Modelmaster

[Mallard60022]

On 01/11/2021 at 13:23, Siberian Snooper said:

Looks like another blackhole, like the Coopercraft one.  Buyers beware.

The alarm bells were ringing long, long ago Phil. Maybe some folk didn't hear them?

P

[woodenhead]

Just now, Mallard60022 said:

Think you are correct there. That's why I wonder why some have not followed that path.

P

The days of paying by cheque, postal orders and your money is gone are now past.  Making an online order with any bona fide business is via online payment methods which involve a card or paypal with protection,  anyone asking for a personal bank transfer or Paypal personal payment is a red flag.

 

Given this is a legitimate business with an online payment presence, it should be simply ask your provider to get you your money back.

[Mallard60022]

Yesterday (1/11/21) I purposely ordered some items from MM. Not a huge amount of cost in any way, as I may be daft but not stupid. I am doing it to 'test the situation'. I used Pay Pal. I shall report back.

Phil

[Derekl]

Does Modelmaster not supply transfers to Peco for the Parkside kit range they have taken over? I imagine they would expect orders to be delivered on time and with no messing about. I suppose it is possible that Peco bought a large batch from him and will not require more for a while, but that is not normal business practice. It is possible that the Peco contract distracts from the rest of his obligations.

[Mallard60022]

1 minute ago, Derekl said:

Does Modelmaster not supply transfers to Peco for the Parkside kit range they have taken over? I imagine they would expect orders to be delivered on time and with no messing about. I suppose it is possible that Peco bought a large batch from him and will not require more for a while, but that is not normal business practice. It is possible that the Peco contract distracts from the rest of his obligations.

No idea. Maybe ask Peco?

P

[Siberian Snooper]

I have some recently purchased Parkside kits, that came with transfers, I've not looked at them, as they are well out of my modelling period.  I will check on them later and report back tomorrow, as long as I remember.

 

 

[Ben Alder]

Yes, he has been supplying Peco with transfers for the Parkside range. Also, I can only add that I have four or five transfer orders from him these last eighteen months, and  apart from a two month or so delay on part of the first order in the early days of lockdown when he was unable to get supplies, all the others have been fulfilled promptly and entirely.

 

[Siberian Snooper]

As Ben has confirmed, the Parkside kits do include Modelmaster transfers.

 

 

 

 

[TheEngineShed]

So I called Modelmaster today and spoke with Jim.  It has almost been a month (5 Oct) since I last spoke to him.  He was putting together some international orders and stated he would get them out in a few days, my order included, he offered to email me the tracking number when the plates are posted.  Jim was under the impression that it was taking a very long time for international airmail because of fewer flights, I told him as far as UK to USA was concerned, not to worry, it is currently only taking around ten days for mail to cross the Atlantic.

 

I mentioned that I had seen that his website had been suspended and I was glad to see it was back up and running.  I was concerned that he might be retiring and he stated he has no plans to do so.  The web hosting was supposed to be set on auto renewal / auto pay and it didn't work this year.  He noticed the site was down over the past weekend and got it sorted on Monday.

 

I told Jim that I really like his etched loco plates and hoped I would have the opportunity to order more in the future.  After speaking to him (again), he sounds like he is earnest in trying to get back to some sort of normalcy, and I do wish him well in that regard.  Hopefully, he will be able get my order out this time around.

[Mallard60022]

2 hours ago, TheEngineShed said:

So I called Modelmaster today and spoke with Jim.  It has almost been a month (5 Oct) since I last spoke to him.  He was putting together some international orders and stated he would get them out in a few days, my order included, he offered to email me the tracking number when the plates are posted.  Jim was under the impression that it was taking a very long time for international airmail because of fewer flights, I told him as far as UK to USA was concerned, not to worry, it is currently only taking around ten days for mail to cross the Atlantic.

 

I mentioned that I had seen that his website had been suspended and I was glad to see it was back up and running.  I was concerned that he might be retiring and he stated he has no plans to do so.  The web hosting was supposed to be set on auto renewal / auto pay and it didn't work this year.  He noticed the site was down over the past weekend and got it sorted on Monday.

 

I told Jim that I really like his etched loco plates and hoped I would have the opportunity to order more in the future.  After speaking to him (again), he sounds like he is earnest in trying to get back to some sort of normalcy, and I do wish him well in that regard.  Hopefully, he will be able get my order out this time around.

That is a positive post thank you. Let us hope he copes and can respond to those that have had really challenging issues.

