True goalie, total failure

[Silence]

I was contacted by my dealer today about my order from true in April. I attempted to get it in before the switch over but true blocked it. Once the switch over took place, my dealer had no information from true on how to place orders. I have ordered multiple sets from the dealer and never had an issue before. It took a few weeks but it was ordered. Deliver time went from 8 weeks to 20 weeks. I remained patient and haven’t talked to the dealer in some time so when they called me I though oh awesome my gear is in. No, I was told that true no longer has an estimated delivery time. They it’s possible it might be by the end of the year. This is an absolute failure in my eyes. The factory was just shutdown for two weeks as well. Seeing how true is in almost every league around the world, plus NCAA I do not see the custom program being possible any longer. True does not care about customers on a retail level. The custom skates I tried only lasted a few months before they started falling apart. I’m worried the same is going to happen with the goalie gear at this point. The only thing I can see happing is maybe an offshore factory, but i don’t see it being a quality product. If anyone is waiting on an order, I would cancel and look for other options 

[ThatCarGuy]

2 hours ago, Silence said:

I was contacted by my dealer today about my order from true in April. I attempted to get it in before the switch over but true blocked it. Once the switch over took place, my dealer had no information from true on how to place orders. I have ordered multiple sets from the dealer and never had an issue before. It took a few weeks but it was ordered. Deliver time went from 8 weeks to 20 weeks. I remained patient and haven’t talked to the dealer in some time so when they called me I though oh awesome my gear is in. No, I was told that true no longer has an estimated delivery time. They it’s possible it might be by the end of the year. This is an absolute failure in my eyes. The factory was just shutdown for two weeks as well. Seeing how true is in almost every league around the world, plus NCAA I do not see the custom program being possible any longer. True does not care about customers on a retail level. The custom skates I tried only lasted a few months before they started falling apart. I’m worried the same is going to happen with the goalie gear at this point. The only thing I can see happing is maybe an offshore factory, but i don’t see it being a quality product. If anyone is waiting on an order, I would cancel and look for other options 

As someone who owns true skates and has worked for a retailer that sells true equipment, my two piece skates have been outstanding. Yes my one piece skates had some issues but they are still usable and true replaced them completely free of charge and gave me a discount on a stick (this was before I worked retail). At the retail store I tried my best to keep our stock true gear off the floor because I simply did not want our customers to have to worry about any durability or performance issues. I don’t think overseas manufacturing would have an effect on quality for True goalie equipment and it would definitely decrease wait time and hopefully price. In the long run I agree, true needs to figure their shit out and actually communicate with retailers regarding order status

[Snowman30]

With Lefevre building the goalie equipment, I have zero issues with it ever come apart. Lefevre builds a high quality product. With it being a new brand/line everyone seems to be jumping towards it, also with Lefevre behind it, it has also brought a alot of brand credibility to it. Hence why alot of Lefevre pro clients walked away from CCM and went to True. Legally in Quebec all manufacturing must be shut down in August for 2 weeks, was the same during the Reebok/CCM days. So that is out of True/Lefevre hands. 

[Chenner29]

19 hours ago, Silence said:

I was contacted by my dealer today about my order from true in April. I attempted to get it in before the switch over but true blocked it. Once the switch over took place, my dealer had no information from true on how to place orders. I have ordered multiple sets from the dealer and never had an issue before. It took a few weeks but it was ordered. Deliver time went from 8 weeks to 20 weeks. I remained patient and haven’t talked to the dealer in some time so when they called me I though oh awesome my gear is in. No, I was told that true no longer has an estimated delivery time. They it’s possible it might be by the end of the year. This is an absolute failure in my eyes. The factory was just shutdown for two weeks as well. Seeing how true is in almost every league around the world, plus NCAA I do not see the custom program being possible any longer. True does not care about customers on a retail level. The custom skates I tried only lasted a few months before they started falling apart. I’m worried the same is going to happen with the goalie gear at this point. The only thing I can see happing is maybe an offshore factory, but i don’t see it being a quality product. If anyone is waiting on an order, I would cancel and look for other options 

16 hours ago, ThatCarGuy said:

As someone who owns true skates and has worked for a retailer that sells true equipment, my two piece skates have been outstanding. Yes my one piece skates had some issues but they are still usable and true replaced them completely free of charge and gave me a discount on a stick (this was before I worked retail). At the retail store I tried my best to keep our stock true gear off the floor because I simply did not want our customers to have to worry about any durability or performance issues. I don’t think overseas manufacturing would have an effect on quality for True goalie equipment and it would definitely decrease wait time and hopefully price. In the long run I agree, true needs to figure their shit out and actually communicate with retailers regarding order status

RE: Quality -

IMO skates have gotten better.  My one piece skates ordered last year have held up a lot better than my two piece ordered in 2017. 
True reps are on record as saying they want to keep production in North America, and are scaling Lefevre's operation as such.  I don't think we'll have to worry about the pro line being made overseas.  If they choose to offer Senior, Int, and Junior gear, I'm sure these lines will be done in Asia.

