Rana Temporia Posted June 9 Share Posted June 9 I thought Modelmaster had gone but just searching for some transfers and the website appears to be up and running but with big discounts, they also have some industrial nameplates that I don’t remember them having in the past. Does anyone know if they are still trading? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
What About The Bee Posted June 9 Share Posted June 9 This is simple Rana. Pick out a handful of items you would really like. Drop him an email, asking "Are these in stock?" If he answers, then he is in business again. No vendor will waste time with a closed business, unless they are hyper-polite. Plus, you can decline if not in stock, or purchase if they are in stock. I would not trust a pre-order at this point in time. Once he gets back on his feet, maybe. Bee 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rana Temporia Posted June 9 Author Share Posted June 9 Good shout, thanks Bee 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
What About The Bee Posted June 9 Share Posted June 9 If you do, Rana, update me! Bee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brew Man Posted June 10 Share Posted June 10 I'll make it even simpler, don't touch him with a barge pole. I open his site every now and then just to check and every time he has a different excuse as to why orders have been delayed. He has (long) stopped taking payment on line, it's now bank wire or cheque only, and of late it is cheques made payable to his wife. Recently there was reference to an interaction he'd had with Trading Standards, so I'm guessing at least one person had reported him. I wonder id Bulleid Boy ever got his order that was placed about three years ago now. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulleidboy Posted June 10 Share Posted June 10 (edited) I never received my order(s), despite two phone conversations (he did answer promptly). I eventually wrote the order off. If I login on the site, my orders are still there as pending. I used to buy the Merchant Navy kit, which, the last time I looked had been drastically reduced on what was supposedly available. It's a pity he has let so many people down - the cabside numbers with either green or black background, made changing the identity of the model so easy. I would not use that company again. I have just checked and my orders are still there - value £107.35!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Edited June 10 by Bulleidboy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VESPA Posted June 10 Share Posted June 10 Very sad to hear this problem has gone from bad to worse. I bought loads from him and always had great service but having not had any need to model anything to change have not bought for over 6 years. I just see someone floundering through too much work, illness and not enough hands to man the business. I have one Britannia to rename and number. To be honest it's 10 years since I bought a batch o various name plates and can't remember if it was John Bunyan or Geoffrey Chaucer. Most likely Bunyan as the number change is just small paint correction in the donor 8 to 3, rather than a full number change Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brew Man Posted June 10 Share Posted June 10 I'm evidently less forgiving than some. BB at least got a response when he phoned I contacted him at least three times and never received so much as a nod. So after about two months I reported him to PayPal and got a full refund. He got a £24 fine. I wonder how many others did the same. Here's another thing, he invites payment by bank wire. I'm not sure what that is but if it's the same as bank transfer then that's out as well as he has removed his bank details from the site. So it's cheque only! Who pays for anything by cheque anymore? Sure there are some but if he's depending on payment by cheque he is immediately excluding at least half and probably much more of his potential customer base. What kind of business model does that? Whatever the reasons, I see no excuse for not honouring a three year old order, and in any event he clearly shouldn't be trading, or saying that he's trading. My advice, if you send him a cheque it is unlikely you will receive your goods and just as unlikely you will ever see your money again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulleidboy Posted June 10 Share Posted June 10 I have had some good service from Modelmaster over the years. As Brew Man mentioned earlier (you have a good memory BM), I have one order dated January 2021 - the other two are from 2022. It's amazing that in several places on his site it says "Call us now" together with the phone number, whereas in his home page blurb, it says don't ring between 9am and 7pm. I assume if you call between those times you get Voicemail - which he suggests you use. I might call and give the outstanding order numbers, and see what happens - I would not expect any response. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
What About The Bee Posted June 10 Share Posted June 10 I would like to explain the strategy and tactics, as they may not have been clear above. I am certainly not ignoring the past. Strategy What do you do with a convict, after he is released from prison? Do you integrate him back into society or do you banish him to Boogeyland forever? The strategy is to provide ModelMaster with a test case. If he passes, then perhaps he is on the road to redemption. If he fails, banished he will be. Tactics He is given a simple email, requesting in stock status. If he responds affirmatively, then there can be zero excuse of "I will get around to it". He either ships, or he doesn't. I've asked Rana to report back on his experience, so we can all see his performance. I specifically stated "a handful" of items. They are significantly discounted and actually needed by Rana for his projects. A handful limits exposure and risk. Keeping the total small means the test case is relatively inexpensive. A Nod to those Burned I am not blind to past experience. Those who have been taken advantage of were fooled once, they will not be fooled again. I absolutely understand that. No quibble whatsoever. If his catalog was available elsewhere, I would not hesitate to use the other guy. I also have just the tiniest bit of sympathy for a guy who got sick and fell behind. He is trying to get back on his feet. He is buried under a mountain of complaints. Answer the Question So again. Redemption? Or banished forever? Let's find out. Bee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brew Man Posted June 10 Share Posted June 10 I think also BB will contribute to what you suggest by reminding him of his two or three existing and long outstanding orders. The trouble with this guy is he makes so many excuses for failing to complete orders, you don't know which, if any are true and which are not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTSR_NSE Posted June 10 Share Posted June 10 (edited) Personally I’d be extremely wary of having anything to do with that ‘business’ - according to Companies House the only business with that name was compulsorily dissolved in 2021 & the only other business linked to the person & address shown on their website was also compulsorily dissolved in 2010. I accept that it is perfectly possible that a legitimate business may well be registered under another name, person & address - but then surely the website should provide those details, if it is operating legitimately? Since Companies House has no active business listed/associated with either the person or address shown on the website, I fail to see how any beneficial communication with them can be possible? Edited June 10 by LTSR_NSE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
