Confirms our (LHS) experience of a few years ago...
Since they do not sell through distributors, and since we had been requested by a few customers to obtain some select items, we established a direct order account and ordered several items in three different scales. Included were some O gauge kits for background buildings...3-story apartments/porches/stairs in brick, clapboard, etc.. After they had hung on the peg wall (The kits came in a clear sack with a hang tag) for a few months, unsold, I decided to build one of them for my own layout. I opened the bag, read through the instructions, compared the same with the materials provided and said to myself, 'Self? There's NO WAY this bunch of sticks and plastic parts is adequate to delivering the final product!'
So, I sent an email, explaining the situation....including the delay in discovery. (WAY past the 14-day refund period.)
The response that I received was terse. The kit was no longer made/offered. The problem was no longer theirs. They offered no solution.
As the Trains Dept. manager, I was equally incensed...by a manufacturer that accepted no responsibility. (Anyone else pick up on the hypocrisy of the latter as per the comments received by the OP? You're right, Mr. Manufacturer, your lack of accepting responsibility is, indeed, a widespread problem we all face in society and commerce.)
Consequently, this manufacturer was notified that he could terminate our account...we were no longer interested in doing any business with them.
I must confess, for as long ago as that incident occurred, and now after reading the OP's experience and the mfr's response, I am thoroughly amazed that they are yet doing business....at all. So, perhaps our horrid experiences are far rarer than the successful transactions, and they persevere.
But we're done.....finis.
KD