RE: Lefevre -

The issue here is with your retailer.  I was flirting with the idea of getting a set of 12.2s in April, and everywhere I looked I was told 18 weeks. 

Keep in mind, the problem is not just with Lefevre.  All manufacturing (hockey or not) is experiencing delays and backlogs caused by supply chain and other issues due to Covid, and Lefevre is no exception.  To give an example, I ordered a pair of pants from Vaughn on May 18th.  Per the rep I spoke to, pants are done exclusively in Ontario.  I was just told they might ship next week, that's almost 15 weeks for pants. 

I would throw guess out there that Lefevre was not as well-prepared for moving to retail with True as they could have been.  Keep in mind, prior to the True acquisition, they were producing all pro level gear for CCM until the Reebok Premier 4.  After that, CCM moved all retail pro to Asia, and Lefevre probably had to cut staff while building for NCAA, Euro Pro, and Junior only. 

Now Lefevre has had to pivot again and not only build for Pro/NCAA/Junior/Europe but also manufacture floor stock/booking orders for retail, in the midst of a pandemic.  And we're at the time of year now where pros are getting their orders in, so retail is going to be pushed further back.  It's a shitty situation for sure.

[Yzueblin]

1 hour ago, Snowman30 said:

With Lefevre building the goalie equipment, I have zero issues with it ever come apart. Lefevre builds a high quality product. With it being a new brand/line everyone seems to be jumping towards it, also with Lefevre behind it, it has also brought a alot of brand credibility to it. Hence why alot of Lefevre pro clients walked away from CCM and went to True. Legally in Quebec all manufacturing must be shut down in August for 2 weeks, was the same during the Reebok/CCM days. So that is out of True/Lefevre hands. 

I’m from Quebec and we don’t have to close 2 weeks ! It’s only for builder like plumber etc. Lefèvre decide to close to put everyone in vacation at same time. Seriously if you are a 20+ week to make a goalie set don’t close the factory and split vacation with employees 

[RichMan]

2 hours ago, Snowman30 said:

With Lefevre building the goalie equipment, I have zero issues with it ever come apart. Lefevre builds a high quality product. With it being a new brand/line everyone seems to be jumping towards it, also with Lefevre behind it, it has also brought a alot of brand credibility to it. Hence why alot of Lefevre pro clients walked away from CCM and went to True. Legally in Quebec all manufacturing must be shut down in August for 2 weeks, was the same during the Reebok/CCM days. So that is out of True/Lefevre hands. 

This rang something to me. Lefevre was using the space/machinery/staff that CCM had to offer. I don't think True had planned properly for the transfer and maybe overestimated the Lefevre following.

On another note, how much control on things does Lefevre really have? After all True is the main investor and they surely have a large say in what happens or not.

[Silence]

15 hours ago, Chenner29 said:

RE: Quality -

IMO skates have gotten better.  My one piece skates ordered last year have held up a lot better than my two piece ordered in 2017. 
True reps are on record as saying they want to keep production in North America, and are scaling Lefevre's operation as such.  I don't think we'll have to worry about the pro line being made overseas.  If they choose to offer Senior, Int, and Junior gear, I'm sure these lines will be done in Asia.

RE: Lefevre -

The issue here is with your retailer.  I was flirting with the idea of getting a set of 12.2s in April, and everywhere I looked I was told 18 weeks. 

Keep in mind, the problem is not just with Lefevre.  All manufacturing (hockey or not) is experiencing delays and backlogs caused by supply chain and other issues due to Covid, and Lefevre is no exception.  To give an example, I ordered a pair of pants from Vaughn on May 18th.  Per the rep I spoke to, pants are done exclusively in Ontario.  I was just told they might ship next week, that's almost 15 weeks for pants. 

I would throw guess out there that Lefevre was not as well-prepared for moving to retail with True as they could have been.  Keep in mind, prior to the True acquisition, they were producing all pro level gear for CCM until the Reebok Premier 4.  After that, CCM moved all retail pro to Asia, and Lefevre probably had to cut staff while building for NCAA, Euro Pro, and Junior only. 

Now Lefevre has had to pivot again and not only build for Pro/NCAA/Junior/Europe but also manufacture floor stock/booking orders for retail, in the midst of a pandemic.  And we're at the time of year now where pros are getting their orders in, so retail is going to be pushed further back.  It's a shitty situation for sure.

