I don't like to grumble about wargames companies. Wargaming is a small world, we are all dependent on each other, and much of what we do requires goodwill to run. That is not something you want to disrupt lightly.
However, I do feel a responsibility in this case, because in an earlier post I had mentioned I was buying a hex mat. Given the experience I have had with the company I would not like people to see that post as a recommendation.
Back in mid May I ordered a Commands & Colors hex mat from Tinywargames UK. They replied on the same day to my query and I paid for the order, with '7 days international delivery' promised for the shipping. A couple of weeks later, at the end of May, I got sent a tracking number with an estimated delivery date of June 18th. June 18th came and went. There was no update on the tracking website. It still said what it had said originally: 'sent to hub, in transit'.
Early July I emailed the supplier. There was a process to follow if you wanted to find more information on an order but the inquiry had to come from the email address of the supplier. I asked them if they could follow up.
The email bounced.
I tried again, and the email again bounced. I checked their website: they now had a new email address with gmail as the provider rather than their original handle.
I emailed this address, and got a reply. "We'll check".
I then got a notice from the shipping company straight away, June 6th, saying that the item had been returned to sender as it had failed a customs check. There was a photo of the item safely returned to the original address as proof.
Several days later, July 9th, I got an email from the company asking me to check that my address was correct. I thought this was odd. I've never had an issue getting stuff delivered from overseas before, but I confirmed with the Post Office here in NZ, replied with the best address to use, and asked them to let me know if they needed me to pay again for shipping.
I have not heard from them since.
I have emailed three more times, each time with no response.
I have not had any tracking notification sent to me.
A few weeks ago I asked if anyone on the Society of Ancients forum knew the owners and could ask what was happening. No one did.
I then left a post on their facebook page asking if they could email me. They replied to my post with the original tracking number (the one that had been returned to sender weeks before) but did not email me and have been silent ever since.
As it is now more than three months since I placed the order, I feel it is fair to post here to say that I would be very careful if you are dealing with this company, especially if you are ordering from outside of the UK.
An internet search seems to show that I am not the only one who has had problems with them.
It's a real shame as they seem to offer an excellent product, but it is only excellent if it gets to you!
Thats very unfortunate - maybe you should talk to your bank/credit card company - I think they can reverse payments in this type of situation?
ReplyDeleteI had something similar happen with a figure supplier in the US around the start of Covid - to be fair to them, they did send the original order but after several weeks of tracking, the last scan was leaving the Western US.
I followed them up a few times intermittently, but they basically said "it's not our fault, NZ customs closed the border to international mail (which was true but had occurred about 6 weeks after they sent the goods).
In the end, a helpful fellow blogger got me the website for the appropriate state equivalent of Consumer Affairs, and I emailed them - they replied within 24 hours - I then sent that email off to the supplier saying they had one more chance or I would send all the details off to their local regulator - and low and behold, the owner got in touch and about a month later, the original order finally turned up - almost a year to the day that the original order was placed, and paid for!
C’mon Keith, it wasn’t just any old helpful blogger…
DeleteLol....well no, it was a super helpful blogger!!
DeleteGood result. I wonder who the helpful blogger could be??? ;)
DeleteI usually pay by pay pal if possible so if there is any problem I have Pay Pal to go to bat for me, granted hasn't happened very often. rross is right though like pay pal, if you used a credit card you should be able to file a complaint with them.
ReplyDeleteCheers
Kevin
Thanks Kevin, yes, I probably have avenues for getting a refund, but I would much prefer to have the mat!
DeleteSame experience. You'll find my review online. Interestingly, after my review persisted and kept getting views, the owner had the gall to post there that I was a competitor and not an actual customer. So any benefit of the doubt has been erased as far as I'm concerned.
ReplyDeleteDo you have a link to your review, Ed?
DeleteReally too bad, Aaron, but good for you to make all of your readers aware of your situation. Now we know that we should treat this vendor as Caveat Emptor.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's unfortunate. I don't like to be negative but it's not the kind of experience you want others to have.
DeleteThat’s a terrible bad experience Aaron. I was going to order a mat from them but they never responded to my email. I ordered two desert mats with 5 inch hexes from Deep Cut Studios to make an Epic CCA mat (26 hexes wide) and they were excellent to deal with on both occasions.
