ukscout Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 guys over the last year I've been getting very concerned with what I'm seeing and reading from other BSN members who have bought helmet kits from prop makers. Allot of the kits I've seen on here have been poorly made i.e.. vac formed, I don't want to point fingers at any prop makers but I think things have to change if your supplying sub standard helmet kits to our forum members I think the makers should sell any kits with flaws in the pulls as "graded helmet kits" so that members on here know what they are getting in the post before opening the box to be disapointed Any kits sold that are 99% ok should be sold as "hero kits" I know this is a hobby and your going to need to tweak the helmet kit when putting it together but when your completely chopping sections out, replacing sections, re-moulding/shaping areas kinda upsets me see members having to spend allot of time putting the kit right when the supplier could easily change the way they make/pull the helmets and get sharper pulls from the bucks I would be interested in hearing what other members think and see if we can try and work with the makers of the helmet kits so everyone gets a better delivered kit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 I think a lot of this will boil down to the customer not being happy with the product they receive. If they don't like it, they should complain, send it back and demand a replacement or refund. Only when this sort of thing starts to occur will the suppliers of these take note and change their methods. I do agree.... some of the things that have come out lately have been a bit shocking..... But people have just put up with it and to their credit tried to remedy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donovan Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 I agree this world of costuming is a hit or miss.I got my bucket as a flawed kit but I was perfectly happy even though it didn't line up 100%.it still looks nice but I cant complain I got it for less than $100 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dankelzaga Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 I'd like to weigh in a bit on this even though I'm fairly new to this particular forum. I have been costuming for quite some time however so I do feel comfortable speaking on this subject. One of the biggest problems I've encountered seems to be the automatic defensive "circle the wagons" responses that comes from anyone complaining about products that are made (or better yet--time frames for products that are made) from a particular vendor. It seems that more often than not...anytime a complaint is made or questions are raised about the quality or timeframe of products, some type of response such as "Well...you know these people do this in their free time. These people don't have to help you at all. Without these people you wouldn't have anything so suck it up. Real life comes first. These people aren't a true business..you shouldn't expect business like service, etc, etc, etc. In many cases..someone with a legit and appropriate complaint are made to feel like a mean spirited whiny child. Yes..the suppliers of these items are very helpful. They are appreciated and I realize their products come with hard work. BUT.....they are receiving hard earned real money that is taken for the most part tax free for their efforts. In many cases we are certainly not talking about a scant amount of money. As I said, at times anyone who is not in the circle or new...often feels intimidated by complaining or bringing a legit problem to light.....it should never be that way. BTW...my comments are general and apply to the many forums and various costume relationship/encounters I've had. I just think the topic is extremely valid in all settings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 they are receiving hard earned real money You needn't have said anything more..... At this point, in my eyes at least, you should get what you're expecting and in a timely fashion. If you're getting a discount on a 2nd's piece then fine, that's great. But to pay top dollar for something that should be classed as a 2nd, then that just isn't cricket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4505Marcel Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 Couldnt agree more Rob, yes people do this in their own time. BUT a customer should atleast expect a decent piece of kit in return, my biggest gripe is time scales. Doesnt matter if your a proffesional business or a guy in a garage, you know exactly how long things take to make. If they know they cant make it for 6 months then they should say so and not take any money untill they are ready to make it. I the only issues I have ever had is with batman stuff, one guy sent me some bits with holes, splits and said I shouldnt expect a imaculate bit, REALLY. I would be ashamed to send that out to be honest, well I didnt let it go. So he decided he would threaten me ect, but no youve got to plough on. I just told him what a joke he was and got my money back. People should be prepared to work within the 45 day paypal time scale or not at all in my mind Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.J Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 Another issue is the out of pocket in postage...some of us live over the other side of the world and postage to send back is 1/4 of the product itself. And adding another 3 to 6 months wait for another to be built and not guaranteed it too would be to the satisfaction you expect. If the item looks like a second it should be sold as a second. I purchased another Helmet for myself and handing the other to my son and it came from a outstanding supplier wish I had of brought my first one off him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elwyn5150 Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 I like the idea of graded kits because it makes things easier for people who are interested in doing costumes such as Death Troopers or highler weathered submissions. I am fortunate that I haven't had any problems except that I paid for a painted helmet which wasn't primed properly and the glue leaked through and I ended up learning to spray paint it again myself. So I had a learning experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukscout Posted March 6, 2013 Author Share Posted March 6, 2013 guys thanks for your reply to my posting looks like I'm not the only one on these boards who is concerned about the kits that are being sold. Good to see like minded forum member on here We as a community need to sort out what we can do next to help existing and new members in obtaining helmet kits for example buyer guides, simple examples etc... which I will need to look into further and I'm open to suggestions 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffin-X Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 guys thanks for your reply to my posting looks like I'm not the only one on these boards who is concerned about the kits that are being sold. Good to see like minded forum member on here We as a community need to sort out what we can do next to help existing and new members in obtaining helmet kits for example buyer guides, simple examples etc... which I will need to look into further and I'm open to suggestions I agree 100%~! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blick Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 I'm going to chime in here as I've been in a very similar situation. They accept our money, we have entered into a business transaction; at that point all deals of "I do this in my spare time" or "it's a hobby" are off the table. I will accept that things may come up, but when I ask for a specific time, I expect my product in a relativity close proximity to that specified time frame that you gave. I will also not accept a second rate product as I have paid for top notch. An excuse of "I do this as a hobby, it's not my real job" will not be accepted as see: Business transaction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NegativeEleven Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 This is a great topic to explore. Personally, I have a small vac-forming setup, Bondo, plastic resins, silicone, a Dremel and a lot of free time. I don't have a lot of spare money. If these vendors offered some bad pulls as cheaper alternatives, I have the time to work on it and the desire to learn by doing so. That would be great. They'd have less wasted supply materials which could lower the cost for everyone and I'd have a cheaper product that I could put the time into turning into a useable product. On the subject of turnaround time... KS's website says expect 4 weeks. I gave a friend money and he placed the order for both of us, so I've been reluctant to complain. When we placed the order, they said it would ship in 2 weeks. It just arrived after more than 7 weeks. I placed my order for SC armor today and their website says 6-8 weeks. I was told that due to circumstances beyond their control, 10 weeks is more likely. I said "thank you for your honesty." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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