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Anyone Know Anyone at Coopercraft?


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The company was at Expo EM North. I didn't speak to the person manning the stand other than to buy some bogies, but did overhear part of a conversation which implied considerable problems of some kind. Has there been a change of hands which has not been completed successfully?

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I have just looked up his (Kits from Somerset) membership record for this forum and the last posting was on the first of April this year,just looking at the collected entries there makes you realise the enormity of the mans outstanding task

 

Whilst I have not been a customer of his products for many years I have been (third) party to conversations between an associate of mine and the proprietor I have come to the conclusion that the old problem of "biting and chewing" has come into play here.

 

Perhaps this is vindication of Petes actions when Carrs took over Len Newmans empire last year, which also lead to vociferous criticism from some on here.

 

Perhaps I have a more relaxed attitude than some towards waiting for delayed service due to some thirty years trying to fulfil the needs of myriad motorists all of whom own the only car on the road.

 

Wally

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Having met Paul a few times, visited his 'works' a couple of times when he took over the business, spoken to a few retailers, and reading the situations mentioned in this thread, visited his website, and tried phoning a number of times, my conclusion is that if you want anything from coopercraft, the only reliable way is to buy it at a show i.e. pay over your cash and walk away with goods, anything else is a bit hit and miss.

 

Best wishes,

 

Ray

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Guest maxthemapman

I'm sorry, but as someone who takes credit card payments online myself (and has a 100% fulfilment and satisfaction record), the ethical and honest thing to do if there are known long-term difficulties, such as being ill or overwhelmed, is to stop taking credit card payments online. Anything else could be interpreted as fraudulent behaviour.

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If you look through the various hobby shop sites, you will notice that a good number of the Coopercraft wagons are starting to dry up and when I purchased some 4 and 5 plank wagons a few weeks ago, they reported that getting resupplied is a very hit and miss process. The report of a faulty machine has been on the website for a long time now, one would hope that steps are being taken to rectify the problem and "resume normal services"

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.... the old problem of "biting and chewing" has come into play here.....

It's particularly unfortunate, given that one of the ranges that he took over (Blacksmith) was itself bought from previous owners who had bitten off somewhat more than they could handle. The website they tried to set up for it was a mess.

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It can be quite difficult to run a small model business .its no great fun but better than working if goes well and not nearly as good if it doesnt .I suspect many take on far more than they suspect it takes and wither on the vine .I only sell a few figures ,about 25  types to date ,and even then it can be difficult to order in bulk when you know sales of some items will be slow ,buy 100  min and sell ten etc .multiply that by say ten diferent items and and tidy sum goes out the door for a bunch of white metal  thats going to hang around a while .They all go in the end often taking me by surprise.I dont depend on it for a living so can take a fairly relaxed view of it all .No-one dies if I get it wrong.If I run out I just pull sales of it which is easy as I mainly sell  all over the world on ebay .For all the travails about Ebay you can only sell goods you have or the Ebay gestapo will be on your tail and refund issued whether you like it or not  .You still need to order far more than you will sell for a while  and often you dont catch up your out goings for months especially in the summer .How any one copes with business such as Gibson,C+L and Markits is beyond me .It would drive me nuts .A sudden heavy outlay  could well overwhelm the finances especially with injection moulding  and the likes .As I said no-one dies if you havnt got an item unless they get frustrating apoplexy and shoot themselves in anger  but you shouldnt  take payment for goods you havnt got .Its the road to ruin .I hope he gets it all together as  I want an LNER driving trailer kit .

Martin

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Finally in the country and near a phone.  Have tried mornings, evenings  and afternoons for 3 days.  Permanently engaged.............

 

Money definitely left my account and no goods matching the order have arrived.  (everything from everyone else did thought - It's like Christmas!)

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Personally I have given up trying to buy Blacksmith/Mallard GWR clerestories off him. He has lost my business to Worsley Works who are producing the same GWR diagrams plus others and using more up to date style (door hinge holes, bespoke etched roof etc). As good as they are Fred Blackmans hand drawn films are now over forty years old and a bit tired compared to the likes of Geen, Bedford, Worsley etc.

 

Just my opinion

 

Mike Wiltshire

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Paul is alive and trading at Scaleforum this weekend.

See him at Aylesbury!

I like many other modellers, live overseas.  We like buying from websites because our local shops often don't stock British products.  We can buy at all times of the day or night, and don't have to wait to trog off to shows to complete our lust for a product.

 

If someone wishes to trade only at shows, then fair be it to them.

 

But please don't trade online without an online customer service system ie, answer your customer's emails and/or phone calls.

 

It is obvious that there is some sort of repeat problem highlighted by reading this post/thread.  Please will someone pass this onto him if they go to Scaleforum, because he obviously avoids his emails like the plague.

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I have been to scaleforum today, when I finaly managed to track him down with regards to my outstanding (about 18 months) order for Blacksmith kits and bits he said "he hopes to have all the castings ready by the end of the year", so I might get me stuff at ExpoEM, but I'm not going to hold me breath. I was going to ask further questions when someone else distracted him and I got fed up with waiting.

 

SS

 

Edited for big fingers on small touch pad.

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Guest maxthemapman

So, do I go through all the hassle of a chargeback just to recover £12.50? My receipt says that I am order number 700. 700 x 12.50 = £8750, no emigration to Rio on that sort of money, but a useful bit on income nonetheless.

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This is a pity as I used to buy all my Slaters LMS/Midland wagons from Coopercraft. The waterslide transfers in the kits were very useful (I love the tare weights) until he struck a problem with his suppliers and he stopped supplying them. I did not find out about this problem until I ordered some Slaters wagons and they arrived without transfers ! Does anybody know if he has got them back in stock ? I have sent many emails but no reply at all.

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Brian 777999 -

It is no wonder he is 'stuck with a problem with his suppliers. Please refer to my post #53 - why would you want to send money to someone who can't be bothered to answer emails? I'm pretty certain you could get suitable transfers elsewhere.

 

Maxthemapman -

You should definitely go through the hassle of chargeback. . If we let things slide, then his business sense (if there is any   :boast: ) will only get worse.

 

Best wishes,

 

Ray

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