• Pardon the dust while the boys rebuild the site.

    The board will be in a state of disarray as I get things sorted out, for a little while at least.

    The new incarnation is using Xenforo as the system software. It is much like what we are used to, with a few differences. I will see about making a FAQ to help point out the differences for the members.

     

    One IMPORTANT difference for all of us old timers is that the 'mail' system is replaced with what are called 'conversations'/

    There is no 'Inbox' or 'Out box' or 'Sent' folders anymore.

    Think of Conversations as private 'threads' or topics that don't exist in a forum, that you start with another member. NOTE: Conversations can include more than one member if you or someone else in the conversaion, likes.
    Takes a little getting used to but I am sure you all can get a hang of it.

     

    Only a slightly modified default default Xenforo style is available for now. Once the new SAG style is ready it will be available.

    All existing users should be able to login with their usernames and passwords once the site goes up.

     

    If anyone has difficulties logging in please contact me at sixthvanguard@gmail.com.

     

    Thank you for your support and patience. I know it has been a loooong road.

Steel Dragons

winius

winius

Marksman
I bought some month ago a few things at Steel Dragons, first it seems oké. I paid for it and since 2 months I can see on his website: J. Winius- fusprec arrived, order packing.

Till now I did not get a thing from him. I tried to contact him by mail and by phone (the number on his site dos not work) and get no answer.

I believe Steel Dragons is not trustworthy to do business with now!


So be aware!
 
It is with reluctance, and great consideration that I will post my own concerns...but with the recent posts my concern is growing daily. As all I wish to gain by doing this is to receive the parts I ordered. I am willing to give him a chance to make this right with me.

I placed an order with Richard myself on 4.01.11, I have paid him in full well over $150 worth parts + shipping . I have tried repeatedly to contact him by email and the phone number listed on his web site. The emails won't go through to either email address I have for him, and I have left 4 voice mails inquiring of my order status. All attempts to contact him remain unanswered. Richard, I am trying to be fair so please at the very least have the courtesy of answering my inquiries... If not then I would ask either for what parts you can supply and a refund for those you can not. I just don't understand??? 1 item is Steve Hoeger's from Panzerwerks, 1 product of David Dibb's from Armorpax, and the mantlet & barrel set which you posted this [FONT='Times New Roman', Times, serif]04/22/11: M5MANT- M5 mantlets are back in stock![/FONT]. I have dealt with both Steve and Dave with the greatest of satisfaction, both have sent my orders promptly and have had great communication from both. So I just don't understand what the hold up is?

dereynes@aol.com

Phone # 515-371-7615

Paul Rains


Here is my PayPal receipt


Merchant
Steel Dragons AFV LLC
sdragonsafv@aol.com
561-312-8883Instructions to merchant
You haven't entered any instructions.Shipping address - confirmed
Paul Rains

United States
Shipping details
PriorityDescriptionUnit priceQtyAmountM5 Replacement Mantlet
Item# M5MANT , Mantlet Options: M5MANTDLX$46.50 USD1$46.50 USDM5 Rear Deck Detail Set
Item# M5REARDECK$55.00 USD1$55.00 USDTurret Top Detail Set
Item# AP007-US$56.00 USD1$56.00 USDSubtotal$157.50 USD[COLOR=#333333 ! important]Total[/COLOR]$157.50 USD[COLOR=#333333 ! important]Payment[/COLOR]$157.50 USDPayment sent to sdragonsafv@aol.com
 
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If you have noticed on the german accessories page at Steel Dragons, there is one of my fully functional 2cm magazine cases listed for sale. There used to be my 100 round box as well. No permission to post these pics nor sell them through Steel Dragons was made by me. Steel Dragon's took it upon themselves to do this and asked permission after the fact. I refused them selling them because I couldn't keep up the demand. I don't like the pressure. Steel Dragon's does not have, or never did have any of my items to sell. The ad says they are on backorder. They failed to mention "for infinity". I don't need a middleman. My stuff stands on its own. I am selling what I make on Ebay or at Joelanta. Its the only way you can get them and they are limited runs. Just a little revelation about Steel Dragons.
 
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I am going to add from my other thread here and tack this to see how many folks are having problems , and Dennis , thanks for the comment , I saw your stuff up there and knew you were not making it anymore , but the back order thing made me think it was just for show ..

