Integrated Combat Equipment (ICE Tactical) - Review
 

Well I didn't see a review on these guys so I though I should put one up.

Integrated Combat Equipment or also known as ICE Tactical are located in BC.


Integrated Combat Equipment Inc. (ICE)
2155 ROSSER AVE. UNIT #2
Burnaby, BC V5C 5E2
Canada

http://www.icetactical.com/

On my first purchase, I ordered some Cadpat TW Triple mag pouches. They make their stuff to order, which I didn't know at first which made me a bit peeved for them taking so long. Anyways the product arrives, took approximately a month, however the product was outstanding. Came with Malice clips and the stitching and genuine cad pat material was excellent.

So all in all it was good experience, I got a excellent product at a fair price at an kind of slow turn around time IMO. So a few months later I decided to make another order. I placed and order for a vest and hydration yoke. Sent my money and my order info and expected turnaround time to be again approximately a month.

I placed my order on May 7th 2008, next I received an automated e-mail stating the money and order was received so the waiting game began.

June 5th, 2008. I sent an e-mail inquiring about my order.

June 6th, 2008. Received an e-mail stating that my order was partially done and they were waiting on more fabric to arrive to complete the order and it would be shipped out within a week.

June 8th, 2008. I decided to order some pouches for the vest I e-mailed them asking them if it would significantly delay my order, got a quick replay stating they could make them at the same time. So I placed a additional order.

July 4th, 2008. Sent e-mail inquiring about my order, no reply.

July 15th, 2008. I still don't got jack shit and no news update. I send an e-mail inquiring about my order.

July 25th, 2008. Sent another e-mail to the individual handling my order and their sales e-mail address, still no reply....

July 29, 2008 - Still don't have anything and no reply.



So yeah, Im pretty pissed, no reply and no product. Sure they make a great product but what the hell is the point if I never receive it? If I don't get a reply within the week I plan on calling their office. However, as far as Im concerned Im never buying anything from ICE Tactical again and if I do it will be from oneshottactical because at least their items are IN STOCK!

Anyways will update further IF and WHEN I get my order.

Update:

Aug 6, 2008 - Called the number, went straight to voice mail, left a message.

Aug 30, 2008 - Both phone lines are disconnected, e-mail still no reply. Filed a complaint with 2CO Checkout (paypal equivilant) to see if I can get a refund.

Sept 21, 2008 - After a dozen e-mails through 2CO.Com to icetactical waiting for them to get their act together, I was finally given a FULL REFUND of all amounts. 2CO.Com - Great customer service, and very prompt with reply's.

Came close to ordering some stuff from ICE, lol. I tend not to trust online retailers for gears...I'll stick with local surplus. Sort of funny I feel more secure trading hundreds of dollars for AEGs from strangers. Like I've actually got something against them, or something.

if you live in BC you can go directly to the store/facility and see what they have in stock. i been there and have a bunch of their stuff, the operation is small, i only sen 2 people there, and 1 guy only seemed to drop by. best bet is to call and see what they have if you don't want to wait. Hobey's a good guy, he'll make just about anything you want/need. but yea, his wait times can be a while.

I don't mind the wait but Im more pissed off at the lack of communication. Yeah a 2 man show is hard to run, but really how hard is it to e-mail a customer and tell them sorry its taking so long because im swamped. If you can't handle the the large amounts of orders you shouldn't be taking their money and making them wait, they as a retailer should at least inform them they the items are made to order and that a wait time will be like 30 days. Now I know a lot of people that do their own business and it can be very stressfull and one thing can lead to another and next thing you know your over your head, it's not communicating to your customers that will break the camels back. As a customer I feel really ripped off, because well I don't know anything so I assume the worst and the facts. They have my money and I don't have my product, basically they took the money that worked and earned and stole it from me. Thats how I see it and thats how everyone else would. A simple e-mail could have prevented this.

I know how you feel, about 4years ago, me and my team ordered like 12 full multicam bdu and it took nearly 4 month to get it. Some sizing were off the scale for a few of my teammate but mine are just fine. Quality is really nice. Call them thats what we've done for 4 month we called them everyweek so!

call their business phone # that is posted on the website

We will be stocking the entire ICE line. We hope to be working very closey with Hobey to make sure everyone gets the gear they need quickly.