Phil

[Mallard60022]

On 02/11/2021 at 17:59, Mallard60022 said:

Yesterday (1/11/21) I purposely ordered some items from MM. Not a huge amount of cost in any way, as I may be daft but not stupid. I am doing it to 'test the situation'. I used Pay Pal. I shall report back.

Phil

......and lo, my goods have arrived. Just sayin'.

Maybe because they were Transfers and not Plates? However my last order for Plates also arrived within a week.

P

[Kim]

I spoke to Jim today. I had placed an order for some Dublo types plates earlier in the year. He could not have been more helpful and polite. There had been a long delay, mainly because there had been a huge delay in an order from the etchers. I have dealt with Modelmaster for quite some time and although it is sometimes not the quickest, it has always been reliable and the range contains many items including some specialist items like the "Dublo" size Coronation nameplates.

I believe it is important to remember that in our hobby, there are quite a few "cottage industry" suppliers. They produce items which would not be available if it were not for them. Yes, they are businesses but they also provide a service. They are not big companies with lots of staff, quite often just a single person with perhaps help from their partners. So illness, holidays and all the other vagaries of life will take a toll. They are not multi-national companies offering instant dispatch, next day delivery or even large model shops with a number of staff. It seems in these days of almost instant communication and  Amazon style delivery, that many fail to remember that there is a real person behind such suppliers and are quick to complain but slow to praise.

 

I will continue to deal with them with confidence. A few years ago, Jim did make a decision to retire but was persuaded to continue because of the service he supplies and the "loss" that many would feel if his products ere no longer available. Personally, I would not be happy if he reversed that decision because of certain comments in forums such as this. True there have been serious problems with a very small numbers of suppliers but there are very many more who make our hobby a better place. Modelmaster are one of the latter.

 

[Mallard60022]

17 minutes ago, Kim said:

I spoke to Jim today. I had placed an order for some Dublo types plates earlier in the year. He could not have been more helpful and polite. There had been a long delay, mainly because there had been a huge delay in an order from the etchers. I have dealt with Modelmaster for quite some time and although it is sometimes not the quickest, it has always been reliable and the range contains many items including some specialist items like the "Dublo" size Coronation nameplates.

I believe it is important to remember that in our hobby, there are quite a few "cottage industry" suppliers. They produce items which would not be available if it were not for them. Yes, they are businesses but they also provide a service. They are not big companies with lots of staff, quite often just a single person with perhaps help from their partners. So illness, holidays and all the other vagaries of life will take a toll. They are not multi-national companies offering instant dispatch, next day delivery or even large model shops with a number of staff. It seems in these days of almost instant communication and  Amazon style delivery, that many fail to remember that there is a real person behind such suppliers and are quick to complain but slow to praise.

 

I will continue to deal with them with confidence. A few years ago, Jim did make a decision to retire but was persuaded to continue because of the service he supplies and the "loss" that many would feel if his products ere no longer available. Personally, I would not be happy if he reversed that decision because of certain comments in forums such as this. True there have been serious problems with a very small numbers of suppliers but there are very many more who make our hobby a better place. Modelmaster are one of the latter.

Thank you for a post of thoughtful and not I want it now and me, me, me content. 

P

[Darius43]

It strikes me that there are (and always will be) two sides to this story.  Those that have received good service, which appear to be a majority, and a minority that have received very poor service and have essentially had monies taken with no goods supplied.  I am in that minority.

 

In my case the monetary value was small so I put it down to experience and will never deal with this company again - as is my prerogative.  I know they are essentially a one man band/cottage industry/modelling institution/national treasure so taking further action would be excessive.

 

My point: the majority of good service stories do not, in my opinion, diminish or nullify the bad experiences of the minority.  The measure of a good company (or person for that matter) is how they behave when things go wrong.

 

Cheers

 

Darius

[Crosland]

3 hours ago, Kim said:

I believe it is important to remember that in our hobby, there are quite a few "cottage industry" suppliers. They produce items which would not be available if it were not for them. Yes, they are businesses but they also provide a service. They are not big companies with lots of staff, quite often just a single person with perhaps help from their partners. So illness, holidays and all the other vagaries of life will take a toll. They are not multi-national companies offering instant dispatch, next day delivery or even large model shops with a number of staff. It seems in these days of almost instant communication and  Amazon style delivery, that many fail to remember that there is a real person behind such suppliers and are quick to complain but slow to praise.

 

To take on example from this thread, accepting payment months ago and then switching to silent running is simply not acceptable practice, no matter the size or nature of the business. IUf goods cannot be supplied then a refund should be offered. There should be no need for customers to resort to apyPal or credit card charge-backs.

 

Communication is key. A simple note on the website would go a long way. Similarly, a simple e-mail auto-response "Sorry orders may be delayed a few days whilst we are on holiday/ill/etc.,..."

