great models webstore

Hi folks I`ve been getting several emails from Great models Webstore and I was wondering if they still give people problems I`ve read a few posts in the past about complaints but I haven`t been checking this forum in a couple of months. Greatmodels has not sent me anything for a long while now I get one a week. Anything change the way they do business? Thanks Frank Buffalo NY

All I can say is that I order from them every other month, and I`ve never had a problem. So, I recommend you give them a try.

and have no complaints. PT

I`ve ordered from them many times and have never had a problem. Many times I`ve added or removed items from a pending order without mishap. If they didn`t have something I ordered it wouldn`t take them too long to get it in.

I would have to say my experience has not been good. I do not order a large amount of kits but when I do I usually always order from Great Models Webstore. However, the two kits I ordered in the summer I had to cancel as their shipping costs are very high. I know shipping costs have increased quite a lot in 2008, but I have found GMW shipping costs are just too much. I ordered a Tamiya Tiger I kit that was on sale for $29.25. After placing my order using Paypal that included shipping for $7.95, I received a message that I had to pay an additional $37.60 for shipping. Well I cancelled the order and requested my money be returned. It took two weeks for them to refund my paypal account for $31.80. I had to email them as they still owed me $5.83. It took them another week to pay me the $5.83. The second kit experience has been worse; I placed an order for a Dragon Pz.Kpfw.38 (t). I paid a total of $42.85, this included $7.95 for shipping. In paying I received an error that indicated my payment was not made. I quickly sent my payment again. I checked my paypal account and found that my first payment was sent. So, I had paid $85.70 for a kit that cost $42.85. I contacted GMW only to be told the cost for shipping this kit is $42.85 and the kit had been shipped. I was told if I wanted to get my money refunded I would have to refuse the package. Seven weeks later the package was delivered and I refused to take delivery. I am now waiting for the kit to be received by GMW. In two days it will be October and I ordered this kit in July. At this time it looks as if I will not be getting my $85.70 back, as I have to rely on GMW confirming they have received the kit back and I have lost all respect for this store and I have no way of knowing if they will acknowledge receiving the kit back. Again at this time I do not trust they will refund my money. dean_bart

Dean_bart, welcome to the forum I hope you will like it here.

That's an awful story. I wonder if it happens to more people. Prices -including shipping costs, mentioned separately- should be known to the client in advertisements. Before the clients decides to purchase the item.

Isn't what they are doing illegal?

HBurg,

This does sound illegal but I think it is more a case of GMW's very poor customer service. I could understand a shipping cost doubling with the price of gas today. And the Store may have not updated their webstore shipping calculations. I could understand a shipping charge increase of $10 and even $15 dollars. I also live in Canada and I could understand that a duty charge could be included. I did notice that around two weeks ago the Store changed the shipping cost to $14.95 on orders to Canada .

However, this is a far cry from what they are charging me and no one at GMW has taken the time to answer my questions regarding the shipping costs. The answers I received were: 1) over the phone, I was told that they have to charge what the post office is charging. At that time I was told it would be around $18 dollars to ship the first kit. 2) I received an email informing me that I would have to pay an additional $37.60 to have the second kit delivered. I quickly cancelled this order. When I emailed GMW regarding the first kit and my overpayment, none of my questions received answers. I was told the shipping cost was $42.85 dollars for this kit. I asked if I could cancel the order and was told the kit had already been shipped. When I asked if they could explain the shipping cost, I was again only told to return the kit and my money would be refunded.

This all leaves me to think that International customers are not respected or wanted by GMW.

dean_bart

Dean_bart, I understand the frustration on this. I would feel the same. And it is darn bad advertisement for their reputation as well (if people would tell about it, like you do) - Personally I would send them a fax and throw the word "lawyer' in it somewhere...

Hi everyone.
I wish I had seen this forum before...
Here's my story.

Three years ago I bought from them for the first time. I bought a Verlinden resin detail set, for $25, and had a S&H of about $8.
It was expensive, but I wanted that set.
I never received it, and to make a long story short, they first told me that they didn't have confirmation of my package being sent... then I was told that the person that answered that was new and "didn't know what she was talking about"!!!. Then they said my package was sent on the 8th... after another email, they said they sent it on the 3rd...
The only solution was: to buy the item again (which I didn't do).

After several years, I decided to give another oportunity to them, mostly because I found nice and cheap items on sale.
I ordered a couple of small things to test the waters, and everything went fine.

I then decided to order again, and almost everything I read in this and other threads, happened.
Ordering only one item from their sale would have cost $8 in S&H alone, so I added as much items as I could keeping that shipping cost. I ended up with four items...two of them around $10, and two for $5 each... in total: $30 +$8 S&H.
One week later, I receive an email stating that they had cancelled [one of the $10 items] because "it is out of production or not carried anymore by GreatModels"... Why did they have it orderable in the first place then??
OK.. I immedately selected another kit for about the same price, and sent them an email.
I received an answer the next day, informing me that they could not add the item, and that it was "set to go out today... would you like me to add it tomorrow?"...
I explained that I wanted the item, because I had the same S&H costs.
The next day I receive another email from the same person saying: "It would be best if you added this when you had a big shippment. The other items have already been shipped out..." [typos included]
Two emails later, they are saying that they can send me the "backup kit" I had selected, but I would have to pay for shipping again...

I'm still trying to get someone else to email to there (I live overseas, and can't waste more money on them). I've heard the owner strives for good service, but I'm not really sure if he knows that they are failing miserably, at least with some people.

