Anyone able to get a response out of Ozmestore?

[hux]

I have tried 3 times to get a shipping quote out of the guy that runs Ozmestore without success.
I see current feedback which indicates he is still operating and shipping items.
Seems an extremely odd way to run a business as you hardly buy something with no idea on freight charges - when there is no link on the page for calculating as well.

[watson]

G'day Craig,
I've dealt with him several times in the past, and never had a problem. But you're right to check..freight from South Oz to Brisbane could be expensive. Whenever I've had a query for Ozmestore, I've used their "ask seller a question" thingo and always got a reply.

[Harry72]

I've brought a few things from them, they've always been prompt.
How long have you been trying to contact them?

[hux]

I've brought a few things from them, they've always been prompt.
How long have you been trying to contact them?

Over about 3 weeks now. Each time the item is relisted.

Anyone have a direct email I can try?

[Grahame Collins]

same here Hux,
Within the last 7 days
I have asked, about lathe freight and warranty a couple of times through seller questions.Nil response.
Before I noticed your post, I won a couple of bids on a $160 worth of gear.
They are quick enough to respond with the payment details but not with a response to a change of shipping address notice.
The thing is that the store seems to have the best pricing structure for engineering items overall on Ebay, but is content to potentially poop in their own nest and alienate potential customer.
Possibly it is a computer email glitch and some old fashioned phone calls are required.
I will keep you all posted on developments.

Grahame

[Grahame Collins]

I have contacted e bay live help and spoke to a Chris who directed me back to the Ebay site map.

He assures me he will pass it on his supervisor.Obviously these guys are using a computer database to check my username,why the hell are they not able (or willing) to supply me with a phone number.

After filling in the bs response form ( Note ! the only input allowed for is with a item no of something you have won on a bid), one is directed right back to an email contact. No phone number!

I have mentioned in the email (if it ever gets read ) that the credibility is potentially at risk on this forum. I had even left my mob phone.

Customer service is a very big part of any transaction and vendors must be prepared to efficiently deal with the inquiries that arise.

If this is too much trouble for a vendor. No problem ,I can spend my $2000 to $3000 dollars else where from a seller who will make the effort to advise on all on details of a lathe purchase I want to make.

To be fair though, it may a technical hassle which does not allow our emails to get through. We shall see? Whats the bet that the excuse for nil replies will be given as this.

Grahame

[glock40sw]

G'day.
Have a look at a past invoice from them.
It will have their phone number on it.
I rang them once to change delivery details and they were great.

I don't have the number as the HD on the lappy schit itself. Sorry.

[Scotty690]

I have had similar experiences with this guy. He will not respond to just any email, although if you buy something he responds well. Very poor service imo. I understand he must get thousands of emails a week and probably wants to keep his costs down but he needs to throw another employee in front of the computer.:?

[Scotty690]

I found a number he sent me.

Please ring Bob on 08 8241 0477 he can help you.

Hope it works.

[browny]

I'm in the same boat - have tried to get shipping quotes several times and no response at all.

[hux]

Call me weird but I refuse to outlay my cash on a heavy item with an unknown shipping charge. At present I want a bender for a project but with no response I will just drive down to H&F and throw my $229 at them for the same item.
With the P155 Poor response I can't see myself considering Ozmestore for my eventual lathe/mill purchases even though I serious considered them as an alternative to H&F depending on shipping costs.

[Harry72]

Shipping cost's will be what the transport company's dictate, Ozmestore isnt one of those postage ripoff type ebay stores.

[browny]

I don't think anyone is suggesting they are dodgy, just that their customer service is lax.

The reality is that we are only (trying) buying from ozme because their items are cheaper than H&F. Without knowing shipping costs it's impossible to make the call which is the best option (especially if you can pick up direct from H&F).

Somehow I think they would be unimpressed if people started bidding on items then reneged on the sale because of freight cost.

[Grahame Collins]

Are we looking at the problem, the wrong way around.

Here on this forum we are just confirming each others opinions about the situation.Not much can be achieved.

