Well, good service deserves recognition.
I ordered some stuff from Lucky Models, paid with paypal, and in ten days my first half of the order arrived, (what was in stock) My second half arrived the other day. (what needed to be ordered) There was no additional charge for the shipping of the second package, and my instock items weren't held up.
That's what I call GREAT SERVICE!!! and a few American shops better wake up and smell the coffee.

On the other hand, I finally received my LAST order from Great Models. Of the 13 items I ordered in January, all listed on the site as on sale, and in stock, (If it's not is stock, why list it as on sale??? I could never figure that one out, but they do it all the time) 3 items arrived. I honestly don't think I'll be using Great Models anylonger. The same day I ordered from Great Models, I ordered from the following: Accurate Armour, (UK) Tarrant's (UK) and Squadron, all arrived within a week...... I don't think I'll be ordering from Great Models anylonger.

I notice we have a new advertizer---- Military Hobbies.... with free shipping on orders over $50.00, I think I'll be giving them the business I use to give Great Models. Oh did I say I wouldn't be ordering from Great Models anylonger????

Placed my first order with Lucky Model on the 2/22, hoping to see it tomorrow (2 M60A1's).

Can I add European shops to that as well?

It's unusual, but living here in to all intents and purposes, a bit of a 'black hole' , the orders from LuckyModel seem to arrive quicker than they do to the States. I can usually count n 5 working days to get an order.... Madrid/Barcelona on the other hand is between 3 weks and never...Jim

:-) I didn't know Great Models have an outlet there also... :-) :-)

The translation of GreatModels is 'Jordi Rubio' .. Jim

I'm glad you got good service at Lucky Models Dave, I was thinking on using them myself, and I'll use your advise about not even trying great models, why even put myself through the heart ache. Places like that don't even pay attention until they see a big drop in cash flow.

Then they usually fire the wrong ones, and never get the problem fixed, but they have been going on, they were the only place to go to, but now we are getting more choices, so they better watch out, Thank God for competition, that there is another place that needs the business.

Kerry

Kerry, don't hesitate. They truly have an excellent service. They also package the stuff properly. My orders have always arrived so well protected they take around 20 minutes to open ... Like armor-packaging1..Jim

I'm a pleased Luckymodel customer too,
but this time I wish to defend GreatModels' name.
although my last order from them was two years ago I still think that for certain products they are the best store around.
they just carry the remotest books and aftermarket goods that no one else does.
so maybe they are not cheaper and faster as LuckyModel but they still have their place in the internet hobby store world.

They've been with us for quite some time. They sponsored the first User of the Month award with a $20 gift certificate (which I won and used) way back in early 2002. I have since done business with them several times.

I discovered the same problems with GM and despite seeing all the goodies on their pages, I will utilize my funds elsewhere.

lucky model has been great to me
confirmation of order within 24 hours.

shipping as advertised

rates on models much lower

great packaging as far as protection of model goes, bubble wrap which my daughter loves[ as well as tank movies].....

reb

Elad, I've been a Great Models user for years, if you read any of my posts about them, I have always tried to defend them, and point out the good points, even if you had to wait a looooooong time.. BUT 3 out of 10 is camel dung, and is the straw that broke this camel's back. I wish you all the luck in the world, and feel free to continue using them. BUT I shall choose to spend my money where I get the service. I persoanlly feel, if your too lazy to keep you website up to date, and you are too lazy to keep your customers up to date, and happy. Unhappy customers shop elsewhere.

OH.... I haven't bought EXXON since the Alaskan oil spill...... They're still in business, and I haven't run out of gas either.

I mostly use Great Models as a reference page now. They do have a great website if you want to look at pictures. They don't have pics of everything but there are quite a bit.

I also use their search function to research what kits fit my search parameters. There have been many times where some other manufacturer pops up that I never knew made a certain kit. Sometimes I'll take a wild shot in the dark, enter a search and find there are plenty of people that make a small obscure kit.

I too have had nothing but good luck with these guys. About 10 days start to finish for my order.
I'll order from them again!

Got my two M60A1's yesterday from Lucky Model, received notification quickly and packages two weeks to the day I ordered them. Placed the order on a Friday evening I believe it was, so the order waited until Monday to be processed and then shipped. Package came in with no damage, am pleased with the order. Will buy from them again for sure.

Not totally on topic ... but related to great models. There was thread a while back warning buyers in Sweden about them. Seems when you buy stuff from them they dont deliver by post in Sweden, but use a courier firm. This means when the parcel arrives at your door ...... you have to be there at a pre-determined time .... you also have the pleasure of paying another 100sek ($13/£7) for the pleasure. When buying from the far east you have a 50% chance of missing customs, but the courier firm automatically adds this on for you... everytime. So with this thread alone, they have practically lost all the net users from a whole country nevermind the occasional individual who is grieved by their poor performance. And now at a time where the Kronor is strong against the dollar .. that could have been a lot of revenue.

It grieves me to say this, but firms with poor customer service deserve to go under. As a teacher I have to perform to set standards, it should be the same for anybody in any line of work.

Vinnie

Curious isn't it? In any other business, the companies with lousy service would have gone under years ago. In the 'Magical World of Modelling' the laws of economics seem to work in reverse.

I don't deal with the companies who have lousy service, I don't deal with those who rip-off their customers with high postage and packing.

So, at the danger of throwing a spanner in the works, why do some people insist on dealing with the 'dead-beats'? is there some kind of sentimental attachment?..Jim

It's simple Jim. In many of these cases the "dead beats" are the only ones that either produce or supply the particular products.
Also, I guess there's a certain amount of loyalty on the part of the modeller - as we seem to be finding out, certainly not on the case of the supplier. I guess it's human nature to keep hoping that things will improve when they are clearly on a downward spiral.
This is not only the case in the 'Magical World of Modelling' but in life in general.
It's these damned rose tinted glasses, I tell ya :-) :-)

No, I was going against some of the retailers, not the manufacturers (for a change )

The retailers I buy from (on-line) are:

LuckyModel, HobbyEasy, Plasticos Santos & Casa Galan (Spain), Accurate Armour ...Jim

Jim,

I'm not sure if this is the right place for me to ask this or even if its fair for me to ask this, but I'm sure I'll be rapped on the knuckles if I'm in the wrong

Who is the prefered supplier between Hobbyeasy and Luckymodel? Their product prices are very close and the postage seems similar...

Rudi, it's an interesting question - from what I can gather, HobbyEasy works like a 'ring' tying-in various HK based retailers. Logically they have more of a 'pool' of products. Both seem to be working in the same, very efficient way, which is good news for the customers..Jim

I must say I personally prefer Hobbyeasy, at the moment. I find apart that their website seems to load quicker than the Luckymodel site, the currency calculator is of a huge advantage. I know it's only a guideline, and that you still get billed in Hong Kong Dollars, but it's alot easier than having Xe.com open all the time and doing the calculations yourself.

From the service site and speed of deliveries, which one appears to be better at the moment?

i like dealing with lucky model because of the super fast notification, the answers to questions from them, and the fact that they appear to cover sites such as ours, makes me feel a valued perosn as well as a valued customer.

reb