Right now we do have the items instock that are on our website.

As everyone has said the quality is great, just Hobey is very busy and comms are lacking.

TANK, let me know what you ordered and I'll see what I can do.

Direct from my e-mail. So spent about $240. I don't even know what the hydro yoke looks like as there was no picture, I bought it on faith on my previous purchase.

Contents of your purchase:
Product ID : 39
Vendor Product ID : HYDROYOKE
Product Description: ICE Hydro Yoke
Product Name : ICE Hydro Yoke
Quantity : 1
Handling Fee: 0.00
Optional color CADPAT TW ( 0.00 )

Product ID : 33
Vendor Product ID : DIRECTACTIONRIG
Product Description: ICE Direct Action Rig
Product Name : ICE Direct Action Rig
Quantity : 1
Handling Fee: 0.00
Optional color CADPAT TW ( 0.00 )

Shipping Cost: 12.65

Total : 181.32 ( CAD )

Product ID : 44
Vendor Product ID : M4DOUBLEWEDGE
Product Description: ICE Double Wedge
Product Name : ICE Double Wedge
Quantity : 2
Handling Fee: 0.00
Optional color CADPAT TW ( 0.00 )

Shipping Cost: 8.55

Total : 59.81 ( CAD )

The Hydro yoke is a longer version of their padded yoke. Externally it's pretty similar (of course you can access the bladder etc..).

IMO: they need to hire more sewers and someone to deal with orders and shipping receiving. Quality is outstanding but customer service / reasonable turnaround is lacking.

ICE has great kit, however as stated his comms is absolute crap!

Pretty much the only way to get anything done is to go directly to his shop..or call his cell.

9 times out of 10 it seems that it's the communication of a company that gets the bad review and not the product....

Hobey is a good guy. Last year I ordered a pair of suspenders nd battle belt in cadpat tw and had them within a week. He sent them out to me before sent payment. Sure comms are a bit lacking but t's understandable because it's a small operation. And as for the battlebelt I will be ordering once in multicam once I get my multicam rig going. Being able to attach a drop leg on either leg directly to the belt is a lifesaver so no more dragging my pants down. And the suspender system is very comfortable as well and good for weight suppot.

No doubt Hobey is a great guy. I have visited him on numerous occasions and I live very close to the shop. I have several of his items, all great stuff.

The issue is that demand is growing faster than his business and he needs to expand resources to accommodate. One guy can communicate, take orders, make stuff, ship it, etc.. when orders are small, but when demand and orders are big - you need more help to handle it.

Its not understandable to me at all. What do I get for my understanding ? A discount ? My stuff quicker ? No.

If you can't conduct business properly and promptly then you shouldn't be in business. Its counterproductive, creates a bad image, leaves a bad taste...definitely no way to create repeat business. You can't fuck around with money.

Most of them surely are good guys.They are simply mistaken for as good a businessmen as they are sewers.Which frequently isnt the case.
The most important thing I think a lot of custom gear makers can learn is : when to realise "This is getting too big to do it all myself" and " how important customer communication and expectation management is."

If you know how long it will take, upfront before ordering and paying, then you can make up your mind whether you wish to order or not.
And this isnt the first comment about ICE that I have seen .

Called them today, went straight to voice mail.. Left them a message stating my order numbers and my cell phone for them to get back to me or via e-mail. We will see what happens now, I presume more waiting. If there are any airsofters that live near by that wouldn't mind giving him a visit on my behalf I would be greatly appreciated, I will throw you $20.

According to their website:

Toll Free in North America: 1-888-499-7760 - Number disconnected
International: 1-604-299-7760 - Straight to voice mail.

Update:

Filed a complaint with recol.ca

I have sent them a e-mail stating a product delivery/update/refund deadline. If they fail to comply, I will be contacting my local authorities.

Awesome! Both Phone lines are disconnected!

Burn em up mate.

