Hi Everyone,

I’ve decided to start a review series called “Wot I Think”. I was inspired to do this given my recent ordeal in buying some gaming mats from Deep Cut Studio, hopefully I’ll be able to pass on some sage advice to you guys so you can make the most of my experiences going forwards!

I placed an order on 31/01/16 to Deep Cut Studio for three 6′ by 4′ rubber backed mats; City Ruins, Red Planet, and Stars. On the website these look like very nice mats, very crisp, deep blacks and vibrant colours.

 

Their website took my money without fuss, and 5 days later I recieved an automatic email telling me that my order had been manufactured and that it was ready for shipment. On the same day I also got an email from UPS saying that they had collected the parcel and it would be delivered on 11/02/16.

11th February came and went, and on 18/02/16 (getting impatient) I asked them what was going on. No reply, so two days later I asked again.

23/02/16 I finally get an email back apologising for the delay – They had all gone out of the office on holiday and all orders had been postponed. Seriously guys, how hard is it to set up an out of office automatic response to let your customers know that you’re away for a couple of weeks? And what’s with the BS email telling me my order was complete when you hadn’t even started it?

02/03/16, just over a month since I placed my order, my mats finally arrive. Can you imagine my disappointment? The print quality was terrible, and nowhere near up to the standard advertised on the website. My mats were all tinged with blue/green, or in the case of Mars, totally washed out and faded. I took some photographs in good light and sent it to Deep Cut asking for replacements.

You can play spot the difference below, my mats were on the left, the website images on the right.

I then had to wait two weeks before they finally arranged UPS to pick up my parcel, and even then, they only gave me one days notice midweek so of course I was at work and missed the pick up – in the end I had to take a day off and go deliver the parcel to the UPS dispatch office myself.

After a few more days of absolute silence I chased Deep Cut again, they replied – coincidentally only just having received the mats:

According to Deep Cut Studio my standards are just too high! I think you can judge for yourself using the images above. I certainly don’t think it’s appropriate to criticise your customers expectations when your product so clearly doesn’t match your own description.

For transparencies sake, I’ve included a full timeline of events below – nearly a full 3 months just to waste my time and insult me by implying that it’s me that’s at fault.

So without further ado, here’s Wot I Think:

Transaction – 1/5

The whole process took far too long, and the miss-communication coupled with the long periods of total silence went well beyond what can be reasonably tolerated.

Quality – 2/5

Whilst the printing was undoubtedly terrible, the mats themselves felt sturdy and of a high quality. Just a shame that the most important part, the printing, was so far below par.

Customer Service – 2/5

I can’t say I’m fond of being made to feel like I’m being unreasonable. Also, not replying to your customers or losing their emails is pretty unacceptable. Their one redeeming feature is that I did get that refund back pretty damn quickly.

Conclusion

I may have just had bad luck. Repeatedly. But since I can only review these guys based on my own experiences, I’d have to say you should avoid Deep Cut Studios like the plague, which is a real shame for a product which shows so much promise.

Have you ordered form Deep Cut Studio? Are you planning on? Tell me what you think below the line.

Thanks

Jimmi