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Dangard Ace

By Dangard Ace,
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do not disturb SMS Squadron Leader

do not disturb

Posted
Posted
Big props to Ken TOY WAVE

Yes, TOY-WAVE.

I just picked up my second sv-51 ivanov and my first nora today.

Their shipping quotes scared me off a couple times before so I've always been on the fence with them. However, I just got my tax return and I had some cash to either confirm or redeem a long time seller here.

I didnt identify my MW name until after the shipping confirmation was received so I can get a fair review.

Ordering: B

This is one area of his store that I find most perplexing... it's set-up almost as if it's hiding the shipping price until the very end keeping the customer on edge till the very end... I'd recommend he invest in implementing a shipping calculator, with customer location input.

Shipping time: A+

Let's see, I used speed post, and it I ordered it on Wednesday the 28th (paid same day) Got Shipping confirmation on the 29th and checked that it was picked up for shipping that day. I got a missed delivery notice yesterday on march 3rd when I came back from work and I picked it up today the 4th. 5 days till it came to my door step. Taking out the weekend 3 days.

Packaging: A

It was just like Mr. DnD described except the exclamation points, and ummm... the anger... :unsure: the boxes came in minty shape. Boxes coming over halfway around the world from Hong Kong is a luck of the draw anyway... That's why I purchased insurance.

To be fair I did mention and emphasize that I'm a box guy and I wanted my stuff minty. DND's mention of the bubble wrap not being long enough to wrap around the boxes is true but who are we kidding? Unless it's the massive bubble, bubble wrapping variety, foam peanuts are a much better option... Ken provided both...

A layer of bubble wrapping below, above, between, and just long enough for the sides... supplemented by foam peanuts under, over, between, and on the sides of the package. He also put a cardboard plate over and under for good measure.

Service: A+

Ken has to be up there with Tam at TMP as far as service goes... Nice guy, and in tandem with York Chan (prolly his relative or bro) they have great communication. Everything was done within the advertised time frame.

Full documentation of the transaction is below. Warning, 6 images

It's so easy to burn a seller down for a mistake... but everyone makes mistakes... I really don't get the mentality of the saying "you can get 99.9% of the orders right but if you screw one customer, your store should burn in flames."

I don't know if any one of you ran a business but it's not easy... sh*t happens.

I hope others who had good transactions with Ken voice their satisfaction so we can get this guy back on the SS list.

granted he might be doing a better job now....after i blew up his spot but that doesn't excuse what he did to me and it certainly doesn't make it go away. say what you will but if he did it to you you'd be singing a different tune, maybe not as loud but you'd be pissed nonetheless.

have you opened up the ivanov yet? was it taped once? did you check to see for random finger prints? nail polish? does it look like someone opened it and transformed it? sorry for the questions but it looks like you posted the in the SS list before taking a look at the goods inside.

i would've PM'ed you but you got me blocked hence i had to make this post public.

and BTW, i would not have posted at all had you not dragged my name into your nom. :rolleyes:

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MacrossMan Pineapple Eater

MacrossMan

Posted
Posted (edited)
It's so easy to burn a seller down for a mistake... but everyone makes mistakes... I really don't get the mentality of the saying "you can get 99.9% of the orders right but if you screw one customer, your store should burn in flames."

I don't know if any one of you ran a business but it's not easy... sh*t happens.

I hope others who had good transactions with Ken voice their satisfaction so we can get this guy back on the SS list.

I have to agree that screwing up on one customer should not be the end of days for a seller, but when you have a core group of collectors concentrated on a forum and there are multiple complaints I believe that points to a bigger problem. In business one normally doesn't receive praises for providing excellent service; people expect it if they choose to do business with someone. But the minute a business deal or transaction is less than expected by the customer it's almost guaranteed the seller will be on the receiving end of a gripe. Think about it like this. If we were conducting business on Ebay, would you choose a seller with over 10,000 completed sales with a rating of 94.1% or a seller with only 150 completed sales with a 100% rating selling the same item for $10 more?

