Problem with a forum member

[Vintagedeputy]

I was going to post this in the current "feedback" thread but I didnt want it to get lost there. I've been given the green light to let you all know about an unpleasant experience I had with a forum member and although I despise these kinds of threads myself, I felt that you should all know in case you ever decide to do business with him. The forum member is Royalsfans and he uses the email address chiefsfans1@sbcglobal.net

I was looking on ebay for a wooden bat rack to display my bats and I saw that an ebay seller made custom bat racks. I contacted the seller and during the discussion, he advised me that he was also a member here.
I wanted a specifically made one for a certain area of my room but I felt that his cost was a little more than I wanted to spend so I simply ordered one of his pre-made 10 bat racks. I asked him if he could stain it a certain color as his normally came in a lighter wood and I wanted a darker cherrywood type color. I sent him a photo of the stain color that I wanted. He said the stain color was no problem and that the total would be $55 delivered. I paid him the $55 through Paypal on July 6th.

After about a week or so, I emailed him to ask the status of the bat rack. He replied with "what did you order?" and "What was your address?" I gave him the info again and he stated that it had been shipped. I asked for a confirmation number but he didnt reply to that. The next day he said that 2 other customers had not gotten their racks yet and that there must have been a delay at post office. The next day, he said that the other 2 racks reached their destination and mine "must have gotten lost". He agreed to make me another rack and send it. I again confirmed the stain color to make sure it was right.

After several requests for a tracking number, he provided me with a number that said merely that the post office was notified to pick up a shipment at his house, nothing about the status of the actual delivery. He said that sometimes items are delivered before they show as being shipped. Days went by and finally the rack arrived on July 27 (3 weeks later). The rack was shipped in a triangular box intended for documents and blueprints. It had one thin piece of bubble wrap around the center of the rack and nothing protecting the ends. Needless to say, both ends were cracked and broken due to the poor packaging. It was also stained a rustic brown and not the cherrywood color I paid extra for. I would have expected the rack to have been shipped in an appropriate box or at the very least have some kind of extra support to keep it from being damaged.

I contacted the seller and told him that it arrived broken and he suggested that I buy glue to fix it. The seller stated that he would refund me some money towards the repair materials. I purchased $17.25 in glue, a clamp and mounting hardware (since there was none with the bat rack). After 2 days of attempting to fix it, you can still clearly see the damage. The cracks are obvious. I also used some wood stain that I had to make the color correct .

I emailed Royalsfans twice asking for a refund since it wasn't packaged properly and arrived broken. I also wanted the $17 for repair materials back. Royalsfans ignored my emails. After a few days, I filed a dispute with Paypal and they sided with Royalsfans since the item was not purchased on ebay through an auction. The seller also told Paypal that I asked for a color that wouldnt work with that kind of wood. Wonder why he didnt tell me that? He also said that I didnt pay for insurance and that he shipped over 500 other racks that way and none were broken. He seems to be missing the point that mine is broken due to poor packaging. Now I am $72 into a broken bat rack. Oh by the way, the stain I used looks gorgeous, exactly the right color. Also, the first one he allegedly made, still hasn't shown up. I guess the old saying that you can polish a turd but its still a turd applies.

I'm not going to say dont buy a bat rack from him, but Caveat Emptor clearly applies here. If you do, you will be taking your chances. Royalsfans has shown me that he really doesnt care about making a customer happy which is a shame because I have alot more bats and wall space in need of racks.


Jim


http://links.pictures.aol.com/pic?id=57c0smNnTSMnIPmnYBbk9F7Ia82km7OD7v6kv4xQp5F d3Ig=&size=m
http://links.pictures.aol.com/pic?id=57c0smNnTSMnIPmnYBbk9F7Ia2YXAPyjJLmpv4xQp5F d3Ig=&size=m

[Vintagedeputy]

The photos above are pictures taken in the condition as it arrived.

[kylehess10]

I've made a bat rack similiar to this before and they do break pretty easily. I ended up making a second one since my first one broke in 2 different spots. These really do need a lot of protection when sent through the mail.

[Vintagedeputy]

Yeah I understand how things can get damaged during shipping. I have been a seller on ebay since 1998 and I always make sure that I package things in a way to survive nuclear fallout. Too bad this item wasnt packaged properly.

[TFig27]

try a paypal charge back

[jonincleve]

what special size were you looking for? please email me at jonincleve@sbcglobal.net if you get a chance.

thank you
john

[XPFO]

Great....I just ordered six bat racks with him last week....fingers crossed!!!!

