I placed an order for some canopy masks on March 14th. I get an email from them stating Thank you the order and it will take 2-3 weeks for them to fill the order and send it out. It also stated my credit card wil not be charged until the order is fulfilled and shipped. I couldn’t understand their policy why to wait that long.
I sent out an email explaining my slight displeasure that I have to wait 2-3 weeks for my order to be filled even though the items are in stock. I also told them I’d prefer to have my order fulfilled and sent out within 24-48 hours (as most online hobby stores do), not wait 2-3 weeks. I don’t think it’s unreasonable for me to expect Roll Models to fill my order in a timely manner.
Is this a common practice with Roll Model?
If it is, then it’s poor customer service and laziness on their end. I guess they don’t care about their customers. If and when I do finally recieve my order, I can assure you it will be the last time I’ll ever do business with them.
I ordered from them in the past and yes they are a bit slow. I usually deal with Squadron, Scale Hobbyist (a bit slow at times) and Sprue Brothers who has SUPER fast shipping.
I order from them quite regularly, as they have lots of items nobody else has. They clearly state their order policy on the site. Sometimes, they need to procure the item from their supplier before they can ship it to you. I usually receive my items in 8-10 business days. They are a much smaller entity than Spruebros or Squadron.
I’ve oredered from Roll Models a couple of times and they’ve always treated me well. They do sometimes take longer than others, but that is usually becasue they have had to order one of the items from elsewhere.
I did get a response from them telling me the same thing - we have the best the prices that no other hobby shop has at a low cost. That’s fine and all but if they don’t have it in stock, yet on their website they say they do. Why not make a note of it on their site as “Out of Stock” if they don’t have any on hand.
When I placed the order, I assumed they had some on hand. The email I recieved tells me they had to order more and will send them out by the end of the week.
I also understand they are a small outfit, but they really need to update what they have and don’t have in stock on their site. I don’t know. I guess I had high expectations for better service than having to wait 2-3 weeks for my items.
Well, you’ve spelled out the story pretty well. That’s a plus and I’ve learned that probably they are a little bit slower than a mega site. OTOH they sound responsive, and haven’t done anything wrong. The out-of-stock thing is annoying, but consider, if they had one or two of the items earlier in the week and sold them, it’s not unreasonable that their site status might lag a little.
I don’t infer from the story that they were either “lazy” or “don’t care”. I respect that you didn’t title your post “Roll Models- horrible…” or such. That kind of thing can really do damage to a small business. There’s been too much of that here lately.
Do be sure to post how it gets resolved. That’s always really helpful.
The opposite of this annoyance might be that a couple of the bigger online hobby shops we all order from here won’t even let us place an order if the item is out of stock.
At least this place lets you place the order. (Just looking for a silver lining somewhere, Sheep [:)] )
I see nothing that needs to be “resolved”?? Blacksheep’s question has been answered, now it’s up to him to have a bit of patience, or go somewhere else next time. I’ve never understood the Modelers " I need this item yesterday" attitude, but it sure comes up often.
Nathan T. - No, it’s not the “I need it yesterday” attitude but the common courtesy is why it may take 2-3 weeks to fulfill my order. I’ve never dealt with an online shop that tells the customer, Thank you for your business but it’s going to take 2-3 weeks to fulfill your order. I’m like “Are you kidding?”
Let me clarify it noted in my confirmation on March 14th that it will take Roll Models 2-3 weeks BEFORE they charge me and ship my items out. Not 2-3 weeks to get it.
It’s not the point of the option to cancel and go with someone who’s speedy. It’s the point I find it very odd for them to take 2-3 weeks just to to fulfill my order whether or not they have the item in stock.
Was Roll Models the only place that you could find the item that you ordered? Or did other places carry the item also and they just had a better price, so that is why you chose them?
I’ve had good experiences with Roll Models so far. They sell for a good price usually which makes them a good choice for me. I had to wait a little for my order but saved about 30-40% from other vendors.
Got ya. One thing that I have found is that the sooner you want something, in nearly every case, the more you have to pay for that particular item. Patience is what saves me money. As fast as my life seems to be going by lately, 3 weeks is really nothing. I understand your point, but I would not get too worked up over it myself.
No worries nor was I getting worked up. I just found it strange the way Roll Models do business getting their stuff out to ship. I do agree they do have pretty decent prices on some of their stuff - IF they have them in stock.
