Due to Hockey Monkey’s poor customer service, I cannot recommend them as a retailer.
I first learned of Hockey Monkey a couple years ago while searching for hockey gear through Google’s shopping link. One of the products I wanted was available from their site. If you’re familiar with Google Products you know that beneath some of the merchants there is a link to read reviews from past customers. I read the reviews for Hockey Monkey (provided by Reseller Ratings) and all of them were negative. Although disconcerting, I didn’t let that deter me from making a purchase. I figured these reviews were probably ignorant customers who were upset because they ordered the wrong size stick or thought their skates would fit like slippers. I honestly thought I was smarter than them.
What a mistake.
Truth is, my first few purchases from Hockey Monkey went well. I got what I wanted in a timely manner. They never provided me with tracking info, but other than that, no real problems. Then it came time for my first return. Remember, that cage I ordered? The FM480 I recently reviewed? I ordered a LARGE cage for my LARGE helmet, and according to CCM’s website, it is supposed to fit my Bauer HH5000. Well, it doesn’t.
So I made a phone call.
I reassured the customer service department, that I wasn’t an idiot. I know how to mount a cage and I know how it should fit, and this cage did not fit this helmet. No problem they said, send it back and we will even waive the 15% restocking fee and we’ll send you the Medium size. I asked if they could cross-ship the replacement. They told me there would be a $5 rush fee. Fine. Then they said they would have to charge my card for the new cage and refund the charge as soon as the received the return item. FINE.
If you want to catch up on the math, I’ll fill you in:
Original cost: $34.99 w/ 10% coupon = $31.49
+ $11.98 shipping
TOTAL: $43.47
Replacement cost: $31.49
+ $11.98 shipping
+ $5 rush fee
Sub Total: $48.47
+ $6 to cover sending the return item back
TOTAL $54.47
GRAND TOTAL: $97.94
Yes, at this point I had spent almost $100 and had nothing to show for it. One mask was in the mail heading to Hockey Monkey, while the other was on its way. The mask arrived shortly before the refund to my card did. However, the refund amount? $31.49. The cost of the original mask. That’s it!
I called for an explanation.
“Why was I charged a $5 “rush fee”? I asked, “I didn’t receive my product any faster than last time”
“That was to negate the 15% restocking fee.”
“The 15% restocking fee of $4.72 for my item that cost $31.49?”
“Yes.”
(Somehow hearing it out loud didn’t help them)
“OK, wouldn’t it have made more sense for me to purchase the replacement mask as a new customer, or better yet, from another online retailer?”
“I don’t know, that was completely up to you, everything was disclosed. It was your decision”
“Somehow I think if it was disclosed, I would not have made that decision”
“What do you want us to do about it?”
“Refund my $5 fee, the $6 shipping cost of sending it back to you, and the cost of shipping for the replacement. You sold me a defective product. Make it right”
“We’re not going to do that”
“OK. So I paid over $60 for a $30 mask. That sucks.”
“Can I help you with anything else?”
“Anything else? You didn’t help me at all!” Click.
Now all I have is the internet to share my woes. All I ask is that you side with me and buy from somewhere besides Hockey Monkey. Ice Warehouse, Hockey Giant, I don’t care. Better yet, go to a pro shop in your town. (Unfortunately, mine doesn’t have one.) Anything but Hockey Monkey. Looking at their Facebook Page tells me I’m not alone. The reviews on Epinions share the same sentiments. Many forums echo these complaints as well.
Hockey Monkey, if you are reading this, consider it a call out. This is your chance to make it right.
The above review represents the opinion of the author. Unique experiences may not be representative of the company as a whole.
Im with you, boycotted! Thanks for the heads up!
btw new site looks awesome!
CUSTOMER “SERVICE” THE ABSOLUTE WORST;
I would never order from them again.
They ent the wrong size; never sent an order confirmation
and then made a profit on all the return shipping.
I too paid more.