The company apparently is set up as a "solely trading on Ebay advertiser"and I would assume that expectation by Ebay is that their advertisers follow the standard format as appears on every ad.

The format is there for answering buyer questions and the advertiser not following it.

If anything can be changed it will be, by the likes of us, contacting the Ebay live help and registering our concerns.

nuff said

Grahame

[browny]

I can't see ebay doing anything. The only thing ebay care about is listing fees. Technical issues, scammers etc run a distant second. I would be surprised if they offered any meaningful response to this issue.

The only solution I can come up with is to vote with our wallets and eventually the negative rep will catch up with them.

[hux]

Shipping cost's will be what the transport company's dictate, Ozmestore isnt one of those postage ripoff type ebay stores.

Who said they are a rip off. Would you commit to pay for something without knowing what your total expenditure is?

I know how much the thing will cost me from H&F, I don't from Ozmestore with freight.
As far as I know the thing could cost me more than if I bought it from H&F once freight goes on top.

He may not be a rip off but his customer service is crap. I guess if you have to pay freight from H&F to your own location then his prices are attractive but when H&F is local you know you have local support if something is wrong for the few extra pascific peso's.

[Grahame Collins]

My purchase from Ozmestore arrived .No where on my invoice was a contact phone number provided .The Toll /Ipec invoice provided a business name address ZG Pty.Ltd was used as a search criteria in the free white pages online.The number listed by White pages is the same as supplied on this thread.

The man that answered gave me details on the lathe I was interested in.
Which was a 36 x 12 with stand and light unbid on, at at $2895 at that moment which would have been great value had I won the bid.

Unfortunately the $700 freight to Mackay and a 30 day warranty offered on it have made the best opposition at the moment look very,very competitive .
H&F in Brisbane.

I have no complaints about the gear or delivery provided which is very competitive. If you can live with the 30 day warranty, the metal working tooling does seem a good deal.

cheers Grahame

[hux]

Grahame

Here are a couple of places I have found during net searches.

http://www.assetplant.com/our-products/new-machinery/

http://www.shawmachinery.com.au/index.html

Shaws are in Brisbane so hopefully I will get over there for a look in a few weeks time.
They both seem to sell the same gear "Steelmaster".
The first link has prices so if Shaws are in the same price range the SM1236A (seems to be the same as the HAFCO Al335) at RRP$3000is particularly good value as it includes a QRTP. Actually checking the Shaw one the QRTP is optional.
Has to be worth checking though.

[Metal Head]

My purchase from Ozmestore arrived .No where on my invoice was a contact phone number provided .The Toll /Ipec invoice provided a business name address ZG Pty.Ltd was used as a search criteria in the free white pages online.The number listed by White pages is the same as supplied on this thread.

The man that answered gave me details on the lathe I was interested in.
Which was a 36 x 12 with stand and light unbid on, at at $2895 at that moment which would have been great value had I won the bid.

Unfortunately the $700 freight to Mackay and a 30 day warranty offered on it have made the best opposition at the moment look very,very competitive .
H&F in Brisbane.

I have no complaints about the gear or delivery provided which is very competitive. If you can live with the 30 day warranty, the metal working tooling does seem a good deal.

cheers Grahame

Hi Grahame,

Is this purchase for yourself, or the school that I read of on another thread?.

I know this is not applicable to you in this situation but I cannot understand why people purchase such large items so far from home:doh:. If you are having problems now (before you have got it to your site of choice) what is it going to be like if you do have problems within the 30 days warranty:C. It appears it takes longer than that trying to get him atm - what will he be like when you tell him you have a problem - run a mile?. Personally, I would (and have) only bought locally (within 50 kms radius of home). So if there is a problem at least I can go and see the person(s) face to face rather than have the additional stress of tracking down someone 100's (if not 1000's) of kms via a telephone.

It's called "FALSE ECONOMY"

I have known a few people who have bought investment properties interstate and some of them are always whinging about the hassle (and stress) it causes them rather than pay a bit more for one just down the road - after all we are all a long time dead:wink:.

