Thursday, October 27, 2011

Just a little story...

Sometimes we get the most interesting phone calls in the office.  A few days ago, one of us got a call that I really want to talk about...


Guy calls in and says  "Hey, I bought this Sword Model and it is missing some parts, looks like it was opened - can you send me the missing parts?"

DHS says  "Sure, what is your name and when did you purchase it?"

Caller:  "My name is xxxxx xxxxx and I bought it last week"

DHS:  "OK, I don't see you in the computer here"

Caller: "Oh, I didn't buy it from you, I bought it from xxxx (an online retailer we all know)"

DHS: "OK, did you call them to tell them about this?"

Caller: "No, I don't really like dealing with them - they never help me out".


This exchange happens to us all the time!  The customer was told he had to go back to the guy he purchased the model from to get help.  If the retailer had trouble with the model, he would have to go back to where he purchased it.  That's just the way the world works.

As much as we wanted to help the guy, it didn't make sense from a financial perspective.  We charge a little more for our models because we have overhead: rent, utilities, staff, etc. and we offer full support on the products we sell.  The retailer the guy bought the model from is working part time out of his basement.

Beware of who you buy from!  There are a lot of guys out there who are honest and will treat you fairly.  If you "don't want to deal with them" then you shouldn't purchase from them in the first place.  Saving a few bucks up front will always cost you in the long run.  Establishing a relationship with your supplier goes a long way if you need help down the road.

We appreciate the people who purchase from us regularly.  We are not so big that people are "just a number".  We stand behind the products we sell and will always favor the client whenever possible.  I am proud of the staff we have here and believe that anyone who has dealt with us has been treated as fairly as possible.  These guys (and girls) work hard to keep our customers happy - and we try to have a good time while doing it.

All for now... Thanks for listening.

Chuck


Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Getting Ready for the Auction this Weekend!

We have been working hard cleaning up and getting ready for the big auction this weekend.  Here are some pics to entice you to join us!  Sorry for the terrible colors - I wanted to get the pics up quickly and the lighting in our warehouse does this to the photos...









And you can see some Don Campbell Models when you come in for the auction!  The scraper and ship are not for sale.






Locomotive is not for auction - but will be here for you to be impressed with....


Then there is a 1/4 scale dozer to gaze at - not in the auction...








Come out and join us!

Chuck

Photos from the Train Collector Association Show

Here are some pics of the booth we had at the TCA show in York, PA this last weekend!  We showed off a number of pieces of mining equipment on the booth this year.

The show was great fun - over 13,000 members attended.







Chuck

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Hanging out in Pennsylvania

Hello all,

Just getting ready to setup for the TCA (Train Collectors Association) tomorrow.  Will post photos of the booth tomorrow night.

Working on some new promotions for the holidays coming up.

Don't forget about the auction on October 22nd at the DHS World Headquarters.   Want to see you all there as this is one of the most interesting auctions ever!

Chuck

Monday, October 3, 2011

Piston Power Show a Success!

Here are some pics from the Cleveland Piston Power Show.  Over 1 million square feet of fun!