Mousa Models future production

[Porcy Mane]

I don't understand why this is at all important to anyone. The Bill Bedford range are mature products that are not likely to be changed in the foreseeable future, so knowing what my role is or is not in the production seems irrelevant.

 

 

For a range that carries your name, and by association your reputation, I would have thought at the very least it would be important to you.

 

Again I don't see what your problem is in answering a simple question that is not commercially sensitive to you or vendor.

 

So let me put things another way.  With you saying the Bill Bedford Range is a "mature product" and not likely to be changed in the foreseeable future: That statement alone intimates that you still have an input into the range.

I can't see why you couldn't have just given a yes or no answer?

 

Regardless of whether the Bill Bedford range is a mature product or not it doesn't alter the fact that it is a current product.

 

We are talking products for the model Railway community here and probably more importantly niche products for the even smaller fine scale modelling community. I've found that community, both small trader and consumer/enthusiast very open and helpful towards one another.

If a consumer finds an error or a fault with a product that information could be discreetly communicated to the trade/manufacturer, the product could be revised and all would be happy.

 

Let's say someone was to find a manufacturing fault or an error with product that carries the Bill Bedford name. If we knew for certain that you still had an input to the range, the nature of the fault or error could be communicated directly to you in the hope that the "Current Range Item" would be revised.

 

Result: Happy designer-manufacturer due to higher sales/happy third party etcher due to more business/ happy vendor-due to more sales and less returns/happy end user for more accurate product.

 

So let's have some examples.

 

BB Austerity tank/J94 coupling rods:. Articulated on wrong (short) rod.

 

BB Stanier BV chassis etch: Buffer plank overlay incorrect. has Diag 1890 BV overlay

 

BB Conflat L:  Vac cyl mount incorrect side and orientation.

 

The problems with the Brake van etch and Conflat L could easily be sorted by a "modeller" if mention of the error was made in the instructions but it shouldn't take five minutes for a decent cad operative to alter the drawings thus resulting in a correct etch in the first place.

 

A decent modeller would probably have a bit more difficulty in sorting out the coupling rods but it would be good for them to be correct; in the first place.

 

I write the above as a high user of specific BB products and in the knowledge that you may have corrected some of the cads in the last few months (since I purchased my last batch) but suspect from what you have written above the errors still exist.

 

P

Edited December 31, 2017 by Porcy Mane

[raymw]

None of this argie bargie would have happened, if there'd been better telly over Christmas.

[Compound2632]

... or if everyone had had a 3D printed wagon kit in their stocking.

[beast66606]

Much of the stuff on the CLAG website came from that 'elite' group. What came out was much more about ideas that could move the hobby on rather that repeatedly building the same layout in different guises. Some of the ideas worked, and have been accepted, others didn't, and and there are still some where we are waiting for the technology to catch up.

 

<snipped my own long winded reply as all I need is>

 

The pudding was eaten by us in very large quantities and very nice it was too thanks

 

Anyway we digress.

[adriank]

I really don't know what you are talking about - please explain.

 

Your 10' wheelbase brake gear.

[billbedford]

Let's say someone was to find a manufacturing fault or an error with product that carries the Bill Bedford name. If we knew for certain that you still had an input to the range, the nature of the fault or error could be communicated directly to you in the hope that the "Current Range Item" would be revised.

Defective products are the retailer's responsibility. It's up to him to report defects to the manufacturers. I am neither retailer nor manufacturer of the Bill Bedford range.

 

So let's have some examples.

 

BB Austerity tank/J94 coupling rods:. Articulated on wrong (short) rod.

 

Corrected in 2011

 

BB Stanier BV chassis etch: Buffer plank overlay incorrect. has Diag 1890 BV overlay

 

No information.

 

BB Conflat L:  Vac cyl mount incorrect side and orientation.

 

This is a Mousa Models product. There have been over 200 sold in 15 years, so the problem doesn't seem to be a show stopper.

[gismorail]

None of this argie bargie would have happened, if there'd been better telly over Christmas.