Honestly, I can't recommend them, unless they are the only ones that carry the item you want.

Wow Vyper, that sounds really bad Why do you think they do this? I mean - every company must be concerned with their reputation, no? It is all so strange to me that companies can go on selling while having such bad customer services ...

I really don't know why they work like this...
It's quite clear for me that they also make profit on S&H, and I really don't get it why they are so stubborn when a customer asks for nothing more than what's fair...

BUT WAIT! THE STORY DOESN'T END HERE...

Last night, I received an email stating that they would be sending my replacement kit with free shipping. I replied with a thank you email.

Hours later, I received another email, in which they "wanted to be sure that I understood the kit would not be free.. only the shipping"...

I replied again, but to set things straight, I told them that my previous order was for $36.40 + $8 S&H, and since my replacement kit was only $2.5 more than the one they no longer carried, I would end up paying around $39 + $8 S&H....
I checked the replacement kit price twice before replying that...

Today I receive another email saying that "It's a little more than that", and they want to charge $16.95 for the kit! they changed the website's price too...

Honestly, I can't believe that one should screencap the prices before buying from these people...

I'll never buy from them again.

Vyper it would be good if all people being frauded on like you would get together somewhere on the web and organize and initiate a 'representative' court case to file against them. What you describe they are doing is pure fraud.

Yesterday night I received a new email... this time, they say that they are sorry, but they made a mistake while looking at the price... but they were talking about another item, that never changed it's price!!!

I agree with you that all this sounds like more than just bad business practices, but the costs of taking all this to court are far too high. Even worse in my case, that I like overseas

At least, I want others to know about my experience. If you're lucky with them: great... because they have a good product selection.... but If you're not lucky, this is a great place to post your experience.

OK. And yes, I agree. It is good people post about their experiences. It is rather sad that a company that manufacture great products devaluates itself with those S&H practices.

Hello HBurg,

I would like to let you know that GMW has returned my $85.70. The funds were returned to my Paypal account today.

I was fortunate to have someone put me in touch with a person at GMW who was able to straighten out my account.

Cheers,

Dean

I'm glad you got your money back dean_bart...

My story still goes on...
Now they say they've corrected the price of the item I ordered as a replacement for the one they didn't have (the one they wanted $16.95 for)....

To be honest, I would really like to be able to contact this company's owner and forward him all my emails and the responses I got, including the ones I had in 2005, which follow the same line.

Vyper, I am the owner of GMW. Just send me your concern to my personal address. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
I am curious about your issues.

Happy Modeling,
Loic Anthian http://www.GreatModels.com

Well, perhaps this is going to work out after all now.

Dean I am very happy you got your money back! So it isn't such a bad D&H policy after all. Though, a little less having people run after their money would be a good thing.

I want to also issue a 'general warning'. Never, ever give out your bank accounts or other private financial details by internet to anybody (only after you have made sure the person is actually working for that company and to be trusted)

I've already sent all the info to Loic.
In theory, I should be receiving my replacement item sometime in the future, and I won't get charged extra for the S&H.

Anyway, I'll wait to see what Loic thinks about my email exchanges with his company. RIght now, I just feel better knowing the company's owner is aware of the problem, even if he disagrees with my point of views.

Vyper, did you email me? I cannot see any of your email in my box. Could you resend your query?
Happy Modeling,
Loic http://www.GreatModels.com

Yes I did... I'll resend it again in two minutes.

Thanks for your interest Loic

Vyper, I see your post answer, but I don't see your email. My personal email is This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Sorry for the above to everyone... we should've sent private messages to each other.

Anyway, for those following this story, Loic contacted me, as well as one of his key employees.
Both have shown interest about what happened.

They already have my replacement kit ready for shipping.

I'm glad I could contact both of them, because as I've said in another forum, sometimes these things are unknown to company owners/policy managers. I hope my experience helps them tracking unnecessary problems that can quite easily be avoided.

Well, Vyper that is great! I mean - it really is. I would also like to compliment Loic. Great customer service now it is known to him.

Hello everone,

I am from canada and my experience with GMW is the WORST ever. I advice to everyone in this forum don't buy at there website. They have the most expensive models and very expensive shipment, what a nightmare. Their customer service is so poor. My experience with them is they charge shipment twice!!. So if anyone outthere want to have nightmares go buy at GMW.

I'm sorry you had that experience... Mine, continued for a couple of weeks.

Loic, the owner, replied promtly, and I was contacted by a lady that I assume is a manager. Although she didn't really understand everything that happened, she wanted to help me as much as she could. She even told me she had put aside one unit of every kit involved, so as to be able to give me a quick response.

Unfortunately, their customer service people are not very helpful, even when they seem to try. I was contacted by one of them later, to tell me that my "backup" kit was in backorder. I had to tell her that her manager had it on her desk.
They obviously don't read past the first reply to emails exchanged with them.

I still don't have my kits, because they were sent to a friend's house, and unfortunately, something tells me that there will be some mistakes, but I won't complain twice.
The last kit was received on Dec 12th... a couple of months after my initial order.

I have ordered from GM at least 4-6 times a year for several years and never had a problem. My orders have been for kits, detail sets and supplies, on sale and at regular prices. Some of these were put on back-order, but did not charge my credit card until shipped. I have also bought from Squadron, Sprue Bros, Lucky Model and others. The one or two times I have had a problem with any of them it was resolved without difficulty. My experience has been positive.

Anyone shopping with an overseas merchant should carefully check and double-check the shipping policies and prices before placing an order - this goes for any kind of merchandise.