Alpha Kilts owes me money

**ggibby** · 4th August 10, 06:40 PM

Back in July/August of 2009, I ordered and received a 'London' kilt and vest outfit from Alpha Kilts and its proprietor, Daron Thomas. We also had an e-mail conversation about commissioning a matching jacket and about how much fabric would be needed, which I purchased. The whole transaction went pretty well, though I was not impressed with the actual kilt and vest - both needed alteration. Lesson learned.

Then on November 6, 2009, I, along with about 40 others, I received this:

"Friends,

Our eventual goal has always been to provide the best quality kilt at the cheapest price. The target range for our kilts has been 60-75 dollars. I would like to match or beat the price of a pair of designer mens p@nt$. We have been working on a new design for the Edinburgh (knife pleated kilt with pockets) and are going to allow prior customers to test them out. These kilts will be $65 along with shipping. I would like to get a range of customers from the ones that have multiple Alpha Kilts to the ones that have never had a modern kilt.

We have added this product to the store. There will be no custom modifications to this kilt except length adjustments, which should be added to the comments field when you check out of the store and will be available in Black and Khaki.

Click here for ordering of the prototype <redacted>

Daron Thomas
AlphaKilts llc
http://www.alphakilts.com"

I ordered one almost immediately, with measurements and feedback. Daron sent several 'update' e-mails over the months, and by March 11(!), the product was ready to ship.

Mine arrived on the 20th via USPS, and was about 2 inches too big in the waist. I let Daron know on the 22nd, and he replied quickly: "No problem, we can take out the center box pleat that is inserted in the back. They are designed to remove the box pleat to make it smaller or add extra box pleats to make it bigger so its not an issue. Just send it back and we will get it fixed up for you. Our warranty provides for free alterations for the life of the kilt."

I shipped it back via UPS and got confirmation that it was delivered on March 25th. Since then I've sent e-mails and left voice messages, with no reply from Daron. No kilt, no refund, no satisfaction.

The e-mails Daron sent had an exposed "To:" list, so I've done a Reply All blast that garnered three responses in about 15 minutes from customers with similar experiences.

So, I'm posting this first to alert anyone considering a purchase from alphakilts.com or geekstyleinc.com to Stay Away.
Second, I'm soliciting feedback from fellow 'testers' about their experiences.

Whatcha think, Rabble?

**artificer** · 4th August 10, 07:27 PM

I don't wish to slam a business without having personal experience with them, but I WILL say that this isn't the first (or even third) time I've heard about problems regarding Alphakilts/Geekstyle/Daron. That's where I'll leave it.

**Chas** · 5th August 10, 02:34 AM

There is another forum (that we don't mention) on the net. They decided last year to follow our example and have a tartan woven and kilts made. The man who acted as broker for the deal and who handled ALL correspondence with the weaver and the kilt maker was Daron and all monies were paid to him via the Alphakilt website.

It is a long and sordid story. The material, when it arrived (3 months late), was rubbish. When I was in the RAF, we would have referred to it as camel sh1t and cannabis. What many members received were torn rags stitched together with broken buckles.

I had mine rebuilt by our own Paul Henry and I believe it to be the only real BotK kilt in existence.

In the end Daron washed his hands of the whole matter and walked away. There was some compensation for some, but the majority got nothing.

Daron stated that he was closing Alphakilts and starting a new business. If he is still trading as Alphakilts, then he has lied to a great number of people.

Sould anybody want the full story or links, please PM me.

Regards

Chas

**csbdr** · 6th August 10, 09:49 AM

Don't get me started.....

**Hamish** · 7th August 10, 03:56 PM

It would appear that the Alphakilts' website is no more! I just took a look and the domain name expired yesterday! What does that tell us?

This is all very sad. Since May 2008 I've had an 'Edinburgh' model Alpha in the Kollection which is a beautifully made kilt and looks really good (at least it does to me when I look in my mirror!). I really thought Daron would be on to a good thing if he maintained such high quality, but it seems something went wrong somewhere along the line.

Take care,
Ham.

**artificer** · 7th August 10, 05:04 PM

Originally Posted by Hamish

It would appear that the Alphakilts' website is no more! I just took a look and the domain name expired yesterday! What does that tell us?

This is all very sad. Since May 2008 I've had an 'Edinburgh' model Alpha in the Kollection which is a beautifully made kilt and looks really good (at least it does to me when I look in my mirror!). I really thought Daron would be on to a good thing if he maintained such high quality, but it seems something went wrong somewhere along the line.

Take care,
Ham.

Hamish, he's now doing business under the name "Geek Style"

One of the first kilts I was thinking about was the Aberdeen from Daron. But then I got an unbeatable deal on a classic tartan kilt and hadn't gotten back around to modern ones when all the mess broke out.

**kiltedpresbyterian** · 10th August 10, 05:47 AM

I have a BDU Edinburgh kilt from Alpha kilts that is great. I love to wear it looks good too. However I just checked all around for Alpha and geekstyle. Nothing now.

Hate to see someone go down like this.