After market advice

[dragstk]

I have recently returned to the hobby after 20+ years away. When I was building, before, there were no resin casters. Now there seem to be a lot.

My first purchases from a resin caster were terrible. LONG waits, no communication and when the parts arrived...well, lets just say that they left a lot to be desired.

 I have learned from this, and have ordered from people that are highly rated, and my faith has been restored.

But recently, I ordered some resin from an E Bay seller. Lots of good reviews, lots of products on his page, good prices and great communication.

And when the part showed up, it is so warped and twisted,  its useless.

I real;ise that some parts need clean up and some adjustment, but there is no saving this

 

Im not looking to bash this seller. What I want to know, is how do all of you deal with those parts that arrive and you realise, the moment you open the box, you wasted your money.

Thanks

 

[Deano]

Contact the caster and explain the problem.  If he's reputable, he'll fix the problem; if not, he'll ignore you or ...

[redneckrigger]

At least on eBay, the site and PayPal offer buyer protection. Try direct communication first, then appeal to eBay or PayPal at last resort.

[gtx6970]

Contact the caster and explain the problem.  If he's reputable, he'll fix the problem; if not, he'll ignore you or ...

At least on eBay, the site and PayPal offer buyer protection. Try direct communication first, then appeal to eBay or PayPal at last resort.

This,

 

[bismarck]

I had an experience with resin caster of less than stellar repute not too long ago. I went with the nuclear option from the get go and got a lawyer involved. It seams like a strong response to a minor problem, but this particular person had a reputation of ripping people off, and i WASN"T going to be just another one of his victims. You would be surprised at how fast things move when the other party receives a strongly worded legal document via a sheriffs deputy. And the key is not to bluff. if the person involved keeps giving you the run around, drop the hammer!!

[MeatMan]

If it's a reputable dealer I agree with Dean and  Tom.  Contact the seller and try to work it out, but don't wait too long or eBay and Paypal won't help you.  I had a seller that wouldn't respond to my complaints and Paypal sent me a refund.  That's one reason I use it.

[redneckrigger]

Have bought and sold on eBay for over ten years, but don't know for sure what time period they have for returns/refunds. But, PayPal has a 180 day window for returns/refunds.

 

Edited December 25, 2015 by redneckrigger

[dragstk]

Thanks to all who took the time to write. I do appreciate it.

For me, it's not really the money that matters. Its the fact that someone sold something that clearly wasnt usable.

Its more of "does any body care about the quality of your products"?

So, I will write to the seller after Christmas, if nothing else, to let him know that what he is selling is sub standard.

Thanks again.

Merry Christmas

[Erik Smith]

There were resin casters 20 years ago...the cottage industry was just hard to find in the dark ages prior to the internet machine.

Everybody has a different level of "acceptable". I have resin parts that other people claim are good, but to me, are useless. So it's tough to get an objective review unless you can see the product. I am weary of most resin casters unless they have a reputation to back them up - not only for quality, but for reliability. Not only do some have low standards for quality, they have no business acumen, sometimes funding projects with money from other orders, getting huge backlogs, taking orders when there is little chance of fulfillment. 

 

[dragstk]

Your right, Erik, about each of us having that "acceptable" standard. I understand and expect, that most resin parts will some adjusting. And I'm ok with that.

But when sides that are suppose to be parallel are not, or details are skewed  off center, and can't be fixed, thats my acceptable/not acceptable point.

Its unfortunate that, it seems there will always be those that give a hobby or business a bad name

[Ace-Garageguy]

There's a very straightforward process if you bought on Ebay. This is the gist, but READ THE INSTRUCTIONS. The process is very user friendly and self-explanatory.

1) You can either go to the auction page and scroll down to the bottom, click on "ask a question" OR you go to the "orders" section under "My Ebay" look at the big blue "Leave Feedback" and click the "more actions" option to the right of the item you're having a problem with. You'll get a menu of possible problems. Click the one that best describes your issue and when prompted, write up exactly what the problem is. Be polite but firm. Press "send". You'll probably have to interpret a little blurry-lettered code thingy at the bottom of the page to verify you're not a robo-spammer.

2) Ebay gives a set time period for the seller to respond before they'll do anything. When the time expires (just READ the instructions), you "open a case". It's another few button clicks. You'll forward your correspondence with the seller to Ebay's resolution people. Again, Ebay gives the seller a reasonable amount of time to respond. READ the directions.

3) If the seller fails to respond and Ebay decides in your favor, you get your money back from PayPal...if that's how you paid.

YOU NEED TO START THE PROCESS SO YOU DON'T RUN OUT OF THE TIME WINDOWS.

And there's no point complaining about it here if you're not going to follow up with the people who can actually DO something to help you.

The seller MAY very well acknowledge the problem and send you a free replacement that's made well.

In well over 2000 transactions on Ebay, I've only needed to resort to mediation 3 times, and I haven't lost a single penny.

[Toner283]

Your right, Erik, about each of us having that "acceptable" standard. I understand and expect, that most resin parts will some adjusting. And I'm ok with that.

But when sides that are suppose to be parallel are not, or details are skewed  off center, and can't be fixed, thats my acceptable/not acceptable point.

Its unfortunate that, it seems there will always be those that give a hobby or business a bad name

Agree 100% with this. Stuff from the Modelhaus, Replicas and Miniatures of Maryland or Drag City Castings (our own Ed Fluck) I will buy from with no hesitation and without having seen the parts beforehand. Anyone that I have not already dealt with, I ask around before they see any of my money. There are guys that I would buy from at shows with no issue because I already have the parts in my hands I know they have it. However those same people I would never buy from them through the mail or over the internet because I don't know when or if I will ever get my parts.

A good example is Jimmy Flintstone bodies. A lot of people like them because they are cheap and easy to get ahold of and Jimmy ships very quickly so I'm told. However for myself, if you gave me a Jimmy Flintstone body I would give it back. In my opinion, they lack the quality and especially the crispness that I expect. Maybe dealing with the likes of the Modelhaus has spoiled me but I would rather rather pay a little bit more for a very good resin body or find a styrene one and do the conversion work myself.

[iBorg]

Flintstone stuff is weird.......some of its thick slush cast unworkable hunks while other pieces are pretty good and some are excellent. I recommend looking at Flintstone at shows. Inexpensive and typically unique products. don't automatically discount it as unusable. 

[dragstk]

Bill- As I stated earlier, its not so much the money, but more, I want the seller (and all sellers) to a workable part. I really dont want to get E Bay and Pay Pal involved. I'd like the seller to step up and do whats right. So, to that end, I will contact the seller and see what happens. If he chooses to do nothing, then you may see a post from me, warning other buyers.

 

Toner- Like you, buying from reputable sellers has kept me spending my money on resin. And I've had several good transactions. I'm just going to be more cautious, buying on E Bay

And ironically enough, just a couple of days ago, I received my chopped 32 Ford from Flintstone. Ive seen his stuff at shows, so I knew what I was getting. Maybe I was lucky, but the one I got is pretty nice.

 

Mike- I agree , some of the Flintstone stuff is unique. Some great starting points. Ive got my eye on his Black Force custom dart. Unfortunately, it would be project # 5,327 .  So many models, so little time