"Stonewall Figures - Bad Service" Topic

I ordered 4 packs of Geramans on the 26/09
But I didn't hear anything for a week (during which time orders from the states, placed at the same time, had arrived) so;

Emailed on the 04/10 asking for an update on my order – No reply

Called on the 8/10 – spoke to the owner who told me that;
- 1 of thes set I've ordered isn't available and needs to be ordered in (2 weeks to get to this point and it still hasn't been done – and no email to let me know or give me the chance to change my mind or choose something else?)

- but he could open an army box and get those minis out
(but not until after the weekend (SELWG show) as all the minis were in the van – this was monday – show on Saturday)

- He would post the other three sets that day to receive them by the end of the week and that they were 'sitting by the computer ready'

8 days later I still haven't received the miniatures he was going to send ahead of the missing pack.. and I don't hold out much hope for the missing lot.

Very dissapointed that some companies can get is so right and others get it so wrong.

[Edit – Grammar]

(but not until after the weekend (SELWG show) as all the minis were in the van – this was monday – show on saturday)

If he said he couldn't do it until after SELWG then give the guy a chance!

SELWG was last Sunday, the 14th (not Saturday), so the earliest he could have sent you the stuff was yesterday. Where are you in the world? Even in the UK, I would expect a package to take 2 or 3 days.

Aye, I fully accept that I would still expect to wait a few days for the 1 (of 4) packs he was going to dig out after SELWG – i'm in the UK so, yeah 2/3 days is about right. That aspect of the order I don't have issue with.

But the other 3 packs he had available (not in his van) and said he would post that day (Monday 8th) haven't arrived – (It could be Royal Mail – if so i'll retract my statement and apologise) but that was 8 days ago.

Coupled with the lack of reply to emails, the lack of infomation regarding the unavailable miniatures that, 2 weeks into the order, he hadn't ordered in or contacted me about, in my books, make for a bad order!

It's not even 28 days For Fruitcake's Sake…

Amen to that Anerion,
As I too had an issue over a year ago with this companie. I put in an order of vehicles in 20mm and waited for over 8 weeks with many excuses from him before I got my stuff, and when I open the package all the resin vehicles had so many defects of all the bubbles in the resin that I throw everything in the garbage…as I didn't want to deal with him again and go through the wait again!

I've had a mixed experience and this was over 2 years ago.

I ordered some 1/2400 WW1 ships (My Little Ship company), the order arrived in good time and all was as expected. So I was pleased.

Some time later I placed another order. Upon arrival (in good time) I noted a pack of destroyers were badly miscast by 1mm at least. I phoned for a replacement which was duly promised. Sadly it never arrived. At £1.00 GBP for the pack I wrote it off and bought more elsewhere.

In the past I've placed two large orders with S/W, at different times, (20mm Imperial Japanese and 20mm US Airborne), and each time I waited months for deliveries. When they did arrive both orders were incomplete and incorrect. There was also very little response to email queries. I had to wait again for the replacements. One excuse I got was that everyone seems to want Japanese, which I didn't really believe. I won't be buying of that company again that's for sure.

Around 2 years ago I was wanting some extra 20mm figures to go with a German force of AB Figures. Didn't know if the Stonewall ones would fit in or not, scale-wise, so I rang to ask. He very kindly said he'd pop a sample figure in the post.

Still waiting!

I ordered some Prussians from Stonewall around about four years ago or so.

Still waiting.

We have chat with Jack of Stonewall and he has apologized for all this inconvenience, he has had some personal problems, but he will send and refund all missing orders. He is having our confidence as reseller of all the Warmodelling Miniatures range.

My own experience over a couple of years with this company was poor; orders were not sent, orders were sent incomplete and never completed; promises were made and not kept.

I am sure that Warmodelling could, and should, find a better UK seller.

in addition their own stuff is very poorly caste in crappy metal with a ton of flash makking the figures useless

Ok let me het this strait, A person takes money from you for a product, you don't get the product. Then at a later date he says he could give you the product (that you paid for) but he has to go to a show where he is selling the product you didn't receive to others? BUt wait if its a show thats somehow ok? Can you imagine how that would work in say the machining industry or maybe something like the guy putting new tires on your car. OOOHHH wait I sent in money to by a television, It never arrived but the guy I bought it from, he is going to sell some of those TV's to others and then if he has one left over he will get around to sending it to me. WHY is this kind of crap behavior and ethics acceptable in our hobby… I just don't get it.

It's certainly poor customer service and I don't think it can be reasonably excused.

I don't know this particular business but many of these sort of "companies" are one man operating out his garden shed.
They can be the guy's second job because they simply don't make enough money out toy soldiers.

Shows can be pretty important so it's fairly common for a trader to explain they'll handle your order after they get back from one.
Once some bloke moves all his stock into a van ready for a show then they'll be very reluctant to go get it back out.

A trader should really get organised and professional.
However.
This sort of business is not going to attract the highly professional organised individual. They can readily make more money doing something else.
It has a tendency to attract the dedicated hobbyist on the one hand and the incompetent on the other.