[Vintagedeputy]

I was looking for something that wrapped around a particular wall in my house. He wanted $30-50 for shipping and I didnt think that it was worth the cost.

XPFO - hope you have better luck!

[Royalsfans]

To Vintagedeputy Yes you did order a Cherri color rack and I emailed you back saying that the pine would not take the color right and asked you if I could use a darker color. You replied yes> As for the box it was a new FedEx box that was flipped inside out sense I had a extra and had no stains> Just trying to make things sound worse> I have sent out over 500 rack on ebay the same way and have used the same rapping and have only heard of one broke. And the cos termer fixed it with a 2.00 bottle of wood glue> You did not ask for a little money back> You asked for 17.50 plus the whole 55 if you like ill post the email for all to see. To the other members my feed back on ebay is 100% and have never had a problem until now> I would have paid for the 17.00 to fix the rack but when asked for all the money and the way he asked I just said no> If that stops me from trading on hear so be it but for those that I have bought from know that im far and always send your money or items out with in a day or two. Oh and the rack that was 30 to 50 for shipping was going to be a wrap around a corner and would have cost a lot to ship> I don't make money on shipping

[TFig27]

http://spellchecker.com/

[Vintagedeputy]

The proof is in the pictures!


To Vintagedeputy Yes you did order a Cherri color rack and I emailed you back saying that the pine would not take the color right and asked you if I could use a darker color. You replied yes

That's not true - here is the email reply you sent to me and a picture of the bat rack after I stained it the correct color. Looks like the color was not an issue per your email and it looks like the color I stained it worked out just fine:

-----Original Message-----
From: Jessie Johnson <chiefsfans1@sbcglobal.net (chiefsfans1@sbcglobal.net)>
To: deputy7621@aol.com (deputy7621@aol.com)
Sent: Wed, 27 Jun 2007 8:44 pm
Subject: Re: bat rack photos


Yes I can make one that holds ten in the color your after shipped for 55

http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/5774/staincolorpm7.png


> As for the box it was a new FedEx box that was flipped inside out sense I had a extra and had no stains>

Again, that's not true - here is a picture of the box. Doesnt look like a Fed Ex box that was flipped inside out - looks like a US Postal Service that is clearly labeled for documents and blueprints:

http://img488.imageshack.us/img488/3622/box1ek2.png

http://img488.imageshack.us/img488/1668/box2dd7.png


Just trying to make things sound worse> I have sent out over 500 rack on ebay the same way and have used the same rapping and have only heard of one broke.

Well, if only one broke then it shouldnt be a problem to refund the one buyer for sending something that was not packaged properly. You may have just gotten lucky on the other 500 that you sent.

And the cos termer fixed it with a 2.00 bottle of wood glue> You did not ask for a little money back> You asked for 17.50 plus the whole 55 if you like ill post the email for all to see.

Actually, it was $17.25 (receipt below) which is what the wood glue ($3.97), quick grip clamp to hold it together ($10.99) and the toggle bolts to mount it to the wall ($1.47) all cost me. Since it couldnt be properly fixed, I asked for the $55 I paid for this thing since you didn't offer me a replacement plus what I spent in repair materials for something that couldnt be fixed back to its original condition.
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/8996/receiptgr1.png

To the other members my feed back on ebay is 100% and have never had a problem until now> I would have paid for the 17.00 to fix the rack but when asked for all the money and the way he asked I just said no

Why didnt you respond to either of my two emails asking for some kind of refund and at least offer me the $17? You simply chose to ignore me.


If that stops me from trading on hear so be it but for those that I have bought from know that im far and always send your money or items out with in a day or two (except it took 3 weeks for this bat rack to travel from Missouri to Virginia?).

Oh and the rack that was 30 to 50 for shipping was going to be a wrap around a corner ( I already stated that above) and would have cost a lot to ship>

I don't make money on shipping (no, you make money by cutting corners on packaging materials to ensure safe shipping and by not refunding customers who receive damaged goods and are told to spend $17 for repair materials.

[Vintagedeputy]

Royalsfans - I think its pretty clear from the evidence presented that I am entitled to some kind of a refund. Although you failed to handle this properly when it was a private matter, I hope that you do the right thing now and handle this correctly so that the other members of the forum can see that you have dealt with this in a professional manner.

[XPFO]

My bat racks are going out this weekend and are traveling to Canada so I will let you all know how they look when they arrive.

