Received reply after 24 days...

[catdancer]

I don't know if this is the correct forum for this...but here it is.

 

I had been seeking (5) specific miniature figures for my (Bayou Backwater Fishing Wharf) project. I sent my final email to this USA firm that carries them on Nov. 1 and asked for a total amount cost and an address to which I could send the money order.

 

After 24 days...I finally received a reply. The cost for the (5) figures would be $96.75 (plus shipping & handling)...Although (3) of the figures that I wanted were out of stock and they could not guarantee when and/or if they would ever have them back in stock at some future (far off) date...but they still wanted me to send the full amount and would hold the credit balance for some unknown time.

 

They also refused to give me a mailing address and stated that they only honor (an established Pay-Pal account that I would have to set up with them)...they do not honor money orders, bank checks, standard credit cards and do not reply to written communications.

 

I guess that it is my loss...since I will never be one of their customers.

 

Paul (Catdancer)

Edited November 25, 2014 by catdancer

[Heisler]

What company is this? It would be good to know just to have an idea of who to avoid.

[buglips*the*goblin]

This accurately describes many of my attempted online transactions. 

[catdancer]

What company is this? It would be good to know just to have an idea of who to avoid.

If you don't mind...I would rather not name the business firm.

[catdancer]

This accurately describes many of my attempted online transactions. 

I am from the old old school...I do not use any credit card...do not have any Pay-Pal accounts...don't do electronic orders and/or transactions. I find out the total costs of items + shipping and send a money order to their mailing address...I know that I greatly limit myself by doing things this way and by sticking with USA firms only...but this is how I do it.

[Heisler]

 

What company is this? It would be good to know just to have an idea of who to avoid.

If you don't mind...I would rather not name the business firm.

 

 

Fair enough, there just seems little sense in posting about it then except as a warning. That's definitely a bad experience.

[MonkeySloth]

I'm honestly surprised you'll find any that will take checks or moneyorders now days as paypal and credit cards protect them as much as you when it comes to fraud.  I know you're not one for credit cards but you should look into getting the pre-paid ones from the grocery story (both Visa and AMX have them).  There's no account info needed, as far as I remember, and you can use them anywhere that accepts cards--they're basically gift cards that are backed by the credit card company.

 

I'm pretty sure I know which store you were in contact with as I remember what you were looking for and there's not a lot of stores that will even special order those brands from the UK.

[SamuraiJack]

We have a shop here that only takes cash and checks.. but then its a 115 yr old German sausage/butcher shop that is only open 2.5 days a week.

[Nocturne]

115 year old German sausages don't sound safe...

 

At least they told you up front it would some indeterminate time before they'd get some of the items in. I had an order with a UK store which advertised available in 2-3 days. 3 months later I got my money back on half the order they still hadn't got in stock. I think I was more than patient enough.

[Qwyksilver]

I'm honestly surprised you'll find any that will take checks or moneyorders now days as paypal and credit cards protect them as much as you when it comes to fraud.  I know you're not one for credit cards but you should look into getting the pre-paid ones from the grocery story (both Visa and AMX have them).  There's no account info needed, as far as I remember, and you can use them anywhere that accepts cards--they're basically gift cards that are backed by the credit card company.

 

I'm pretty sure I know which store you were in contact with as I remember what you were looking for and there's not a lot of stores that will even special order those brands from the UK.

Just check the fine print on some of those cards, because some will have transaction fees (but since you are getting money orders, the bank usually charges for those too).

[catdancer]

I'm honestly surprised you'll find any that will take checks or moneyorders now days as paypal and credit cards protect them as much as you when it comes to fraud.  I know you're not one for credit cards but you should look into getting the pre-paid ones from the grocery story (both Visa and AMX have them).  There's no account info needed, as far as I remember, and you can use them anywhere that accepts cards--they're basically gift cards that are backed by the credit card company.

 

I'm pretty sure I know which store you were in contact with as I remember what you were looking for and there's not a lot of stores that will even special order those brands from the UK.

MonkeySloth...I think you are correct in your statement about knowing the business firm I am talking about since I had mentioned them in/on my (WIP) of the project in regard to my original miniature figures being from a UK firm.

[Dr.Bedlam]

"Yeah, just send us the money, and we'll get around to doing something about it, at some point in the future. Unless we don't."

Might as well hang a sign on the door reading WE DON'T WANT YOUR BUSINESS, really.

[LittleBluberry]

I don't understand the comment about not wanting to take money orders.  Cheques, perhaps, but it's also possible to wait for the funds to clear before sending a product, at which point the person holding all the risk is the customer. 

 

I guess business is so good for them that they don't mind turning away 1 person.  Seems awfully inflexible of them to not even offer a service charge to do a tiny bit of extra work. 

[MonkeySloth]

Generally for money orders, as a business, you have to have an account with the issuing company or go to a local branch to cash it\collect it. I can't blame them for not wanting to do that for the one or two people that might want it. The costs of either of these may never be offset by the customer demand. Also money orders have a high amount of fraud to them without the protection of a bank or credit card company.

 

As for the preorder, lets call it what it is, I suspect they have to have a large enough order with a UK distributer to make it worth their while to place an order and pay customs. While we don't have to pay taxes on imports businesses do. Plus they probably need to fill a certain amount of a shipping container to make that cost reasonable.

 

The only really striking think in catdancer's experience is the 24 day response turn around.

Edited November 26, 2014 by MonkeySloth

[Darsc Zacal]

I think any company that takes 24 days to respond to a query loses me as a customer for that reason alone.