C&L Finescale

[gismorail]

The reality is that another sale did not go through, and Phil at the very last minute was the only one to put his hand in his pocket.  

 

If as you say a 'Hard Headed businessman' would have walked away, then C&L would have closed taking the product with it.   So far there's been 32 pages of everyone else telling him how he should run the business to either suit themselves or some perceived idea of how a one man band should run, and I'd imagine a thread where the product disappeared would run to 132 pages of angst and wailing about how they could have saved it.

 

The reality is that Phil owns C&L and is figuring out how to run it to suit him and his work/life balance,  if anyone else reckons they could do better, then make him an offer, if it's serious enough he might listen. 

Well said Dave ...that statement has been needed for some time on this thread, I did think about saying something similar but could not have put it such well chosen words as you good self ..... If as has been said what is the point of telling someone how to run a business if the guy never reads RMweb ....having said that it's probably a good job he doesn't 

[Horsetan]

..... if anyone else reckons they could do better, then make him an offer, if it's serious enough he might listen. 

 

I suspect that would be followed by a swift disappearance of the products from the market, followed by another round of collective moaning.

[SJS]

I would just like to say that I had an issue in placing an order as I live abroad. But after one phone call the items were quickly dispatched and arrived safely. 

 

Just the kind of customer service I like. 

 

Thanks!!!

[The Bigbee Line]

I have just ordered a pack of O gauge Bullhead track, placing the order as directed on the website.  A phone call then confirmed my order had been received etc.  We then had a friendly chat regarding possible future products.  Looks like there are some interesting things in the offing.  We then talked about business in general.  It would seem that a very small minority of the calls he receives are obnoxious and hateful to the extreme.  I think people should remember that they are talking to a fellow human being and being a dissatisfied customer is no excuse for such behaviour.  As a one man band some encouragement tends to get better results.  That's my 2 cents.

[davknigh]

Any advice for someone wishing to place an order from across the pond? Am I best off going the website route or is snail mail the best way? Likewise payment, card details in the mail or are there other options? I only ask because the website isn't clear on this point.

 

Cheers,

 

David

[dpgibbons]

From the horse's mouth - place order on the website, give it a few days then call Phil on a weekday about 10am UK time with order details and credit card ready. 

[dclift]

Patience and persistence pay off.  I live in Australia and placed my order on the web last October.  It took me twenty attempts to contact Phil by telephone and it was not until May 8 that I actually succeeded in talking to him.  He was very friendly on the phone.  After a delay of several minutes during which he had to reload the paper in his card machine he told me that he always enters the details immediately as he does not feel happy about storing them, a sentiment that I can certainly understand.  He assured me that, given the length of time since the order was placed, he would expedite dispatch.  In any event, my card was debited that day.  Not having received my order by July 16 I rang again, and, to my astonishment, I got through first time.  I was told that my order had been packed that very day and would be dispatched that afternoon.  It arrived on Tuesday July 31.  On both occasions that I rang, Phil was most agreeable and I am certain that he is totally honest, so my advice is that even if you have to wait for what you want, you will eventually receive it provided that you talk to him personally.  For myself, I am glad that someone was found to take over the C&L business.

[Finsbury]

The geezer's always been bob on to me. Some of the chairs are shagged, but hey, whatever. At £5/500 a bag, I'll take a 5-10% hit.

Cracking bloke, wish him the best.

 

Hayfield, you gonna be at Aylesbury on the Sunday?

 

Bern

[hayfield]

Patience and persistence pay off.  I live in Australia and placed my order on the web last October.  It took me twenty attempts to contact Phil by telephone and it was not until May 8 that I actually succeeded in talking to him.  He was very friendly on the phone.  After a delay of several minutes during which he had to reload the paper in his card machine he told me that he always enters the details immediately as he does not feel happy about storing them, a sentiment that I can certainly understand.  He assured me that, given the length of time since the order was placed, he would expedite dispatch.  In any event, my card was debited that day.  Not having received my order by July 16 I rang again, and, to my astonishment, I got through first time.  I was told that my order had been packed that very day and would be dispatched that afternoon.  It arrived on Tuesday July 31.  On both occasions that I rang, Phil was most agreeable and I am certain that he is totally honest, so my advice is that even if you have to wait for what you want, you will eventually receive it provided that you talk to him personally.  For myself, I am glad that someone was found to take over the C&L business.

