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Expanding into railways


bencurtis14
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Hello all,


I have been reading the forum for some time but have been yet to post.


I don't know if this is in the right place, so apologies if not. I started retailing model airplanes back in 2011 with my business Aircraft Model Store, and now am starting up (slowly) with some model railway products, another interest of mine.

 

The shop is named Railway Model Store. We're stocking N, OO and HO initially. The focus is on Continental and British. We have some Hornby, Fleischmann, Dapol, Marklin stock. The website will be continually updated. There's plenty missing but if you have any suggestions or feedback let me know. The website is up at www.railwaymodelstore.co.uk

 

Looking forward to spending more time on the forum and bringing myself further into the hobby, whilst hopefully getting a little bit of work!

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A bit concerning that the website does not seem to display the companies registered number or address, a legal requirement I believe

 

The return policy is also contrary to the consumer rights act in not refunding the original shipping charge and threatening a 20% restocking fee

 

https://www.railwaymodelstore.co.uk/return-policy/

 

If this is a legitimate business which you hope to develop then I would suggest brushing up on the relevant laws which you need to comply with

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7 hours ago, Ryde-on-time said:

A bit concerning that the website does not seem to display the companies registered number or address, a legal requirement I believe

 

The return policy is also contrary to the consumer rights act in not refunding the original shipping charge and threatening a 20% restocking fee

 

https://www.railwaymodelstore.co.uk/return-policy/

 

If this is a legitimate business which you hope to develop then I would suggest brushing up on the relevant laws which you need to comply with

If you click on the AMS logo, the VAT stuff etc is at the bottom of that page

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I am not alone in being concerned with internet retailers who do not disclose a physical address. The one given is just a registered office service and not a trading address, as stated the returns policy does not meet legislated requirements. 

 

Registration on RMweb includes an acceptance that soliciting for business should not be carried out without prior consent. None was sought.

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6 minutes ago, Kris said:

There is a physical address shown on the following page. https://www.railwaymodelstore.co.uk/payments/ 

 

It's an address, just not a real trading address. https://www.regus.ru/en-ru/virtual-office/united-kingdom/west-midlands/birmingham/birmingham-crossway

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Just now, Colin_McLeod said:

 

The trading address at that link is 

 

Railway Model Store
Spaces Crossway
156 Great Charles Street Queensway
Birmingham
B3 3HN

 

The registered address from Companies House is as follows:

 

 

20190711_203156.jpg

 

Nope, check the link in my earlier post. That locale is not start-up model shop territory believe me.

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31 minutes ago, spamcan61 said:

The Aircraft Model Store uses a different address, presumably of the same type:-

 

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/10001838

The address is a converted mill/factory near Macclesfield station. Several other company names are associated with Suite 1A. The contact number on the shop website isn't the area code for Macclesfield.

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Reading through the replies above, I had to ask myself, do I ever check for VAT reg, actual address etc etc and realised that I dont!  I generally only buy stuff from established retailers/suppliers but very occasionally I've ordered from sites that I've found after websearches.

 

Fortunately I've never had non-receipt, possibly I've been lucky.  Must be more vigilant!

 

Thanks to those who have pointed the warning signs out

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2 minutes ago, Ian Hargrave said:

 

The website domain is ru.....registered in Russia I think ? Why would that be the case ? Bizarre...

 

Not sure why a .ru link figured so highly but they do have a .co.uk domain too - https://www.regus.co.uk/offices/united-kingdom/west-midlands/birmingham/office-space/birmingham-crossway

 

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16 minutes ago, Ian Hargrave said:

 

The website domain is ru.....registered in Russia I think ? Why would that be the case ? Bizarre...

 

7 minutes ago, AY Mod said:

 

Not sure why a .ru link figured so highly but they do have a .co.uk domain too - https://www.regus.co.uk/offices/united-kingdom/west-midlands/birmingham/office-space/birmingham-crossway

 

 

Bit of a sly company? Registered offices of Regus are in Jersey and Luxembourg. They don't own some of the places trading under their name IIRC, rather preferring to franchise and rake in the fees.

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Firstly, apologies for posting within the Hornby forum - I’ll post in the suggested forum next time.

 

We’re still working on the website, so will ensure the registration number is displayed tomorrow. We’re not VAT registered yet due to being below the revenue threshold at the moment (hopefully all being well that will follow at a later stage). The return policy page has been revised, this information was a mistake on our end and we do abide by the applicable consumer rights laws. 

 

We’re currently working out of an office space in Birmingham city centre - our aim is to get a little show room set up within the office so that we can welcome visitors soon, there will be more on that soon I hope. The Macclesfield address (registration of AMS) is that of our accountant. Hope this clears up any confusion! I’m from Cheshire originally so my accountant is located there and I have stayed loyal to them since. 

 

We accept PayPal and can securely process card payments online so hopefully this shows a sign of our legitimacy. Aircraft Model Store is one of the top two retailers for commercial aircraft models and we're very proud of having a good reputation for service, selection and prices. I am also happy to take a call anytime (9-6), it would be nice to chat and I am extremely grateful of any feedback whether good or bad. I really do hope and am sure that we can gain trust over time, we have to start somewhere after all. 

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2 hours ago, Colin_McLeod said:

Post deleted

 

 

 

2 hours ago, AY Mod said:

 

Nope, check the link in my earlier post. That locale is not start-up model shop territory believe me.

 

Sorry Andy. I was a bit slow deleting my post. You are right, that is a 'virtual office' or what we used to call an 'accommodation address'   

 

He is selling Hornby so he must be satisfyingly their criteria (I hope).

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7 minutes ago, Colin_McLeod said:

 

 

He is selling Hornby so he must be satisfyingly their criteria (I hope).

 

Hornby is available from a toy and model wholesaler who do not apply the Hornby dealer criteria to their accounts.

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Its a positive sign another business expanding to railways.

 

besides the obvious financial reason, It would be interesting to know the basis of motivations for railways, as opposed to other hobbies / road, sea transport etc.

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23 hours ago, JiLo said:

Reading through the replies above, I had to ask myself, do I ever check for VAT reg, actual address etc etc and realised that I dont!  I generally only buy stuff from established retailers/suppliers but very occasionally I've ordered from sites that I've found after websearches.

 

Fortunately I've never had non-receipt, possibly I've been lucky.  Must be more vigilant!

 

Thanks to those who have pointed the warning signs out

It's a matter of proportion from my point of view; if I'm buying some electronic tat off eBay for a fiver via Paypal then I'm not exactly going to worry about due diligence. A 200 quid loco then I'm going to need a very good reason to stray from the established sellers I've been using years.

 

On a sort of related note, in the world of old car buying I've bought bangers from street corners, pub car parks, people's drives; FSH, no service history, V5 address not matching sellers address etc. etc. The only one I've had significant hassle with was one I paid top dollar for from a main dealer!

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On 12/07/2019 at 19:47, adb968008 said:

Its a positive sign another business expanding to railways.

 

besides the obvious financial reason, It would be interesting to know the basis of motivations for railways, as opposed to other hobbies / road, sea transport etc.


I have an N gauge diorama so personally I have more interest in this when compared with other hobbies. It's really helps to have a passion for the product. Not to mention, it is a popular hobby still and I believe that there is a small gap in the market for us (well hopefully). Hopefully collectors will welcome us!

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