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10/03/2010 8:17 am
I need your suggestions, advice and or help on my dilemma.
On September 11th of 2009 after much deliberation I went ahead
and ordered a 1967 Ford Galaxie from Automodelli in Brazil,
South America. I say with much deliberation because the last time
I ordered models from Canada I had a bad experience as both
models came with heavy damage. I never did get any resolution to
that problem with the company Bibiliauto of Montreal and I
believe they no longer are in business. But thanks to Paul
Patterson for spare parts and Greg Gunn's talent they are now
back to "mint" condition.
Automodelli would only take Money Gram or Western Union for
payment so I wired the money on September 24th.
I received 12 emails from them (all saved) between the time I
ordered on the 11th and the 24th when I wired the money. On the
26th I emailed Automodelli asking them to let me know they had
received the money. No answer. I email again on October 1st.
Again no answer. I called Brazil numerous times thinking it was
included in my phone coverage only to find out that it wasn't when
my phone bill came in with $80 worth of phone calls to Brazil. I left
many messages over a month and a half. Finally the owner
assistant answered the phone and said that he couldn't speak
very good english and the owner/manager was in the USA for two
weeks. We were finally able to figure out that they had received
the money and had sent the model out. He also gave me a tracking
number but couldn't tell me if it was for the Brazilian delivery or the
USA part of the delivery, nor could he tell me the name of the
delivery company or whether it was the postal service or not.
So finally on December 1st , I wrote yet again another email
asking about the tracking information and mentioned that I was
going to ask the Forum 43 group if they had any ideas about what
I could or should do at that point. At that point I got an email the
very next day stating that the package was lost in the mail and
please wait as the Brazilian post office asked for 30 days to try to
find it. He acted like I had threatened his honesty when I had
mentioned about looking for help from you all. The owner then
defended his 20 years of internet web sales and his good
reputation. And that he would send me another model at his
expense to show his good business practice.
I was thrilled at his quick response to my latest email and the
promise of one of the two models reaching me sometime soon.
I emailed him back the same day and thanked him profusely.
On February 2,2010 after no model or contact and 2 more months
of waiting, I email once again, still believing in the company I
stated that I really did want the model, but at this point hoping he
had insured the packages that I could at least get the money back.
Now it is over a month after that email . And no more reponse.
So in 7 months of waiting I have recieved nothing but frustration.
So, is there anyone on the forum who has had dealings with this
company and knows what else I can or should pursue? Is any of
our South American Forum 43 members know this gentleman or
the company that can give me some insight? Or how the Brazilian
mail service track record is for out-of country packages?
Any help or advise will be appreciated.
Maybe this should be a forum subject about everyone's worst
nightmare in purchasing a model. It might help open up some new
avenues of how to go about receiving what has already been paid
for and eagerly awaited.
Thanks in advance,
the John at the bottom of the John list.
10/03/2010 9:32 am
John, one of our members and occasional posters here is Sergio Luis Santos.
I believe Mr. Santos is from Brazil, so I included his name in the subject line.
Perhaps he'll see his name, read your message, and be able to offer some
assistance.
Good luck, and I hope Sergio is able to answer some of your questions.
Rick
10/03/2010 9:42 am
Can you please let me know the tracking number?
I can try check through the Brazilian post for you. Automodelli owner sometimes does somes postings in "our" diecast forum Mundo em Miniatura but he has not returned for some time after posting images from another diecast Fittipaldi Copersucar model.
10/03/2010 9:44 am
Sorry to hear about your ordeal.
20 years of online sales sounds like a stretch, considering the internet as we know it, exists only for 15.
This seems to be another company going bust and grabbing some money on the exit, following the steps of VF and Heco...
If you had paid by a credit card, you have claimed the money. Western Union is a dead end, unfortunately.
10/03/2010 10:46 am
Thank You Serigo, I am currently at work, but when I get home later this evening I will post or email you the tracking number
of the model that was sent last September. The second model that
was suppose to have been sent later in December he never gave
me a tracking number for that one.... still waiting. Albert, I wish he
had accepted Credit Cards as I would have preferred that. But I
was only given the two options and I had never heard of money
gram. That is why it took me from September 11th to the 24th to
finally take a "leap of faith" and wire them the money. I had never
wired money before so I wasn't very comfortable about the whole
process.
10/03/2010 5:08 pm
Sergio, I spent the evening looking for the paper I wrote down the tracking number on. I haven't found it yet. I will keep looking and very much appreciate your kind offer, thanks very much