Except it’s not the retailer. I have ordered multiple sets from them with no issues. Every set came in early ahead of quoted times. My P1 and P2 sets came in before release day. Everything went smooth and never had an issue getting an order in. If your being told 18 weeks I would say they are lying. Im past 18 weeks and others I have talked to are 20+ weeks. Pro skate just posted a photo of a new set last week that was still branded Lefevre. They stopped taking Lefevre orders almost 6 months ago. 

[coopaloop1234]

17 hours ago, Chenner29 said:

Keep in mind, the problem is not just with Lefevre.  All manufacturing (hockey or not) is experiencing delays and backlogs caused by supply chain and other issues due to Covid, and Lefevre is no exception.  To give an example, I ordered a pair of pants from Vaughn on May 18th.  Per the rep I spoke to, pants are done exclusively in Ontario.  I was just told they might ship next week, that's almost 15 weeks for pants. 

 

I would throw guess out there that Lefevre was not as well-prepared for moving to retail with True as they could have been.  Keep in mind, prior to the True acquisition, they were producing all pro level gear for CCM until the Reebok Premier 4.  After that, CCM moved all retail pro to Asia, and Lefevre probably had to cut staff while building for NCAA, Euro Pro, and Junior only.

Precisely this. The supply chain world wide is still all sorts of messed up and I'm sure that Lefevre, even with True's direction, was inadequately prepared to actually hit the ground running for retail sales.

Regardless, vendors/suppliers have an obligation to inform customers of changes in expected lead times on ordered products without the customer having to 'check in'.

This lack of follow through isn't unique to True or the hockey business, I have to chase vendors all the time, however, it is still their failings on a customer service standpoint and should be noted for any future considerations for where your money goes.

Plus Lefevre gear is junk anyways.

[Chenner29]

On 8/15/2021 at 2:53 PM, Silence said:

Except it’s not the retailer. I have ordered multiple sets from them with no issues. Every set came in early ahead of quoted times. My P1 and P2 sets came in before release day. Everything went smooth and never had an issue getting an order in. If your being told 18 weeks I would say they are lying. Im past 18 weeks and others I have talked to are 20+ weeks. Pro skate just posted a photo of a new set last week that was still branded Lefevre. They stopped taking Lefevre orders almost 6 months ago. 

Let me reiterate that the shops I was talking to back in April quoted me 18 weeks.  I'm sure it's longer now with pro orders coming in.  These same shops had also put in their booking/floor stock orders (which were delivered last month), so I find it extremely strange that your shop "had no information" on how to place your custom order.

[bunnyman666]

On 8/15/2021 at 4:53 PM, Silence said:

Except it’s not the retailer. I have ordered multiple sets from them with no issues. Every set came in early ahead of quoted times. My P1 and P2 sets came in before release day. Everything went smooth and never had an issue getting an order in. If your being told 18 weeks I would say they are lying. Im past 18 weeks and others I have talked to are 20+ weeks. Pro skate just posted a photo of a new set last week that was still branded Lefevre. They stopped taking Lefevre orders almost 6 months ago. 

There could be many, many explanations for this. It’s a strange situation because you get stuff onto the pros to get Joe Sixpack to buy your stuff, but many times you neglect Joe Sixpack to get stuff onto an international stage. The pros don’t the prices like retail customers do, but pros buy several sets per season and there is no warranty on their stuff, which, as a former manufacturer of bike widgets, makes up a great portion of pricing. My bet is there are several factors in play. If your retailer doesn’t have the relationship that, say Goalie Ape has, you could be pushed to the back of the queue.  It’s hard to say. I would wager that this is a particularly crazy time, as supplies are limited, and the pros and large account customers will come first. There is a foam shortage. I can’t get one square foot of HD foam right now, not even a remnant. I realise this doesn’t help you with getting gear into your bag.  

[court31sierra]

I ordered true gear in June and after hearing stories like this from multiple people, I contacted true and asked about potential delays and they told me at least 4 weeks. I was 6 weeks in on a 16-18week wait... I cancelled the order. 

if you go on there website it gives you a current wait time of 15-17 weeks ( I think is wrong but it updates regularly)

[Chenner29]

On 8/17/2021 at 3:51 AM, court31sierra said:

I ordered true gear in June and after hearing stories like this from multiple people, I contacted true and asked about potential delays and they told me at least 4 weeks. I was 6 weeks in on a 16-18week wait... I cancelled the order. 

if you go on there website it gives you a current wait time of 15-17 weeks ( I think is wrong but it updates regularly)

Yeah, it just got extended. LOL

[JAM]

I ordered a set of True pads back in April right after things changed over from Lefevre. 7 weeks in they told me the pads were 6 weeks out. 6 weeks later at the anticipated completion date I reach out and they respond with, "1 more week". A week goes by and they said again, "1 more week". That week goes by and they update me today with, "7 weeks until ETA". This order went from a 13-15 week delivery to a 24 week delivery. Their updates of 1 week out were total BS as an additional 7 weeks means they haven't even started them. I think I'll be lucky to see these by the end of the year.

