issues with strada motorsports

[ScaleCentral]

I stayed out of the last one, but I won't this one. Kevin has always come through for me. He is at the mercy of his suppliers and at the mercy of everyone else's orders. The reason why he gets such great prices from all of the places is that he normally buys in bulk instead of placing an order with just one item. Shipping is extremely high nowadays and he can pass what he saves on shipping by doing this on to you. As for some of his suppliers, they have a limited amount of product going out in all directions, so he can't just make a product appear. Finally he has a normal job just like the rest of us. If you are so worried about what is going on, give him a call. Don't just email someone. He'll either answer or get back in touch with you.

I know I'm not alone in saying that I have so much stuff, that I won't have any problem if anyone else never makes a new model ever again. I enjoy saving a few bucks and I don't mind waiting to save some money as right now I cannot devote as much time as I would need to finish some of these upper end models. However, if you can't wait, you can always order directly from the manufacturer. Most places will do that now. Just be prepared to pay some money in shipping and currency exchange.
Nic

[Bestoink Dooley]

I also have never had a major problem with Kevin.
Quite the opposite. I have found him to accomodating and often goes above and beyond to be helpful.
I have done business with him for years and will continue to do so in the future.

B Stoink

[wrx_triggerhappy]

I hear all of you entirely. Kevin is a great guy, communication is tough and I'm sure I should have had far more patience with him. He gave me a refund which I was happy about.
It's a very interesting issue because there is a high demand on these parts - whether on ebay or through hobby websites. Hopefully with such a high demand on parts the suppliers can get parts out faster. For now I guess I'll stick to ebay or hobbyeasy to get the parts. Many thanks to everyone for voicing their feelings though and please understand I am not trashing Strada by any means and hope great business continues for him.

[GirchyGirchy]

Personally I'd rather wait a month or so on certain items to save a decent amount of cash - and to be able to buy at one place. Many others don't carry the amount of brands that Strada does, so it's nice to have one-stop shopping. His site doesn't have stock information on it, but I've never had a problem hearing back from him whether or not he has it in stock, if he can get it, etc.

Are you sure there is "high demand" on this stuff? I'd be doubtful.

[racer93]

Originally Posted by GirchyGirchy

Personally I'd rather wait a month or so on certain items to save a decent amount of cash - and to be able to buy at one place. Many others don't carry the amount of brands that Strada does, so it's nice to have one-stop shopping. His site doesn't have stock information on it, but I've never had a problem hearing back from him whether or not he has it in stock, if he can get it, etc.

Are you sure there is "high demand" on this stuff? I'd be doubtful.

I've had many, many dealings with Kevin and had some issues you talk about. However, as with most things in life, *you* must be the squeaky wheel to get oiled. Be persistent. Keep writing if he doesn't. Every 3-4 days, write. That will get his (and anyone else's) attention.

Kevin is a good guy. I think he should get a "live" inventory program, though.

[ataschner]

Originally Posted by Bestoink Dooley

I also have never had a major problem with Kevin.
Quite the opposite. I have found him to accomodating and often goes above and beyond to be helpful.
I have done business with him for years and will continue to do so in the future.

This quote works for me.
Thanks Kevin!

[John18d]

I have to concur with the majority of the postings - I too have been buying from Kevin and Strada for many years now - I have had Kevin find some really obscure and difficult things to find and he has always come thru for me. If you are in a hurry with modeling, you're in the wrong hobby. I would recommend Kevin highly and if there's anyone that thinks they can do it better - have at it - yeah that's what I thought. I say thanks Kevin for all you have gotten for me - I will stay loyal and continue to patronize Stradasports - John

[ianc911]

I think we can agree that Kevin is able to get a lot of esoteric stuff that is difficult to find elsewhere for a good price and that is a good thing. I think we also agree that the communication could be a bit better and his site is due for an overhaul to better reflect what is actually in stock at any given time. I myself have not had any terrible experiences with him and will continue to use him in future, but if those deficiencies were corrected, it would definitely transform Strada Sports into a first class establishment in my view...

ianc

[John18d]

Stradasports and Kevin is a small vendor that distributes many, many different items that are available globally. For those of us in the USA Kevin at Strada and Mac at Mac's Modeling are about it. For anyone that thinks these vendors are "WalMart" - think again - it would take several millions of dollars to have one of everything that is available in stock For the whiners that complain about having to wait a while - get real - you can always purchase globally, but you risk excessive shipping charges and the chance it could get lost or damaged. I'll stick with Kevin and Mac - between them anything that is available is obtainable - can't say enough about guys like that who spend countless hours for very little profit to bring our modeling dreams to reality - John