C&L finescale

[bordercollie]

Hi

I have been trying to contact C&L finescale by e-mail with a simple query. I have tried 3 times using 2 different address' without a reply.

 

I was assured on one forum that under new owners things where good. They have a good website and online ordering system but do they actually deliver a reasonable service. I am a bit reluctent to place an order given that they don't reply to queries. I half completed an order before having second thoughts. I received an email telling me that I hadn't completed the order but didn't get a reponse to my query. Has anybody placed an order recently and were they happy with the service? I am in Australia so phoning isn't a reasonable option.

[Dave Hunt]

If by recently you include six months ago then I had a couple of orders fulfilled but Phil isn't very good at responding to emails and I've ended up having to ring him. I sent another order a few days ago so I hope that he is still functioning.

 

Dave

[Mike Bellamy]

 

Have a look here from about three weeks ago - he is only posting orders once a week and is at least 2 weeks behind.

 

 

There are 52 pages in this topic with over 2500 comments . . . . . . . . 

 

[gordon s]

Have a word with ‘Hayfield’ on RMweb as he knows Phil well and maybe able to give you a little more info.

[Dave Hunt]

I put in an order with Phil last week and it arrived four days later.

 

Dave

[hayfield]

On 12/06/2020 at 08:48, bordercollie said:

Hi

I have been trying to contact C&L finescale by e-mail with a simple query. I have tried 3 times using 2 different address' without a reply.

 

I was assured on one forum that under new owners things where good. They have a good website and online ordering system but do they actually deliver a reasonable service. I am a bit reluctent to place an order given that they don't reply to queries. I half completed an order before having second thoughts. I received an email telling me that I hadn't completed the order but didn't get a reponse to my query. Has anybody placed an order recently and were they happy with the service? I am in Australia so phoning isn't a reasonable option.

 

Edit

 

I just noticed we had a PM a few weeks back

 

Phil  is busy but things are getting better, as I have said he has an arrangement with his local Post Office where he can safely post all his parcels whilst socially distancing, this is on Thursdays only. So expect a few extra days for delivery

 

John

Edited June 21, 2020 by hayfield

[HAB]

Interesting development!

 

Could you put a vernier on the gauge and tell us what it measures please?  I would be interested to know the shrinkage allowance needed.

 

Based on this piece, how long do you reckon it would take to print (say) a metre's worth of chairs and sleepers?

 

Good luck!

 

Best Wishes,

Howard

 

 

[rdr]

i can print 30 sleepers in 22 minutes, if you go for thin sleepers instead of full thickness it's only 15 minutes. Gauge is spot on, 18.83mm

 

Edited June 22, 2020 by rdr

[PaulT]

The chairs look Ok to pretty good.

 

Sadly the sleeper looks like plastic,  a criticism I level at all the ranges of plastic track I have seen.

Even with grain and painting it will be hard to represent wood.

 

I daresay lots of surplus ballast and grot will help.   It would not suit me for mainline or branch line.

 

 

[hayfield]

1 hour ago, HAB said:

Interesting development!

 

Could you put a vernier on the gauge and tell us what it measures please?  I would be interested to know the shrinkage allowance needed.

 

Based on this piece, how long do you reckon it would take to print (say) a metre's worth of chairs and sleepers?

 

Good luck!

 

Best Wishes,

Howard

 

 

 

1 hour ago, rdr said:

i can print 30 sleepers in 22 minutes, if you go for thin sleepers instead of full thickness it's only 15 minutes. Gauge is spot on, 18.83mm

 

 

1 hour ago, PaulT said:

The chairs look Ok to pretty good.

 

Sadly the sleeper looks like plastic,  a criticism I level at all the ranges of plastic track I have seen.

Even with grain and painting it will be hard to represent wood.

 

I daresay lots of surplus ballast and grot will help.   It would not suit me for mainline or branch line.

 

 

 

1 hour ago, HAB said:

Interesting development!

 

Could you put a vernier on the gauge and tell us what it measures please?  I would be interested to know the shrinkage allowance needed.

 

Based on this piece, how long do you reckon it would take to print (say) a metre's worth of chairs and sleepers?

 

Good luck!

 

Best Wishes,

Howard

 

 

 

 

There is already a thread on 3D printing of chairs, sleepers etc. and is probably a much better place to continue this spinoff discussion

[StuartMc]

I ordered from C&L a few weeks back and (as I was warned at the time) it took a while - but it arrived in due course and I was very happy with the service.

