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 Forum index » DIY Hardware and Software » Thomas Henry designs
does Magic Smoke Electronics is still on?
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elmegil



Joined: Mar 20, 2012
Posts: 2177
Location: Chicago
Audio files: 16

PostPosted: Mon Nov 17, 2014 7:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I'm not trying to change your mind.

I'm trying to tell you that Tim is not a thief. The rest of your concerns and frustration are entirely justified. Did you even read my last paragraph?
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Zorn



Joined: Jul 15, 2014
Posts: 21
Location: Lafayette, LA

PostPosted: Tue Nov 25, 2014 8:39 am    Post subject: Update Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I had problems even getting a quote from MagSmoke starting in July - It would take a couple of e-mails to get a response & then nothing - this pattern was repeated with quotes and then with my order (about 5 times). At the time, PayPal had a 45 day window to resolve order disputes (I think they've since changed it to several months)

- at day 40 - I filed a dispute with PayPal & had an immediate response from Tim - did I want my order, or did I want to cancel? - I asked for my items - I was e-mailed the wrong quote (for confirmation) - I brought this to Tim's attention (with a pdf of the quote) & never received another e-mail (even after 3 requests) - finally I just asked PayPal to cancel the order & refund my money which they did.

I've been buying / building kits since the late 1960's & this is absolutely the worst service / experience that I've ever had - but this is what I learned.

1. If there is no response from the website's e-mail address after a few tries - look for parts elsewhere.

2. Along with a cost quote - also get a time window quote as well.

3. Don't pay for something up front - funds to be released just prior to shipment & tracking number will be provided within a couple of days - no exceptions.

As I stated in my previous post - if there is a problem with getting inventory, PCB manufacturing delays - or whatever - just let me know & give me an approximate time frame - those are things I understand. But don't continually promise things & not deliver - that I won't understand

To the posters that got their stuff - I think that that is wonderful, but I'm posting my experience - and it was not good. The main purpose of having a forum - is sharing our experiences, including what works & what doesn't - when trying build projects - including getting parts.

I got my money back & don't have any plans to order from MagSmoke again.

Note: The Thomas Henry books (Lulu links) on the MagSmoke website do work & the books are great - other than that - caveat emptor
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ubergrafik



Joined: Nov 13, 2012
Posts: 6
Location: Melbourne

PostPosted: Wed Nov 26, 2014 3:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

If I take something from a shop without paying, I am a thief. If someone takes my money, without paying (by providing goods) that makes them a thief surely. Unfortunately the window has well passed for a cancellation. I wanted a bunch of stuff, so paid quite a bit...

I am happy enough to give someone the benefit of the doubt, but how can I if I hear nothing?
Honesty also means being upfront with your situation and not misleading people. So far this has not happened.

The timing is unfortunate - after half a dozen emails over a week or so sorting out the order, then the payment, then nothing... doesn't really fill one with confidence!

I would say also, DO NOT buy anything from that site!
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Synthsense



Joined: Jul 14, 2014
Posts: 6
Location: Barcelona

PostPosted: Wed Nov 26, 2014 1:23 pm    Post subject:   Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

ubergrafik wrote:
If I take something from a shop without paying, I am a thief. If someone takes my money, without paying (by providing goods) that makes them a thief surely. Unfortunately the window has well passed for a cancellation. I wanted a bunch of stuff, so paid quite a bit...

I am happy enough to give someone the benefit of the doubt, but how can I if I hear nothing?
Honesty also means being upfront with your situation and not misleading people. So far this has not happened.

The timing is unfortunate - after half a dozen emails over a week or so sorting out the order, then the payment, then nothing... doesn't really fill one with confidence!

I would say also, DO NOT buy anything from that site!


Yes, I think you are right, don't buy anything from Magic Smoke, Tim acts like a scammer: he opens an online shop, accepts orders with lies, if you open a Paypal dispoute he refunds your money, if you rely on him and don't open a dispoute, he simply ignores you, what a great guy!

Soon I'll open a thread in Muffwiggler in order to warn people about him and Magic Smoke, I hope you all that had problems with this guy help me write something about his dubious reputation practices and more.
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LFLab



Joined: Dec 17, 2009
Posts: 497
Location: Rosmalen, Netherlands

PostPosted: Fri Nov 28, 2014 4:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I actually don't think he's a scammer, have you tried contacting him directly?
He's also on LinkedIn, so that might be an option.
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Synthsense



Joined: Jul 14, 2014
Posts: 6
Location: Barcelona

PostPosted: Fri Nov 28, 2014 4:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

LFLab wrote:
I actually don't think he's a scammer, have you tried contacting him directly?
He's also on LinkedIn, so that might be an option.