ReplyDeleteOh, good, thanks Mike. I've been looking at Deep Cut and agree they are probably the best bet now that this one has fallen through.
DeleteI am having similar problems with some items I have bought from a UK wargames company Sally4th. I ordered two gaming mats with 48 hour delivery as I live in the UK I was happy with the £6 cost for fast delivery. One week later I had to send an email to them, with a reply that the item was not in stock and would arrive to them in a week.
ReplyDeleteGot an email on Friday informing me my item was dispatched. As it's a bank holiday on Monday, Tuesday is the day my items should arrive? So nineteen days for 48 hour delivery, very poor service and awful communications. I understand that firms do not hold everything in stock and items run out but communicate this information to your customers at point of sale not 8 days after your customer pays for the item.
I doubt if I will use them again.
Willz.
Sorry to hear it, Willz. Not a great experience, by the sounds of it!
DeleteDealing with something similarly frustrating right now myself. I ordered two blisters from brigadegames.com two weeks ago on 10 August. There was no indication on the website that they were out of stock when I placed the order... I would never have ordered if that was indicated. Yesterday, I finally got a response to my second email to them that one of the items is out of stock and they're waiting for more.
ReplyDeleteIcing on the cake.... if you visit their website right now the banner indicates that they on vacation from 25 Aug - 30 Aug. Feh.
So now, less than a month from the game convention that is the sole reason I spent $30 ordering the things, and who knows if I'll have them in time for the show.
Oh dear, that is frustrating! Especially when you're ordering for a specific purpose with a specific time frame. Here's hoping that they get to you in time!
DeleteThat's terrible Aaron! It's always the responsibility of the sender to get the product to their customer, I'm not sure where you would stand as an international customer but might be worth checking out UKs Trading standards see if there's any info.
ReplyDeleteBut ultimately they'll get their just desserts. It's much easier to lose a reputation as it is to earn it.
I've ordered from them once and it was successful but hearing how they behave when something's gone wrong has been noted!
Thanks Aaron and good luck getting sorted!
Thanks Tony, given the number of bad reviews around I'm starting to kick myself for not having done some due diligence first! I'm so used to good experiences with wargame companies that I didn't even think to check if others had has problems with delivery. Lesson learned...
DeleteI was on the brink of ordering from them, but noticed that this supplier has long attracted negative reviews. So not my personal experience, but the number of poor reviews and the length of time this has been going on for (at least a couple of years) speaks for itself.
ReplyDeleteYes, I should have been a bit more careful!
DeleteFor what it is worth, I have had a similar experience last year from Tiny Wargames. I ordered a hex mat, but when it arrived the hexes were the wrong size. Several emails resulted them agreeing to replace the mat. After quite a while of waiting the new mat failed to arrive. I contacted them again and they promised that it had been despatched. Then I lost contact with them and I have now given up. I will never deal with the company again.
ReplyDeleteBob
Sorry to hear that, Bob. Certainly some clear parallels, and none of them show the company in a good light.
DeleteSounds like a terrible experience and lousy customer services, I don't mind if things go wrong as long as it's sorted out, but it sounds like it's their standard practice, thanks for the heads up!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
Yes, it's a bit disappointing!
DeleteLike you, I am all for supporting the suppliers who support our 'habit'. Particularly since covid. I always send acknowledgement when an order is received at my end.
ReplyDeleteHowever, it it is important to call out the few—very few—bad ones. The companies who do the right thing would support you wholeheartedly. It gives the 'industry' a bad name.
I had a similar experience with a figure re-seller. I had two orders delivered without problem, but the third did not arrive after a couple of months. I tried to contact them several times, without any reply. The 'status' of the order continued to say 'in process'. Like you, I checked various fora, and even with another supplier to see if he knew of any extenuating circumstances. Like you, I got feedback that the owner had a reputation for poor customer service. I increased the frequency (and then tone) of my emails requesting information and then demanding a refund. This went on for nearly a year. Suddenly, without a reply or notification, the money was refunded (via PayPal). I lost a bit in the conversions, of course!
I have a big note to self of 'never again' for that mob!
Regards, James
Thanks James, and glad that you got a refund after all that hassle! A year is a long time to have to wait for a resolution.
DeleteCheers,
Aaron