Kamtec complaint.. again!

[Stevo309]

I must apologise straight away for starting another Kamtec rant but i feel it's my duty to do so and warn others about the bad service before they waste their money and go through the same frustrations that I am. I've read about Kamtec here before and i know this is a repeat thread but it's a current story and hopefully will serve as a warning of the current under-performance from this trader, just because others have said what i am about to before in my opinion doesn't mean i shouldn't let you know what's going on right now. I know plenty of people out there have had good service from him but also plenty haven't. It seems to be a lottery. Here's my story..

I bought a Frog repro shell from him directly some time ago and needed to prompt Keith with several emails before i got the item. No complaints of the quality of the item for the price (once i got it). This time i thought Ebay would offer me some protection as his feedback looks pretty good, but not so. I ordered a repro lexan SRB mechanism box 30 days ago and paid the same day with PayPal. He left me positive feedback straight away. About 10 days later i emailed to see when it would be sent and was told it had been sent 5 or 6 days before. It has never arrived and "apparently" got lost. Since then i bought a Hilux repro windscreen and asked that the postage be combined with the SRB mech box. He sent me an invoice (5 days later) for the full amount with no reduced postage and no explanation which i paid. Since then I have had several emails ignored and in the end got a reply only when i threatened to file a non-receiced item claim and leave negative feedback. I was told that they are too busy to cope, have too many emails and are simply under too much pressure and would rectify my situation immediately. I'm in the uK the same as Kamtec and here we are a week later with neither of the items.

Now the part that really winds me up is the fact that he's not too busy to list items on Ebay and take the money. I know he's a nice guy, i know he makes good items and i know that some have nothing but praise for him and he's not out to keep my money. But, he has no excuse for sending me lies and empty promises and this is the worst service i have received from any seller on Ebay, through TC or otherwise and i felt it necessary to warn my fellow TC members that this is what you could get from Kamtec. I have never left anyone even a neutral feedback before let alone a negative but i feel i would be justified this time.

[Shodog]

Recently I bought a Bruiser windshield and Rough rider body. I knew going into it that he takes a long time to ship. Sure enough it took a month to reach California. His business practices have been long hashed out. I too wish he would only advertise In stock items but really its the price you pay if you really want it.

Jim

[nigeninja]

I myself have not had any dealings with this guy,and reading all the previous stuff never will.My way of thinking is if its on Ebay he should have the items there and ready to go out,I always pay via Paypal and when I've paid I expect the item to be posted out right away unless the seller tells me otherwise(in a couple of day etc).

Not have to wait weeks and weeks that would do my head in,I hate to wait for item through the post.So yep already made up my mind never to buy from this guy,unless he at a meet and i can buy direct.

[Stevo309]

Well i actually don't mind waiting. It said on the listing for the SRB mech box that they are made to order and could take 7-14 days. I needed that SRB mech box for a beach meeting that was 2 weeks after i payed and he let me down. The main problem i have is not lead times but the fact that he is lying. I'm prepared to accept that my item may have got lost but it would be the first thing that did within the uK from many 100's of items i have bought and it's a coincidence that it's happened to Kamtec. It also doesn't explain where my other item is and why after he promises to act quickly i still don't have my items. I know he's busy but so am I, certainly too busy to be sending endless emails chasing him. All i expect from people is honesty i guess, i hate being given the run-around.

It's a shame that in some cases there is no viable alternative, the Hilux windshield which is perfect for a runner 3 speed was just £6. RC4WD do them for about $50 i think!

[Hillman666]

I agree with you guys that lying is not the answer. He should be honest as most people dont mind delays as long as they know for sure whats going on and can believe they will get their item. However in his defence he does not do this as a full time concern. As far as Im aware he works a normal job and does the shells in spare time. His shells are excellent and up until recently he was the only guy doing it. Without Keith there would be hardly any resonable priced repro shells to save damaging those expensive genuine ones.

[Stevo309]

I agree that he offers good products that help us out and accept how much of a struggle it must be to do this in your spare time but nobody is holding a gun to his head and making him list stuff on Ebay, advertise and take money from people. I'm self employed and run my own business, that involves long hours and i have many things to sell on Ebay but they're not listed because right now i don't have time to pack them and send them. When i do sell stuff i keep people informed the whole time and send quickly.

I just wanted to warn people anyway not to buy from him, i'm a fair person and will praise when it's due but felt people should be warned of bad sellers. The Ebay feedback system does not tell the true story and i didn't want others falling into the same trap and ending up as frustrated as I am.

[Gruntfuggly]

If kamtec are so naff, and so many people have been *****ing about him on here, how come he hasn't had any negative feedback in the last 6 months? I'm not defending him, just that people should put their money where there mouths are and leave him some proper negative feedback if they want to 'warn' others... (thats not directed at you personally Stevo309)...