9 nearly 10 years later………. I ordered on the 1st of November this year (2022) some 1/2400 ships .. only after ordering did I come across this thread, so I thought I would post and see what happens with the order,.. it will be interesting to see what the result is… at the same time of ordering I also ordered, 4 items, 2 off ebay, 2 online traders, all have arrived by 5th of November, I am not worried as yet as it has only been a week, and such a small order of £6.00 GBP… I will keep you all posted as to the outcome

Yet, nearly ten years on, the company is still trading. Must be doing something right?

What the company is getting right is fending off costumers who have paid for their product and expect to receive their order in a timely manner.

We all order from these small companies that are one man shops. I do all the time and I generally get great service from them. So I find the "one man shop excuse" no excuse at all.

If you are doing this part time and your day job is too demanding. Maybe you should ditch the part time job. There are plenty of others that are juggling two jobs and personal problems and still give stellar service.

I have placed several small 20mm figure orders with Stonewall in the last month or so and all have come through after some minor delays. Generally I have found Marks service okay down through the years. The way things are now with the UK internal post disruptions due to industrial action etc, I put the delays down to these, and I have another small order in progress right now with Stonewall. These days I am pleasantly surprised when anything from anyone turns up when promised…………

Is Stonewall the company where some Spanish sculptor claimed the owner didn't have rights to 20mm WW2 figures which the Spaniard had sculpted and he was posting Spanish Court default judgments to prove it?

Another factor are show attendances as well as they cant be casting and fulfilling orders at the same time . Sometimes an E mail prompt can speed things up .Any supplier worth their salt will reply and give the customer some reassurance.

well it's only been 14 days, and I guess any illness could delay things so I'm not worried … would have been nice for an acknowledgement. but hey ho its only a £6.00 GBP order, postage problems have not effected any of the 10 other parcels received to date from other traders placed at the same time. ( most within the last week ) like I said if I have seen this post I would never have ordered, maybe after 28 days if nothing received I shall mail,, if then nothing heard I will open and report with Paypal…. I do look forward to seeing him at Hammerhead in march next year.. until then I'll stick with Tumbling Dice.

Yep I think that is fair comment as you have then given them a chance to attend to your order with plenty of time. So any action you take after that date then would be justified in my view.

My order is late from Leon at Pendraken but he sent me a nice E mail in response to mine stating he has been to shows and his caster has been taken ill .

I am happy with that and I know now, its not been lost in the post as we are having post strikes here in the UK. I know Leon will fulfil my order as soon as he is able

"WHY is this kind of crap behavior and ethics acceptable in our hobby… I just don't get it."

Because most sellers live hundreds, if not thousands or continents away from their buyer that they screw over and they know the person isn't going to get in their car and drive 10 mins down the road to show up on their doorstep asking them face to face for a refund or their product, that's why it's accepted.

All one has to do is look at Black Tree and see how they have operated over the years.

28 days and not even an acknowledgement , other than an automated email when I placed the order, but there could be a 100 reasons why I have not heard anything,,, so today I have emailed just to ask the status of my order,, I now await a response………………. sigh

I would just give them 48 hours. Once the time has lapsed without hearing anything then I would instigate recovery via Paypal

received a email today…….''Sorry for the delay metal supplies are proving difficult at the moment and there was a delay for a few weeks, but they are about to be wrapped ready for the post later today

Regards

MARK''

I am assuming he meant my order was to be ''wrapped ready for the post'' and not his metal…. i will wait and see, if genuine, then i can not complain

Update,.. order received today… 33 days after online order, Although the metal delay, may be true,…..
Price wise they are cheap, (1/2400 merchant ships), with the detail quality reflecting that, as the naval equivalent of cannon fodder I guess they are fit for purpose
so yes order received, would I use him again, not online I would not, If i wanted more and saw him at a show………… maybe.. Tumbling Dice who I Usually get my ships from have more detail (hence higher price) but are despatched the day after order placed, and when i brought two lots of ships 1 imn the a.m and 1 in the p.m when received to counter the double postage as both orders received in the same package, they had included a few freebies, postage time on the last dozen orders with them have been 3 days..IF stonewall had mailed to say delays, I would have been happy to buy online from them again, BUT I shall never order on line with him again…..maybe,just maybe if i need cheapo merchantmen I may buy at a show.
I would not say ''dont'' trust him.. Ya pays ya money, ya takes ya chance

Happy ending of sorts I guess :)

Interested to see the references to the 1/2400 ships. The samples I got years ago were nice simple but crisp castings, and I would happily have bought more except for the significant misalignment of the mould (well beyond any remedial work I could manage) in some of the models. I did try emailing to see if that had been fixed (or could be fixed) but got no response. I put it down to a sole trader having too much to cope with, but I didn't order any ships …

Not really mysteron. yes i got what had been paid for…. I knew the quality was going to be reflected in the price…. however checking sizes/ scale/ detail,, I threw them away.. still it was worth the £6.00 GBP to find out never to use him again,, …''Happy ending'' = meh :-P

My experience with themm has been good. Place a big order early Dec and ir arrived today. (Australia) Answered any questions I had within a day.
As to the quality, I was buying USMC and I like them