[SaveByRichter35]

6 hours ago, JAM said:

I ordered a set of True pads back in April right after things changed over from Lefevre. 7 weeks in they told me the pads were 6 weeks out. 6 weeks later at the anticipated completion date I reach out and they respond with, "1 more week". A week goes by and they said again, "1 more week". That week goes by and they update me today with, "7 weeks until ETA". This order went from a 13-15 week delivery to a 24 week delivery. Their updates of 1 week out were total BS as an additional 7 weeks means they haven't even started them. I think I'll be lucky to see these by the end of the year.

That sucks.  

[Silence]

Well at 24 weeks I checked in to see what the latest info was for true. From the rep “48 weeks is what it’s been pushed to, they might be canceling it by that point. We’re not sure these orders will even be built” 

it’s pretty clear they do not care about customers. 

[coopaloop1234]

10 minutes ago, Silence said:

Well at 24 weeks I checked in to see what the latest info was for true. From the rep “48 weeks is what it’s been pushed to, they might be canceling it by that point. We’re not sure these orders will even be built” 

it’s pretty clear they do not care about customers. 

Lol that's brutally embarrassing. Especially considered they're pumping out the pro sets like nothing.

[AdamL]

30 minutes ago, Silence said:

Well at 24 weeks I checked in to see what the latest info was for true. From the rep “48 weeks is what it’s been pushed to, they might be canceling it by that point. We’re not sure these orders will even be built” 

it’s pretty clear they do not care about customers. 

Wow.

[mr_shifty1982]

This is ridiculous, I always knew that they were not too concerned or gave a F about the regular beer league goalie ordering pads.  My P2s and Axis 8 weeks, thanks CCM.

[Chenner29]

Jesus

True/Lefevre right now:

[ThatCarGuy]

The quality alone isn’t worth the wait time. In order to warrant a 48 week wait time it better be innovative too which True gear hasn’t proved itself to be in the slightest. I’d much rather go through Vaughn than True if I wanted innovation and quality with supposedly long lead times. At least with Vaughn I know I can get a graphic I actually like. That said True reps seem to be some of the best in the business when it comes to customer satisfaction although I guess they have to be to make up for the awful reality that is True ignoring all of their retail orders. And yet you’ll probably still catch me wearing True skates a long time from now. 

[coopaloop1234]

19 minutes ago, ThatCarGuy said:

The quality alone isn’t worth the wait time. In order to warrant a 48 week wait time it better be innovative too which True gear hasn’t proved itself to be in the slightest. I’d much rather go through Vaughn than True if I wanted innovation and quality with supposedly long lead times. At least with Vaughn I know I can get a graphic I actually like. That said True reps seem to be some of the best in the business when it comes to customer satisfaction although I guess they have to be to make up for the awful reality that is True ignoring all of their retail orders. And yet you’ll probably still catch me wearing True skates a long time from now. 

Buddy, nothing is worth a 48 week lead time. I have specialized rendering products coming from overseas that take a third of that time and they're a hell of a lot more comprehensive than a bunch of foam and jenpro sewn together.

True is dropping the ball considerably.

[AdamL]

1 hour ago, ThatCarGuy said:

The quality alone isn’t worth the wait time. In order to warrant a 48 week wait time it better be innovative too which True gear hasn’t proved itself to be in the slightest. I’d much rather go through Vaughn than True if I wanted innovation and quality with supposedly long lead times. At least with Vaughn I know I can get a graphic I actually like. That said True reps seem to be some of the best in the business when it comes to customer satisfaction although I guess they have to be to make up for the awful reality that is True ignoring all of their retail orders. And yet you’ll probably still catch me wearing True skates a long time from now. 

My V9 set took 9 weeks. 

[ThatCarGuy]

1 minute ago, AdamL said:

My V9 set took 9 weeks. 

That’s not nearly as long as the rumors have said, excellent. 

[AdamL]

41 minutes ago, ThatCarGuy said:

That’s not nearly as long as the rumors have said, excellent. 

Granted, I ordered my set at probably the ideal time at the very end of January. I don't doubt their lead times are longer now with the pro orders going out, but I can't believe they've gone from 9 weeks to anything close to 48.

[AdamL]

This was pretty predictable, honestly.  The Lefevre factory was never doing retail orders before, and the idea that they could ramp up quickly enough to handle all of the pro orders they were already doing, probably plus some due to the brand equity Lefevre built during that brief independent period, and then all of the retail orders on top of that was pretty silly.  With CCM doing the retail "pro" builds offshore, that factory was never equipped to handle the demand I'm sure they're seeing right now.