I am sorry some of you have had trouble with Graham products. I've personally bought 5 of his kits and have been satisfied. Mine went together with few problems, ran good, and are a good value for the money.
Now an editorial comment: Anyone in the hobby business knows it is darn hard to make money at it. Almost every home-based vendor I've ever talked to has said that they are in it for the fun, mostly. They like the idea that they are providing something to the hobby that is unique, or is needed. They hope to gain respect among their hobby peers.
Now, just because you sent some one some money, does that give you the right to deal with him rudely? If you want to drive a home-based guy out of business, then sarcastic comments about him will certainly reduce his fun. In fact, it's dirty comments by customers that probably remove more service-oriented folks from this business than any other factor, including bad checks. So, if you want fewer vendors out there, then, by all means, employ the famous British sarcasm.
Now, I've lost money to home vendors who were crooks. So I know that not everyone out there is a nice guy. And crooks deserve all the bad-mouthing we can heap on them. I've also received goods that did not meet my expectations. With the exception of the crooks, all the other vendors went out of their way to make me happy, either by refunds, or new merchandise, or whatever it took.
Before jumping on a vendor, please give the guy the same breaks you'd give a friend in your club. Life happens, not everything goes as planned. Sometimes a sole operator can't give you the service you'd expect from a big corporation. If there's a slip-up, then maybe it's not intentional, and maybe you will need to employ more patience than you expected. I have dealt with vendors who prefer email to telephone, and some the reverse. If you can't get a guy with your communication vehicle of choice, then try the other means at your disposal. One guy over here, brilliant machinist and innovator, lists an email address for his home business, but, it turns out, he hardly ever responds - he's a guy who'll talk your ear off on the phone, but email...forget it
. As an email guy myself, I ran myself ragged until I found out his preference.
Your disappointment is real, your frustration is real. If all you can do for yourself to get relief is to scrag the guy on a forum, then so be it. Please understand, though, that you are not doing the hobby a service, and we will all be poorer for your actions. Not only is the specific vendor removed, but potential vendors look at the verbiage, and think "man, why would I want to let myself in for that experience?"