I've dealt directly w/ one of the production guys there from the army side of things, I'll give him a shout via other means and hopefully this can get sorted out.

Damn he doesn't work there anymore...fudge

Apparently ICE takes a very long time to get their product to the buyer.

But -- This is exactly why I say customer service is 3/4ths of online transactions :)

Derek left ICE last winter. I guess Hobey never found a replacement. I've dealt with him numberous times and found him to be pretty stand up guy and definitely not a thief. However his business model needs a serious revamping. He's got multiple machines and ample warehouse space that can handle the volume but he seems to have trouble finding skilled labor in the Lower Mainland. Is it his wages, the hours? I don't know and I wish I was back home to help the guy out.

ICE looks, on paper at least to be a company that could be very successful, but unfortunately yeah they don't really deliver in the customer service dept.

I have their battle belt + suspenders, and the quality is top notch. I'd love to support a CDN gear maker, but don't think I'll ever order from them again.

It could be that Hobey's just a fiercely independent stubborn son-of-a-gun. At least that was my impression of the man anyway. He's got talent but it's just extremely frustrating seeing his business going pear-shaped.

A friend went by his store today at lunch, it was closed, lights off. I'm having my cousin drop by on the weekend, if that doesn't work Ill have to get some friends in Vancouver PD to give him a visit. I contacted 2CO, their billing company (IE like paypal) and they have messaged him to comply with shipping or with my refund, if they can get me back my money, Im not sure yet. Will update within a week, Im suppose to re-open my ticket if he doesn't contact me in a timely fashion, I guess that's Friday.

I understand ICE takes a long time, my first order took a month, however Ive been waiting since May. Thank god I only need stuff for airsoft, others might not have been so lucky.

I'm not sure what you mean. Will they be visiting in an on-duty or off-duty capacity? He's in Burnaby so RCMP would have jurisdiction, no?

Yeah sorry, I meant in a way so that they hopefully can contact the authorities in that jurisdiction see whats up. I forget Burnaby is not Vancouver.

According to RECOL, im suppose to contact my local RCMP detachment so they can lget in touch with whoever has jurisdiction in Burnaby, but Im not sure how much good thats going to do. I don't really care to get him in trouble, I just want my stuff, or at least my money back.

On another note I find interesting, I notice that oneshottactical carries ice and according to farmsboy's post he got his product in June, yet I ordered my shit in May and still haven't received ziltch. I wonder when they placed their order with ICE, just to get an idea of how backlogged they are, or maybe he just did the big clients first.

Just did a quick google on ICE, seems that there is thread at militaryphotos.com as well. Looks like some members of the ASC board posted on it, including, I think Primus.

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums...d.php?t=118746

I had to hound that guy from Custom Tactical Creations for like 7 months to get my stuff and go through various channels to get to him. Keep truckin, you'll get results eventually, going through the RCMP would probably be the best/quickest way.

Well im putting the squeeze on their billing company, 2CO Checkout, maybe that way, when his money is threatened, or his method of receiving money is, I might hear something.

Yea, apparently ICE had to stop using Paypal, I'm assuming because of the mass of refunds paypal would have givin their customers. I would imagine if they went to this 2C0, it is because that company would not refund without ICE's permissions or at least be much more of a hassle to go through than paypal to get a refund. Paypal is usually pretty good with refunds for goods not recieved.

I don't think there's a lack of people that sew in Vancouver / westcoast. My mother in law used to work in clothing / gear fabrication and still knows lots of people in the biz. Talent is not an issue IMO. Business model and customer service are the issues.

I've walked in before asking for something that's supposed to be available, yet they weren't stocked with the materials (CADPAT fabric???). So they couldn't make it. IMO, if you're advertising stuff on your sight, it should either be in stock or you give an ETA of when it's available (and say it's not in stock).

When I first got hooked up with ICE/Hobey my intention was not only to distribute their product but help another Canadian company get going.

The order I placed was picked from a list of gear that they had instock. This way we got product right away, and ICE got some more working capital.