Regards
David

[Robynb]

Ebay Australia has had a lot of problems lately with its member to member messaging system, including the 'ask seller a question' function. It may be that the seller is simply not getting these emails.

[Grahame Collins]

Hey guys,

This lathe is for me.
The school is intending to buy to extra lathes to cope with the junior work load. They would have to comply with EQ dept specs- stops- shields and other extra safety requirements.The boss will be checking what I buy for sure to see if the model may be suitable for school needs.

Metalhead,

Yes!I am just being careful with my money. Like all of us, dollars are limited ,so one needs to know the entire cost involved in a purchase.

I have been seeking the right lathe from the right retailer and cost is not the only criteria. I like to work with "whole of life costs" for any major purchase.
Its all ok for those in the big smoke,but doing it from the boondocks is a pain in the bum. I have made contact with seven different vendors and responses range from great to p poor.Response to my emails is even worse

Local retailers are taking advantage of the mining boom and price accordingly.There is only one who sells anything like I am looking for.Naturally he wants to charge like a wounded bull.

One machine tool retailer, I know of, has two prices .A marked price to discourage the DIYer and one you have to ask for.

Robynb.
I have made contact with the Ebay "help" desk and completely appraised them in detail of the problems I have had. Read the post.Do you want to hazard a guess at the response?

Grahame

[hux]

Ebay Australia has had a lot of problems lately with its member to member messaging system, including the 'ask seller a question' function. It may be that the seller is simply not getting these emails.

Funny I am always on Ebay and have had zero probs with messaging - responses within an hour or so - not the 4 individual attempts zero replies with Ozmestore1. If he only replies to high $$ value sales he should only sell big $$ items. He can go and GF as far as I am concerned and I am only too happy to tell everyone what a crap ebay seller he is with ZERO for customer service.

[browny]

Same here, in the last two days I have asked 5 questions and got 4 replies (all of which were not even to sellers but people who had bought a particular product).

No prizes for guessing who the one who didnt respond is.

[Metal Head]

Metalhead,

Yes!I am just being careful with my money. Like all of us, dollars are limited ,so one needs to know the entire cost involved in a purchase. I have been seeking the right lathe from the right retailer and cost is not the only criteria. I like to work with "whole of life costs" for any major purchase.

Its all ok for those in the big smoke,but doing it from the boondocks is a pain in the bum. I have made contact with seven different vendors and responses range from great to p poor.Response to my emails is even worse.

Grahame

Hi Grahame,

I apologize if I hit a raw nerve with you - it appears from the emotion expressed in your posts on this thread that you are off and understandably so - so would I. But I choose to live in the big smoke where items (all sorts) are easier to get but I don't get the sun and fresh air you do:wink:. I am on less than teachers are (I should know I am, married to one). However, what I have learnt over many years is that most of the time you only get what you pay for - but then that might only apply to city folk like I.

But once again I must emphaise that not buying locally (for those city dwellers) has it down side that many here are now finding out.

Regards
MH

[Grahame Collins]

Gday Metalhead,

Sorry mate its the end of the week and I find myself tense.A bad day with the cherubs will do it to you.How does your wife cope? I regret it, if I don't seem my usual cheery self.

After several months of research of lathes and levels of quality and equippage (is that a word ) I find I know less and less about more and more.

This forum is so valuable in terms of golden bits of information gleaned about suppliers, sites, equippment , and good deals and bad. Thank you to those who have replied with help.

I am sorry but the wisdom of buying local doesn't hold when the local guy does not sell the quality I am seeking
I have seen a local lathe that was a disaster.

It came equipped with a gearbox mix of casting sand and oil.
Price is not the ultimate criteria. I am happy to pay the extra dollars to get the quality I want. The prospect of buying a lathe which ultimately turns out as crap worries me.I have seen some good examples of Chinese machinery and I have seen some crap.

I have found it is possible to get seemingly basically identical looking lathes which are very different in quality of manufacture finish and supplied equipment.

