I received one of Mike’s version 2 packs and one of his newest versions as recently as yesterday. Both are solid construction with the newest version being even better than the first. Now they are resin with fiberglass backing, very sturdy and they fit the MMM motherboard even better than the firt go around. Super pleased with the great product for an even better price! Can’t be happier.
I hate to say it but I’m another one of Mike Nelson’s unhappy customers, here is how things went (the abridged version)…
2010-05-08 - I PM’d Mike about his shells and parts kit, asking about postage overseas (to Australia for clarification) and seeing if I can get them before the end of May/beginning of June (informing in the process that I was hoping to get it ready by the end of June).
2010-05-09 - I received a reply from Mike via PM with total with shipping, and stating that he can get it here in the requested time.
I replyed in the same day saying that I’ll have to get some cash and send it on, which he acknowledged.
2010-05-12 - I send payment of US$325 to Mike via PayPal.
2010-05-15 - I PM Mike telling him that I sent payment (realized I hadn’t let him know when I sent it). I also sent him my postal details, as I couldn’t remember if I included them in the PayPal message.
2010-05-31 - Having not received my parts, nor any contact from Mike I message him asking for a progress update.
2010-06-02 - After still not receiving any reply from Mike I sent another message, an admittedly blunt message stressing that I haven’t received any items, any notification that they had been sent or even a tracking number. This is the first time I requested a refund if he was unable to send me my parts in a timely fashion.
2010-06-04 - I finally get a reply of Mike, stating that he had sent me a couple of messages (which I never received) and that “I is going out 3 day mail in the morn will hit you with the tracking number.”
He then sent another message a few minutes later about the updates to the shell itself and an apology for the delay.
I reply to this, thanking him for letting me know about the progress.
2010-06-10 - I PM’d Mike again as I still hadn’t received either a tracking number or my parts. I waited this long because I was giving him the benefit of the doubt that he had actually sent them.
2010-06-12 - I get a reply from Mike, “simon I got locked up for the past week and I have your shell and bumper all set I will have tracking monday I all so put a belt gizmo kit in there for the wait sorry about this .”
2010-06-13 - I replied to Mike, letting him know that I’ve read about the ‘issues’ he’s been having in his personal life, which he was he had been offline, and looking forward to getting the parts (although it would be tight to get them ready for the end of the month, which I had told him I needed them for several times at this point).
2010-06-15 - Still not hearing back, I quickly PM’d Mike again asking for a tracking number and a progress report.
2010-06-22 - I sent Mike another long and blunt message, again stressing that I still haven’t received my parts, I have not had a reply for over a week, nor had not received any tracking information, as well as stressing that it was now impossible for me to use these parts even if he did send them before the end of the month. I stated that was I contacted PayPal about the transaction and once again requested a full refund.
I finally put through a dispute to PayPal after not receiving a reply from Mike for a couple of days (although I told him I would do it the day after I last messaged him, again giving him the benefit to do the right thing). After nothing got resolved via the dispute process, I escalated it to a claim. During this time Mike said I could keep the money (at which I hadn’t received) and that he would still send me my parts. The last direct communication I received off of Mike was on the 30th of June, again telling me to keep my money and he’ll still send me my parts.
I finally got my refund direct via PayPal last Monday, after nearly 3 months, and I still haven’t received my ‘free’ parts from Mike.
And whilst I’m hesitant to immediately call him a bad seller, as I know a lot of people seem to have gotten their parts without nearly as much stress and hassle as myself, I cannot with good conscience recommend him as a seller (and as I still haven’t received my parts, I don’t know what the quality of those are like either).
Thanks
Don’t hesitate! You are entitled to tell your story, and I appreciate it.
Any seller who takes that long to ship a product (especially when cash is taken upfront) is a bad seller in my opinion.
Looks like a few of us have the same situation…
I ordered a pack shell last december which i asked mike if he would be able to have it to me in time for christmas, he said that he could.
So anyway when i received it in April i gave him the benefit of the doubt as he told me he was having a few personal issues and that he would send me a free pack kit for all the trouble. I had no problem with this and he always got straight back too my pm’s, this is why i left a good feedback post earlier. (I was just happy to have finally received it) Now im not whinging about not getting the free pack kit but it was promised to me… but still nothing. I had no problem with all of this as i thought it was just an isolated incident and i had caught him just at a really bad time but it seems like im not the only one..