Like dozens of times? Maybe he wasn't a scammer in the past, but he acts like one nowadays, just read what is been going with all our colleagues above
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Zorn



Joined: Jul 15, 2014
Posts: 21
Location: Lafayette, LA

PostPosted: Fri Nov 28, 2014 7:26 am    Post subject: Magsmoke Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

LFLab wrote:
I actually don't think he's a scammer, have you tried contacting him directly?
He's also on LinkedIn, so that might be an option.


He is receiving e-mail at the MagSmoke address & he does receive Paypal payments & Paypal Notifications at that address - I guess I don't see the point in having to play hide & go seek with him through different e-mail addresses / social media - hoping to get him to ship your order?

I sent correspondence to his private link here - We were communicating to the point of shipping my order & sending me tracking info - when he stopped communicating with me altogether. (twice).

To the posters that didn't receive their orders - I think the new PayPal TOS extends dispute time to 6 months (don't quote me on that), but I don't know if it would be retroactive to include your orders. You also might try lodging a complaint with PayPal - but since they work more like a bank - don't know if that would do much good - but might be worth a try!
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ubergrafik



Joined: Nov 13, 2012
Posts: 6
Location: Melbourne

PostPosted: Mon Dec 08, 2014 4:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

LFLab wrote:
I actually don't think he's a scammer, have you tried contacting him directly?
He's also on LinkedIn, so that might be an option.


At what point will he be seen as a scammer by people? There are many comments here about all the legitimate attempts made to get what we have paid for. The pattern seems to be that he is contactable to the point of money being handed over and then he disappears...

The fact that it is the same pattern is alarming...

Presumably because of all the public traffic about this, some may have gotten back to Tim and he may come forward, but there is no mention of him or from him...

So, LFLab and others... what would you call this behaviour?
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elmegil



Joined: Mar 20, 2012
Posts: 2177
Location: Chicago
Audio files: 16

PostPosted: Mon Dec 08, 2014 5:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Does it really matter?

This public discussion should certainly serve as warning for any who need it that Tim is not responding promptly or even at all it seems.

I can call him a pickle-man but it doesn't change anything, does it?

You've already called him a thief or a scammer, so how does that help?

For the record, I've attempted to contact him myself, both to let him know about this thread and in regard to the item I'm still waiting for, and I have no further response from him either. I'm not going to call him any names, but I've done everything I can short of trying to engage legal action and due to my past relationship with him I am not willing to do that. Others may feel differently, I can't control them.
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The Peasant



Joined: Nov 13, 2009
Posts: 99
Location: Sunny Alberta
Audio files: 1

PostPosted: Wed Dec 10, 2014 10:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I am very disappointed and saddened to see that this kind of thing is still going on with Magic Smoke. Tim has been around the Synth-DIY scene for many, many years, and in that time he has contributed a lot to the community. I believe that he is an honest person who only means well and does not intend to hurt or steal from anyone.

However, if you search on Muffs, and probably elsewhere on the net, you will find that people have been having issues with parts delivery and communication with him for a number of years now. My own fairly recent experience with Magic Smoke was very similar to the stories posted here. I had placed an order with him that took four months to receive, even though everything in the order was in stock when it was placed. I believe that the only reason that I did receive my order was due to me being very persistent with my emails to him. Even after he had shipped the order there was absolutely zero communication from him regarding it's status, until he finally refunded my money. The order arrived shortly after that and I then resent to him the payment for the parts.

The lack of communication was the worst part of the whole experience, and people who sell on the internet really need to understand that. I can be very forgiving with suppliers so long as I am kept up to date on the situation, but if there is no communication then people will start to assume the worst. It only takes a few minutes to reply to a customer and to diffuse a potentially bad situation. I understand that Tim is running this venture more as a hobby than a business, but the fact is that when you offer items for sale to the general public you must provide a reasonable level of service.

There is a strong pattern of orders not shipped and lack of communication with Magic Smoke over the last four or five years. In that time various reasons have been provided for these problems, such as upheavals in Tim's personal situation, and if this was an isolated series of incidents then I doubt that anybody would be making much of an issue with it. Unfortunately, as mentioned above, this is not at all the case here. All I can recommend to those currently having problems with Magic Smoke is to keep trying to get in touch and resolve the situation. I have faith that eventually you will get your parts or your money refunded.