No savings
Total aggravation
DO NOT ORDER FROM HERE
horrible customer service, defective product
I hear your pain. HM can be more difficult to deal with than other online retailers. Buying from a LHS is the best option in case of return issues, if you’re fortunate to have one in your vicinity. For those that don’t have a LHS local or those that do but go online to try to save a few bucks, use your head and read all the terms and conditions of that online retailer. I’d say 99% don’t read them and then get mad about restock fees, return ship fees, slow order processing times, etc when it is clearly laid out for them. I know I have not ordered some things online that I wanted in case size wasn’t right due to the return/cost restrictions. IW seems to be the most flexible in my experience. Basically buyer beware when buying online.
“…99% don’t read all [the terms and conditions] when it is clearly laid out for them”
I think more often than not it isn’t clearly laid out. Instead it’s buried in fine print between lines of legalese, then never mentioned on the phone. Honest retailers don’t have to use such unethical tactics.
I hope they briefed you before your conversation with something along the lines of “this conversation will be recorded for training purposes.” Amazing how many bad reviews were given when I looked at the links attached.
Didn’t you used to have a link to hockeymonkey on the top of your old website?
Yes, I used to.
I also had a similar story to this. I ordered a Bauer 5100 helmet that… wait for it… was five years old! The certification expired in less than 2 years! I had to send pictures, and finally they offered for me to send it to them, but only for store exchange and I had to pay shipping back! DO NOT ORDER FROM HOCKEY MONKEY. Worst company ever!
Do not believe any promises HockeyMonkey makes unless you get them in writing. I bought several items to evaluate in my living room, with the express verbal promise that all would be returnable for refund. It’s my fault for not noticing the 15% restocking fee, but they misrepresented some items’ returnability. After I received my order, their Customer Service supervisor reversed her service rep’s repeated prior assurance that a clearance item they substituted for my most expensive ordered item was returnable expressly because it was a substitution. My detailed notes on the time and content of that assurance phone call failed to persuade the supervisor to honor the rep’s promise. I’m through with HockeyMonkey other than filing a charge dispute through VISA. The amount is not worth small claims court even though it ended up effectively tripling the cost of the items I kept. (The fact that Amazon does not use HockeyMonkey as a source should have been a red flag.)
And, of course, the e-mail spam has started within hours.
Bad Monkey. BAD Monkey!
honestly, im tired of people complaining about hockeymonkey. The service is HORRIBLE yes. I’ve heard my stories. My experiences have been nothing but positive. Honestly, their stuff is SUPER cheap and they have a great selection. I look at it like this. Hockeymonkey=Walmart. Walmart generally=crappy customer service. so usually i try to go in and out without asking questions bc it would just piss me off. Like everything on the internet, its buyers beware. I wouldnt buy anything that needs a specific size or anything online. I’d rather shop at the Monkeysports by my house instead, where I can try on the actual stuff. Despite this article and other reviews, im not going to boycott hockeymonkey. I’d rather put up with crappy customer service and still get my stuff cheap, instead of paying full price. Good article though, love your stuff.
The purpose of the article wasn’t meant to be a complaint (although, admittedly, it contained a few gripes) Rather, it was to help would-be customers know what they are getting into. We always provide honest reviews. Some folks don’t live within 50 miles of a hockey shop, so online shopping becomes almost mandatory.
You make a valid point, though. I’m sure you are not alone in your willingness to sacrifice customer service in favor of savings. However, compared to Hockey Monkey, Wal-Mart has a great return policy!
i ordered from hockey monkey a few days ago (i live in israel) a few days passed and the order was still
“in progress” than got an email on verification details so sent them 2 emails back never got a reply
and as requested in the email i called my credit card company to send the verification letter by fax and they did.
for now i sent them another email but still no reply and still got “in progress” about my package
im gonne give them another day to rectify this….but for now i very much doubt that they will…
i wont buy anything from them again that’s for sure…
HM has to pay a courier to ship the items to you.. Why would you think they should pay out of their own pocket to reimburse you for shipping? They did not sell you a “defective” product as you stated.
