(COMMERCIAL) Do not do business with 'Masq-Mini"!!

[Cubs]

Once again not saying you are in the wrong or that you should not post up a bad experience on this message board. I just think it is a good idea to remind people to talk about the nice things too. As you said we should support our small companies with our hard earned money AND praise.   

Weeell, yes, service 'above and beyond' is always worth shouting about. But just sending something that has been paid for is just a transaction. I don't think a seller should get a  cuddle for going about their business in an ordinary manner - one which is profitable to them after all. If a business requires an extra incentive from the customer, beyond being paid, to fulfill the terms and conditions of a contract that they themselves have drawn up, they probably should rethink their business plan.

Do businesses publicly praise customers for paying? One of my pet peeves is the fact that in the hobby industry way too many companies of all sizes seem to regard it as their own hobby, instead of the customer's. Good business practice is more essential to the small business because the loss of a single customer can be the difference between paying the bills and not paying the bills for that month. Personal experience has taught me this.

Cock-ups do happen to us all (we're all human) but in business they need to be rectified quickly, to the satisfaction of the customer ... the business' satisfaction must play second fiddle if they have committed the error. A problem well resolved will gain much better feedback than the lack of any problems after all and it truly is the chance to make a loyal customer (ie. a milch cow to be financially exploited for many years).

[Too Bo Coo]

I have to say very honestly, I feel like I've done my due diligence and had given the vendor several opportunities to fix the problem.  And let's be honest, the only thing he needed to do was mail product from Germany to the Netherlands.  Not a tough trick.  But between the ignred emails, changing stories and bogus tracking info...  well I think as a consumer that I have given more than enough chances to do the right thing.  I also told the vendor that I'd like him to, after a 6 week wait and questionable practices, to just refund my money and part ways, but that if he made me work for it, I'd be quite aggravated and feel the need to warn fellow gamers that Masq-Mini doesn't just make honest mistakes, he tries to make those problems the problem of the customer.

I sort of agree with Cubs, given over my money and the fact of my patronage is 'thanks' enough. And I see this as no small thing, but on the other hand, I also feel that the vendor doesnt need to kiss my tush, but they do need to act in an above board manner.

[Ninja]

Cock-ups do happen to us all (we're all human) but in business they need to be rectified quickly, to the satisfaction of the customer ... the business' satisfaction must play second fiddle if they have committed the error.

What I am saying is that we are often NOT reasonable in what we expect for that satisfaction...(Its been two days since they have not responded to my email so I should get this for free!) and we as consumers hardly if EVER admit when we were wrong. (At best its a thanks a lot for dealing with my angry emails about not getting my package even though you sent it with tracking and the post office gave it to my neighbor OR as mentioned before in this post IT WAS ON THE DOOR STEP THE WHOLE TIME.)

Be reasonable and thoughtful that is all I am asking, there are just as many swindling company owners as there are people looking to get something for nothing and that is a fact.

[Ninja]

I have to say very honestly, I feel like I've done my due diligence and had given the vendor several opportunities to fix the problem.  And let's be honest, the only thing he needed to do was mail product from Germany to the Netherlands.  Not a tough trick.  But between the ignred emails, changing stories and bogus tracking info...  well I think as a consumer that I have given more than enough chances to do the right thing.  I also told the vendor that I'd like him to, after a 6 week wait and questionable practices, to just refund my money and part ways, but that if he made me work for it, I'd be quite aggravated and feel the need to warn fellow gamers that Masq-Mini doesn't just make honest mistakes, he tries to make those problems the problem of the customer.

To be clear I am not saying you are not in the right but look how many people posted that they had a fine or even great experience. This is not an attack on you. This is something I want to bring awareness to.

[Cubs]

What I am saying is that we are often NOT reasonable in what we expect for that satisfaction

Oh certainly, I couldn't agree more. If I pay a price as advertised, I expect my goods as described in the time advertised, nothing more. If something goes wrong and it's the seller's fault (or responsibility, which isn't necessarily the same thing), I expect them to make good. If something goes wrong that isn't the seller's fault, I do not expect them to make good.

