Small Scale Military Headquarters

The thread started by UKsubs claiming a grievance with the Motorpool has been deleted.

These forums are not to be used for such purposes. If anyone has a problem with an online purchase they should take it up with the vendor directly by email, phone, letter etc but NOT on these forums.

That is all.

well done aferguson, we don't need to start another conflict like before. I support your move 100%

Agreed well done aferguson,
I should hope your message equally applies to online venders as well, especially vendors that use open forums to promote their business.

In the future are we not to share our experiences buying online?
Just wondering.

Well, we don't need to start battles on here of what online source is the worst and best. Everyone will have their own good or bad expieriences.... plus, the last thing we need is the vendor to come on here and battle it out trying to defend his/her store. But on the other hand, it is always good to warn a community when your transaction goes bad just as a word of caution for others. This is all a very good point... so I leave it up to you all... what do you all think of having a Good and Bad Vendor stories thread much like the good and bad traders?

If we did allow posting of a vendor trade gone bad it should be limited to good/bad
thread of the BST area and not in the general topic area. In the interest of keeping peace on the board, I don't think it's a good idea considering some of the past arguments on the forum over this issue.

Mark

p51 wrote:Well, we don't need to start battles on here of what online source is the worst and best. Everyone will have their own good or bad expieriences.... plus, the last thing we need is the vendor to come on here and battle it out trying to defend his/her store. But on the other hand, it is always good to warn a community when your transaction goes bad just as a word of caution for others. This is all a very good point... so I leave it up to you all... what do you all think of having a Good and Bad Vendor stories thread much like the good and bad traders?

Not sure I like the idea. I recall a heated thread not so long ago over something with Bad Cat. I think people will tend to bad mouth a company a lot faster than a board member. I have had issues and concerns with various online stores in the past and have been able to resolve them all without coming here and complaining about it. As a matter of fact I have seen situations here where that only made it worse. Do what you all want but I really don’t think there’s a need for it.

agreed. bad idea.

Bad idea for this group.

We tend to be a picky bunch -over our XD - me included.

There already is a place to make a case when something really goes wrong with a company - better business bureau.
Plus google the company name and if there is a common trend of bad business there are usually multiple sites with bad experience stories that probably get more traffic than our humble site.

My idea?
Let us allow a thread - but someone must have completed their disspute with the store - contact the governemt etc then (stating only facts - not opinion - explain how the process works in order that the forum members may follow if faced with the same wrong problem.

Agree on not doing it.

I've been more influenced by the large number of positive statements members post when the various retailers get it right, go above and beyond, etc.. than any negative he said/she said thread that has popped up.

Hi,
Without trying to sound like a smart alec, but by the same token can an online vendor post bad experiences with a customer or is someone going to tell me that the vendor is always wrong and the consumer is always right?

To put it bluntly, if a customer has a problem with a vendor, they should take it up with the vendor privately. They may not always like what the vendor says or recommends as a course of action, but the fact of the matter is that there are too many perils for the vendor in this day and age, particularly when it comes to overseas shipments.

Thus far, we've tried to do the right thing for our overseas customers (be they through ebay or through our store) by offering either US surface mail shipping, which can take up to six weeks for delivery, or Air Parcel Post. Neither method allows us to track a parcel. All you get from the Postal Service is a receipt saying the country its being delivered to, the customs number (which cant be used to track a parcel), the weight of the parcel, and the final cost. That's it. To track a parcel, you have to either step up to Global Express Mail service or UPS, both incredibly more expensive means of getting a package to its destination.

We also explain to the customer that sometimes parcels, for whatever reason, get hung up in customs, languish in a warehouse, or whatever. These are factors that are out of our control. Having said all that, the customer still ends up blaming the vendor, as if we were supposed to hand deliver it to them and clear customs for them.

There is also no correlation between the price of the item and the shipping costs. I agree, it stinks paying $20 or more to ship a $5-$10 item to Europe, but shipping costs are based upon the weight of the parcel, not the value of the item. Just this past week, we had to decline a XD order bound for overseas because the Postal Service wont accept a parcel larger than certain dimensions. For us to ship the merchandise to that country, we would have had to give it to UPS and break it up into multiple parcels, wiping out whatever we would have made on the tranasction and actually putting us in the red.

Does every transaction end smoothly for a vendor/ customer? Of course not. There's too many factors that go into a transaction that have to be addressed before the sale is completed. But to suggest that we now start to create threads for every bad transactional experience opens up Pandora's box on both sides of the ledger.

