The only kits I've purchased are from Jinny Beyer and I haven't had any problems.

With that said, I wholeheartedly believe in sharing problems with the 'maker'. If they don't know it's broken, they can't fix it.

Case in point: I got my most recent Keepsake Quilting catalog. There were about 10 pages (papers) that were stapled into the center of the catalog all in the wrong order and upside down! If Keepsake is having problems with their printing dept./company, I would think they'd want to know about it.

Another time, I had a catalog that had pictures on the front of items in the catalog, listing their pages numbers. When I looked, some of those items (on sale) weren't even IN the catalog, and most others were on different pages. I called and told the customer service folks about that one, with the line that "you may lose sales/customers if they can't find the item the catalog was promoting".

It can't be fixed if they don't know it's broken....

I have had a quilt pattern designer ask me specifically if the directions were easy to follow and/or what corrections or additions I would make. I think a reputable person or company would want to know.

I've also been disappointed by certain fabrics in a kit. They might have been okay, but they weren't comparable to the ones in the sample I saw. If I'm spending all this effort on a project, I want the fabrics to be the best possibile, so I've actually bought new ones. That's one way to build up your stash - rejects from kits you've purchased.

I've bought several kits, but have only gotten around to sewing a few. So far the fabrics have all been correct and had generous quantities.

My kits have come from quilt shops (purchased at quilt shows).

They probably have a disclaimer somewhere that says the fabric in the kit photo is representative of the fabrics you will receive and may not be an exact match, but if they aren't even from the fabric line they are advertising you should definitely let them know. And if you didn't get the right yardage or the right number of fabrics, they should know that, too.

Donna

I think Jen is right that you should let them know. Remember, they might not have prepared the kit at all. They may use a fulfillment house who puts it together and they just assume it is as represented. If a company is short changing them and their kits, they'd want to know. If it is just a misunderstanding, they can tell you but you will have done the right thing.

I would be really disappointed if I ordered a kit and the fabrics weren't what I expected. I think you should let them know and I suspect they'll want to make you happy.

I agree with Jen 100%, that they need to know. But really... isn't is sad that someone, somewhere along the line did not notice the errors before it was mailed?? I guess quality control is one of those easy cut-backs.

Last year, at camp, I brought a kit and they did not include enough of the darkest green fabric. A perfect example of being hours from the nearest 'shop'. I had lots of offers, of course, from fellow campers but I ended up using a piece of the med-dark from the kit. Had tons of other fabric left over. It made me realize there might be a market for kit making for someone as painfully detail oriented as myself :)

So kits...? Right now I appreciate the convenience, but I always expect errors and am pleasantly surprised if there are none.

Faye

I tend to not use kits, mainly because the ones I like are $$$$ lol.

When I first started quilting I bought some kits from JoAnnes. Even on sale they were not worth the price, poor quality fabrics and some shortage of fabrics.

The 'Quilts for Kids' also have mistakes and I always measure before sewing BUT in all of the kits from them I have had plenty of fabrics. I look at them as, I am sure they have volunteers to make the kits and no one is perfect lol!!!!

With the prices of the quality BOM kits I definitely expect them to be correct in every way, and yes I would let them know what problems I encountered.

I also see BOMs that have 'Every effort will be made to provide the fabrics noted or pictured in the pattern, but in some cases similar substitutions may be required.' I want the fabric I signed up for not a substitute - but - they do warn you in advance lol!
Rosa

I did let Hancock know that I wasn't pleased with the fabrics in the kit but I have had no response to date. There was enough fabric just not the right kind. I went shopping to day trying to find the line, lots of nice batik's but not the Salt N' Pepper Tonga that I wanted. I found a couple that I may try to substitute but disappointed that they didn't carry it. Went to 2 shops, one has a huge selection. They had lovily quilt on display that I would like to try but their kit was $140 so settled to for expensive 10" sqs. and as they didn't have the pattern in stock I cheated and took measurements. lol. We will see what happens.
Thanks everyone for your input.