As a seller myself, personally I will always bend over backwards to accomodate a client and sort out any issues for them, whether my fault or not, just because I think that is good business. I don't do it because I think it is my responsibility, but because I want my customer to remain loyal, and that is just my choice. It's not a level of service I expect from anyone else and am delighted if I encounter it.

[Too Bo Coo]

What I am saying is that we are often NOT reasonable in what we expect for that satisfaction...(Its been two days since they have not responded to my email so I should get this for free!) and we as consumers hardly if EVER admit when we were wrong. (At best its a thanks a lot for dealing with my angry emails about not getting my package even though you sent it with tracking and the post office gave it to my neighbor OR as mentioned before in this post IT WAS ON THE DOOR STEP THE WHOLE TIME.)

Be reasonable and thoughtful that is all I am asking, there are just as many swindling company owners as there are people looking to get something for nothing and that is a fact.

I see what you're saying, and dont disagree....but it has absolutely nothing to do with my situation.  Are you talking in the abstract?  Then yes, as a customer we need to be reasonable in our expectations for what a vendor can deliver, especially from a smaller operation.  Mate, if this ended up in my post this past Monday, I would never have posted this up and just wrote it off as part of life.  My motivation is my disgust with a particular vendor who acted in a very dishonest manner, with absolutely no proof to the contrary.

In my situation the vendor sent no notification about my order being mailed (not a big deal, some do some dont) so I had no idea when it supposedly mailed.  I contacted the vendor via email after waiting 2 weeks. (He is in Germany I am in the Netherlands, we are next door to each other).  I get no response.  I wait two more weeks which is now one month since I paid for my items.  I then contact paypal to make a complaint.  The vendor emails me in 10 minutes.  I mean, literally 10 minutes later after paypal got involved.  In my book it's a bad sign that I needed to resort to this to get a response...  The vendor first scolds me for going to paypal 'first', then tells me he mailed my item.  5 minutes later, literally, he emails again and says that my package was returned (didnt say when) with a damaged label and he would send it right off.  I told him I am an expat and would be leaving in the third week of the month for a few weeks so it would have to come before I leave, incidentally the reason why I ordered 7 weeks in advance of this date.... I wait 2 more weeks, and the window of opportunity in almost closed to file my claim, get my money back or give a 'third' chance.  The vendor during this time sends paypal the 'tracking number' for DHL.  I verify this number, and it is bogus.  

So what do I have?  I paid 50 euro 7 weeks ago. The vendor has mailed my package (if I believe this) twice.  He has ignored my emails unless prodded by Paypal.  The ONLY evidence that he mailed anything at anytime, turns out to be bogus....  Using the metric of a 'reasonable person', I think I have more that met that.

This is my expectation.  When I pay for something, I get it.  If there is a problem, ok, let's try and find a solution.  That is however not an endless option and I feel that if something is fishy....I reserve the right to demand my money back.  For the vendor to claim that in my case I'm only interested in 'free product'?  It sounds like someone is trying to build an alibi for their bad conduct....and we all know the most reputable business people always blame their customers for things that go wrong.

[grant]

I'm with cubs on this one. As usual he is the voice of reason in what things should be.

[Ramshackle_Curtis]

Yeah, seems shady. But Maybe its just a  total cluster fuck in this situation. I agree it sounds wierd to give you a false tracking number , but it could eb a mistake.

I dunno, I have been doing the casting and mailing thing for about 7 years now, and in that time I have had 2 pakages go missing twice (about 5% go missing once). One was to a customer who is a personal friend, so I am sure he was not scamming me, and the other guy seemed pretty genuine.

In the end, it was my choice to run a  business that relies on postal services, international as a large part. SO I have to accept that there are going to be losses. Most of my stuff works uot at about half the price to the customer is materials and postage, the rest is "profit". Profit is in inverted commas because that doesnt include deductions for rent etc. So a package getting lost mean zero profit for me, which is just like I did not get the order. Sad but break even. When it goes missing twice, its a hit. BUT, and it is a big BUT, I have to accept that it happens, and budget for it in my business plan. Not get angry at my customers!