Just to clarify im not sooking about this i just thought i would share my story. I am pleased with my shell and was pleased that his solution was to send a free pack kit, i have even asked about paying for shipping myself.
So i hope everyone gets what they have paid for
Sorry i meant i received the shell in January not April. (January 21 to be exact)
Ordered a bumper off of Mike, came in a timely fashion. It cleans up very nicely, and easily. Definitely satisfied with my purchase.
Purchased 2 shells, 2 shell “parts kits”, 2 “thrower kits” and 2 sets of tubing/elbows/resistors
Let me just say that I am extrememly happy with the quality of these kits. The shells are solidly constructed, all the parts have clean lines from great castings and most important of all… I got what I paid for in a timely fashion. Mike did not disappear off the radar for weeks at a time and kept in contact with me throughout. In short, he is NOT selling something that he does not have the time to make. I know he has had some problems with this in the past, but he seems to have figured out how to solve the problem and take care of his customers.
I have been a Ghostbusters fan since I saw it in theaters in 1984. If this pack is not exactly “screen accurate” I would never know and neither would anyone else except the anally retentative and, thankfully, I could not care less what they think. Mike, you have obviously improved your design and techniques over previous versions and I am glad I bought from you. Thank you!
Sep 10, 2010: Payment To Karnivouris Creations in the amount of $63.00 USD, for standard belt gizmo kit.
Sep 20, 2010: Email sent to [email protected], to ascertain the status of my order.
Sep 21, 2010: PM sent to him, on GBFans, to ascertain the status of my order, and possibly order a bumper.
Sep 22, 2010: He writes “I sent it out yesterday I have been very busy with work this past week sorry I didnt get back to you sooner”
Sep 30, 2010: Sent an email to him about possibly getting a tracking number on my product, as it had been 8 business days since it was shipped out.
Oct 01-02, 2010: 5 calls and 1 text message have been made to the customer service number given in the PayPal transaction; all of which go straight to a “Not available” message.
I know USPS has been known to take up to 10 to 14 business days to deliver, I’m slowly becoming suspicious. I’m sure I’m just too anxious to get my package, and that it’s still within normal delivery limits, it’s almost been 30 days since I paid him up front. I guess we’ll see if it comes in soon. If it does, then my only critique would be for him to better communicate with his buyers.
Commo seems to be one of his biggest problems. It is sad, because he makes such good stuff. I have determined through personal experience that there are very few people on this forum that actually follow the rules for sales on this site. Specifically the rules that you are not supposed to sell something that you do not have readilly available and that you are supposed to ship in a timely fashion.
Unfortunately, Mike is not the only one who fails customers.
Well, I don’t mind, as long as he gets my package to me. But, yeah, a little better communication would help.
Ordered well in advance I’m hopes of receiving prior to Halloween…I’m starting to wonder if I’m going to get my bumper at all. It sucks because it’s now too late to order from someone else given the Halloween rush…I’m thinking maybe I should have shelled out the extra cash and bought it from undislosed bumper vendor number 2…
I would be less annoyed if I at least got some kind of definitive answer as to whether or not I received my part…that way I would know whether or not to approach another vendor…I don’t want extra free stuff for the inconvenience…I just want the part I paid for…or my money back…
I wonder if anyone recieved all the free shells he said he shipped out.
Arts, I also ordered a bumper from him with plenty of time and have heard nothing back. I went ahead and cancelled payment through paypal.
He accepted my payment and I can’t file a dispute…
Did you pay through Paypal within the last 90 days?
Actually it’s 45 days. But that’s a good point, buyers should file disputes at this point.
Yes…it said I couldn’t file a dispute bc the transaction wasn’t ties to an item…am I doing something wrong??
You must do it with-in 45 days.
That is why the Ghostbusters Fans Buyer Guidelines ask you to file a claim at 30 days… not 45.
Well I wasn’t gonna bitch, but after I asked around to various sellers back in the middle of august trying to find someone who had a bumper made and ready to ship, I messaged Mike, he said he had one ready to ship the day after I paid. So I paid as he had fairly good feedback at that point, well its now October 8th and still no bumper. I understand that shipping can take a while to Canada but almost 2 months?!? I tried to contact the seller trying to find out if the thing has even been shipped looking at his recent feedback, and nothing, no response, last time I checked he hadn’t even logged into the site since September 22nd. I understand people have lives besides the hobby but this is just pathetic.
It’s not been 45 days…kind of strange. It said there was no item associated with my payment, so I couldn’t file a dispute.