Seeker not delivering on goods?

I know I'm going to catch a lot of flak for this post, but I can't keep quiet about this anymore. This is my opinion and I think I'm MORE than entitled to it seeing as how I'd be considered one of the regular vendors here even though I haven't been around as long as Seeker, FP, BM, etc (and I'm not one of the 'founding fathers' of this board), but I feel what I'm about to say is warranted because of my position and I've been at it for a while now.

First of all, post count and how long you've been here should have NOTHING to do with any of this and has NO bearing at all (on both sides of the coin, including the 'founding fathers')...why that was even brought up is beyond me. Just because someone is new here on the boards does not mean that they are new to the hobby and have never dealt with costuming vendors before and don't know how this all works. On the other side, if you've been here since the beginning, that doesn't entitle you to an 'untouchable status' or throwing your weight around because of it. As stated above, a business transaction is exactly that - a transaction between two people who agree on a set product for a set price within a reasonable time frame (or that which is agreed upon by both parties and is always set by the vendor...in other words, vendors should know their turnaround times...I do and I always tell my client what it is before they pay me). If you, as a vendor, cannot provide a product within the time frame originally agreed upon or if you need more time, it is YOUR responsibility to tell your client...it is not his/hers....YOURS (that means answer pm's when they're asking about the overdue status of their product...or better yet, don't offer a product for sale unless you have it in hand if turnaround times are an issue for you). That being said, because this is all internet based, communication is key and the responsibility of the VENDOR (anyone see a pattern here?). If you fall behind on orders, a mold breaks, equipment fails, family emergency, etc, it is your responsibility as a vendor to tell your client...period. 99.99% of the time, the client will understand..if not you return his/her money if it comes to that and everyone's happy and no harm no foul...and no threads being started like this.

I cannot speak for other vendors cause I don't know what their personal lives are like, but I work a full time regular 40 hour a week job on top of my armor gig...which is about another 10-20 hours a week depending on what I have going on...so basically about 50-60 hours a week since I started doing this, which is about 3 years now... and that includes filling orders, mold maintenance and sculpting new product, etc, etc (there's really much more to it than that, but you get the gist). And you know what? I'm tired, I'm so beyond burned out that I'm just on autopilot. But you know what? I ALWAYS make time to check my pm's, emails and messages. I check them every single day, sometimes twice a day. I'm a member of about 8 forums plus I have two FB accounts and I still manage to stay on top of it (and I don't have a smart phone either so that means only when I'm at home). I haven't touched my own costumes in months (and it's frustrating) but I also knew that going into this and it was my choice just like it was every other vendors' choices on here that have decided to play in this arena.

That being said, if I can do it I believe anyone should be able to. Honestly, I don't think Nerf is out of line at all by starting this thread. If everything he says is true, then I believe he went about it the right way and was being pretty patient about it (if you ask me). I haven't seen the pm's of course, but my last pm to Seeker (before starting this thread) would be to let him know that I have no other choice but to start this thread if I don't hear back from him. I personally find it strange that Seeker (according to Nerf) didn't answer pm's then all of a sudden he's here in this thread posting in his defense for damage control. Honestly, how hard is it to take a few minutes out of your 24 day to answer someone's pm (who sent you some of their hard earned money that you've been sitting on for a while I might add) to let them know what's going on in your world and why you can't produce said agreed upon product in said agreed upon time frame? That just boggles my mind. I'm really trying to understand that because I'm on this side of the fence of the vendors, but I see the frustration of the customers as well because I'm one too. I don't care who you are and how long you've been here, but that's not the way to treat your clients and I pride myself on customer service, communication and delivering a good product for a fair price within the time frame that I specified. Ask anyone...ANYONE...on these and the other boards I'm a member of and see if they've had a bad transaction with me. I take care of my clients, every single one of them, like they were my only one to the best of my abilities and make sure they are happy with the product even after the conclusion of the transaction. I swore that to myself when I started doing this that that's the way I was going to conduct my business...or not do it at all...but I digress.
On another note, I saw pics of Arturo at Dragon Con floating around the internet on FB. If I was a client and I had been waiting on stuff for that long and saw those, I'd be pretty frakking peeved. Time enough to go to a 4 day con, but no time to answer my pm? Bad form dude, that's all I gotta say.
Please prove me wrong Seeker... I swear I'm not trying to crucify you, just calling it how I see it.
 