These while made in China ,come from different factories who have vastly different ideas on qualities customers should have.

Enjoy your long weekend
I am going for one last crack at the barra

Grahame

[hux]

Gday Metalhead,

Sorry mate its the end of the week and I find myself tense.A bad day with the cherubs will do it to you.How does your wife cope? I regret it, if I don't seem my usual cheery self.

After several months of research of lathes and levels of quality and equippage (is that a word ) I find I know less and less about more and more.

This forum is so valuable in terms of golden bits of information gleaned about suppliers, sites, equippment , and good deals and bad. Thank you to those who have replied with help.

I am sorry but the wisdom of buying local doesn't hold when the local guy does not sell the quality I am seeking
I have seen a local lathe that was a disaster.

It came equipped with a gearbox mix of casting sand and oil.
Price is not the ultimate criteria. I am happy to pay the extra dollars to get the quality I want. The prospect of buying a lathe which ultimately turns out as crap worries me.I have seen some good examples of Chinese machinery and I have seen some crap.

I have found it is possible to get seemingly basically identical looking lathes which are very different in quality of manufacture finish and supplied equipment.

These while made in China ,come from different factories who have vastly different ideas on qualities customers should have.

Enjoy your long weekend
I am going for one last crack at the barra

Grahame

Grahame

It would be good to let us all know what you have found in the way of brands vs quality to save the rest of us gunna buys the hassles.

So far H&F seem to be the better alternative particularly as they are local to me.
The best alternative is probably to pay for the Taiwanese Hafco and get some form of build quality - even if it means being out of pocket for a bit longer...it seems the old adage "poor people can't afford to be cheap" may be the best to apply.
I think most of us are in the boat that we can't afford the real deal but want to get into the game. And an expensive game it is too.

[Metal Head]

Gday Metalhead,

Sorry mate its the end of the week and I find myself tense.A bad day with the cherubs will do it to you.How does your wife cope? I regret it, if I don't seem my usual cheery self.

No offence taken Grahame. We all have those types of days/weeks when things don't seem to go to plan which can be a pain in the xxxx. Actually I went to see my doctor tonight who confirmed that I do have hemorrhoids/piles (internally) so I haven't done much sitting around this week.

I am sorry but the wisdom of buying local doesn't hold when the local guy does not sell the quality I am seeking I have seen a local lathe that was a disaster. It came equipped with a gearbox mix of casting sand and oil. Price is not the ultimate criteria. I am happy to pay the extra dollars to get the quality I want.

Given that you appear to want to get stuck into this great hobby I can see paying the extra money won't be wasted by you. Today I had an embarrassing first (in my working life) in that I crashed the cutting tool into the chuck. However, I am convincing myself that the blame isn't mine but the bosses:rolleyes:. In that on Monday, I asked the boss why the longitudinal traverse wasn't working and he said it hadn't for a few months (I only stated there 3 months ago) the reason he thought because some springs being loose in the gearbox. However, when he tried it, it worked OK:o. So when I went on it this morning to reduce a diameter on a m.s. bar, I couldn't "knock out" the traverse - crash. So when I return on Monday I am thinking (the boss) might think I did it deliberately but I hope not.

Grahame

[Article99]

Foot brakes come into their own in such situations. Gotta love em when you've got em. :2tsup:

Here's hoping the spindle isn't too bad off for wear. :wink:

[Metal Head]

Foot brakes come into their own in such situations. Gotta love em when you've got em

The machine did have a brake pedal but I was machining up to a shoulder that was within 5 mm of the chuck face. So by the time I tried (and couldn't) get the handle out of the traverse I hit it but as it slowed down it hit the chuk jaws:((.

