Disappointed with Missouri Star :(
 

A couple months ago my dh bought a 108 fabric backing to finish a quilt he had made. With the holidays and the whole family down with Covid.... I just washed it this past week. We discovered two pencil sized holes in the middle of the backing as well as what looks like a 2 inch cut about 6 inches in from one selvage (It looks like someone dinged it with a rotary cutter.)

I have 3 yard of 108 wide backing that is unusable for the quilt! UGH! I contacted them and was told that they don't accept returns after 30 days.

Learn from my mistake.... if you buy online, open it and wash it ASAP just in case there's something wrong with it! (Although I also don't think they would've taken it back since it had been washed). So at least open it and INSPECT it ASAP. I'm out about $75. :(

That is so frustrating! I hope it is something you can use on the front of a quilt one day.

I bought 5-3 yard 108 Backings from Keepsake quilting and when I went to use the first one I was so off grain I lost over 6 inches and could not use it for my king size quilt. Lots of lesson’s learned when buying fabric especially backings! I had another from another place that was over 24 inches off, they cant tell me they didn’t notice that! I don’t order from either place anymore, people are cutting but no one is checking!

I agree. Be creative and use the fabric.

for a moment i thought it was a quilting problem. they do long arm quilting but their statement says they make mistakes because they are human. I know, but what?

The few times I've bought wide backings I've lost a lot at the ends because of being off grain, plus to me they are a pain to prewash and iron! I'd rather deal with seaming regular width fabric for backing.

Daffy

I haven't had a lot of luck with wide backings for the same reason, they aren't wound straight on the bolt so I end up way way off. I have gone back to either using a sheet or piecing a backing out of yardage or muslin.

I won't order from 'M any more due to their shipping time. One order took over a month, one I finally cancelled it was taking so long.

I'm hesitate to order from KP as well. Their customer service isn't very customer friendly, when you have an issue.

If you are disappointed in the quality of the product tell them! Call the help number on the site. They will want to know if what is being sent out in their name does not meet their standards and your standards. It may have been a bad bolt or a careless employee who did the cutting.

I made a call to MSQC because of a package that had not arrived and they replaced it immediately and it arrived in just a few days.. In the end the original package arrived many weeks later having been on quite a journey sent here and there across the company by the shipper. When asked if they would like it returned, they said "No, Use it,. Thank you for letting us know there was a probl

For those who have had delivery problems MSQC, I don't order much or often but the last thing I ordered in early in January arrived in 6 or 7 days. I was pleasantly surprised.

I agree that you should find something else to use the backing for or sell it to someone else who will use it up for something smaller and can cut around the holes.
I still love Missouri Star Quilt Co. but do wish they would go back to using the post office instead of FedEx. Shipping by FedEx the package has to go to multiple states before reaching its destination. Seems to be that the postal service was faster than two weeks to get an order. Maybe we should be writing to Missouri Star instead of complaining on a blog.

I agree. Talk to the company. They can make changes to keep us as customers.

Though I’m not a business owner, I do understand that a 30-day return policy makes sense in terms of accounting, inventory etc. At some point, they have to know that the transaction is settled and move on, and 30 days should really be enough time for the customer to make sure s/he’s happy with the product.

That said, it would be a nice customer service for them to offer you a coupon on a future purchase, or some other simple goodwill gesture.

Yes, I was thinking the same, add applique over the holes and I would take a small seam and sew the other part shut. Ugh on them not working with you. Obviously something had happened with this large piece of fabric.

I am always perplexed when I read to appliqué over something. How do you get a random issue not to look like a patch? I guess one could appliqué over with the same fabric and maybe with a lot of quilting would be hidden? What always comes to my old mind is back I. The day when a child tore the knees of pants we were told to appliqué a strawberry over it! Being the thick ones sold on a card! Anyway what is the technique? Same fabric or a new design

Reading some of these posts about being disappointed with ordered fabric, I still want to buy my fabric where I can see, touch and feel the quality. Although, those places are becoming less all the time. Sorry for your orders not being up to standard.

After ordering 108" backing from two different places, I'm just about ready to do the same thing. I'll use Legacy muslin from JoAnns and seam it.

Yep...I used wide backings for a while. some were decent, some a nightmare. I did decide to always buy an extra half yard no matter what because of the uneven edges, figured I would use that extra fabric somewhere, but I also found, that quality of the backings sometimes was not up to snuff. So, Yep, I look for on sale regular yardage to make my backings with, easier to handle and not that hard to stitch together with a walking foot. Now, I just line up the selvedges after cutting it into the lengths I need, stitch the selvedges together using at least a 1 and a quarter seam, then trim the selvages off with my scissors. Could use my rotary cutter but my big cutting table is on another floor so I just sit in my sewing chair and trim. Works well for me and there is a lot more choice in the fabrics to use for the backing. Oh, and I also leave the outer selvages on and use those to pin to my leaders on my long arm, those of course also get trimmed off after I get doe quilting.

Yep...I used wide backings for a while. some were decent, some a nightmare. I did decide to always buy an extra half yard no matter what because of the uneven edges, figured I would use that extra fabric somewhere, but I also found, that quality of the backings sometimes was not up to snuff. So, Yep, I look for on sale regular yardage to make my backings with, easier to handle and not that hard to stitch together with a walking foot. Now, I just line up the selvedges after cutting it into the lengths I need, stitch the selvedges together using at least a 1 and a quarter seam, then trim the selveges off with my scissors. Could use my rotary cutter but my big cutting table is on another floor so I just sit in my sewing chair and trim. Works well for me and there is a lot more choice in the fabrics to use for the backing.