OMG this is far more entertaining than TV 

[PenrithBeacon]

I get the impression that now it’s not possible to vent on CC it’s BB’s turn.

[billbedford]

Your 10' wheelbase brake gear.

 

 

That fret hasn't been changed since 2008, so you are complaining about something that happened nearly 10 years ago?

Edited December 31, 2017 by billbedford

[Colin_McLeod]

I don't understand why this is at all important to anyone. The Bill Bedford range are mature products that are not likely to be changed in the foreseeable future, so knowing what my role is or is not in the production seems irrelevant.

  

 

I am neither retailer nor manufacturer of the Bill Bedford range.

 

[jjb1970]

Reading this thread (and I commented up top on how I thought it was an own goal for Bill) and some others (eg C&L), it strikes me that to be a successful small kit producer you need

1) knowledge of how to actually make the product whatever medium it takes rather than merely reproducing what someone else has created

2) a knowledge on how to, at the very least, maintain/update an ecommerce site

3) an understanding of how to market and interact with customers particularly in the physical/ecommerce overlap that is necessary for sole traders.

 

As is frequently commented, Andrew at Wizard does a brilliant job with items coming usually by post within a day or so of ordering. Eileen’s Emporium too. Whilst not an exhaustive list of good service, I’ve found London Road very helpful - missing parts arriving by post within days or post show if not in stock at show. Equally, I’ve found the likes of SE Finecast very helpful albeit their website could be described as fairly basic.

 

The power of the web is phenomenal even for small kit manufacturers. I brought some kits from David Geen at the Aylesbury show in September (indeed his presence was one of my reasons for going to that show). He remarked t me that he was blown away by the demand for his kits. I’m sure that demand was in part driven by knowledge of his pending retirement where that information had been propagated by sites such as this.

 

Taking another small trader, Alan Buttler. He has an excellent product using 3D printing and provides a real presence at shows. Read his thread on here and look how he communicates with customers across instagram; Facebook etc as well as his website. If you order from him, you get regular email updates on progress. First rate service in my view.

 

As far as I’m aware, whatever these successful people may think of their customers or potential custimers, they don’t question whether they are “actual modellers” which could be viewed as a pejorative statement. If you’re looking to sell to the public, you have to project a “how can I help” attitude not a “well you can’t buy from me unless you’ve passed an initiation test.”

 

I think Bill has done the right thing by having an account on here to communicate with his potential customers but very much the wrong thing in getting sucked into a debate about the problems at another trader. I can’t see what upside there is for him in involving himself in that debate without risking his own reputation.

 

David

 

A sensible and constructive post in this entertaining (in the sense of watching the hole get deeper and deeper)  thread.

 

I think running a business requires a different set of skills to being a product designer or being great at the coal face in any other sector. The fundamentals of running a business are scalable and whether it is a small business doesn't really alter that, even a one person business. I'll avoid falling into managementese as I cringe at it as much as anybody but unfortunately a lot of those business 101 mantras are mantras because they are valid ones. Plenty of very small businesses do manage themselves in a very professional way, including managing their retail operation and public face. Others don't. I think there is a tendency to equate small companies with some sort of virtue and to see "big business" as something sinister, yet for the most part those big mega corps demand that their people delivery consistently good service and fulfil their promises (obviously things do go wrong).

 

I come back to my view that a business is a business and should be considered in the same way as any others regardless of whether it is big or small.

[polybear]

 

I know of a number of small and large businesses that still deal with cash cheque only.

 

Locally I trade with a number of business that will only accept cash or cheque. One is the local window cleaner and I still get my milk delivered (in recyclable glass bottles). Both of these will not consider electronic payment.

 

Cash = untraceable.

No VAT. No tax.

 

Cynical?  Moi?

[chris p bacon]

Cash = untraceable.

No VAT. No tax.

 

Cynical?  Moi?

 

Realistically do you expect a window cleaner to carry a card reader/terminal.

