I fully paid for HPH B-52, and B-36 Peacemaker in 1/48 scale in October, 2021. to this day, I have not been sent anything. Most others I see received their kits within weeks, but after months, I finally tried to get any response from HPH. The response I got was not what I needed to hear, but had to deal with it as is. I was told that the secretary responsible for shipping quit the company and they had no idea I even placed an order, so they asked for proof of payment and I sent them all the proof they needed from my bank, along with a complete description as to what was due. It took weeks for them to respond, and I was told that the kits would start production. There was nothing but excuses as to what the heck happened. It takes weeks/months to get any response, but they finally told me in October, 2024, that they would try to get the order shipped by Christmas ( you all know where this is heading). I was also told months before that the B-52 kit (with all the extras, along with the 1/32 cockpit set) had been made and they were waiting to complete the B-36. I'm trying to keep some form of communication going so I ask things like if they still produce certain kits, and every now and then, they do respond, and when they do (takes more months), I refer them to my account on their website which clearly shows what they owe me. I professionally and respectfully informed them that it's not good business practice to leave waiting customers in the dark about orders, for which they got paid for long ago. So much time has passed since the original order, that I told them the shipping cost was not an issue if I needed to cover it; I just want my kits. I explained to them that I'd be happy to continue to do business with them, but how in the world can I make an order when they have not even sent what I ordered in the first place years ago. They informed me that they would cover any shipping cost, and were apologetic on occasion. Their big business is building full size gliders, so I know the work involved with the resin mold process, quality control, etc. I have kits from Aviattic, Lukgraph, JetMads, Kotare, and others that were pre ordered, and delivered; at least I get regular updates as to what's going on right up to tracking information on the items. The lesson I've learned, is to find a trusted distributor you can rely on within your country who can get what you want, and be wary of direct dealing with certain manufacturers who show nice photos, but don't deliver ( remember the maker of the 1/4 scale RC, P-51 Mustang in aluminum? years ago it made the RC magazines with nice pics, and was claimed to be in the works for sale, only for the manufacturer to disappear........after collecting over $250,000 dollars in orders!) I don't suffer from FOMO(fear of missing out) like some people, and since I'm tired of being stressed out with one excuse after another, I curbed my way of going all in with pre ordering stuff that takes too long after making payment. I prefer buying kits that are in stock and ready to ship, I'm done with dudes that don't deliver in a reasonable amount of time. I did personally meet the owner that sells many kits from HPH, he is based here in the US. I'll be dealing more with him if he has the kits ready to ship. These idiots that don't deliver make it hard to get your building mojo goin on. I'll keep all posted as to how things develop; just looks like my paid for order fell through the cracks. Good thing I'm not a lover of money, or I'd have to contact associates who live nearby to "get in touch with these guys". Thank you all for allowing me to vent my utter frustrations on this matter, time for a little wine now.
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