 

I say this as the proprietor of a "cottage industry". 

 

Has anyone who has spoken to him recently mentioned this thread? He may be blissfully unaware of the bad feeling being created.

 

 

[Kim]

1 hour ago, Crosland said:

 

To take on example from this thread, accepting payment months ago and then switching to silent running is simply not acceptable practice, no matter the size or nature of the business. IUf goods cannot be supplied then a refund should be offered. There should be no need for customers to resort to apyPal or credit card charge-backs.

 

Communication is key. A simple note on the website would go a long way. Similarly, a simple e-mail auto-response "Sorry orders may be delayed a few days whilst we are on holiday/ill/etc.,..."

 

I say this as the proprietor of a "cottage industry". 

 

Has anyone who has spoken to him recently mentioned this thread? He may be blissfully unaware of the bad feeling being created.

 

 

 In reply, a couple of comments. Firstly, communication is the key but it does work both ways. If you are in the UK, a telephone call costs most people nothing other than a small amount of their time. I do believe it is better to try and find a resolution with the supplier before airing any problems on social media. As to auto replies to emails etc, I have no idea how to do them. As I said before, I have never had any problem in contacting them by phone. It is quite clear from their website that if you are in the UK, they would prefer you phone rather than email. However if you do email to include a contact number so they can phone you as they only reply to overseas emails. Therefore I think it "unreasonable" if people start running them down because they haven't replied to an email.

At the end of the day, you are dealing with a person and hopefully we are all human beings and it is one of our traits to make mistakes. It feels as though many negative posts in threads like this one are based on "me, me, me" rather than being considerate of the person at the other end. We are in "exceptional times". I have had delays from many suppliers over the last 18 months or so. Not least due to the fact that the lockdowns have meant many more of us have been at home and placing many more orders than usual. Many suppliers have run short of stock and are having problems replenishing because their suppliers have had covid related problems. 

[AY Mod]

5 minutes ago, Kim said:

It is quite clear from their website that if you are in the UK, they would prefer you phone rather than email. However if you do email to include a contact number so they can phone you as they only reply to overseas emails.

 

Please refer to the first post of the topic. 

[Kim]

2 hours ago, AY Mod said:

 

Please refer to the first post of the topic. 

I was referring to the post above mine in relation to referring to the UK as that poster is in the UK and was talking about emails.

As to the first post, I have messaged the author and offered to phone Jim on his behalf. 

[Metr0Land]

If anyone's interested I placed my 1st order for some months on 25Nov and it was delivered today 02Dec (paid by Paypal).

 

Included was a letter explainging how (badly) 2021 had gone and why, and reiterating that Jim finds it difficult to read 000's of email due to eye op but the phone line will be answered during the posted hours.

 

I have to say that over the years, with only 1 exception the turnaround has always been 10-14 days.

[TheEngineShed]

A quick timeline of events concerning my order, for nearly £50:

 

December 28th 2020,

An email exchange between myself and Modelmaster when the website checkout cart was broken:

 

“Can you send me a payment total as per your cart plus £10 for postage to me through PayPal Friends & Familyto Jim @modelmaster.uk and I’ll post out on 30th December?”

 

“Payment received safely, Thanks

Jim Grindlay 

MODELMASTER UK

Sent from my iPhone”

 

January through May,

Modelmaster posts updates on their website asking for our patience. Because of Covid restrictions, Jim is the only one that can work in the shop, Jim's suppliers are behind due to Covid, Jim has had eye surgery and can't read emails.

 

Early June,

Modelmaster website update “Massive delivery of plates, only a 100 back-orders to go.”

 

Mid July,

Modelmaster is sent a large font letter asking about my order. Jim receives the letter but makes no attempt to reply.

 

Mid August,

I start this topic, as the previous Modelmaster topic had been locked.

 

Early September,

Modelmaster is sent a second large font letter asking about my order. Jim receives the letter but once again makes no attempt to reply.

 

Early October,

I call Modelmaster and speak to Jim. He has my order in hand and will post-it, this week.

 

Early November,

I call Modelmaster again and speak to Jim. He doesn't explain why he hasn't shipped my order but he will post-it, this week. Plus he will send me an email with the RM tracking number.

 

Today, December 2nd  2021,

So here we are a month later and no tracking email and no order delivered. Since this topic was started I have tried to portray Jim's actions in the best possible light. I was well aware of the contents of the previous Modelmaster topic, but wanted to give Jim the benefit of the doubt. At this point though, I'm starting to feel like an apologist for what amounts to very bad behavior.