Just thought I would update, been chatting with 2checkout.com in attempts in getting a refund. Direct from me talking to their several CSA people:


1 Message by you on Fri, 29th Aug 2008 4:14 pm
Hi,

I made two orders from ICE Tactical totaingl about 300 Canadian Dollars. I have not received delivery for any order and it has been over 3 months. All attempts to contact the company have failed, I have called and e-mail them numerous times. Is there anything 2CO can do about it in regards to getting my money back?

Below are the order numbers.

3919858803

3934067763

Thanks in advance,
Joe
2 Message by joshk on Fri, 29th Aug 2008 7:20 pm
Dear Joe,

Thank you for contacting 2Checkout.com. I apologize for the delay in responding to your inquiry. I have contacted icetactical.comto request a refund for both of your orders. The supplier, icetactical.com, will be contacting you via e-mail. If you do not receive a response in a timely manner, please feel free to reopen this ticket for additional assistance. We appreciate your patience while we resolve this matter.

For your convenience, our Customer Care Department is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.


Thank You,
Josh Karamian
Customer Care
2Checkout.com
http://www.2Checkout.com

1-877-294-0273 Toll-free in U.S. & Canada
1-614-921-2450 International callers
08718718283 (UK & Northern Ireland)
Fax: (614) 921-2451 or (866) 921-2451 (US & Canada)
3 Message by you on Tue, 9th Sep 2008 9:36 pm
Dear 2CO Representative,

Ice Tactical has yet to reply to any of my further attempts to contact them, their e-mail address and both phone lines are no longer in service. It has been 6 business days since your e-mail notifying them of my issue. What are my other options, if any?

Regards,

Joseph H
4 Message by on Wed, 10th Sep 2008 12:54 am
Dear Joseph,

Thank you for contacting 2Checkout.com. I apologize for any inconvenience and any delay in response regarding this matter.

I have checked on both of your orders, 3934067763 and 3919858803, they have not shipped. I am very sorry to hear http://www.icetactical.com has not addressed this situation. At this time, we can request a refund for the order or contact http://www.icetactical.com on your behalf once more, with a request for a resolution. Please let us know how you would like us to proceed, and we will take the appropriate actions to resolve this matter.

If you have any other questions, feel free to open this ticket.

Thank you,
Brenda
Customer Care

http://www.2checkout.com

(614) 921-2450

(877) 294-0273 (US & Canada)

08718718283 (UK & Northern Ireland)

Fax: (614) 921-2451 or (866) 921-2451 (US & Canada)

V2 Users Guide: https://www.2checkout.com/documentat...sersguide.html
5 Message by you on Wed, 10th Sep 2008 1:25 am
Thank you for your prompt reply. Please contact http://www.icetactical.com again and request either delivery or refund of the above orders. If they do not comply, or do not respond, is there any way for me to get my product or refund through 2Checkout.com? or is 2Checkout.com only a mediator? I know with other third party payment company's, they can withdraw funds from the users account or put them in a negative standing, is that possible at all with 2checkout.com?

Regards,

Joseph H
6 Message by on Wed, 10th Sep 2008 3:57 am
Hello Joseph,

Thank you for contacting 2Checkout.com. I apologize for the delay in responding to your inquiry.

If you don't hear anything from icetactical.com you can contact us regarding the refund. We are able to refund the order for you.

If you have any further questions please contact us again.

Thank you,
Scott
2Checkout.com
http://www.2checkout.com

(614) 921-2450
Toll-Free(877) 294-0273 (US & Canada)
Local-Toll 08718718283 (UK & Northern Ireland)
Fax: (614) 921-2451 or (866) 921-2451 (US & Canada)
7 Message by you on Wed, 10th Sep 2008 1:03 pm
Dear 2CO Representative,

I would to start the process to get a refund, I no longer care for the product as I was expecting it 4 months ago. Please let me know how to proceed. Do you know approximately how long it will take for me to receive my refund?
Thank you,

Joseph H

Hopefully I can get my money back, surprisingly, these guys are really quick with responses, which is nice.

I make tactical gear here in Petawawa, feel free to contact me via e-mail

Thanks for the offer but Ive already found someone else.