 

When I used to do a lot of varied jobs (as a carpenter) a lot of which was for private customers, it was actually a PITA taking cash, as they all wanted to pay with it but expected the price to be 25% less.  I still had to pay it into the bank as like others I had a mortgage to pay.

[Steamport Southport]

Cash = untraceable.

No VAT. No tax.

 

Cynical?  Moi?

 

I can't see any of these small businesses even getting close to the VAT threshold. Certainly not your local window cleaner.

 

https://www.gov.uk/vat-registration-thresholds

 

 

 

Jason

[Marshall5]

So what do you at an exhibition, as i was not that long ago, where the trader couldn't get a signal for his card reader and the customer had neither cash nor chequebook?

Ray.

[jjb1970]

So what do you at an exhibition, as i was not that long ago, where the trader couldn't get a signal for his card reader and the customer had neither cash nor chequebook?

Ray.

 

I think the two most obvious options are to move on to another trader or ask the seller to hold it while you nip out to an ATM. 

[Captain Kernow]

I think the two most obvious options are to move on to another trader or ask the seller to hold it while you nip out to an ATM. 

Not sure that Andrew of Wizard (for example) would necessarily support that view!

[jjb1970]

Unless I have a specific reason to carry cash I almost never have more than £10 on me and often have no cash on me. Despite media scare stories I find the alternatives such as contactless and chip&pin work very well and remove the need to carry cash.

[Captain Kernow]

Unless I have a specific reason to carry cash I almost never have more than £10 on me and often have no cash on me. Despite media scare stories I find the alternatives such as contactless and chip&pin work very well and remove the need to carry cash.

I usually only have around that amount, or less, but that is because I'm tight.

[Ian Kirk]

Hi,

At Exhibitions, as I do not take cards, if a customer has no other means of payment on them I tell them to take the kit and send me a cheque when they get home (or for those without cheque books I now have a special account that I keep for giving out bank details for bank transfer.) I have done this for nearly twenty years as I did not set up to accept cards after selling the factory and setting up the O gauge business. I have to date not lost a single payment and have over the years received a lot of nice letters saying things like "Thank you for your trust".  Despite what the media etc. might have you think there are a lot more honest people out there than the other sort. Besides even if I were now to lose one or two think of the Bank charges that I have saved.

 

best wishes

Ian

 

And a Happy New Year to all our readers!

[Clearwater]

If I'm going to an exhibition with small traders, eg Scaleforum, I'll dust off its cobwebs and take my cheque book. I think nearly all the cheques I've written in the last few years have been to small traders at shows.

 

David

[locoholic]

I am aware that Mr Dunn has refused offers of assistance and thus not helped himself

He has effectively helped himself to people's money, though!

 

The offer of "assistance" from those bailiffs was also refused, don't forget.

 

The whole "mental health" argument is also a very questionable defence, as it would mean that Mr Dunn's website had become a weird crowd-funding project to support someone who should really be in receipt of medical attention.

 

Anyway, I'm considering registering an EOI in the year 2018, as I have high hopes that it will be delivered very shortly.

[Horsetan]

I usually only have around that amount, or less, but that is because I'm tight.

...and besides, we all know CK only carries sausages as currency.

[Horsetan]

I get the impression that now it’s not possible to vent on CC it’s BB’s turn.

There was Falcon Brass as well.....

[Steamport Southport]

So what do you at an exhibition, as i was not that long ago, where the trader couldn't get a signal for his card reader and the customer had neither cash nor chequebook?

Ray.

 

Personally I think that one of the last places that will use cash and cheques is model railway and hobby exhibitions/manufacturers. Mainly because many of the people are a bit older and many are set in their ways. If it works for them, why change? I include myself in that as well. I still buy vinyl records and CDs. No downloads for me.

 

But if I didn't have enough cash and couldn't pay by card if I saw something that I wanted to buy at an exhibition, then I would go to the nearest cash machine. Most exhibitions are in town centres or in leisure complexes. They are normally fine at giving you a "pass out".

 

 

Jason