A few weeks ago I noticed that Mongoose was selling off some 1:18th ground vehicles relatively inexpensively. I popped on the ad pretty quickly and scored a Pioneerpanzerwagon and WC-51. I was very excited since I have been searching for both of these items. I sent payment via PayPal and he shipped the box out shorty after.
Someplace between his house, USPS, and my house something happened to the box. When it arrived I picked it up and heard it rattle. I knew right then that the Dodge truck was probably in a few pieces since they seem to be tragically brittle items. Still, I figured it could be repaired and went about opening the box and finding the pieces. After pulling everything out I realized that about 1/2 of the truck was missing and the Pioneerpanzerwagon was broken as well. The Pioneerpanzerwagon’s front fender was sheered off. All headlights and accessories were broken and the front axel was shattered. Luckily for me I had an extra front axel and was able to repair it. The WC-51 however was not repairable. It was missing too much to even consider it.
(I’m still not sure where the parts went but I have a theory... The box was probably damaged in shipment and opened at some point. The truck parts and some packaging was probably removed and not put back in. That’s the best I can theorize on it.)
At first I thought the box had just been poorly packaged and there was not enough padding to protect the contents. I emailed Mongoose some photos and told him of the situation. He was very upset about what had happened and mad at himself for not buying the extra insurance. He immediately said he was willing to refund all my money. I told him that the Pioneerpanzerwagon was repairable but the truck wasn’t. I mentioned that he could refund me the money on it or we could trade for something else. Let’s keep in mind that at any time here he could have said that it wasn’t his problem and I would have just been out on the truck. Instead he sent me the US M-16 halftrack to replace the truck. He also threw in the PAK-40 for “my trouble”.
Mongoose made absolutely no money off of the transaction that we made. It was more important to him that I was satisfied with the deal. He went above and beyond to make this transaction right. I would have never imagined that someone would do something like this. It really shows just what kind of people we have here on this forum. If you ever see something advertised by Mongoose don’t even hesitate to buy from him. He’s one of the most reputable people I know on this board.
I felt I should share this story since it shows how something going terribly wrong (no fault from either party) can still work out if you keep a level head and the lines of communication open. Both Sean and I learned a lot form this transaction. I will do my best to pay it forward the next time I have an issue arise on the board.
Sean thanks again for going above and beyond on this transaction. It was truly a pleasure dealing with you.
I hope we can do business again sometime. Thanks for your service.