The product wasn’t defective, but it was misrepresented. I would expect the same treatment if I ordered a SR blade for a SR shaft and they sent me a JR.
hockeymonkey.com has been nothing but good experience for me and honestly you must have placed this order a while back ago because the company has made changes and looks like there attempting to move in the right direction… for one if you return an item with 14 days there is no restocking fee as well as there shipping rates have improved ….any order under 100 dollars is only 9.99 …and I do understand to a certain degree where your coming from but things have changed ….also the restocking fee is only 10% now as suppose to the past of 15% …..as for luke if you just contact customer service they can tell you what the issue might be with your order ….i have always contacted customer service for questions or wanting to make sure the item was still in stock or asked if i placed an order by a certain time when would I receive my order ….or even called and asked for tracking which they would give me over the phone as well as send a second confirmation to my email just in case I heard it wrong over the phone…
According to your IP address, Hockey Monkey is RIGHT by you. Why would you order online?
I purchased $200 of gear. When I used their sizing chart I was taken as it appeared the sizes being recommended were too small. I called HM and gave them all the measurements and the Representative advised me which sizes I had to order. Upon receiving my order two items were not only too small but not even close. The jersey couldnt even be put on at all. I called and explained…..the agent advised “since we gave wrong information we will ship out the two items with free shipping but you will need to pay to ship the small items back”. I was taken back by this as the small items were due to the agents error not mine. I agreed none the less. The agent advised that the girdle I was ordering we going to be too big but I said no problem send it anyhow. Then he advised he did not have a Medium jersey in stock only a Large. I advised to send it and my son will grow into it. I received the items today and the girdle was too small again and the jersey, keep in mind I went with a large instead of the recommended medium, fit perfectly. I called HM again and advised I needed a Large girdle and needed it in 3 days. Agent said okay you will need to pay to ship the one back and also to receive the new one. After advising it was their error why would I need to pay. Agent advised a manager would call me back within an hour. After 4 hours the manager calls me and runs through everything. Just when I thought my issues was going to be resolved she advises “okay I will use all the same ordering information and it will be $45 to ship this out 2nd day delivery”. I advised her to provide me a new RMA number as I was going to pay to ship back the entire order and go to a competitor. She more then obliged and gave me an RMA for the entire order to be returned. MUST BE GREAT IN THIS ECONOMY TO REFER PEOPLE TO A COMPETITOR!!!
thanks for looking into my IP address and yes i live right by hockeymonkey its like a 20min drive so i do have that advantage so 90% of my orders have been will call type deals but like with my first encounter with hockey monkey they told me that i would still place the order online and state that i was going to pick it up and not to ship the order …so still the same and i lived in montrose co for a year with my brother and got him to hockey monkey with me and it was smooth sailing back then too when i did have to do it online for real but i know how it works and i read the fine print all the time (READ FINE PRINT the number one suggestion i can offer) on a side note has anybody heard of football america cause there killing me worse cust service three calls later and the original rep i worked with has yet to call and everytime i call in she is not there …on a last note its a free country you can shop where ever you want i wont lie i have looked at hockey giant and pure hockey to find even better deals i am always looking for that last year model type deals that were pricey a year or two ago and now are on clearance its basically the same thing they just slap a new year on it justify the high price
This is by far the worst e-commerce site ever. I am not sure why they spend money hiring these so-called “customer service representatives” when they are simply unhelpful.
The only sin I committed is buying an item that doesn’t fit me. Just because I do not have the original packaging, they are giving me the sage advice of selling the helmet on ebay. I believe the exact words are “Have you heard of Ebay? You can try to sell your item there.” Unbelievable.