 

The joys of running a business which from the outside seems so easy, but in practice very different. For a small operation especially where some items are quite inexpensive and have a small profit margin, what do you do about out of stock items, as sending  separately could wipe out profitability, only send in stock items (refunding the difference) or keep the order till all items are available. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place.

 

Phil like most of the traders is a nice chap, just build up a relationship really does pay off not just with Phil but with all traders.  A bit of thought as to what time is best to contact them and at shows if you want a chat do it at a quiet time

 

The geezer's always been bob on to me. Some of the chairs are shagged, but hey, whatever. At £5/500 a bag, I'll take a 5-10% hit.

Cracking bloke, wish him the best.

 

Hayfield, you gonna be at Aylesbury on the Sunday?

 

Bern

 

 

Bern

 

The simple answer is I don't know, it should be the last day of our holiday but Carol possible has a torn muscle in her knee and is waiting for for the NHS to do scans, so nothing booked as of yet. I might be there both days, or the Sunday might be the day if we come home from holiday on the Saturday. Need to know what if any treatment Carol needs / type of holiday we can have / holidays available

 

A long answer which is basically I don't know, at least not having Exactoscale makes the track side of the business much easier

[br-nse-fan]

Not wanting to beat a dead horse.. but I've emailed several times without a response. Being oversea's and not being able to call easily, I've all but given up.

I've also noticed that the products I wanted the most, are no longer listed.. so I guess at the end of the day, not getting a response really didn't change matters.. and that's disappointing.

[PenrithBeacon]

Not wanting to beat a dead horse.. but I've emailed several times without a response. Being oversea's and not being able to call easily, I've all but given up.

I've also noticed that the products I wanted the most, are no longer listed.. so I guess at the end of the day, not getting a response really didn't change matters.. and that's disappointing.

I don't understand why you are writing emails about items that are no longer in the catalogue. There is nothing is nothing to reply about!

[RBAGE]

Read "product I wanted the most, are no longer listed". That probably means that there are other products which are listed that are required.

 

Whichever way you put it, it is a disappointing situation.

 

I have resorted to Peco points because of the unreliability of C and L customer service.

 

Cue "he's working on his own" and "give him a break".

 

We've had the same excuses for well over a year and the situation is still the same.

[br-nse-fan]

I don't understand why you are writing emails about items that are no longer in the catalogue. There is nothing is nothing to reply about!

 

When I had originally contacted them, the products were on the site, but could not be ordered as any quantity that I tried to add returned an 'insufficient available' message.  Specifically, the non-bullhead flexi track

[hayfield]

Not wanting to beat a dead horse.. but I've emailed several times without a response. Being oversea's and not being able to call easily, I've all but given up.

I've also noticed that the products I wanted the most, are no longer listed.. so I guess at the end of the day, not getting a response really didn't change matters.. and that's disappointing.

 

 

If its Exactoscale products then C&L has ceased to be the agent, in the short term they will be available from either the Scalefour or EM Gauge societies, longer term Exactoscale will be Marketing them via a new in house system

 

As for C&L products, Phil has been on holiday at the end of July, also the website states a known issue with emails which is being worked on

[hayfield]

Read "product I wanted the most, are no longer listed". That probably means that there are other products which are listed that are required.

 

Whichever way you put it, it is a disappointing situation.

 

I have resorted to Peco points because of the unreliability of C and L customer service.

 

Cue "he's working on his own" and "give him a break".

 

We've had the same excuses for well over a year and the situation is still the same.

 

 

A bit of an oversimplification and its surprising that some who follow the sales process on the site seem to get their orders

 

One of the main problems is the website Phil has inherited, which is now being addressed, plus what was the chaotic manner in which the stocks were sent. True  there were a few own goals and perhaps somethings should have been done differently. But this time last year Phil saved the C&L part of the operation from being lost to the modelling world, something many customers are truly thankful for

[Sheffield]

I agree that we should be glad that C&L continued, and did not disappear.. If the price of that is some delay  in obtaining things I can accept that price. The things I ordered turned up after a while without too much bother.