94.1% speaks to a problem with service. Although the seller gets it right for the most part, getting it wrong 5.9% of the time, again, speaks to a problem with service. 99.9% speaks to the statement that shiggity happens and hopefully sellers are accommodating when it does happen. Here's one better. I've heard nothing but praises about Kevin's Valkyrie Excahnge business. I imagine there have been problems, but they must have been handled in a professional manner, otherwise they would have come to light. That's doing business right 99.9% of the time as it should be conducted. One shouldn't expect to be in business long if they are providing anything less.

My transaction with Toy-Wave went something like this:

Order was placed on February 8th. On February 9th I received shipping charges for "Shipping method: Air Parcel (Normal Packing)". Shipments are "normally" packed in a box where I come from, otherwise it needs to be explicit that frugal packaging methods will be used with this method. February 12th payment sent. February 16th I checked to see if my items had shipped. Ken replied promptly and said he would check. February 19th I asked if the order had not shipped was it too late to add something to the order. Ken responded back informing me that the items were still with him and requested that I place a new order for all the items I wanted and he would cancel my first order to not create any confusion. In an email to Ken on the 19th I asked when would the items be shipped if I send the additional funds. He then replied and stated the additional item I ordered was not in stock yet and recommended I go ahead and send the money so it could be ordered. I then informed him that if the item was not in stock that I would just wait and inquired about the other items I had ordered and he said he would check. By now I was confused because the website showed the items to be in stock. Ken then explained that in stock meant that Toy-Wave has the item in stock or the supplier has it and this time the items were available through the supplier. February 21st I requested that the order be cancelled and I would place another order when the items were readily available for shipping. February 22nd I received an email stating the items arrived on the 21st and would be shipping out on the 22nd. February 23rd I received an email from York Chan with shipping and tracking information. Shipment arrived on February 29th and I picked it up on March 1st. I posted pictures of the condition of the shipment.

Fortunately my items made it in good condition. Communication was good, in which it should be if I am doing business with you, but the level of service was not up to par. I still grade my experience with Toy-Wave as a D+ or C-. Because they have good prices I will probably do business with them again, but I think we owe it to each other to provide insight on our experiences with sellers whether they're good or bad so that we can make conscienous decisions when selecting who we decide to spend our dollars with. Seeing that there are not many sellers stateside that we can do business with.

Based on your experience with Toy-Wave it is obvious they can provide top notch service. It just needs to be 99.9% of the time. B))

Edited by MacrossMan
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misterryno SMS Squadron Leader

misterryno

Posted
Posted

BIG shout out to Do Not Disturb for the hook up...SUPER FAST SHIPPING and as always SUPER DUPER CUSTOMER SERVICE!!! THANKS MATE!!!

:ph34r:

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Nani?! Global's Pipe Holder

Nani?!

Posted
Posted (edited)

Macrossman,

Thanks for the post. I'm an accounts manager so I'm familiar with business principals. I also have experience enough to know that crap happens more than 0.01% of the time. B)) Especially when it's importing overseas products...

Yeah, Toywave isn't perfect.

First off, I'd revamp the whole website if you ask me. Shipping calculator with destination input is a must and yea, they need to hammer out a lot of the oddities. The yellow strip named "offer" should simply be labeled On-Sale or Clearance, etc, and yea, the 4% charge on paypal payments kinda bites considering they are a full fledged online store and not some ebay e-store.

To put it into perspective, we all wish every business was a Best Buy or a Target. Streamlined and virtually flawless, dependability and millions of satisfied customers, but the problem with reality is that there are many stores that fall well behind the standards you outlined... I agree, they should strive to meet them and it's practice all business should aspire to achieve but all businesses (so far) are run by human beings and I'll be damned if more than a handful of them run 99.9% efficiently.

Shopping in Toy-wave can be equivalent to shopping in a family owned corner store in the neighborhood. You go in knowing full well it's no Best buy. But you go there because you like the guy and know him by his first name, they were around here in the community for a while, and yea, you can get your stuff cheaper there. The guy might have an abacus for a calculator and may be hand writing his receipts but people go there because he does something right....