Panzerwerks products are no longer availible through Steel Dragons .
After long consideration , I Have decided to no longer work with Richard Tripp and Steel Dragons , he has repeatedly ignored my phone calls and now I am receiving and hearing complaint after complaint about his service , or lack of , I have contacted Richard and told him to remove any reference to my or my products from his site .
At this point with as many problems Steel Dragons seems to be having , I suggest strong caution in dealing with this company , the final straw for me is one of my customer emails to me below :

Quote:
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Steve,

Is it your kit "[FONT=Georgia, Times, serif]M5 Rear Upper Hull Detail Kit[/FONT][FONT=Georgia, Times, serif]M5 Rear Upper Hull Detail Kit" that is sold by Steel Dragons? If it is, I wished I had ordered it direct from you instead of him. I'm curious as I placed an order from him 3 months ago now and yet have to see the[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] parts I ordered. I ordered that kit plus a few Armorpax parts. Dave Dibb said Richard had them. I doubt I will use Richard again. I think I will stay with you and Dave to get my parts from here on out[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]
I have always taken great pride in my company and my service , and have always tried to do my best to get my customers what they want in as timely manner as possible . so please , order directly form me.
 
Hi Guys

Many of you will have read my previous posts about my problem with this company, unfortunately they had to be deleted due to legal and other issues that could be brought against SAG. I am not intending to cover the same ground again.

If you wish to read about this you can go to the following link.

http://www.afceremonials.com/problem/

"You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time."

Abraham Lincoln. 16th President of the US (1809 - 1865)

Currently posted for sale by this company are around 100 of my products, many without pictures, others I suspect are of pictures of my products built onto vehicles of my customers, some are advertised using pictures of other manufactures products with my parts numbers, some I know are recasts of my original parts, some parts offered have never been delivered to this company or given permission to sell.

Be safe, buy direct.

Regards
Mike
 
Thank you Gentleman for posting this, hopefully this will help some of the Newcomers into the hobby from getting burned by Richard Tripp/Steel Dragons like we did. As is suggested below, do some research and buy only from legitimate vendors so you won't be dissappointed.

I sent him money on March 22nd 2010 and still have not received my entire order. Buy Direct.

Kind Regards,
John

toyrific said:
Hi Guys

Be safe, buy direct.

Regards
Mike
Click to expand...
 
For me this could be the end of a nice hobby, I paid a lot of money for nothing.

This is the first time someone did this to me in 20 years of hobby. I am sik of this!
 
have seen also 2 pics from my BRA jagdpanzer IV - and was not asked, if it is ok, to use my pics?
 
His latest post on his website :

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Managing our backlog...
[/FONT]
 [FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]
[/FONT]
 [FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] We have had a strong spring season but there have been several new developments that you all need to be aware of that continue to impact our operation. Our fearless leader has received an unexpected but extremely significant promotion which has taken effect as of March, 2011. He is currently working under two contracts (meaning two jobs) which has negatively impacted the turnaround on orders and customer correspondance Regretably,. this situation will continue until the end of July when the old employment contract expires.
[/FONT]
 [FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]
[/FONT]
 [FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] The good news is that we are continuing to invest more capital into the business in the upcoming summer months while adding several new vehicles as well as more parts and accessories. [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] We are currently working on upgrades to the FOA Tiger running gear as well as a number of upgrades to the Panzer IV as well. We apologize for the delays but the events surrounding March will have a major impact on our future growth. [/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] (06/05/11) [/FONT]
Click to expand...
 
Due to Steel Dragons (Richard's) lack of communication & trust, I have just filed a dispute with him through PayPal. I feel he has left me no other alternative.

Paul
 
Just wanted to add my .02 cents. I have ordered allot of items from steel dragons and never had any issues. Some items seem to take allot of time to arrive. I ordered a panther jack in October of 2010 and it came yesterday. Richard has always answered my emails that I have sent, haven't sent any recently but in the past that has been true. Just wanted to add a positive note, the internet is usually full of negative information not very much positive. In the end I am sure there are some disappointments, that is true with any business.

Thanks

Pete
 
Re: UPDATE Steel Dragons

Without receiving any communication with any representative of Steel Dragons, nor any attempt on the part of Steel Dragon's to resolve this issue through personal contact...

I would like you all to know that I have resolved my issue with Richard at Steel Dragons. Today I received a judgment from PayPal in my favor. My account credited for the entire amount owed to me. My recommendation

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS MERCHANT!

BUYER BEWARE![/FONT]


Mustangman ~ Pete I'm happy for you, Lucky???? Bottom line...If treated well, I would have been a repeat client.
 