[Article99]

Damn, that sucks pretty hardcore.:no: Here's to preventative maintenance, hey? http://www.techdomain.com.au/Smileys/classic/cheers.gif

[allterrain50]

I purchased a mill from them and they sent a copy of the one they showed, when you try to get some compensation they just stonewall you and Paypal back them. If you must buy from them be careful.
Mal

[tanii51]

hmmm strange cos i have had no trouble walking in with the ebay cost and bought at the door maybe i should call in and see whats happening. maybe they are on holidays ????
be patient as soon as i have time ill see what i can find out cos i want some things from there . The zg place is just a warehouse

[tanii51]

well i went to the ware house and spoke to one of the workers he was very helpfull and when i explained the lack of customer service all he could say was they were acting only as the warehouse / distribution point. they dont have any contact with ebay only the distribution. But he was going to pass on the message i gave him that there were lots of complaints from lack of replies to ebay questions to the seller. he did say they get hundreds of questions each weekand anything technical is passed on to them but the rest he didnt know ..................hopefully the message will get through to the top
cheers johnk

[Woodlee]

well i went to the ware house and spoke to one of the workers he was very helpfull and when i explained the lack of customer service all he could say was they were acting only as the warehouse / distribution point. they dont have any contact with ebay only the distribution. But he was going to pass on the message i gave him that there were lots of complaints from lack of replies to ebay questions to the seller. he did say they get hundreds of questions each weekand anything technical is passed on to them but the rest he didnt know ..................hopefully the message will get through to the top
cheers johnk


Well I cant fault Ozmestore , except once he was a bit slow in replying to a question and the auction ended before I got a reply though" call BOB on this number".
I did call Bob and had a yarn with him the boss was away and he could not give me a firm price on an extra morse taper mandrel I wanted.
A day later Bob rang me with the price and I paid over the phone with my credit card ,the extra bit turned up three days later.

Kev.

[rotten_66]

Kev/John/Mal,

Note that there is a two year gap. Last post was May 2007 then along you guys came to revive the thread. Things look as though they have improved :q

Ron

[bobsreturn2003]

had a problem with them not answering emails , guess he is trying to cut his junk mail . cheers bob

[allterrain50]

well i went to the ware house and spoke to one of the workers he was very helpfull and when i explained the lack of customer service all he could say was they were acting only as the warehouse / distribution point. they dont have any contact with ebay only the distribution. But he was going to pass on the message i gave him that there were lots of complaints from lack of replies to ebay questions to the seller. he did say they get hundreds of questions each weekand anything technical is passed on to them but the rest he didnt know ..................hopefully the message will get through to the top
cheers johnk
Hi John,
It's not that the product is a dud, it's just not what they said they'd send, I was very specific as to what I wanted and they agreed to send that particular product and didn't, lets face it , if they had told me it wasn't the right one They wouldn't have got the cash.
When they put up a clear photo of a product in their add, you expect one that at the least looks like it. What I got was in general the same specs, but different colour and model name and the manual was for a different one again. I can't afford the cost to freight it back, as it just makes things worse(something I'm sure they count on). Hopefully it will work out to be a decent machine, time will tell.
I am glad the rest of you have not had too much trouble, but for me ozmestore leaves a very bad taste in my mouth and will never sell anything to me again. You know the stupid thing is if they had played it straight with me they would have made 3 times as much from me in the next couple of months alone, go figure.
Mal

[Big Shed]

I have now had 2 dealings with ozmestore, both good ones.

First one was an X2 Mini Mill I bought through Ebay, questions were answered promptly, I picked the item up in Adelaide to save on freight as I was going to Adelaide anyway. Item was as described and in good condition, storeperson in Adleaide very helpful with loading etc.

On 8/6 I sent them a question about their slitting saws, only a failry low cost item. Received an answer on 9/6, I ordered a items on 11/6 (he dropped the postage on the second item), posted it Express Post on 12/6 and I recieved it this morning.

Very quick no hassle service, thank you ozmestore:2tsup:

No connection etc, just thought I would say something positive, we so often only say and hear the negative reports.

[snowyskiesau]

I back up what Big Shed said.
I've bought a number of items from ozmestore. They range from an X2 mill through to small bits of steel for lathe tool grinding. All transactions were handled quickly with goods arriving in a day or two.
On the one or two occasions I've had to email them via eBay, response has been a little slow but otherwise satisfactory.