[pixelgeek]

When you say a "fake" tracking number do you mean a number that was not valid and returned an error or a number that said it wasn't in the system?

If there was a shipping problem that involved a parcel losing part of the label then the number could not have been scanned. So the automated mail software generates a tracking number which is then not entered/scanned at the mail facility.

[Too Bo Coo]

I mean when you enter the number that the vendor provided as his proof of postage it says, 'no such number exists in our system'. That sounds like a bogus number to me.....especially since during the dispute with paypal the vendor didn't say when challenged on this point, 'oops! That was a typo, here's the correct info!' Nope. He got caught and what else could he do.  I have to say, there is very little question in my mind that there was something fraudulent here and that if I waited any longer I'd be 50 euros poorer.  The fact that masq-mini then accuses me of theft... Well now I intend to spread the word far and wide that Stephan at masq mini tried to steal 50 euro from me by not sending me the products I paid for and paypal agreed and sent me my money back.  As I wrote before, I am very happy to support small businesses, I understand that things may have issues in the mail, but I also feel that any vendor who is unable to give straight answers to basic questions and the ONLY proof that the vendor does provide is bogus.... Well, fool me once....

[pixelgeek]

The fact that Paypal gave you your money isn't indicative of anything other than a lack of proof of postage. They don't investigate these things in any real depth.

[pixelgeek]

I mean when you enter the number that the vendor provided as his proof of postage it says, 'no such number exists in our system'. That sounds like a bogus number to me...

Which would be the case if the number hadn't been scanned.

I'm not argeeing or disagreeing with you but the situation as you describe it isn't as clearcut to me as you think it is

[Andym]

It's a shame it didn't work out for you, I had no problem at all with them when I ordered their Cyberwolf set for my GW Space Wolf army! Great models !

[Lovejoy]

In the end, it was my choice to run a  business that relies on postal services, international as a large part. SO I have to accept that there are going to be losses. .... I have to accept that it happens, and budget for it in my business plan.

This is so true... I have packages go missing on the way to customers, and I agree it's usually about 5%. To keep good customer relations going, I just replace the missing stuff, no questions asked. But this does mean I have to factor about 5% extra into the sales price for everybody.

This is my expectation.  When I pay for something, I get it.  If there is a problem, ok, let's try and find a solution.  That is however not an endless option and I feel that if something is fishy....I reserve the right to demand my money back.  For the vendor to claim that in my case I'm only interested in 'free product'?  It sounds like someone is trying to build an alibi for their bad conduct....and we all know the most reputable business people always blame their customers for things that go wrong.

I do agree, at the end of the day, it's down to the company to do the best it can to keep all customers happy. So Stefan should bend over backwards to sort things out in a pleasant manner.

But on the other hand, you need to remember that you are not dealing with  a big multi-national company - this is his business, his livelihood. Remember this situation will have hurt him financially. Of course he'll be feeling aggrieved - he's the only person who lost out on this deal.

Look at it logically - you emailed him once. He didn't reply. There could be any number of reasons for this - spam filters, failed connections, accidental deletion, all things that happen to millions of emails everyday. After hearing nothing back, you initiate a Paypal claim. And he responds, within 10 minutes. Now it could well be that this is the first email he has received, and he is dealing with it promptly. He gives a tracking number, which you say is bogus. But did you check the number with him? Did you confirm which carrier or mail service he used? Without checking those things, it's difficult to prove it was bogus.

From Stefan's perspective, it looks like you are a con artist, out to steal from a small business. I can understand his annoyance.

From your perspective, Stefan is trying to take your money and not send the product. But be honest, is that likely? He's been in business for years - many satisfied customers, including myself. If he really kept the money and didn't send the stuff, he'd have been arrested years ago.

At the end of this, the only person who has lost out here is Stefan of Masc-Mini. And now you are trying to damage his business further.

A very sleazy business person in my book and I would strongly discourage anyone from doing business with an obvious thief who stole my 50 euro. 

And this is probably libellous. Tread carefully.

[Lowtardog]

In the spirit of christmas gents might it not be best to let this go as I can see all sides of the discussion however the matter is closed and the work here is done