I sent an order back on the 20th NOV, and its still “in progress” Ive emailed them, no reply. Ive tried to ring but no answer. They charged my credit card $676 though! Im going to ring consumer affairs
I ordered a pair of Bauer 12D Supreme Skates. After completing the order, I got a call about 10 days later saying they didn’t actually have any in stock (after charging my credit card). The service rep asked if I wanted a 12EE instead. I said not really because I’ve got a regular foot. He said that Bauers ran narrow and I’d be happier with the 12EE. I said okay, I’d try them, before learning that ONLY Bauer Vapors run narrow and Supremes and FlexLites are normal. I am in the military and stationed in Europe where mail takes longer to get to us. I got the package, tried them on, and surprise, too wide. I called them back and said I’d like to exchange the skates and, since a competitor had it cheaper, I’d like a price match per their advertisement to do so on the website. Their manager told me they wouldn’t match the price so I simply returned the too wide skates and got the right size from Perani’s Hockey World (much better than Hockey Monkey). I got charged a $40 “restocking fee”and I called to find out why. I was told it was because I had the skates longer than 14 days. I said of course I did because it takes that long to get to military post offices in Europe. I also reminded them that we wouldn’t be in this position if their service rep knew the difference between Bauer Vapor and Supreme lines. So I’m out the $30 bucks to return them and another $40 bucks “restocking” eventhough I told them at the time of my order that it was going to take a while just to even try them on my feet. Apparently because he didn’t say the words “and I will waive the restocking fee”, I was going to get charged no matter what. When I called to complain about this they said they didn’t see any of the notes which detailed the conversation I had with them and of course there was no manager who could help me eventhough all I wanted was the restocking fee returned to me. How it was my fault that their rep didn’t take or enter the notes is beyond me. I play for a large University team and I’m telling all my team mates to stay away from hockey monkey. I recommend you do the same as they do nothing to help fix a situation that they helped to cause in the first place. Bottom line, they just don’t play fair.
STAY AWAY…
You have been warned;
they are the worst.
I have ordered things twice from HockeyMonkey.com
I’m in Toronto and although we have a few great hockey stores, the online sites for the most part all based out of the US, have a huge selection. There really seems to be a shortage of hockey sites to buy gear from and HM and many of the others often have discounts on older models of sticks and other items that really tempt you.
I think what’s clear is that as with anything you order off the web it’s buyer beware and be sure you know what you are ordering.
If you are ordering anything that requires sizing, just like I do with clothes make sure you go to a physical store and try things on first. I haven’t ordered skates from any online retailer and honestly I never would, unless we are talking about an incredible deal and even then I’d only be ordering something that I have used before.
As a Canadian when I look at ordering anything from a US Site I take into account the discount, the exchange rate, shipping rate etc. Is it really a greta deal in the end? Sometimes saving $20-$100 along with waiting a week or so just isn’t worth the hassle when I can go to a store.
So far it’s worked for me.
Others seem to have an issue and I would hope Hockey Monkey would want to address these issues but maybe they just don’t care because the market isn’t big enough or because there isn’t a ton of competition out there.
I wish this was an area where there was a ton of options.
Thanks for all these comments…saved me the headache as I was just about to place an order with hockey monkey. Not chancing it…hockey giant here I come.
Hope that everyone is as smart as you to find this thread before buying…. well I as not…..
This probably doesn’t necessarily apply since I’m not talking about on-line ordering… but I recently purchased a pair of Bauer One80s from the Hockey Monkey store in Norwood, MA and I can’t tell you how GREAT the experience was. I came from a set of Bauer Flexlites that are, by comparison, most boot like than skate-like in stiffness and fitment. The One80’s, by comparison, are narrower and are very STIFF — something I wasn’t accustomed to.
In any case, the folks at Hockey Monkey spent LOT of time with me to help me with the skates – baking, adjusting, etc. I literally spent 1.5-2hours in the store being helped and left when I thought I had a good, comfortable fit. When I had some additional fitment issues and returned to the store a few days later, they again spent the time and effort to learn what wasn’t comfortable and worked with me until I was happy. So while my typical online merchant has been icewarehouse.com (very good experiences there) and my normal local hockey shop is Pure Hockey (mostly due to distance from where I live), I have to wholeheartedly recommend the local Hockey Monkey to anyone in the Boston / Dedham / Norwood area
I am glad you made this post to help inform the community. I had a very similar experience with them. I was also one of the Reseller Rating’s posters that you chose to “ignore.” Don’t worry, I did the same thing before making a purchase in Feb 2011.
I even went a step further than you, instead of hanging up, I insisted on speaking to the manager and after admitting they screwed up she only offered me a 10% on a future purchase. She didn’t refund anything. I honestly can’t believe this place is still in business.