Not excusing anything; but running any business in this economy is really hard. Rising costs for everything, that cannot, in many instances, be passed on to the consumer, make the prospects of profits fall off precariously. Add to that the fact that hobby-related companies are almost always labors of love (meaning practically no actual on-book profits), and you have recipe for failure that is happening all around us at an accelerated pace.

Some dealers simply can't cope with the downward spiral of their businesses. They react in different ways. Some withdraw into depression and become uncommunicative and will only sporadically reply to emails and phone calls on "up" days. Others simply disappear and no one can find them ever again; in some cases they move to a new address and go underground. Some will attempt to assuage unhappy clients by telling them that shipment is imminent, but just can't get it together to actually follow through. Few, if any, have any money left to reimburse customer's money or make good on orders.

It is a personal tragedy for the dealer. They never planned to scam anyone; but circumstances conspired to bring down the roof on their dreams of providing a service for the hobby they loved enough to try to provide services or product in the first place.
Click to expand...

Im Sorry , but I have been doing this for over 10 years slowly building my business , never taking money for product I cannot deliver , and I always have given full refunds to any who have asked if they felt their order was taking too long , if you take pre orders for things and the company supplying the product does not come through on time , its still your responsibility to keep your customer happy , I am going through just as hard times as most people , and I hardly make a dime doing this , I haven't had movie work in about a year now , But I never would keep someone waiting over a year for things they ordered and would refund on request anyone who asked , its how I have always done business and always will as long as I can keep it going .
 
I learned something of this experience:


  • do not trust anyone.
  • pay by paypal
  • if not delivered within 30 days, make a claim by paypal (after 45 days they do nothing)
  • do not do business in the USA, till now 100% trouble with American companies (I did business with European and Asian companies, no problems at all)
 
Winius, we're right there with you, unfortunately many of us have lost money in the same fashion, and I agree with you on all but your last point. I've also ordered from many of our other US vendors and never had a problem. This is just a case of one bad apple leaving a bad taste, we cannot loose faith in our US vendors. You see several of them here chiming in for just that reason. They truly care about their businesses and their customers and are making it very clear to us they are working hard to stay afloat during these tough economic times. I know how you feel but please do not let 1 bad experience ruin this hobby for you. I'm still struggling a little bit as a Newbie purchasing parts for my King Tiger. Most of my questions are answered by our US vendors here in these forums. I've asked for things that they do not have and they have pointed me to someone else who does make them. It is a nice community. Recently I even had John from East Coast Armory make me a custom piece I needed. He is busy and didn't have to do that, but he did to help me out. Please do not let the bad experience make you loose the faith. ;)

John

winius said:
I learned something of this experience:


  • do not trust anyone.
  • pay by paypal
  • if not delivered within 30 days, make a claim by paypal (after 45 days they do nothing)
  • do not do business in the USA, till now 100% trouble with American companies (I did business with European and Asian companies, no problems at all)
Click to expand...
 
Tiger1fan said:
Winius, we're right there with you, unfortunately many of us have lost money in the same fashion, and I agree with you on all but your last point. I've also ordered from many of our other US vendors and never had a problem. This is just a case of one bad apple leaving a bad taste, we cannot loose faith in our US vendors. You see several of them here chiming in for just that reason. They truly care about their businesses and their customers and are making it very clear to us they are working hard to stay afloat during these tough economic times. I know how you feel but please do not let 1 bad experience ruin this hobby for you. I'm still struggling a little bit as a Newbie purchasing parts for my King Tiger. Most of my questions are answered by our US vendors here in these forums. I've asked for things that they do not have and they have pointed me to someone else who does make them. It is a nice community. Recently I even had John from East Coast Armory make me a custom piece I needed. He is busy and didn't have to do that, but he did to help me out. Please do not let the bad experience make you loose the faith. ;)

John
Click to expand...

Being from Holland myself, I can state that I have ordered parts from US sellers numerous times and have never had a bad experience with the commercial sellers that frequent this forum.

Geef niet op Winius!
 
This is about Steel Dragons ,Lets keep it on TOPIC please , I am sorry winius Had some bad experiences, but he clearly has made his mind up , so let it go guys , Thanks .
 
Hello
to quote .

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS MERCHANT!

BUYER BEWARE![/FONT]

I ordered 07/26/10 !

you can see on the order status site .

orderform

I send many E-mails > no reply !

No answer of my Questions .

I called to telephone responder > no reply !

Thats incredible.


In Germany we so called this ( BETRUG ) > deception.



again

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS MERCHANT!

BUYER BEWARE!

[/FONT]Regards
Dirk
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]


[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
 
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