[Fafnir]

I bought a pen from Heritage Collectables, based in the UK, three weeks ago on line and paid for it instantly, got an auto email response receipt with invoice number etc by return email. To date I have no pen. I've tried emailing, ringing etc etc and last Friday I got the response that the order would be dealt with over last weekend. We are now at Friday midday, and still no sign of the pen, and no responses to emails or messages left on the answerphone. I'm tearing my hair out and don't know how to proceed to either get my money back or get the pen I bought.

Anyone else have any experience of these people, good or bad?

[Kees]

Fafnir, I bought a Sheaffer Snorkel with Barry Martin (aka Heritage Collectables) in February 2005, and I still have to receive it. I lost €93,67 on this not too good deal (no PayPal account, at that time). A lot of correspondence, most of it from my side, until I finally gave up.

I feel much relieved, having got the opportunity to tell my story, and I feel sorry for you. All I can advise is: keep sending Barry mails ... perhaps he’ll show mercy, in the end.

Kees

[Fafnir]

Kees,

Thanks for the info. Sounds like the guy is a fraud, at least we can warn the other inhabitants of FPN so they do not get stung as well

I'll keep sending the emails. I left a voicemail on his answerphone but he has now deleted his phone number from the website. Obviously he does not want his unhappy customers phoning him!

[goodguy]

Hi Fafnir

I bought few pens from him and it was all good.
Then I sent him a pen for repair.
He never sent it back and stopped answering my mails.I lost a pen that was worth no more then 20$ so it was a lesson well learned.

By the way his prices used to be much more resonable than it is now.

[Fafnir]

Good news for me. After much correspondence (and advising that I had posted the sorry story here), Barry has sent a refund of my money to my bank account.

[Ray]

I had real problems with him on a deal last year. In the end I got my money back, but it was hard work. He made various promises but it took some quite strongly-worded communication to get him to keep any of them. We won't be doing business again.

[Maja]

I bought a pen from Barry a few years ago (2003??) and he sent me the wrong pen---it was a Mabie-Todd 'Blackbird' but the pattern and filling mech. were different from the one pictured on his site that I paid for. He said I could return it, but I was worried about it getting lost so I kept it and he offered me a 10% discount on my next purhcase. A few months later, I ordered a Conway Stewart pen from him and I got the right pen that time.

I haven't ordered from him since then, but I do check the website every month or so and the prices on many items seem to be a lot higher than they were before.

[KCkc]

bought from him on eBay and got the wrong pen.
Returned the wrong pen and finally got another wrong pen after 2 months.

Finally sent it back for a prompt full refund.
But I forked out $20+ for my 2 times shipping and he refunded the item less shipping cost.

So I bought British air for about $50 +/-

That was 2002 (?).

I gave up looking or bidding at his pens/pen site since I am not getting younger and my blood pressure cannot handle such stress.

He has a good heart and I do not think he is a fraud as some proposed.

But given the lightning speed of the internet trade, he has a lot of speeding up to do with delivery of paid items.

My $0.02

This post has been edited by KCkc: 24 October 2006 - 09:52 PM

[Maja]

bought from him on eBay and got the wrong pen.
Returned the wrong pen and finally got another wrong pen after 2 months.

Finally sent it back for a prompt full refund.
But I forked out $20+ for my 2 times shipping and he refunded the item less shipping cost.

So I bought British air for about $50 +/-

Good grief!
If I were the dealer, I would have refunded you all the money you spent sending the wrong pens back and forth, in addition to what you initially paid. I don't really understand that sort of business practice. Honest mistakes happen, but you shouldn't make the *customer* pay for them....

[Cloud]

we should make a fraud list so all member know from who not to buy. Kinda lik the review database, it could be fraud database!

[andyr7]

I have bought several pens via ebay from him (but some time ago) with no real difficulties, so I was surprised to see how many members had had problems with him recently.

Given what has been reported here, there must be better places to spend your money!

There has already been some discussion about reporting dodgy ebay sellers here.

Andy

[fjf]

It is usually a good idea to look for good feedback here before sending money to any dealer. Of course, the only way to get it right all the time is not buying anything. O buying nothing. English sometimes escapes me. Or hides from me. Or runs from me. Well, I thing you get the point

[*david*]

not buying anything. O buying nothing. English sometimes escapes me. Or hides from me. Or runs from me. Well, I thing you get the point

Both ways are correct.