I think City Link may have improved I have had three deliveries from Hattons in the last few months and they all seemed to take between 2 and 3 weeks..........and that includes the Canada Post element:roll:

 

Ordered from Hattons yesterday - delivered this afternoon via City Link - that aspect could not be faulted.

Unusually for Hattons though packaging and packing   was very amateurishly and poorly done. It  looked as though a 5 year old had been given a roll of tape and left to get on with it so there was some minor damage but I think I can fix it without returning the quite expensive item to them with all the hassle that involves.

On the whole they are pretty quick but if stuff has to be back ordered they dont always let you know  when it does come in and its not unknown for it to turn up unexpected which I would imagine in some cases is awkward from a cash flow point of view.

Parking is a problem at Hattons (on the rare occasion I'm passing through) so the postage option is still best for me if I buy from there - usually special offers.

I have had similar very poor experiences with City Link  and have left standing instructions that on no account are my parcels to be sent via that carrier

:Happy  In the past week I have had two deliveries by Standard Royal Mail  from Hattons - in both instances the time from order to delivery ( in Australia) was seven business days !!! 

Now that's good service Dave, very good.

What I like is the service that Hattons provide. As I rely on mailorder I cannot have a look at the items and there are no local clubs that have knowledge in OO gauge British railway modelling. So sometimes I need someone to ask. And they always answer my emails. If something goes wrong and I get a duff loco - no problem they will sort it out in a fast and friendly way. The same can be said of Rails of Sheffield. In my experience the British model shop are more customer friendly than their German counterparts. More often than once I have been let down by poor service from German shops where it had been easy to spend money but much less easy to get advice or help.
So I am very astonished when I read that sometimes these shops are referred of as box shifters that are not good for the hobby.

Thomas

[user=2]Robert[/user] wrote:

Now that's good service Dave, very good.

There are three parties involved - Hattons, Royal Mail and Australia Post - whilst I have never had cause to complain about Hattons it pleasing to see what can be done when the other two get their act together. 

 

 That said I suspect it was just a case of the "planets aligning" and I have most likely put the hex on delivery times for the rest of the year

 

[user=27]FS[/user] wrote:

So I am very astonished when I read that sometimes these shops are referred of as box shifters that are not good for the hobby.

Thomas

Hi Thomas,

I think it may be a description of their business model rather than a reflection on their service standards. 

Very disappointed with Hattons ,this is the 2nd time I had something on preorder only to have an email stating that the item had been cancelled by the Manufacturer on checking I found out that other suppliers had these in stock and seem puzzled by Hattons email. It appears that Hattons so I was told did not order these item s soon enough and by then then Manufacturer had sold out. A little bit of honesty from Hattons would be appreciated. I for one will never pre-order anything from them in future !! :Red Card

I should of added that I emailed them about this and have as yet no reply ,seems that their PR is going down the hill

[user=698]Greenfingers[/user] wrote:

Very disappointed with Hattons ,this is the 2nd time I had something on preorder only to have an email stating that the item had been cancelled by the Manufacturer on checking I found out that other suppliers had these in stock and seem puzzled by Hattons email. It appears that Hattons so I was told did not order these item s soon enough and by then then Manufacturer had sold out. A little bit of honesty from Hattons would be appreciated. I for one will never pre-order anything from them in future !! :Red Card

They probably are telling the truth:  the order was cancelled by the manufacturer as Hattons had not ordered early enough to secure the goods.  I think it depends how you interpret what you were told.

I have a parcel sitting on my table, delivered today from Hattons, for a 'pre-ordered' set of three flat wagons with BD containers.  I'm also looking forward to the 'pre-ordered' Beyer-Garratt.  I can only speak as a very satisfied customer of Hattons.

I once took Hattons to task over this term 'pre-ordered' which is a nonsense word.  You can't 'pre-order' anything.  Once you have placed an order, even for goods which are not yet available, then you have ordered them. They agreed with me but refused to change the word on their website.  Right, I'm off to 'pre-drink' a cup of tea!

Terry 

I place an order with Hattons once a month and have been for the last 6 months and in all instances the package (very well packed) has arrived on time and on target 7 days after placing the order.

I ring them when I place my orders, and have found the staff members I have talked to very polite and always willing to assist if I ask about other items I have seen in their online cattledog.

Why do I use Hattons, simple cant get what I need for the layout in Australia. Besides I have found I can get items from Hatton far quicker than by placing an order with a local supplier.

Hattons gets my vote and good to see a company who thro hard work starting from nothing developing to what they are today.

(Bet I just put a hex on myself)

:hmm

I see Ian …… A man of few words.

I'll keep mine brief …….. Hattons ……. Very rarely beaten on value or service.

Toto

He's the strong silent one ……………….:cheers

Ordered some track from Hattons on line Tuesday morning, got a text from them to say it was being delivered today via courier and it was. Well done to all concerned.

Likewise with my full brake / parcels vans. Ordered Sunday …… Arrived yesterday. How can you argue with that ?


Toto

Sorry guys but I started to ask a question on this post but then switched to....? ....? ... zzzzzzzzz ...er... thingy...oh yes exporting to Spain...?