Ron Connor trading as Model Rail Signs

Does anyone have some up-to-date status information on this trader? He makes replica BR totem signs, trading from a stand at model railway exhibitions and has a website modelrailsigns.co.uk from which you can place an order. I have a long-outstanding paid-for order but Ron is not replying to direct email, text, query through his website contact form, or telephone message. I just want my order fulfilled or my money back.

Sadly it seems others have had similar problems with him in the past https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/i...way-modelling/&do=findComment&comment=3523467

Buyer beware!

Rob

 

If you ordered by credit card, take it up with them.

 

Debit card, not credit card. I've written an old-fashioned postal letter to Model Rail Signs (remember those?) but asking my bank to act on the debit is a future possibility.

 

I would advise from experience contacting your bank sooner rather than later if you need to go down the chargeback route - there is normally a time limit from purchase/payment/expected delivery for a chargeback to be requested. I believe there are some exceptions to the time limit, but your bank would need to tell you what these exceptions are.

Best
Andy

 

The lesson here is if it's over £100 always pay by credit card. I use mine for everything and it gives me a 1% cashback on most transactions. A variable direct debit pays off the outstanding balance each month

 

I ordered a full-size totem from this man in early July. Said I would have it 'within a fortnight.' Still waiting. I called him this morning and he said he's 'been busy with a lot of problems.' I've given him a week to fulfil the order before I raise a dispute with visa/paypal.

 

60017 - what (if anything) happened?

In my case, sadly my card issuer decided I was too late to raise a payment dispute. My situation is also complicated by dividing my time between two addresses 350 miles apart, and having sought to change the delivery address from one to the other in several of my unanswered communications to Mr Connor earlier this year. However, within the last week I've been at both addresses and no totem has been delivered to either, so I've now raised my case with London Trading Standards. http://www.londontradingstandards.org.uk .

 

Looking at these two I am guessing that 60017 has a better case under Section 75. Robert F Even with the debit card I would suggest having another go especially if your provider is a 45 day rather than a 120 day refunder. They may not want you ranting on Trustpilot or such sites about there poor customer service. After all they are in it to make money and may be do not want the bad PR.


https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/section75-protect-your-purchases/#notbust
https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/how-youre-protected-when-you-pay-by-cardt

 

He made one more promise after non-receipt, which was not fulfilled. I left several voicemails and text messages...no response. Matter now being dealt with by HSBC, who were very helpful.

 

Surprise, surprise, I had a text this morning saying he is making the sign and posting it today. Well, he's too late, already ordered one from someone else. Buyers beware indeed.

 

60017 : Are you still waiting?

 

It arrived and I was not impressed...several small air bubbles on it. The one I ordered from a company on ebay was far superior and order to delivery was less than a week.

 

The saga continued...he actually called me today (lucky me) to complain his account has been debited £60 even though he had made the sign and posted it. I explained he only made and sent it AFTER I had raised the issue with my bank following weeks of no contact and no response to phone calls and texts. He said he makes 100's of signs and that when things run a little late he hasn't got time to answer calls and texts (he finds time when his pocket gets hit though)! I pointed out that he has a lot of bad press online about his customer service and he said "I don't care what people say about me, they are just jealous because I have a Rolls Royce and a big yacht." I then pointed out that one of his competitors made and delivered a sign in less than a week. He responded to that by saying "I have no competitors, no-one does what I do." Make of that what you will, but I won't be dealing with him again!

 

Those who own Rollers don't brag about it so I reckon he's got a Reliant van a la Del Boy.

 

He certainly sounds a bit like Del Boy!

 

Original poster here - I've finally got my totem! Having established he was attending the Warley model railway exhibition with a trading stand, I contacted him a few weeks ago via his website contact form to say I expected to be able to collect my long-overdue totem there. Unsurprisingly (from him), no reply! I turned up at his stand today: he didn't have the totem waiting for me but told me to come back in ½ hour. On return, it was ready (he'd obviously done the setting up in advance but waited to see if I'd appear before making the totem.) His product is clearly still popular as his stand was very busy.

 

Hi, just wanted to add a little more to this post. Same story, ordered a sign at Warley, but never arrived. No response to e-mails, texts or phone calls. I have now contacted my credit card company and they are raising a dispute. Wanted to warn others, either not to order from the start, or if you already have made an order, make a claim on your credit card.

 

Could someone let me know about the company on eBay that also do them please?

 

I was going to post this a month ago...but then thought I'd leave it. Having caught up with this thread here and received a letter from my credit card provider in the last week, I've decided to come back and post about my experience with Ron Connor.

I ordered and paid Mr Connor £70 over 3 months ago for a southern totem for my husband for Christmas. We had a long phone conversation during which he assured me that I would have the sign delivered to my door within a fortnight of ordering.

Despite Ron's promise to get the sign to me in time for Christmas there has been absolutely no contact from him whatsoever since I made the order - none of my calls to him have been answered, no emails answered, no response to the online messages sent via his website, no response to the numerous voicemails I've left for him, no answer when my husband called (we thought he may answer given it wasn't a number we'd used before), no response to the voicemails my husband left asking him to respond to us...

My credit card provider has raised a dispute and I've just received a letter stating that his bank have 'challenged the claim as they believe the transaction to be a valid charge' however my card provider have assured me that they have enough information to continue defending my 'dispute'.