On another note, I after shooting back several e-mails with 2CO.Com and waiting for ICE Tactical to get back to them. Looks like I'm getting my money back! ****** does happy dance ******

They are sending the money to my paypal account, will update in 5-7 days when the funds clear. I'm so fucking happy this is almost over.

I got my full refund from 2checkout.com today all $241. I'm quite pleased considering I thought this money was lost. Process took approximately 1 month and they were a pleasure to deal with, Very prompt in with reply's.

Thanks for nothing but grief ICE Tactical.

Good show Huyhn. Glad you finally got some resolution.

ITS FUCKING HUYNH..er Sarge :D

WIN! ;) I'm your Staff Sergeant, I don't need to get you're F'in name right :D Either way good stuff on getting some cash bud. Bastards need to learn customer service and that length of time with no comms in unacceptable.

Its been a long time but I would like to update this thread:

Approximately a month ago I was contacted by a ASC member (who will remain nameless) who was the new CSR for ICE Tactical and wanted to know about my experience with them. After directing him to this thread he stated that ICE Tactical wanted to make it up to me for giving me such a hard time with the transaction. After sending a back a few e-mails asking about if there was any gear I would like from the ICE lineup, I told him I still wanted my original order as I have not found a quality cadpat rig that met my needs besides one designed custom by KTS(Knight Tactical Solutions)

The CSR Rep told he would do the best he can and try to get it to me as soon as ICE's other client orders were fulfilled.

Well this morning, low and behold I got a package from ICE Tactical from Canadapost. I eagerly opened it to see what was inside and guess what?

I pretty much received my original order completely FREE (Just under $200 worth of product)!! I know ICE Tactical dropped the ball and from what I've read many times and for many people, but I am happy to say at least for me they have owned up to their mistakes and have turned wrong into right. I will have a review of the items I received up shorty time allowing.

I would like to say, at first glace the quality of the products look extremely well made and am happy to consider making future purchases from ICE Tactical.

I'm glad I could help Joe. I'm currently working with some ASC members to sort out new ICE orders.

Those looking for ICE kit can contact me directly at ICE paul@icetactical.com

Im happy to read this post.

Last year I have the same experience, I placed a large order and I never receive the items, I tried to contact with Ice and I was unable to contact with.

Finally (five o six months later) I started a claim and I contacted 2CO their billing company and they send me a refound The claim proccess with 2co was really fast (very good service)

Several months later I find some of the suff that I need in One Shot Tactical ... And now (with some mistakes in the order) I had some Ice webbing an Im happy with.

Honestly the quality of his products its really good, I have (a lot of) cadpat products coming from dropzone, tactical tailor, cp gear, hig speed gear and others, and his quality is at the same level.

I expect that some day hobey make a real change in his customer service.

Carlos
Spain

planning on buying some gear from them anyone deal with them lately? are they still the same or did they change?

Well apparently according the rainman's gear post he doesn't work for ICE anymore (great guy, hes only one that did right by me). I would definitely be cautious. Buy something very small that you don't really need right away and see how it goes from there. Even try sending an e-mail to see if they respond.

If anything I would go to a retailer, I believe one shot tactical carried some of their stuff, not a lot though.

DS Tactical carries there shit

Sadly, I have to add a thumbs-down to ICE for service (can't comment on their gear -- it never came).

Initial contact was great. Near-instant reply, "yes, we have it in stock, and we'll ship it next business day" -- even offered free shipping and COD! I said I'd pay up front, and to just tell me how he'd prefer payment. I never got another reply. I e-mailed and called several times. Left messages. Nothing. No reply. And the gear never shipped.

I'm really disappointed because their gear seems great, but their service is terrible.

Past actions are a good indication of future ones. Sadly ICE has not learned or changed one bit. Their gear is still of great quality though but buying from them is like betting against the house, odds are, you're going to lose out.

I still deal with Hobey at ICE, and he has always provided great customer service to me

Picked up a few more pouches today with no issues at all. I placed the order a few days ago and he contacted me promptly to tell me it was ready. Picked it up today and the pouch quality has gotten even better from some older ones I have that were already really well made.