Lightning2000
www.themotorpool.net

I agree with the guys against this type of section. If someone has a problem with a transaction then settle it with the retailer. I've had a few occasions where things didn't go the way I thought they should so I contacted the seller. I would say that 98% of the time we worked it out. The other 2% I wrote off as a lesson learned and a loss of future revenue for the retailer. To me if someone comes on the forum and asks your opinion of a retailer, good or bad we should offer our opinion only in a PM. Discussing things like this isn't good for anyone because there is no way to get all the details from both sides and none of us are qualified judges.

Nay.

For a number of reasons:

1. To most business owners, their business is like their child. It's the result of countless hours of work, from conception to it's present state. It's an owner's profession and how they feed their families. And it represents their future. When some thug bashes our company, I take it personally, very personally. No good can come from any response and the basher's demands will never be met under the circumstances--bridges burned. It's a lose-lose for everyone. Imagine if someone publicly called your child stupid and ugly, you'd get defensive and aggressive, too.

2. Posting extortion. We are threatened all the time to acquiesce to unreasonable demands or else "I'm going to the boards." Let's see, the latest was a guy who called last week from the UK who purchased a $7 21st action figure last March 06 for his kid. Now he claims the item arrived 10 months ago missing an arm and most of the combat gear. He demanded a new figure shipped immediately for free and he was keeping the old one . . . or else. He's called three times about this. He's probably already bashed us, I just don't know where.

3. Entertainment. Business bashes become nothing more than cheap gossip and entertainment for forum readers with participants egging-on both parties.

4. Self esteem. Some guys like the power of bringing a business to their knees and having to publicly explain themselves. Thus, a small person in life can be a big man on the Internet.

5. How mad? The irony is that most business bashers, for some reason unknown to me, turn around and (try to) order again just a few days or weeks later . . . after they've driven-off lots of good potential customers.

6. Kangaroo Court. Any forum that exists will have a membership that is far from impartial. Due to privacy issues and public image, a business cannot disclose sufficient information to plead their case even if they wanted to. And if they did, chances are the forum would side with the board member anyway. Even though in real-life that person may be mentally ill, a scam artist, or just a mean old man. From a business standpoint: Ignore the post and you lose. Respond to the post and you lose, usually worse.


Britt, take Ferguson's advice, make the right decision and please put this issue to rest once and for all. Nobody who is dealing with a reputable source is getting ripped off. End the gossip, end the drama, and end the bashing.--And let's have some fun!

Rob

AAAAAMEN!!!!!!!!!!

Matt, I've been watching this thread with a growing feeling of unease. I can't help but feel that some of what's going on is a result of the mess we were in some months ago. As far as what I've done as a result is to keep directing folks your way when you can help them with their needs (just view the posts I've made). Also I've been hesitant (to my shame) to order some stuff that I can use since I'm not sure of what kind of bite I can expect (if any) trying to pat your kid on the head. BTW this philosophy applies to how I try to relate to life in general (through much simplified) and is not directed at you or yours.

Thanks and please keep up the good work with BadCats.

No problem Chunks. We welcome your business as always.

wow - I've never been mad at a horse.....

STUKA wrote:wow - I've never been mad at a horse.....

Previous post removed, Stuka, I thought I had a point but it didn't make sense!

no - put it back - it made perfect sense - very good argument/debate skills - I was just (as always) throwing in some dry humor.

I definitely agree that this forum is no place for pursuing grievances against retailers, and really not even manufacturers. We will all have our occasional issues with a retailer or with the design of a product, but this forum is here for positive discussions (keeping in mind that that sometimes includes pointing out flaws with a design, but in a constructive manner). If someone has an issue with a retailer, they need to take it up with the retailer--and most retailers are very reasonable if something comes up. Those that aren't tend not to last long. Like is frequently brought up in the advertising business--the typical consumer will tell 2 or 3 other people about a positive experience, but 15-20 (or more) about a negative one. Just like one negative post on this board, however accurate or not, can wipe out the effects of a dozen positive ones. And there are irrational customers out there who will never be happy, no matter what.


Let's keep this forum positive and not let it become a mudslinging contest. If I want mudslinging, I can watch political ads.
Although we do reserve the right to poke fun at Walmart

see "Book of Walton"

STUKA wrote:wow - I've never been mad at a horse.....

Mad at Horse??

chunks wrote:

STUKA wrote:wow - I've never been mad at a horse.....

Mad at Horse??

hmm - ask Badcatmatt

uhh ok, if he wants me to know, he'll post it, I know he watchs real close.
Sounds like the edit change was made after my order tonight.

Thanks

You know, when I first started reading I was all FOR posting the thread . But after reading what Matt had to say I came to my sences (spelling?) He made perfect sence (again spelling?) My vote KEEP IT OUT .

Do it with PMs. If you had a bad experience you want to convey to a particular board member, do it behind the scenes. On the other hand, if one place has a better deal, better shipping, better selection or just deserves kudos, please share that with all.
Happy hunting.