And that is why you initially got my business, and will continue to get it.

Not that my opinion matters, I haven't been here very long. ;)
 
Post count and membership age do matter. The stats wouldn't be there if they were irrelevant. It shows that if that member has been in good standing (not banned) after 10 years, there must be 'something' positive about them. Those statistics are used everyday as a gauge. How long has that person been here? How actively are they participating?(usually, more participation shows a deeper investment in the community)

It's proven each and every time a new member joins and starts to feel their way around and decide who they want to buy from. Seldom does a new member go straight to another newer member (who is untested, unproven, unknown) to patronize them. It's impressed in the minds of most that is where you start. Even as little as 4 years ago, older members would preach this to newer members openly in their welcome messages. As they had for many years before that.

Is it the only gauge of a member's credibility? Certainly not. And that was never the point. At least not my point anyway. Those statistics combined with a little research into someone's membership (old threads ect), and word of mouth from others give a newer member a pretty good idea if there is a risk factor in patronizing them. So, very relevant.

And no one here ever said that just because you're new doesn't mean you're not an experienced forum participant elsewhere. But elsewhere doesn't matter when you are talking about 'this' specific forum. How an individual has conducted themselves elsewhere may be completely obscure and virtually un-trackable if they've not broken some serious federal laws and their reputation followed them. So we go by the merits of the individual where the business at hand has been conducted. In the here, and now. Unless that member has burned some serious bridges on other forums, no one cares about that individuals history with other forums. Especially if the forum genre's don't even connect in the same universe (Monsters vs. Star Wars)

It amazes me how people clamp on to the most insignificant things that people write and run off on tangents, completely running over the meat and potatoes of the the reason we're even participating here, in this thread. Post count, membership age, were only a very small part of the point trying to be made about Arturo here. And that is, a cumulative historical statistical accounting of his membership and how he has served this community without skipping a beat.

But just as important, what has been glazed over here is the point made about not jumping the gun as a customer. Just because you've PM'd someone here doesn't mean they've even seen that you have. Before jumping into a public exposé, try emailing them, messaging them on FB at least. Using public call out threads should be a last resort. Once you've started a thread about someone, it can't be undone. If they didn't deserve it, it will follow them for years to come. Long after that customer finds satisfaction or resolution. And if you do feel it's your last resort, keep it simple! Post a shout out thread to see of anyone else had been in contact with that person, or simply a public call to have them contact you. 9 times of 10, that's all that's necessary. The entire internet doesn't need to know the detailed specifics of your transaction with that individual in your first post. If you don't find resolution that way, then pull out the guns. It's all common sense, and level head. It's too easy to let your fingers go wild on a keyboard, when it could be a simple case of the person not being notified of your messages. If a public call to contact does ring their bell directly, the chances are 99% that someone that knows them will contact them and point them to the thread.

The fact is, a customer has a responsibility to a seller every bit as much as the seller has a responsibilities to the customer. And that is, respect. They aren't the automated machines they appear to be when you look at your keyboard and screen. Don't just assume they've done something nefarious right away if you've not used every mode of private contact first. This isn't eBay. Don't ruin their reputations over a $200 prop in what can likely be a simple miscommunication. Otherwise, as I said before, these threads quickly turn into a breeding ground for the mob mentality. Human nature at its best.

Redkrayt - It seems that every time you participate in a thread like this, your posts come across like a self promotion. You've had a pattern of using other peoples thread misfortunes as an opportunity to say a few words about yourself. I find it self gratifying, and a little shameful. But that aside, I find your comments about Arturo attending a convention out of line and completely unreasonable. You don't know his personal situation. No one here does. Who are you, or I, or anyone else to assume anything? Your statement seemed like a public punch in the eye. Personally, I've missed every convention there's been since Celebration 5, because of my workload, and fear of what people might think of 'me' if I took a single minute of time for myself. Just as your words expressed. But that was 'my' choice. The fact is, there isn't even as little as an unwritten rule that forbids someone from taking a few days for themselves if they choose to do so, wether they have work to finish for others or not. Because you and I choose to lock ourselves down to all work and no play, doesn't mean that others should be expected to. People that work part time, and full time jobs alike, take days off. Long weekends. Vacations. That's what people do. Not everyone is as self inflicting as you and I. For all you, or I, or anyone else knows, Arturo had that weekend booked and paid for 2 years ago. The statement you made is your personal opinion. And you're entitled to that. However, sharing that opinion with everyone else will infuse that mentality into the minds of others like an IV poison. Not you, nor anyone else has a right to dictate what anyone does with their personal lives. Otherwise, your implication is that no hard working individual deserves time off from what they do. And that seems like something right out of a Chinese factory employee handbook. The American ideal is to work hard, and therefore deserve to play hard. I don't think you'd have many fans if you were in charge, and imposed that on people.
 