What About The Bee Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 (edited) I asked the internet, "Do UK companies have to register with Companies House?" The answer: "Sole traders do not have to be registered at Companies House. You only need to do this if you are setting up a limited company or limited liability partnership (LLP). To operate as a sole trader, you just need to register with HMRC for Self Assessment." So unless ModelMaster is one of the things listed, he does ☆☆☆NOT ☆☆☆ have to be registered at Companies House. Further, this question was already debated on RMweb https://www.rmweb.co.uk/forums/topic/150040-modelmaster-uk-order-delays/?do=findComment&comment=4267644 Bee Edited June 11 by What About The Bee Spaces at bottom removed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
What About The Bee Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 5 hours ago, Brew Man said: I think also BB will contribute to what you suggest by reminding him of his two or three existing and long outstanding orders. Fair enough @Brew Man He is unlikely to make good on a 3 year backlog in an afternoon. The exercise with Rana can, however, be executed in an afternoon. A baby step forward. To your point, actions do speak louder than words. Especially when words can be deliberately misleading. Bee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie Fred Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 Same thing in Austraia, Bee, I was a sole trader operating under my own name before I retired and only had to register for tax. I was not prepared to expand and have to set up business names, file reports and all that other stuff. I retired very happy thank you very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rana Temporia Posted June 11 Author Share Posted June 11 Sorry to have opened up old (and not so old) woulds! I have emailed him and I also tried the phone number on the website which asked me to leave a message, then told me the mailbox was full so he isn’t picking messages up. It looks like I will have to go elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brew Man Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 Do Fox not have what you need, RT? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulleidboy Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 (edited) That the mailbox is full when he has said this is the way to get in touch, says it all. As my old orders (3) were over a twelve month period in 2021/22, it is very easy to forget about them. From the site you knew there was possible delay in getting orders out, so you give him the benefit of the doubt and order again. What annoys me is that he has first class products that are competitively priced, and to my mind he could have a thriving business. I recall RMWeb locked the thread as it was going nowhere with a lot of disgruntled customers. If you go onto Google Maps and streetwise, and sit outside 49 Dablair Road, Ayr, it is a three storey row of terraced "houses", some with shops on the ground floor - 49 does not. Edited June 11 by Bulleidboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brew Man Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 (edited) I did that several months ago and I seem to recall that his stated address was somewhere in the sixties, not forties. I've begun to think he is merely trying to top up his pension pot at others expense. EDIT, yes I believe it was 64 which is a building of flats next to a medical practice and vets surgery. I suppose he did say his house and workshop were in different locations. Edited June 11 by Brew Man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTSR_NSE Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 Thank you @What About The Bee & @Aussie Fred for correcting my misunderstanding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rana Temporia Posted June 11 Author Share Posted June 11 4 hours ago, Brew Man said: Do Fox not have what you need, RT? Fox have the lining transfers but I was also interested in the industrial name plates. I may just go to Light Railway Stores for them as I did last time. I need some custom ones for my model of Knott End anyway and the last lot I got from LRS were very good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brew Man Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 (edited) According to Companies House, Modelmasters address is/was 31 Crown St. Aye. Googling that address reveals that it is the premises of Kevin Clark Services, Hydraulic Repair Service. Mr Grindlay gets dodgier at every turn. @Rana Temporia Yes, I think you'd be well advised to go anywhere else. Edited June 11 by Brew Man 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
What About The Bee Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 24 minutes ago, LTSR_NSE said: Thank you @What About The Bee & @Aussie Fred for correcting my misunderstanding. I didn't know the answer either LT&SR_NSE. So I asked the internet. I should have just asked Fred, who did! Bee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rana Temporia Posted June 17 Author Share Posted June 17 For info, I never got an email so ordered the lining transfers off Fox and the nameplates/numberplates/builders plates off Light Railway Stores. I have had good service off them before although they do take a while as they send all the custom etchings off in batches. One of my dogs has taken to eating things that come through the letterbox so I will have to keep an eye out for them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brew Man Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 At least you will have confidence that something will arrive for the dog to eat 🤣 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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