As our respectable resident valkaholic Kensei chimed in, Ken's been good to members here. IMO He's one of the best communicating e-hobby stores. What happened to him after the whole DnD situation was equivalent to being dragged out in the open, beat up and have store windows trashed all for a mistake...

I'm just simply extending a hand to help him back on his feet.

As far as what you seem to have gone through in your order, you also played a part in the delay asking him to add to the order... remember... this guy uses an abacus (figuratively)... But you got your stuff in good order and you're happy with the price.... D+?? That's a failing mark. A bit steep, No?

Edited by Nani?!
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MacrossMan Pineapple Eater

MacrossMan

Posted
Posted
Macrossman,

Thanks for the post. I'm an accounts manager so I'm familiar with business principals. I also have experience enough to know that crap happens more than 0.01% of the time. B)) Especially when it's importing overseas products...

Yeah, Toywave isn't perfect.

First off, I'd revamp the whole website if you ask me. Shipping calculator with destination input is a must and yea, they need to hammer out a lot of the oddities. The yellow strip named "offer" should simply be labeled On-Sale or Clearance, etc, and yea, the 4% charge on paypal payments kinda bites considering they are a full fledged online store and not some ebay e-store.

To put it into perspective, we all wish every business was a Best Buy or a Target. Streamlined and virtually flawless, dependability and millions of satisfied customers, but the problem with reality is that there are many stores that fall well behind the standards you outlined... I agree, they should strive to meet them and it's practice all business should aspire to achieve but all businesses (so far) are run by human beings and I'll be damned if more than a handful of them run 99.9% efficiently.

Shopping in Toy-wave can be equivalent to shopping in a family owned corner store in the neighborhood. You go in knowing full well it's no Best buy. But you go there because you like the guy and know him by his first name, they were around here in the community for a while, and yea, you can get your stuff cheaper there. The guy might have an abacus for a calculator and may be hand writing his receipts but people go there because he does something right....

As our respectable resident valkaholic Kensei chimed in, Ken's been good to members here. IMO He's one of the best communicating e-hobby stores. What happened to him after the whole DnD situation was equivalent to being dragged out in the open, beat up and have store windows trashed all for a mistake...

I'm just simply extending a hand to help him back on his feet.

As far as what you seem to have gone through in your order, you also played a part in the delay asking him to add to the order... remember... this guy uses an abacus (figuratively)... But you got your stuff in good order and you're happy with the price.... D+?? That's a failing mark. A bit steep, No?

Nani? your points are valid and well taken. I have no hard feelings about my experience with Toy-Wave as my items did make it to me in one piece. When I posted pictures of the condition of my shipment it was not meant to be a negative, but rather to give everyone a heads up of what to possibly expect.

I too am a manager in a customer service driven call center for one of Fortune's top 100 companies to work for in the US. Bad service has always been a pet peeve of mine and my employees know it. I have a laid back management style, but I have no tolerance for sub par service. For that reason, maybe I'm basing my Toy-Wave experience on my level of expectations. My asking to add to the order played no part in delaying the shipment. My thought was since it was taking so long, if the order had not shipped then I may as well add something else to it.

I'm not familiar with what happened with DnD. I wouldn't compare Toy-Wave to a mom and pop shop though. There's a bbq restaurant that's not too far from my job. Whenever I have a vendor come to town they insist on having lunch at this place. It's smack dab in the "hood". You don't feel particularly safe when you're there. The place is dingy and the whole nine, but there is something inheritly good that draws people to the place and that's the food. Whenever Clinton came back home the secret service would shut the place down so he and his entourage could dine there. This guy was president of the United States of America and could have chosen to eat wherever he wanted to, and chose to eat in the "hood". Why? This place has the best bbq this side of the Missisissippi. The point I'm making is that we make exceptions for people or things when we still see value in whatever it is even after weighing the "have not's" of what's missing.

