Mail order

errr, about 320 quid. plus import charges and postage on top of that.

well, true... but one day... :)

Pete

In message , mutley writes

One day I'll have a coal mine at one end of the layout and the docks at the other.

So why do I want to run a Shinkansen down a South Wales mineral line?

Hi All

All this proves that you can't please everybody. Personally, I think that mail order in a week is good. I live 15 miles from any town and no model shops with a comprehensive stock anyway. Being able to do something on the www at any time of any day and get the results via the postie is a godsend.

You also have to look at the total package. I used Hattons to buy something for £15 that was £30 in a model shop.

Peter Bridge

I've used Hattons before, and have just orderd a Heljan Hymek from them. Last time I ordered on the weekend, got the stuff the next Friday which was pretty good.

They do have good prices, take the Q1 for example the price from Hattons INCLUDING the postage was cheaper then the "priviledge" price of a rival seller, whose normal selling price, although cheaper than RRP (slightly) was about £10 more. To a lesser extent the same can be said for the 50, I paid £2 less at Hattons than this other seller's "priv" price.

I must add that my only connection to Hattons is as a satisfied customer, one who has returned to them.

competitors

Shop-around and check-out what they're offering......the goods are the same, it's only the service and/or back-up which detracts and deters.....

Colin.

I have to say that as a satisfied customer purely, I now buy all my RTR stuff from Hattons based on price and service. It has not been all smooth sailing but is generally pretty good compared to another place I have dealt with but am reluctant to any more. Highlights:

• Although not always cheapest, still fairly good. The other place I used to buy from (hereafter referred to as 'other place') used to be significantly cheaper but are now on par with Hattons, some stuff marginally cheaper, others marginally more expensive.

• Quick to reply to email queries, not as quickly on average as the other place but still fairly quickly.

• Freight is fairly quick. I ordered a Hymek and Fowler tank Friday week ago and they arrived yesterday. I might point out that I live in Melbourne, Australia and Christmas post is busy here too! The other place usually takes between 3 and 10 weeks...8^(

• When purchasing, I get billed all in one go as there are no back orders. I can clearly account on my credit card statement for the original sale and the VAT rebate. The other place sends things in dribs and drabs and I am still unsure what all those small amounts relate to. For all I know someone may have my credit card number and be buying small things from them (unlikely but if you're in the mail order/internet business you can't risk losing the confidence of your customers like that - in my case to the point where I'd prefer not to take the risk for at most a few pounds difference in price and not even that any more)

• The only negative things I have about Hattons is an intial less than positive experience with my first purchase there, and a few minor mix ups, the most signifcant being when the green Class 110 DMUs came out, they listed (R2297?)A and B as the same item. When I emailed them I got told that it was no problem to get one of each and so I placed my order with an appropriate note in the instructions box. A week or so later I receive 2 R2297As with a note of apology. Of course, the B set didn't come out until relatively recently and although I am happy to treat the experience as an exercise in renumbering, it is not something I would want to repeat again! Of course the other place has done similar things too - I didn't really want all those extra suburban coaches that I'd already received from them...another exercise in renumbering... For similar reasons I like Hattons policy of getting you to reorder anything they don't have in stock.

I would prefer not to name the 'other place' as others I know have been happy with them and they have their redeeming features but I now have a policy of buying things primarily from Hattons.

And no, obviously I am not an employee of theirs (long way to go to work if I was...8^)