[professorslot]

I agree with Stevo309, this guy is just trouble, I bought two Frog shells a while ago , for a friend who gave me the money up front to buy them for him. The Kamtec guy was very quick wth sending a invoice which I paid immediatley ...........after two weeks no bodies. I emailed him, and he stated I never paid him, I sent the transaction details to him , so that he could check for himself, another week and still no bodies (Normally takes air mail items 3 days to get to Austria from England) By this time my friend was starting to ask about the whereabouts of his bodies, I could just tell him the was going to send them, which he never did. I emailed him 3 more times and got no reply, and in the end I had to file a claim with paypal in order to get the money back, he dind't respond to the claim either, so it was closed down in my favour. I mean what sort of customer service is that ???. Never ever again am I going to buy anything that guy offers for sale, no matter how desperatly I need it !!!![!]

Franz

[Gruntfuggly]

I wonder if the solution would be for the club to some how help Keith out - maybe if he did a whole stack of bodies, a load of people could 'invest' in buying them (I'd be prepared to), and then sell them through the club - no profit required, just means that people would get the bodies that they want and kamtec would get the money...

[twisty]

good idea

[TamiyaDan]

.

[JohnLunchBox]

quote:

Originally posted by TamiyaDan

I ordered 2 hilux repro windsheilds 2 weeks ago, they arrived on friday, they look great and i started to cut them out for my trucks.

guess i got lucky.

---

id="quote">id="quote">

I didn't have any problems with my VW van shell, was delivered within the time specified in the listing.

[JohnLunchBox]

I sent a message to Keith from Kamtec as i felt it was only fair that he have the chance to respond to what people have been writing, here is the message he asked me to pass on until he can join:

"I have been struggling with deliveries but they get there in the end. I am in a difficult business and am starting to get to grips with it. I need to join Tamiyaclub so that I can talk to people direct as I am very interested in what people want and expect."

I have edited out the parts of the email that were to me personally.

[dinodog]

[xx(]I agree with your point Stevo309 and I would have reacted just like you or maybe more Italian! but I feel I must add that I did buy a Land Rover Defender 110 Hi Capp bodyshell from him four weeks ago and it arrived promptly and I am very pleased with the product. I must also say that the negs from members surprised me but has made me think twice about using him in future. Shame, he could have cried off quickly and politely if he was really up against it and sorted you and all the others out one way or another. Many thanks for the heads up, I think you were well in order giving a sitrep on something other members might use and I am sure this thread has kept a few peoples blood presure down! Kind regards Dino. []

[bangstick]

with ebay the f/back doesnt work because i pride myself on over 100 pos feedback points at 100% if im not happy with someone,ie i sold a van on there a while ago, the ebay user let his father in law bid on the van, he won it and came about a hundred miles to pick it up whereupon he started haggling with me which is out of order, had i quite rightly left his son in law neg f/back i would have recived one in retaliation thus losing my 100% pos therefore i avoid leaving neg because of that

[Gruntfuggly]

What is the point of having 100% feedback if you are not prepared to use the system properly? If he left you a negative purely because you left him one, people will be able to see that. If I'm dealing with somebody without 100% feedback, I have a look to see what was said. It's usually quite obvious who the guilty party is...

You aren't helping anybody by trying to 'preserve' your own rating...

[Incredible_Serious]

Gruntfuggly....

That's possibly the first time I've ever seen that issue precented so lucidly and logically.

Bravo.

Now, back to the topic, Kamtec...

Alex

[Pellandine-sports]

In the last year or so I've bought four of Keith's bodyshells and have been on the receiving end of four perfect transactions, including an instance when the postal services had obviously kicked the badword out of my parcel and crushed the Beetle bodyshell inside. Replacement sent without question......thanks Keith.

There have been numerous comments on these forums about Kamtec's poor levels of customer service in the past and its obvious from some of the posts in this thread that some of your are aware of and have read these previous posts......yet you still buy from him???? Where's your logic???? Me? I'm happy and will continue to buy from him[][]

Keith rightly or wrongly states that some items may be liable to delays and this is presumably down to limited production runs and batch manufacturing. If you want one of his shells and are concerned about the length of time it will take then why don't you ask the seller a question before you buy???

As for not posting negative feedback for fear of receiving relatiatory negative, this is a crock of the proverbial. Firstly people with this attitude need to find their cajones, and secondly Keith is not of that mindset. I pride myself on my 100% feeback as well but that doesn't stop me saying what I think.

I hope it all turns out right for you Stevo

[tarznatz]

I ordered two of the srb inner shells and got them pretty fast. That was a while ago, and i was ready to wait, so I was surprised when they came so quick. Would advise asking before buying if you are in a rush. He's not out to burn you, and in the end all will be made right.

[Garry(2)]

I bought a Rover P6 body for my Mardave in February via ebay, it turned up about 3 days later no problems.

Then back in October, I bought a Golf Mk1, a Starlet, an Imp, a Sierra Cossie and a BMW Mini via his website, and paid straight away. But they didn't arrive for 3 weeks, after a couple of emails, he said the bodies nust have been lost in the post, so he replaced the entire order and added an extra Golf and Starlet body to make up for the delay.

As others have said, quality of the products are top-notch, delivery times aren't.

[DJTheo]

His postal losses must really take the statistics of parcel force and whatever you use in uK down LOL

Cheers