 

Very pleasant telephone manner, too.

[rdr]

13 minutes ago, hayfield said:

as on templot, but it seems to have frozen in time around 2015, but i'll pop in and revive it.

 

 

 

 

 

There is already a thread on 3D printing of chairs, sleepers etc. and is probably a much better place to continue this spinoff discussion

 

Edited June 22, 2020 by rdr

[rdr]

1 hour ago, PaulT said:

The chairs look Ok to pretty good.

 

Sadly the sleeper looks like plastic,  a criticism I level at all the ranges of plastic track I have seen.

Even with grain and painting it will be hard to represent wood.

 

I daresay lots of surplus ballast and grot will help.   It would not suit me for mainline or branch line.

 

 

It is a first off prototype and no attempt has been made to distress the sleeper at all. The good thing about 3d printing, if you can draw it, the printer will print it. Flat surfaces tend to be very flat and smooth, so it's a pretty easy task to get a finish on there.

[Will L]

3 hours ago, rdr said:

?i can print 30 sleepers in 22 minutes, if you go for thin sleepers instead of full thickness it's only 15 minutes. Gauge is spot on, 18.83mm

 

I did wonder how long 22 meter worth would take to print.  I make that 2200 sleepers, or amusingly  just half an hour short of 18.83 hours printing time (18.33 hours if printing thin sleepers).  That is actually rather more reasonable than I was expecting but could prove a bit tedious.  Would a cheap printer be up to that?  Also turn round time between each print will also be significant in the final overall printing time.

Edited June 22, 2020 by Will L

[AY Mod]

15 hours ago, hayfield said:

There is already a thread on 3D printing of chairs, sleepers etc. and is probably a much better place to continue this spinoff discussion

 

Yes; can you please stick to C+L in this topic?

[lofty.ian]

I ordered some track components last week. Paid by phone with a friendly telephone chat.

The parts arrived today - very good service especially with posting limitations.

 

[Leader]

I have an outstanding order from February 2020.  It was paid for by bank transfer.  Phil has not responded to my emails.  I have complained to Trading Standards and he is now on their records.

[hayfield]

5 hours ago, Leader said:

I have an outstanding order from February 2020.  It was paid for by bank transfer.  Phil has not responded to my emails.  I have complained to Trading Standards and he is now on their records.

 

Have you tried phoning Phil, sometimes emails are blocked by spam filters. Since February I have had several orders from Phil without any issue

 

Please PM me with your details as I have direct access to him and if there is an issue it obviously needs resolving and happy to assist.

[Dave Hunt]

I too have had good service from Phil in the last few months despite the Covid business. I would suggest that something must have gone wrong in the communication for him to have failed to respond to a request dating back to February.

 

Dave

[hayfield]

1 hour ago, Dave Hunt said:

I too have had good service from Phil in the last few months despite the Covid business. I would suggest that something must have gone wrong in the communication for him to have failed to respond to a request dating back to February.

 

Dave

 

 

Thinking back a bit, Phil told me he had some orders without contact details and was waiting for those customers to contact him

[Leader]

I have a SIGNED acknowlegement of payment which was enclosed in the box with an overlapping order so there is abosolutely no issue with communications.  He knows both my postal and email addreeses. 

[Leader]

17 hours ago, hayfield said:

 

Have you tried phoning Phil, sometimes emails are blocked by spam filters. Since February I have had several orders from Phil without any issue

 

Please PM me with your details as I have direct access to him and if there is an issue it obviously needs resolving and happy to assist.

 

Thank you for offer of assistance.  The order number is #20662.  My PERSONAL contact details as shown on Phil's receipt are correct.

[hayfield]

6 hours ago, Leader said:

 

Thank you for offer of assistance.  The order number is #20662.  My PERSONAL contact details as shown on Phil's receipt are correct.

 

I will phone him tomorrow, I know that around that time there was an IT issue and he was waiting for those affected to contact him, will PM you tomorrow

[hayfield]

On 27/09/2020 at 09:02, hayfield said:

 

I will phone him tomorrow, I know that around that time there was an IT issue and he was waiting for those affected to contact him, will PM you tomorrow

 

 

Order was dispatched very late, however should have arrived by now. Phil is looking into the matter and will resolve it ASAP