I'm not naming names here. Late January I was getting ready to leave Germany for home. I ordered some things from a vendor I had met in person before and purchased from multiple times in the past. I used PayPal to pay for my transaction. I expected my package to arrive a few days after I got home. It didn't arrive, didn't arrive, didn't... My email to the vendor went unanswered. The vendor's site still works; I was able to retrieve my password. I logged in to confirm my order. I called the listed phone number - disconnected. PayPal has an online dispute form, but that rejected my claim because I had waited more than 45 days. I contacted my credit union yesterday to dispute the charge. I don't yet know what will happen there, disputes must be made w/in 120 days. I would actually be glad to just get the things I ordered. Failing that, I'd like to have my $51 back. If that doesn't work, I hope someone out there will learn from my mistake. We know that many of the N scale folks are small businesses, and we're willing to cut them some slack on production times/delivery. I guess it's possible to be too considerate of them, too. Old saying - experience is learning from your mistakes. Wisdom is learning from the mistakes of others. Be wise. Be very wise. Terry If I weren't spending so much of my time looking for work, I wouldn't even mind the money so much!
Sorry about your troubles I hope you can recoup your losses either by refund, credit or merchandise. I haven’t been paying by Pay-Pal for very long and so far I haven’t had any difficulties. Everything I have ordered has arrived promptly and in good working order. On the other hand, I’ve never placed a single order for more than $30.00 and all of the venders have “5 Star” ratings on E-bay, Amazon or other vendor sites. On the “Gripping Hand” it’s probably only a matter of time before some disputed payment needs to be reconciled and I’ll remember to keep a close eye on the calendar so as not to pass those magical number of days within which you can lodge a complaint.
Sometimes I wonder if something may have happened to an individual who presumably runs a one-man operation because of, say, a bunch of unanswered emails. If something did happen and they had an automated online payment system set up, would orders and payments just keep rolling in indefinitely?
There was a same similar situation that was discussed on here a while back with Cat4design. Come to find out he had some medical conditions that caused him to not be able to process orders. Good thing was that it turned out okay and clients were understanding. Hopefully the same is true for your vendor. The problem is, as mentioned earlier, that some of these companies are one man shows. So when something happens, the business stops dead in its tracks.
That happened to me when I ordered something from Mountaineer Precision Products a few years back. The guy went out of business rather abruptly due to ill health (or somesuch), but his website (with automated pay links to PayPal) remained up for quite some time afterwards. Of course, by the time I figured out I was never going to receive my order it was too late to do anything about it. Fortunately, I was only out about 30 bucks. -Mark
What is Cat4design? Sounds like you are confusing/mixing two different companies. This is how rumors start. I know Trainboard doesn't care if it's not an advertiser, but some companies have been seriously affected in the past by misinformation such as this on this site.
Here's what I got back from my credit union: Others echoed my comment that many manufacturers are one-man shows. If something happens then production comes to a stop. Although we see it as a business - which it technically is - it's really more of an outgrowth of the hobby interests. I know when things are complicated in my own life, the first things to get cut back are writing, flying or train time. The hobby loses whenever any of these vendors closes. Burt Industries used to make neat stuff. Mocalova Locomotive Works had useful detail parts. California Freight had items the would really fill out a scene. Rodney's Railroad Tools had some really intelligently thought out tools, but I didn't order in time. These companies have gone the way of the dodo as have others.
Sorry my bad. The company that had the issue which I was referring to in my earlier post was TrainCat. Like I said, people were very undertsanding about his situation that arose. Maybe that is the same situation with the vendor in which we are dealing with here.
I have been using Paypal for about 8 years. I have had a few disputes, and paypal has ALWAYS resolved them to my satisfaction. The one thing I would suggest is ready their terms and conditions with great attention. This 45 day issue is usually a hard lesson learned for many. I would say next time your order is a month late, start your claim. If the seller has proff s has been shipped they would be able to provide it. On a side note NEVER send a payment as a gift. A seller will tell you this will save them money on fees, but you will NOT be covered if they try to jerk you around. Let them pay the fees or offer to add them into the payment total.
Hey money is money no matter what. I ordered some things a while ago and I sent it back cause I accidentally ordered the wrong hoppers. Anyway long story short they guy charged me a restocking fee I was ok with that but he wanted to hold money for the shipping charge also yet he advertised the shipping was free. So I disputed and I won, he wanted to hold ten more dollars for the shipping, like I said money is money. It does not grow on trees.
Very well stated. They are often one-man-shows, and they're human. Humans get into situations sometimes that they never thought possible, either by mistakes or by things out of their control. Yes, "money is money", but flying off the handle, overreacting, complaining to the world, and witch-hunts are non-productive. I think it is helpful to know the situation so that not everyone falls off the same cliff, but discretion and decorum are still possible. I remember specifically the Mocalova "crash" and I recall the guy just seemed very defeated and then this forum witch-hunt started and it was GAME OVER. I e-mailed offering to help but never heard back from him.
Okay, let me throw my two cents in. This is a hobby. Okay. At least for me. So, I don't throw "needed" money (or money I can't afford to loose) at something. I treat my hobbies like a gambling addiction. If I can't afford to "loose" the money, then I don't put money into it. Secondly, this hobby is for fun. It's no fun losing money, even money that you can afford to loose. I use Ebay & Paypal. Matter of fact, I spent roughly $400.00 this past weekl (Bought 4 Kato SD45s & some other goodies.) IF there was ever a problem, I'd let Ebay know. I have only had a problem once. It was resolved within a week. So, what I am trying to say, is I trust them both. Matter of fact, I once ordered a DVD through Ebay, and the seller hadn't done their application to sell correctly and couldn't pull her money out of Paypal. I was refunded the entire amount, even though the seller sent the DVD. I was nice enough to contact her through Ebay & send her a money order for the amount of the DVD. I feel safer using Ebay, more than leaving my credit card info out there. So, enjoy this hobby! But be very cautious. And when something does go wrong, act quickly!