Edited December 4, 2021 by TheEngineShed
The last bit at the end has been deleted, my goods were received on 4 December.

[Neal Ball]

9 hours ago, TheEngineShed said:

A quick timeline of events concerning my order, for nearly £50:

 

December 28th 2020,

An email exchange between myself and Modelmaster when the website checkout cart was broken:

 

“Can you send me a payment total as per your cart plus £10 for postage to me through PayPal Friends & Familyto Jim @modelmaster.uk and I’ll post out on 30th December?”

 

“Payment received safely, Thanks

Jim Grindlay 

MODELMASTER UK

Sent from my iPhone”

 

January through May,

Modelmaster posts updates on their website asking for our patience. Because of Covid restrictions, Jim is the only one that can work in the shop, Jim's suppliers are behind due to Covid, Jim has had eye surgery and can't read emails.

 

Early June,

Modelmaster website update “Massive delivery of plates, only a 100 back-orders to go.”

 

Mid July,

Modelmaster is sent a large font letter asking about my order. Jim receives the letter but makes no attempt to reply.

 

Mid August,

I start this topic, as the previous Modelmaster topic had been locked.

 

Early September,

Modelmaster is sent a second large font letter asking about my order. Jim receives the letter but once again makes no attempt to reply.

 

Early October,

I call Modelmaster and speak to Jim. He has my order in hand and will post-it, this week.

 

Early November,

I call Modelmaster again and speak to Jim. He doesn't explain why he hasn't shipped my order but he will post-it, this week. Plus he will send me an email with the RM tracking number.

 

Today, December 2nd  2021,

So here we are a month later and no tracking email and no order delivered. Since this topic was started I have tried to portray Jim's actions in the best possible light. I was well aware of the contents of the previous Modelmaster topic, but wanted to give Jim the benefit of the doubt. At this point though, I'm starting to feel like an apologist for what amounts to very bad behavior.

 

If someone enters a modelshop, smiles at the proprietor, stuffs their pockets, and then walks out without paying, what do you call them? A thief?

 

What do you call a proprietor who who cheerfully takes your money, asks for your patience, ignores your letters, and then does not speak truthfully to you on the phone, repeatedly?

Sadly that was my experience probably about a year ago, might be more now.

 

I received  a refund, once I started to track my calls etc. Since when I don’t use them.

 

Good luck. I suggest you phone and ask for a refund and take your business elsewhere.

[TheEngineShed]

8 hours ago, Neal Ball said:

Sadly that was my experience probably about a year ago, might be more now.

 

I received  a refund, once I started to track my calls etc. Since when I don’t use them.

 

Good luck. I suggest you phone and ask for a refund and take your business elsewhere.

 

MikeCW had a similar experience, he is in New Zealand, and lost £56.  I'm in the USA, and it looks like you are in Spain.  You were lucky to get your money back, I asked for a refund in my second letter, although I stated my preference was for Modelmaster to simply deliver the goods I had paid for 9 months previously.

[Neal Ball]

4 hours ago, TheEngineShed said:

 

MikeCW had a similar experience, he is in New Zealand, and lost £56.  I'm in the USA, and it looks like you are in Spain.  You were lucky to get your money back, I asked for a refund in my second letter, although I stated my preference was for Modelmaster to simply deliver the goods I had paid for 9 months previously.

Sorry to hear that. Awful stories.

 

This person should not be in business, pretty much like the guy running Greenwood turntables, where I’ve been struggling after six months to get a working table. Awful service - see the thread under small suppliers.

[TheEngineShed]

OK, I'll eat crow. 

 

My Modelmaster order arrived today, 12 days in the post, Jim mailed the packet on 22 November, almost three weeks after he said he would post "this week", for the second time. 

 

It has been 341 days since I paid for and placed my order.

 

I do wish now that I'd waited a bit longer before posting my frustrations on the 2 December.  That said, Jim shouldn't state that he will have goods in the post "this week" and then not follow through.  Acknowledging letters in some fashion would also be helpful for overseas customers.. 

 

The plates are lovely and will be put to good use. 

 

I do wish Jim and Elspeth Grindlay, a Merry Christmas, that is a nice 2021 letter that they are including with their orders.

 

Edited December 4, 2021 by TheEngineShed
Corrected a Date

[Ben Alder]

Glad it has arrived. I do think he is trying his best in very uncertain times and errs perhaps on the side of optimism a bit too much at times. It also might be a case of what one person means when he states a timescale might not be an actual chronological interpretation but a tranche of time sufficient to get the job done....it has been pointed out to me that this is a response I can use when estimating a delivery date for a job