Lucky model. Lucky for them but not the buyer.

Wirraway

As much as I dislike thread resurrection, I didnt post the first time around, so I'll do so now. I will never say a bad word about Lucky Model after I bought the Revell 1/32 He111 off them. Wafer seals on the box were intact, so definately RoG screwup (missing sprues- a lot of missing sprues) Lucky Model cracked open another kit and sent me the missing parts. That is service.

 

Why dig up a thread that's nearly 4 years old? The event is looking my over.

Bronto

Their policy about "available" is stated on their site.  It's not their fault you didn't read it.  They are not dishonest.

 

Sorry but in business (and when you take my money it's called business) you don't get to make up your own definitions of common terms.  

It's like contracting with someone to mow your lawn, if they don't cut the grass and tell you it's because YOU didn't understand their special definition of the word "mow" then it's your fault.  

That said, they aren't necessarily being dishonest, they are just being conveniently vague.  They will refund your money promptly and in the end you will get precisely what you paid for.  

I've had two experiences with them, one was very good which is the minimum standard for business, the other was their confusing and ambiguous use of terms with their own unique made up definitions such as "available" and "reserved".  

ozmoddler

Well you must be  having  better luck with unlucky model than me!

Yes, a much larger pool of buyers had satisfactory experience with Lucky Model.

You can shop with Sprue Brothers who lists only the items in stock. I do many times. You can also limited your model shopping to the LHS. You take the model home right the way.

I also shopped with Lucky Model, Roll Models etc. who can get items that I do not find elsewhere, but takes longer to ship. They provide a needed service to modelers and have stand the test of time. But very different business strategy than Sprue Brothers.

BTW, Lucky Model sends out email the customer if the ordered item does not come in time. If you did not get them, could that be the wrong email address? Did you receive any form of communication from them? Did you send message to inquire about your order? If you did, did they fail to respond?

Please, just cancel your order if you are so dissatisfied.  I have ordered with them many times and had 1 problem, which they handled properly. With the available thing, I had asked them when the expected ship date was, they replied in another 2-3 months, and if I didn't want to wait, simply cancel.  While I can certainly see why they need to make the 'available/in stock' thing more 'in-your-face', I respectfully disagree with you regarding them being dishonest

The simplest solution for you is to cancel your order. You'll get your money back real quick - no hassle, not worth getting yourself all worked up.  Good luck.

...again...if it was not listed as "in stock", you can email them, and they will cancel the order and you will get a paypal refund (if you paid with Paypal). I've got good quick responses with these issues in the past.

So an end to this saga, model ordered  and paid for 09 / 02 / 2012. To this  day 03 / 04 / 2013, nothing has been  even dispatched. NEVER AGAIN.

Phil_H

This is well known - almost every discussion here on FSM (and many other forums) discussing buying from LM mentions this.

It's a bit of a stretch to call them dishonest.

Maybe but it's obviously caught out more than one person. it's probably good for them to be able to reduce the stock overhead, but if it's putting customers off and giving them bad reputation on modelling forums then something should be changed. it's not like it'd be that hard.

Ozmodeler,I agree with you that it is a crappy policy,but if it is in their instructions,then we have been warned.

Yeah, no one shops with them, either.

ozmoddler

I am  not  suffering  from  any form of demetia, the 3  months will not  fly by and I will not be surprised  when the model arrives, though  maybe for you it  could be a surprise??

Really? Because you have forgotten how to spell.

Professordeath hit the nail on the head.

I'll look forward to avoiding all future posts by you in the future.

Regards,

Well you must be  having  better luck with unlucky model than me!

I am  not  suffering  from  any form of demetia, the 3  months will not  fly by and I will not be surprised  when the model arrives, though  maybe for you it  could be a surprise??

I am sorry I didnt read their policy, its probably  my fault that they are dishonest, misleading, misrepresentating their stocks  that are  "Available" = we will reorder some time in the next 3 months  when we get a chance, very bad stock management, and customer service.

If  I went to a petrol station where the petrol  is available ,after I paid for the petrol, I would assume that I would drive away with a full tank of petrol, not  a"maybe we can order you in some petrol in 3  months". It is rubbish to define "available" as we will order it some time in the future!!!!!

Hey Ozmoddler,

To be fair, most online hobby shops have a distinction between "in stock" and "available"/"backordered" etc.

I've used LuckyModel heaps of times, including stuff that was "available" but have always been happy with their service and prices, as well as their range.  Much more than any brick and mortar LHS.

If you've got a stash built up, that 3 months will fly by, and then, when you've forgotten you even placed the order, it'll show up and be a nice surprise.

Regards,

Thanks T

Plasticjunkie- Go to the homepage, click the support tab, then under the Eduard helpdesk link, click submit ticket.

Nathan T

Thanks for the heads up Phil. I just happened to try good ole email and it worked out. However I've found the im messaging to be the only way to go for Eduard customer support.

 

Great Models used to do this before they started the "In Stock and On Hand" category because of complaints.

Thanks for the heads up Phil. I just happened to try good ole email and it worked out. However I've found the im messaging to be the only way to go for Eduard customer support.

Nathan T

So I emailed them, asked them to cancel my item listed as Available, and within hours they replied and cancelled the item and refunded my paypal account.

Nathan, if you need to contact them regarding an order, it's often easier to do so using the internal messaging system (with the odd title "My Request") than it is with email. Email may go astray, sometimes due to spam filtering or some other reason. Log into your account and you will see this option on the menu bar.

Hey, just had a good experience with LuckyModel. I ordered a kit that I swear said "In stock". Well, I paid, logged out, and a day later logged back in to check my order, It said the kit was "available". So I emailed them, asked them to cancel my item listed as Available, and within hours they replied and cancelled the item and refunded my paypal account. No biggie...

Their policy about "available" is stated on their site.  It's not their fault you didn't read it.  They are not dishonest.

This is well known - almost every discussion here on FSM (and many other forums) discussing buying from LM mentions this.

Their own policies page (http://www.luckymodel.com/scale.aspx?action=doc&doc_no=NL070430-0255) states:

The product availability will show as:

In Stock

Available (available to order)

It's a bit of a stretch to call them dishonest.