[Yankwood]

Sum>tymez> notes on hear > are Vary>tuff to reed>

[Vintagedeputy]

Yankwood - :)

[Royalsfans]

I would be more tha happy to pay for the glue and clamp. But I get a note from paypal asking for all the money. And for the box I thought it was a fed box. Better yet it was a new USPS box. How can you blame me for how the box shows up.. No if you want to keep fighting where all can see fine or email me and will talk there. Up to you

[ironmanfan]

Better yet it was a new USPS box.

Enough said....:D

[Jason]

Better yet it was a new USPS box.

A new USPS box designed to hold paper and documents, not heavier more fragile items. Walmart has nice boxes for about .97 cents and a large roll of bubble wrap for about $3.00. Might want to look into that in the future.

[LWMM]

I would be more tha happy to pay for the glue and clamp. But I get a note from paypal asking for all the money. And for the box I thought it was a fed box. Better yet it was a new USPS box. How can you blame me for how the box shows up.. No if you want to keep fighting where all can see fine or email me and will talk there. Up to you

I notice you don't deny that you lied about the colour of stain.

[Vintagedeputy]

I would be more tha happy to pay for the glue and clamp. But I get a note from paypal asking for all the money. And for the box I thought it was a fed box. Better yet it was a new USPS box. How can you blame me for how the box shows up.. No if you want to keep fighting where all can see fine or email me and will talk there. Up to you


If you read what the actual issue was, I didn't blame you for "how the box showed up".

The box arrived intact. The problem is that A) the box is not designed for this type of item, it is clearly labeled for blueprints and documents, and B) You put one thin piece of bubble wrap around the middle of the bat rack (which did nothing by the way) and you failed to put anything as far as padding or protection at the ends. Its obvious that the box got jostled around in transit but it would have survived a heckuva lot better with some padding. Had it been properly protected and still became broken, I would have written it off as s**t happens. This is not the case.

So yes, since you failed to properly package and ship a fragile item, I asked for a refund of money spent on said item and secondly, since I spent $17.25 in repair materials (at your direction) to try to fix the item that was damaged due to your incompetance and the repairs didnt work, I expect to be reimbursed for that. Had you handled this in a decent manner, I would have ordered additional bat racks from you in the future for the rest of my needs.

Now, no soup for you!

[XPFO]

Well an update on bat racks from this gentlemen....well there is none. Still no bat racks. I made payment over a month ago and was told 10 days ago the bat racks were shipping out and that I would get a tracking number and now my e-mails go unanswered. I have purchased 6 from this gentleman, which I am beginning to think will never show. A paypal claim is being filed as we speak.

[Vintagedeputy]

Well, I had hoped to have better news on my end, but I dont.

You may remember that we cleared our dispute when he emailed me a few weeks ago and offered to send me a new rack to make up for the dispute.

On August 6th, I replied to and accepted his offer of a new rack. He asked me what kind of stain I used on mine and I sent him the info.

On August 9th, I emailed him and asked how it was coming along. His reply was:

Cant start untill saterday. But these types I can do in a few hrs and stain and clear coat it in a good day> Ill do my best to get it out on Monday

I expected per his email, that he would start it on Saturday the 11th, and would ship on Monday the 13th. That was 10 days ago.

On August 20th and again today, August 23rd, I emailed him asking where the rack was and have yet to get a reply from him.........

Jessie, if you are reading this, you need to respond so that people are aware of the status of these items. Your failure to respond is giving your business a bad name.

Jim

[XPFO]

Well I got a response to my paypal claim, but still no response to my e-mail. He says they shipped two weeks ago and hasn't seen any e-mails, but still no tracking number as promised.

[Vintagedeputy]

XPFO - you may recall (earlier in this thread) that I had the same issue in requesting a tracking number.

I'm not even sure what to say next here.

[XPFO]

I know it is strange...a lot of his more recent feedbacks on e-bay involve stuff being lost in the mail etc.... He has a real nice product and seemed to be making lots of sales and could definitley have grown his business, but all of a sudden he is pulling these game. Seems strange...very strange!!!

[Vintagedeputy]

I dont recall what his ebay screen name is......do you recall it?

[XPFO]

Royalsfans1

[mvandor]

This has the earmarks of a guy running a side business he can't keep up with after his main job, family, and personal life. Part of the problem/risk of doing business with individuals rather than companies. I almost refuse to deal with individuals anymore because of this. My last experience was a McFarlane customizer that took nearly 4 months to get me a Kellen Winslow I had commissioned.