When I buy wide backing I always get a half yard or more extra. No problem squaring it up. Every big name fabric shop online from Missouri Star, Quilt in a Day, Accuquilt, and Fat Quarter Shop have wacky shipping these days. My Jan Dec order from Fat Quarter shop got here the first of March. Accuquilt takes several weeks or four days, never know. Waiting more then thirty days to ask for a refund or replacement on fabric probably wouldn't be honored at any shop.

I do sympathize, and have had similar experiences with online ordering. I ordered 2 yards of a fabric I really liked, and when it came, it was not the color I needed, so I left it in the original bag. Months later, I opened it and realized it was far short of 2 yards. I chalked it up to my problem, because I did not check the fabric when I got it. After the challenges and issues everyone has faced the last couple of years, I've become much more tolerant of problems, and find I seem to be looking for different "lemonade recipes" as I try to accept and work around all the stumbling blocks I run into!

I order from MSQ frequently, and I have always been satisfied with their products. Occasionally I have to call Customer Service, and they have always been most helpful.. I am just a hobby quilter, not one who enters my quilts in contests; so perhaps I do not notice every flaw. I could not ask for better treatment from their customer service staff. The deliveries are somewhat slower than before the Covid pandemic, but I know when I order about when to expect delivery.

Somewhat slower? I placed a simple order with MSQC on Feb 10. It arrived March 5.

In general, I have been happy with online ordering but have noticed that it does seem to have slowed a bit and the packages appear a little beat up at times. I think that is a result of all of us ordering more online and also of the difficulties in keeping drivers and warehouse people with covid. We also have been recieving some pretty adverse weather in parts of the country along with fires. yep, the entire world seems to have full plate right now. I have been trying to adjust my attitude to "yep, that will do" So when My snowplow man comes, if he makes a path to my mailbox and I can get my car out and both doors are cleared so I can get, it is all good. Sure, I would like the driveway and sidewalk cleared wider....but if I can get out, all is good. My brother-in-law does some grocery shopping...OK that last squash was enough to feed an army, but I shared it with two of my neighbors once a roasted it, It is all good. Sometimes I get giant bananas, some time tiny ones, sometimes stripped and good for banana bread, sometimes green and Ok to keep for several days, it is all good. Rolling with the punches!

I also have had my problems with on -line ordering. I have learned to order very early and not to expect it on time. When it comes reasonable fast, I am so surprised and happy.

I have had an order for a gasket needed for one of my appliances in place since last November. I got an email last week it was being shipped to me this week. It was in stock when I ordered it from a company in the same state as me. I could have driven there in a day. LOL

My friend remodeled her kitchen last year and decided to finally put in a dishwasher, she did her research, decided on one and is still waiting for it to come in almost one year later, it still hasn't arrived.

at the now cost of gasoline, maybe driving to shop isn't the cheapest :( on my, the trials and tribulations of quilting.
hang in there everyone!

I would definitely go with a new design but I am a scrappy girl.

Funny but I don't like USPS. They won't deliver to me only Fed Ex and UPS will so, what I wish is if we could be given a choice on how things ship.

It is so strange how different the carriers are in different parts of the country. Where I am, the USPS is by far the most reliable and provides the best service. Next best is FedEx, and UPS is a distance third. And as I have mentioned before, the package is often started out by one of the private carriers who then pass it on the USPS for the final delivery. When my friends who live pretty rural, get a package, they actually have to drive to a pick-up place about 10 miles from them to get it.

we have had Fed Ex drivers leave packages at the street end of the driveway! a driver only has to stop and passenger can open the door and scoop up the delivery! such service. FedEx drivers are upset with the company yet take it out on customers. Evidently we don't have that much "pull" as customers as they think we do. So no FedEx for me if possible.

Speaking of shipping time experiences, I have to give props to eQuilter.com. I've ordered twice from them in the last couple of weeks. One order came in 3 days, the other in 4 days. This is from Colorado to small town Alabama, not just down the interstate, and USPS.

Daffy

I placed an order February 22 and I’m still waiting. My daughter that lives about 5 miles from me placed an order the same day. She got her order in a week ago. Now when it comes I won’t be able to sew. I took a bad fall and messed up my shoulder. Hit my head and knees too but shoulder is killing me when pain medicine wears off.

The same exact thing happened to me. Ordered a bolt of fabric from MQC. It came, I put it away because of being busy during the holidays. When I did have time to sew and got the bolt out I was very disappointed with how thin it was. Had it too long to return. Live and learn I guess. Now I check everything as soon as I get it.

I go to a Hobby Lobby and buy my wide backings. They are cut and rolled on bolt straight. I buy two yards at a time. I take them home and wash and dry before using.

I don't buy anything on line.

I've had great luck with the smaller fabric sellers online, my last two recent CaliQuiltCo orders were shipped the day after I ordered and they arrived within a week. MerMer Fabrics, Cotton Patch Fabrics, several other of the Etsy sellers I use, no issues with shipping, my orders are going out within a day or two and arriving on time.

Not saying that MSQC is a bad place to shop but I've found that as a shop gets bigger, customer service tends to go down

I thought that perhaps MSQC should be advised about the complaints on shipping time. I logged on and got the computer-generated message board and left a message. They asked for my e-mail and said a human would get back to me. I'll let you know what happens.

The MSQC Facebook page gets posts about the shipping delays. The company has addressed the issue many times. One posted the items packaged have to be taken by truck load to the carrier unloaded and re sorted and loaded again. That is the biggest delay. I don't know how far the carrier is but none are local there.

I have a favorite seller on Etsy I buy 90% of my fabric from. She ships very fast, like within 2-4 days it's here and she's in California. I do know from my experience on eBay using USPS shipping that I can ship to California faster than say, New York.
It depends on the distribution centers.