We both experienced strong violations of the implied warranty of fitness, violations they know they can get away with because no one will sue over $30. I supposed if they keep screwing up, someone could bring a class action suit one day.
Anyway, I am glad you made this entry. Postings like this help inform the community and minimize the amount of people getting scammed in the future.
I agree Hockey Monkey has the worst customer service, eliminate the department as they add no value, definitely the last order I will place with them. Cant change an order ten minutes after you submit it? Hope they go out of business, tell everyone you know how lousy they are, I’m going to.
My first order with HockeyMonkey went well as all of the sizes were okay. The problem IMO is their shipping and return policy. The people that I spoke with by phone were pleasant but failed to satisfy me.
An online hockey equipment vendor obviously has a lot of returns due to sizing issues so they should have a policy that eliminates the inconvenience for the customer. The restocking fees and rush exchange fees are clearly gouging. Take their policy on restocking fees for example, if you buy two or more items of different sizes with the intention of trying them on and keeping the one that fits, you will have to pay restocking fees on the ones that don’t fit regardless if they are returned within 15 days. Clearly a money grab!
The question is, can a company that profits off its customers misfortune survive because of their cheap prices? The answer is yes but only until another company offers a solution to the problem of shipping and returns.
So if you are positive about the products that you are ordering HockeyMonkey might be the best deal . If you aren’t sure about the product sizing etc. and your shipping to a distant location, APO in my case, beware of their predatory policy. Shipping costs can quickly become serious bucks and don’t waste your time trying to get them to budge on it, believe me I tried.
I agree with you 100% I only wish I had read this before I got jacked by Hockey Monkey. There customer service is horrible!!! I just wasted a $65 on a next day air and it took 5 days to get the skates. I called up and they were total jerks about it. DO NOT BUY FROM HOCKEY MONKEY. USE ANOTHER SITE!!!!
Hockey Monkey is terrible I just ordered a stick from them, it showed up broken, happens sometimes right? I email them at first they seem nice enough, then they start ignoring me emails, phone numbers they gave me don’t work and now I’m stuck with a cracked off stick. I contacted the company that shippped it they won’t talk to me, they said tell the company to contact us, I said i’m trying too and they hung up. Now what the hell am I going to do?
Just read my email to every email I can find with regards to Hockey monkey, Not hockey monkey, they are hockey equipments cheats!
——————————————————————————————————————————–
Hi,
I am totally disappointed with how your online person handle customers. I purchased through your website and I received an email asking for documents for verification. I replied the mail with the requested documents on the same day. No acknowledgement was sent to me. Sill acceptable, I take the initiative to mail to you asking for status but all my emails were ignored!
I have no choice but to stay up late until 1:30am in the morning in Singapore, to direct contact with your online person using live chat, and when question was posted asking why she didn’t receive my email or why she didn’t do anything upon receiving my email, she just asked my to resend and end the session, then to my surprise, my IP was blocked by her using the live chat system.
But that’s not gonna stop me as I am an expert in IT, when I reached into the live chat again, I need to know if she has received my resent email, but she did the same thing again, repeating to send her email and end the session.
I have EMPHASIZED to acknowledge my email when resending her the documents, again, my mail has sent to the moon.
So this is what your company practice????
Mail sent to: eva.m@MonkeySports.com,
I was expecting to have my weekend skating with my kid, so now, it looks like it’s impossible!
This is how your company do business? Please refer me to your customer service manager. I need to talk to him or her! If I am not refer to someone, don’t let me check out the important person to write to.
Adrian Koh Wai Sing
Singapore
I recently ordered two hockey shafts and two blades, on was defective. I notified HM and they told me I had to buy a new shaft and blade, return the defective one and once that received it and determined it was defective (like I was making it up) the refund me. I only received a partial refund! They scammed me and do not care! I will never order from them again and will never recommend them!
Ordered youth hockey stick for my son’s birthday. 15 days later, the shipment is still stuck at UPS station. Called HockeyMonkey and they told me it will be delivered next week… I said it won’t be in time for birthday then, and I have to return the order. They said it cannot be returned because it is on promotion. LOL – I have years of online shopping experience and this has to be the new low in terms of customer service.