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I am not commenting on the miscommunication (it sounds to me) that started this thread but the overal vendor/client relationships.

I will agree that communication is key.

I have quite a few costumes, they use parts from what would be considered the top names to that particular costume group, some of them were pretty long waits, but I knew that going in, and so far, all the vendors I have dealt with have been great with keeping me up to date. In particular to this community ASOK was great at communication and frankly amazing turnaround times.

All Vendors work at different paces, and there have been some times in my costume builds a tentative deadline has passed, but so far all the folks who have taken my money have gotten in touch with me before I had to ask them what was up.

I understand that crafters have real lives and as long as they reach out to me to let me know they are going to be delayed, while disappointed, I at least do not feel like I have been forgotten about.

Of course conversely I have also been pleasently surprised when a piece is ready way before the projected timescale.

I know some of the more popular vendors probably are swamped with PMs/Emails etc, and it can be daunting to respond to them all, but once you have a person's money and the projected time of completion is well passed, you should perhaps go back over your buyer list and drop the folks a line and let them know you hit a snag, but have not forgotten them.

Or heck come to the boards and make a post saying Hey I got backed up Life happens Sorry about that, I am still working on it etc..

Sometimes just a little acknowledgement is all it takes.

We all love the love and attention to detail the vendors supply us in all costume groups, back in the early 2000's it was nearly impossible to find anything even remotely accurate as easy and as reasonably priced as you can now.

so

THANK YOU VENDORS!

But please TALK TO YOUR CLIENTS. I know that sometimes some people no matter how many times you talk to them will still get bent out of shape, but for the most part I think most of us who find our way to the specific Costuming groups are not the "upgraded Halloween" types and are reasonable folks who love the characters as much as you do.

Again this is not a comment on SEEKER or NERF or anyone else, just a general observation on my experiences in the costuming community.
 
Chris, I will agree with you that length of 'service' here in the form of post count and how long a person has been 'around' is an indicator of that person's stability, but it's not a be all end all gauge to how they conduct business. I had been relatively new myself when I first started conducting business here and that didn't seem to affect people's decisions to go with me.

As for your comment about self promotion, that wasn't the purpose of my post (nor have they ever been). I apologize if it came across that way and if it seems like a pattern again I apologize. I have no intention of derailing the thread or using someone else's thread as a way to gain business, that's NOT what I'm about...and honestly I don't need to gain more business that way as I can barely handle the workload I've got now. However, I do feel it was necessary to prove my point that despite how busy I am I take time to pm my clients and take care of them (the same which should be expected of every vendor here and on every other forum) and as a result people have been satisfied with me...it's just good business and doing what's right. If that makes me guilty of self-promotion, then so be it.

Also, I never said that Arturo shouldn't be allowed to take time for himself by attending a con. Of course he's entitled to it just like everyone else. But you have to admit that it looks bad when he's doing that and not answering pm's (which is a bit different than working in the shop I might add...pm'ing someone can be done on the road if you have access to the internet which most people do nowadays with smart phones and all). And if it looks bad in my eyes then it most certainly will in his client's eyes as well.
 
Redkrayton - I don't know who you are and much less care for what you have to say. Even more so on your attacks on my personal life. That's unacceptable. What I do outside this forum is none of your business. I have nothing to prove to you.

For the others, I truly appreciate your support. It means so much to me. Thank you.

For the outstanding orders, please read my post #4 above.
 
This thread has derailed from its primary purpose and is now closed. Communication between the seller and buyers has been established which was the point of this thread.
 
This thread is more than 10 years old.

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