As for me, I will never place an order with Magic Smoke again as long as Tim is running the show. It simply is not worth the angst of waiting for a order with no indication of when it might arrive and getting no responses to my messages, delaying a project that I WAS excited about before the problems and uncertainties arose.

The long-standing pattern of customer dissatisfaction with Magic Smoke indicates to me that, however well-intentioned Tim may be, he is not able to run the business in an acceptable manner with regards to customer service. I think that at this point it would be appropriate and sensible for Tim to take a step back and evaluate his involvement and experiences with his venture. Perhaps a good solution would be to find somebody new to take the reins, or to find some other type of arrangement that would enable Magic Smoke to thrive and help make our DIY dreams come true.

Take care,
Doug

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The Electronic Peasant

www.electronicpeasant.com
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elmegil



Joined: Mar 20, 2012
Posts: 2177
Location: Chicago
Audio files: 16

PostPosted: Wed Dec 10, 2014 10:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

If it matters, I did just hear from Tim about the item I alluded to previously.

Hopefully others will get responses soon as well.

I think you may have something there, Peasant; I would hate for his contributions to end, but it would be helpful to find some way for the business end to get the attention it needs, regardless of reasons.
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Zorn



Joined: Jul 15, 2014
Posts: 21
Location: Lafayette, LA

PostPosted: Sat Dec 13, 2014 9:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

elmegil wrote:
If it matters, I did just hear from Tim about the item I alluded to previously.

Hopefully others will get responses soon as well.


I heard the same thing from Tim - about my order on three separate occasions and still never received my order (I finally had PayPal cancel it).

Since then I've converted over to the "Fool Me Once,..." camp.

I Hope your experience is different.
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John.R.Strohm



Joined: Feb 09, 2014
Posts: 8
Location: Huntsville, AL, USA

PostPosted: Wed Dec 31, 2014 1:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Synthsense wrote:
So, would You recommend anyone to get projects from him? I wouldn't. The worse thing is the frustration of not getting any answer, nothing justifies this state of complete lack of information, he's getting all this requests and messages but he doesn't want to answer them, I see this like very unrespectful. One more thing, if you say in may that your pcbs are in stock and ready to send but is obvious that it is no true, you become straightaway a liar. And yes money is only paper, but it costs me hours of my life trying to get it, and I don't like to waste it this way. Tim has many friends over here, sure he made things right in the past, but he isn't now, sorry, you are not going to change my mind. Sure things can be done much better

This.

No doubt the guy has been reliable IN THE PAST.

However, AT THIS POINT, all of the recent data shows that he's gone full-on scumbag ripoff artist. If you've sent him money and not received product, the odds are you'll never see either the product OR your money refunded.

Reputable outfits answer their mail. Even if it is only to explain that they are, for the following reasons, unable to process orders at this time.

Reputable outfits TELL THE WORLD if they have to shut their doors, temporarily or permanently. Really reputable ones do what they can to make refunds.

Tim just made promise after promise and then went to radio silence. This does not match the profile of a reputable firm.

Buyer beware, at this point.
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Zorn



Joined: Jul 15, 2014
Posts: 21
Location: Lafayette, LA

PostPosted: Mon Jun 29, 2015 10:09 am    Post subject: MagSmoke order Update 6/29/15 Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I had cancelled a previous order with Magsmoke at the 3 month mark (and got a refund) - I had sworn off ordering from Magsmoke again - but I decided to order a single Mankato Filter PCB on April 2nd 2015 -

- I just got it in the mail today (6/29/15) (just under 3 months).

In all fairness to Tim - I think the issue with my previous order was that I changed quantities from the original quote - I did make Tim aware of this - and funds were correctly updated as well - but after a few months - this was causing confusion as to what should be sent.

What I've learned is keep the order simple - don't change the order quantities or items from the original quote - I only used the magsmoke e-mail address (to keep the confusion factor down) - and have lots (and lots) of patience.

With the latest order - I did send reminders once a month with the paypal purchase number for reference - and did receive a reply the first month (with instructions, BOM, etc,...) and a promise that I would receive my order in a week or two (was actually about 7 weeks later) - my 2nd e-mail was not responded to - but I did finally receive my order.

Board looks great and has restored my faith in Magsmoke.
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