“Horrible Customer Service!! I ordered 2 Bauer Vapor APX2 sticks on 7/7/15. The morning of 7/8/15 I called customer service to add a 3rd APX2 stick to my order. The customer service rep informed me that the APX2 intermediate stick was no longer available. I asked them what they could do for me since I was able to add the stick to my cart and check it out. After a return phone call form the customer service rep they offered my the Bauer Nexus 8000 which is $249.99 for the same price as the original APX2 I ordered, however the kick point is different than the Vapor so it was not an option. I asked if they could substitute the 1X which is comparable to the APX2 but was told no. After 2 additional phone calls and a return call from a manager they offered me 25% off the 1X intermediate stick. It was Hockey Monkey’s fault that I was able to check out the APX2 intermediate stick and now they are not willing to substitute it with a comparable stick. Obviously, customer service and customer retention is not a priority with them.”
I would only order again if I was 100% certain of size/fitment. They are a one way wholesaler and that is all they should be considered. I am in the middle of a return issue with them and will eventually end up paying $25 in shipping for a $35 dollar product due to sizing. I could have taken that $60 and supported my local equipment shop. Lesson learned. Stay away unless you are 100% certain, Hockey Monkey has no desire to work with its customers.
Hockey monkey strikes again. Ordered a hockey stick from them. Received it in a reasonable time. Used it for the first time in my first game of the season and the tip of the blade chiped off. Contacted HM for warranty and been getting the run around. I sent them pics and the serial number and still no response. Called the customer service # and feedback was we will call you back. Absolute joke.
Incredulous. Paid $63 shipping for 2 day delivery, and didn’t arrive in time. Called customer service and they initially lied, saying it was “on UPS”, though it was clear order was shipped late by them. Then they said “its the holidays”. When I asked for my shipping fee back, they said they couldn’t do that, and they were only a customer service center. When I asked for a manager, the rep told me she didn’t have one, and that she reported to someone via email. When I pressed further, I was hung up on!!!
Summary
HockeyMonkey.com (HM) met my expectations in terms of price, quality, and delivery schedule. I would order from them again. 4/5 stars.
Price
HM prices are identical to its competitors Pure Hockey, Hockey Giant, and Ice Warehouse. HM offers a price-match guarantee for printed advertisements. I chose HM because they were the closest retailer.
Ease of Ordering
I purchased skates and HM had a sizing guide specific to the manufacturer. The guide was easy to understand and my skates were a perfect fit. HM’s return policy is very specific and taking the time to read the sizing chart helps mitigate the need for a return.
Shipping & Handling
I placed an order for skates around midnight local time. The order was filled and shipped the next business day. The skates were delivered in three business days. Total handling time was five days. Your mileage may vary based on location.
Returns
HM received negative reviews in the past because customers were butt-hurt about returns because they did not take the time to read the fine print where HM clearly stated the terms. Attention to detail is critical. The package arrived in a box wrapped in plastic. The return form, if needed, was printed on the back of the packing slip. The skates were packaged such that no material needed to be destroyed in order to try them on. Once again, HM’s return policy requires ALL packaging to be in an unused condition. Avoiding single-use packing helps preserve the new/unused condition needed for a return.
Hockey Monkey service department is the worst i’ve seen in a while. The shipped me a junior replacement blade when the order receipt clearly says Sr. Called to get a replacement sent out and was told I would get a call back with RMA… nothing. Called in again only to get a defensive associate that hung up on me. Won’the be buying anything from them again and don’t imagine they will be around long anywy.
Same issue. Don’t order from these guys. They have the worst customer service dept. My order was lost and I was told that I have to wait up to 40 days for them to resolve. In the mean time, they don’t send replacement items. Not worth the aggravation. When asked to speak to a supervisor, they tell you they will set up a call at a future date. Absolute worse. Just call your credit card company and have them dispute the charge. Buy from total hockey/hockey giant. Better customer service.
-Joe.