I'm not here to drag Toy-Wave through the mud. I've stated I will probably still do business with them because they have the best prices I have seen from sellers overseas. I only want them to up their game. Mailing something from Hong Kong to the US in bubble wrap and paper is not cool in my book. And for $50 for shipping I certainly would have expected faster shipping. I won my Low Vis 1 from a seller out of Hong Kong on a Saturday night and had my package (well packed by the way) on Wednesday the next week. That's the type of service I am used to and the service I expect.

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Nani?! Global's Pipe Holder

Nani?!

Posted
Posted (edited)

I agree... Toy-wave needs to up the ante. Definitely.

and since you bring the BBQ shop up, Toy-wave's BBQ ribs are their prices. It's what people go there for.

Yeah, their shipping pricing needs a revamp... yea, they need to consistently deliver....

But if people like their ribs enough, they'll be willing to go to it's location in the hood, wipe-off the residue on their silverware and deal with the ghetto-ness of the service.

Your decision too, proves the point... You'd return for their ribs...

So will I. :)

Edited by Nani?!
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MacrossMan Pineapple Eater

MacrossMan

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Posted
Your decision too, proves the point... You'd return for their ribs...

So will I. :)

Exactly! Their shipping prices compared to some others are not all that bad, especially when you consider the amount of money saved on some of their items. Where else can you find the Urban GBP for $59.00+$27.00 shipped (that $27.00 price is half of the shipping price I paid because I had two sets of armor)? So yes, I will continue to shop with these guys fully knowing that they might not meet my expectations; the savings they offer outweigh the shoddy packaging and delayed shipping. B))

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MacrossMan Pineapple Eater

MacrossMan

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Posted
Exactly! Their shipping prices compared to some others are not all that bad, especially when you consider the amount of money saved on some of their items. Where else can you find the Urban GBP for $59.00+$27.00 shipped (that $27.00 price is half of the shipping price I paid because I had two sets of armor)? So yes, I will continue to shop with these guys fully knowing that they might not meet my expectations; the savings they offer outweigh the shoddy packaging and delayed shipping. B))

Wow! I went back and read the threads on what DnD went through with Toy-Wave. If it can happen to him, it can happen to anyone. The savings are not worth the risk in my opinion. Even if DnD went through all the trouble to fabricate his story to some degree, I can not understand why wouldn't they not try to resolve the issue rather than defend it? To me that has got to be one of the most ignorant moves any business minded person could make. The risk of losing business for the sake of principle has cost them another customer. I can't afford to give any money away, so I have to retract my statements about future business with them. :ph34r:

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94medition Sharon Apple Concert Attendee

94medition

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yellowlightman is a great seller. I am surprised he is not already in the SS list on page 1. I just bought a Japanese Macross PS2 game, UN Spacy Flag window cling , and Atelier Sai Proto Garland from him. Got PMs for confirmation, payment and tracking info. Quick shipping too. Thanks! ^_^

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seiya Cannon Fodder

seiya

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Posted

Good experience with Toy-Wave. That's my third order with him and everything was always fine, good communication, fast shipment. Actually I don't often follow the forum so I didn't know all talks around Ken. But I don't regret to order to him, and I'll do again for sure.

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jardann Bridge Bunny

jardann

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Wanted to give a shout out to Baronv for a smooth deal with super fast shipping.

Also to Ryuji for a great model kit and fine service.

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misterryno SMS Squadron Leader

misterryno

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HUGE props to both LOS of LAFtoys.com and HoHoToys....for the hookup on the MH Ride Armors!!! CAN'T WAIT TO OPEN THEM!!! THANKS!!!

:ph34r:

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brannon Destroid Armour Waxer

brannon

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Posted (edited)

thanks to F360 super fast shipping (2-30 day prioritymail) and even photo copied the instructions for me the same day he shipped which was the same day i payed which was a day he was at work what else can i say but honestly you will have futre business.

Edited by brannon
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