[Nigelcliffe]

A bit of an oversimplification and its surprising that some who follow the sales process on the site seem to get their orders

 

One of the main problems is the website Phil has inherited, which is now being addressed, plus what was the chaotic manner in which the stocks were sent. True  there were a few own goals and perhaps somethings should have been done differently. But this time last year Phil saved the C&L part of the operation from being lost to the modelling world, something many customers are truly thankful for

 

A friend I've been assisting with an EM layout has now received a large order for chairs.  Its taken a few months, but at last they're here.   So, the situation is improving from the spring when information and order fulfilment was poor.

[meld]

I notice the OO flexitrack has disappeared from the website (in my case I am after the deep, grey sleeper bullhead HiNi rail product code E4FT OOBHx20GREY). Has this gone to Exactoscale who seem more interested in the P4/EM lines than the OO?

 

My impressions of Peco Bullhead were not good - sleepers at odd angles like crazy track, yellow nickel silver rail and hollows under the sleepers so I could not cut them short to equal the width of short radius point sleepers.

 

Thanks.

[meld]

Yes, this is an Exacroscale OO product.

 

It would have been recalled at the same time as all the EM/P4 items.

 

HTH.

 

Meld

[Siberian Snooper]

I notice the OO flexitrack has disappeared from the website (in my case I am after the deep, grey sleeper bullhead HiNi rail product code E4FT OOBHx20GREY). Has this gone to Exactoscale who seem more interested in the P4/EM lines than the OO?

 

My impressions of Peco Bullhead were not good - sleepers at odd angles like crazy track, yellow nickel silver rail and hollows under the sleepers so I could not cut them short to equal the width of short radius point sleepers.

 

Thanks.

 

 

Have you considered using SMP track?

 

http://www.marcway.net/list3.php?col=head&name=SCALEWAY+TRACK

[Gt.Shefford]

The FastTrack sleeper bases referenced by the op have a 1.5mm thick solid sleeper. The SMP, C&L, and dcc concepts track is based on a thin (0.8mm) sleeper so would require packing to get the rails heads to align

 

Jonathan

[hayfield]

I notice the OO flexitrack has disappeared from the website (in my case I am after the deep, grey sleeper bullhead HiNi rail product code E4FT OOBHx20GREY). Has this gone to Exactoscale who seem more interested in the P4/EM lines than the OO?

 

My impressions of Peco Bullhead were not good - sleepers at odd angles like crazy track, yellow nickel silver rail and hollows under the sleepers so I could not cut them short to equal the width of short radius point sleepers.

 

Thanks.

 

The Dark Grey (thicker sleepers) track is the Exactoscale fast track bases, hopefully as an existing line the new Exactoscale mail order system will continue to supply it. I do hold my hands up and say I prefer these thicker bases

 

C&L have a new 00 gauge flexitrack tool being built, Phil seems to think it has advantages over the older C&L bases, not too certain when its available

[hayfield]

A friend I've been assisting with an EM layout has now received a large order for chairs.  Its taken a few months, but at last they're here.   So, the situation is improving from the spring when information and order fulfilment was poor.

 

 

You are correct, service was not up to the standards Phil had hoped for, he has held his hands up and is improving his turn arround times

[Siberian Snooper]

I have bought samples of C&L/Exactoscale deep sleeper bullhead and the Peco and DCC Concepts equivalents. Of these I preferred the C&L (search for Halfwits Yard if you'd like to know why).

 

Is SMP flexitrack available in yard lengths or only in boxes of ten?

I can't say, as I buy my track requirements from the Exeter Model Shop. I like to keep my preferred model shop in business.

[Kelly]

The Dark Grey (thicker sleepers) track is the Exactoscale fast track bases, hopefully as an existing line the new Exactoscale mail order system will continue to supply it. I do hold my hands up and say I prefer these thicker bases

 

C&L have a new 00 gauge flexitrack tool being built, Phil seems to think it has advantages over the older C&L bases, not too certain when its available

 

IIRC, the OO items from the Exactoscale range may not resurface other than to clear out stock as I'm not sure the gauge societys of Andrew have any real interest beyond EM/P4 for the range.