[Vintagedeputy]

Well, whatever the deal is, he needs to honor his obligations?

[cigarman44]

Glad I read this thread. I almost bought a rack from him. It's a shame. Good looking racks.

[aeneas01]

This has the earmarks of a guy running a side business he can't keep up with after his main job, family, and personal life. Part of the problem/risk of doing business with individuals rather than companies...

exactly...

[Vintagedeputy]

Just stumbled across this auction from the thief who screwed me a year ago on a bat rack. Looks like his 100 % perfect feedback has taken quite a hit due to his shady dealings...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Game-Used-Baseball-bat-display-rack-Six-Bats_W0QQitemZ150290383459QQihZ005QQcategoryZ60596 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[mvandor]

Just stumbled across this auction from the thief who screwed me a year ago on a bat rack. Looks like his 100 % perfect feedback has taken quite a hit due to his shady dealings...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Game-Used-Baseball-bat-display-rack-Six-Bats_W0QQitemZ150290383459QQihZ005QQcategoryZ60596 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

It also looks like he's retiring from the bat rack biz.

[MRMusial]

Just stumbled across this auction from the thief who screwed me a year ago on a bat rack. Looks like his 100 % perfect feedback has taken quite a hit due to his shady dealings...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Game-Used-Baseball-bat-display-rack-Six-Bats_W0QQitemZ150290383459QQihZ005QQcategoryZ60596 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


This has the earmarks of a guy running a side business he can't keep up with after his main job, family, and personal life.

If you read the auction description in the auction, it appears MVANDOR may have hit the nail on the head:



http://pics.ebaystatic.com/aw/pics/s.gifThis is the last rack I will do. I just dont have the time right now so what it goes for it goes for. ...

[cigarman44]

It funny, I read this thread August of last year and thanked Vintage for the heads up. I then proceeded to forget about it and ordered two racks from Jessie in June of this year. Two weeks later they were on my door step no problem. Nicest bat racks Ive used. Sucks some of you had bad dealings...

[Vintagedeputy]

It funny, I read this thread August of last year and thanked Vintage for the heads up. I then proceeded to forget about it and ordered two racks from Jessie in June of this year. Two weeks later they were on my door step no problem. Nicest bat racks Ive used. Sucks some of you had bad dealings...


Oh, you can tell that he does nice work. My issue is, when you send something through the mail, package is correctly so that it doesnt get damaged. If you fail to package it correctly and it gets damaged, replace it. If you offer to pay for the repair materials, pay for them - dont back out. That's where the problem came in. He didnt ship it correctly and when it got damaged, he didnt make good on it.

[thomecollector]

Cigarman,
Where did you get the jersey case ? Any sizes for that rack? Lmk.
Roger:D

[momen55]

can someone email me the specs on this type of rack? what are the radius, how far apart are the mounts? one of the men in men's ministry of my church does woodwork and i am going to ask him to make some. he has done all the wood details for the worship center and they are great. depending on how they look, i will start selling them. oldz70@yahoo.com.

[cigarman44]

The jersey case is from Hobby Lobby. They are 140 bucks but they are 1/2 price every other week or so. Got it for 70 bucks. I bought some screw hooks from walmart (1.10 for 10) Screwed one into the top by hand. Put the jersey on a regular hanger, flipped the hanger around and hung it by the bottom straight of the hanger. It keeps the jersey shoulders stiff.

I can get you specs tomorrow night. I do have an extra 2 bat rack of the same oak and specs.


Cigarman,
Where did you get the jersey case ? Any sizes for that rack? Lmk.
Roger:D

[cigarman44]

Come to think of it mine were shipped rather crappy, but they did make it in one piece!


Oh, you can tell that he does nice work. My issue is, when you send something through the mail, package is correctly so that it doesnt get damaged. If you fail to package it correctly and it gets damaged, replace it. If you offer to pay for the repair materials, pay for them - dont back out. That's where the problem came in. He didnt ship it correctly and when it got damaged, he didnt make good on it.

[thomecollector]

The jersey case is from Hobby Lobby. They are 140 bucks but they are 1/2 price every other week or so. Got it for 70 bucks. I bought some screw hooks from walmart (1.10 for 10) Screwed one into the top by hand. Put the jersey on a regular hanger, flipped the hanger around and hung it by the bottom straight of the hanger. It keeps the jersey shoulders stiff.

I can get you specs tomorrow night. I do have an extra 2 bat rack of the same oak and specs.

Thanks, I look forward to hearing back from you. Roger