"Is Wizard Kraft Terrain still in business?" Topic

Last autumn I was fortunate enough to buy into Wizard Kraft's river set Kickstarter. I received the very impressive product within six weeks, which I felt was very reasonable for a Kickstarter project.

I'm wanting to expand on that set, and to add roads and water features. The website is up and running, and orders can still be made.

However, the owner has not responded to the customer service contact on the website. Nor has he responded to the e-mail address identified on TMP, or to my phone calls. I've been trying to make a connection for about five months, now, and have received no sign of life at all.

Other than last autumn's Kickstarter, has anyone heard from the owner, or received any product? I'd be very sad to learn that he is no longer in business, because his products are wonderful.

If he is out of business, I'll reluctantly take my purchases elsewhere. However, I want to be sure of it before I give up.

Thanks to anyone who might have knowledge of this.

Yes, as you were told by someone else when you last asked this exact question all of 2 days ago.

Or are you just trying to start a malicious rumour?

For what it is worth, Wizard Kraft is one of the vendors at this year's Enfilade convention, so I think he is still going strong.

I heard from William a week or two ago that he planned to ship out my terrain form the Kickstarter "soon"; as I have told him before, in my case it is no rush , and it is some $400 USD worth of product.

William simply overestimated his ability to crank out 10K worth of terrain in a short time (like most hobby businesses, he has a regular job too). He has been delivering product purchased through the KS regularly, but I doubt he'll be able to deliver much new product until he fulfills all of those KS obligations.

I see you are in Washington, so maybe attending Enfilade might be worthwhile on several fronts?

Overall, I would advise "Patience, Grashopper". Thus far William appears to be spending almost all his spare time making product, and not so much answering emails! A bit annoying, but thus far he has shown himself to be entirely reliable in fulfilling his commitments.

I'm not trying to ruin anyone's reputation. A person's business practices speak for themselves. I'm wondering why no one has returned my calls or answered my e-mails on an order that was made five months ago. That's pretty basic customer relations. If Mr. Werts had made an attempt to communicate with me, I wouldn't be posting here. I've tried to be subtle about the issue, and I'm simply trying to find out whether he is in business or not.

I've actually been willing to forget the loss of my money as long as I can buy the product in the future. Its not unreasonable to expect some communication. If he's a friend of yours, I'm glad. Tell him to let his customers know what's going on.

I'm also wondering how he can be selling his product at Enfilade if he isn't filling his mail orders. I have a right to be concerned, and I shouldn't have to drive 300 miles round trip and confront him to get an answer.

I think your concerns are justified, just trying to reassure you that you will almost certainly be made whole in the long run. I don't know William personally. His track record thus far is that he ain't great at communicating on a regular basis, but he does ultimately deliver what he has promised. Not suggesting in any way that you have to or should make the drive unless it fits with your plans otherwise. I'll try poking him for another update through the KS site.

I also think that William didn't intend the website to be live except for backer until he fulfills all his KS commitments. Of course, that doesn't change the fact that it IS live.

Gonsolvo, I think its very kind of you and others to reply. Its evident that Mr. Werts has some strong support from his other customers as well as a great product. I just wonder why he's communicating with others but not with me. . . on any venue. Its weird, and after five months of being ignored, its getting frustrating. I would happily receive my order from whatever stock he's taking to Enfilade.

Again, thank you for the reply. Very kind.

Will and Wizardkraft are definitely still in business. I got my extra bits (swamp and lake) from him back in January. I'm planning on picking everything else up at Enfilade (flying from Colorado to Olympia for the event) in May. You're correct on Will's less than stellar customer support. Patience is good advice, though Ill agree that five months is an exceptionally long time to wait for your order. Good luck – his rivers and terrain are definitely worth it!

Late this afternoon I received a phone call from Mr.Werts, who was able to explain the delay in my order. He was very gracious.

The products from Wizard Kraft are exquisite, and it was a relief to learn that they are available, and will be available in future.

My thanks to Mr. Werts for straightening out my order in a kind manner. Thank you also to those who replied with helpful words. I'm humbled.

Glad to hear that William got back to you. On the KS bio, he says he plans on retiring from his "day job" before too long (whatever that means), and if and when that happens I'd imagine his production capacity would increase dramatically.