An interesting chat (and e-mail exchange) with Russ regarding his order for WW2 6mm British. You may recall he was going to place an order with Heroics and Ros for a considerable chunk of cash. Prior to placing the order he asked H&R if he could have a discount (on the basis that if you don't ask, you don't get) but bearing in mind that this was an order value probably 10x a typical order size and value then its fair to ask for it.
There was no reply.
So Russ e-mailed H&R again.
No reply.
This has got right up Russ' nose. When you're looking to spend a lot of cash with a supplier then the very least you'd expect is the common courtesy of a response (even if its a 'no' or 'we'll see what we can do'). But stories from the other guys ("I had to wait 5 weeks for my order") haven't helped his confidence in H&R's ability to deliver.
Now it could be that H&R are all on holiday. But if you're running an online shop (which H&R effectively is) then it's unlikely that you'd pull down the metaphorical shutters for a couple of weeks. Surely an 'out of office' message is not beyond their capability? Indeed, with modern technology its amazing that they haven't grasped the concept of e-mail on the phone!
Having said that (and I've touched on this before) H&R - and they are not alone in this - have a particularly archaic website. No pictures, shopping baskets or checkouts here - just a pdf of close typed price lists.
Its amazing how they survive purely on previous customer experiences (i.e. I've bought or seen H&R products so I know what to expect). Otherwise they would seriously struggle to get by. But clearly business is good if they can afford to ignore a big order. Twice.
So Russ is contemplating alternatives. I've got a shedload of British H&R that I need to sort out and we could cut a deal.
Or he could go down the GHQ route (but his vehicles will be sightly bigger as they're 1/285 rather than 1/300). He's now looking at Mainline for the infantry in any event.
But it seems clear that H&R will not after all be receiving a bundle of notes from the Wirral.
I don't want to pick on H&R - plenty of manufacturers have poor websites and iffy customer service. But having said thast I've had great service and communication from Baccus, Mura, Rapier and Pendraken in recent months so there's really no excuse.
Or are we being too demanding?
There was no reply.
So Russ e-mailed H&R again.
No reply.
This has got right up Russ' nose. When you're looking to spend a lot of cash with a supplier then the very least you'd expect is the common courtesy of a response (even if its a 'no' or 'we'll see what we can do'). But stories from the other guys ("I had to wait 5 weeks for my order") haven't helped his confidence in H&R's ability to deliver.
Now it could be that H&R are all on holiday. But if you're running an online shop (which H&R effectively is) then it's unlikely that you'd pull down the metaphorical shutters for a couple of weeks. Surely an 'out of office' message is not beyond their capability? Indeed, with modern technology its amazing that they haven't grasped the concept of e-mail on the phone!
Having said that (and I've touched on this before) H&R - and they are not alone in this - have a particularly archaic website. No pictures, shopping baskets or checkouts here - just a pdf of close typed price lists.
Its amazing how they survive purely on previous customer experiences (i.e. I've bought or seen H&R products so I know what to expect). Otherwise they would seriously struggle to get by. But clearly business is good if they can afford to ignore a big order. Twice.
So Russ is contemplating alternatives. I've got a shedload of British H&R that I need to sort out and we could cut a deal.
Or he could go down the GHQ route (but his vehicles will be sightly bigger as they're 1/285 rather than 1/300). He's now looking at Mainline for the infantry in any event.
But it seems clear that H&R will not after all be receiving a bundle of notes from the Wirral.
I don't want to pick on H&R - plenty of manufacturers have poor websites and iffy customer service. But having said thast I've had great service and communication from Baccus, Mura, Rapier and Pendraken in recent months so there's really no excuse.
Or are we being too demanding?