The communication is absolutely zero. If I knew the waiting time was 6 weeks to never (say 4-6 weeks), I would not order slingshot here. This is bussines and not a game with people. John does not respond to my emails, and that really makes me angry. I totally spent nearly 70 pounds on him and I have no money, slingshot, and security. I'm really upset. One advantage, however, is that of what I have borrowed from my father. (The hammer slingshot) My shooting is really great and with a jerk from John (if ever he arrives) I'll be a mega sniper! ))
So John - what's going on ???


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## Mr.T (May 4, 2017)

I get it!!!! Halelujah


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## CatapultCrazy (Sep 4, 2016)

Never thought this would be a big topic! This is obviously a big talking point.


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## Manton (Dec 1, 2017)

Hi I also made an order this year 2017 with Gamekeeper Catapults.he said 20th of Nov,2017 it will be sent it is now the 1st of Dec, and still not here he won't answer his mails either so maybe John has done a bunk or gone into hiding.


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## BushpotChef (Oct 7, 2017)

Manton said:


> Hi I also made an order this year 2017 with Gamekeeper Catapults.he said 20th of Nov,2017 it will be sent it is now the 1st of Dec, and still not here he won't answer his mails either so maybe John has done a bunk or gone into hiding.


This is why I don't order 'hero gear' as my old man terms it. Anything from a man who's claim to fame is his own skill is going to quickly be overwhelmed by the raunchy business of retail. John shoots and makes fine quality cattys, and thus- he won't send one out that isn't to his standards. That being said, one can't compromise customer satisfaction for quality and simply state that its the nature of things, that's where production efficiency comes in. This is why I love it when cats like Bill Hays post their designs for the competent to replicate.

Hope everyone gets their gear, still a big fan of Gamekeeper John!

Sent from my SM-J320W8 using Tapatalk


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## Manton (Dec 1, 2017)

Manton said:


> Hi I also made an order this year 2017 with Gamekeeper Catapults.he said 20th of Nov,2017 it will be sent it is now the 1st of Dec, and still not here he won't answer his mails either so maybe John has done a bunk or gone into hiding.


I received my Catapult end of December, after he got a mail from paypal it is a very good cat, I do hope he gets it together with his orders because he makes very good cat,s


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