I have to say a few words in defence of Comet Miniatures and Tony James. People have groaned and moaned about Comet before, but I can safely say that in the more than 10 years I have shopped with them that Tony James and his staff have never been anything other than helpful and great to deal with. Top blokes all.
Sure, Tony has an abrasive side, but that's just the Cockney Londoner in him. He doesn't doesn't suffer fools and he knows what he wants. After all he is running a business and has obviously been doing so quite well for a number of years.
He does shout at his staff - and his son! - but at least you'll be clear where you stand. He says it like it is. No BS.
As for the website, for the longest time it was difficult to order stuff online, but they seem to have solved that now and have a secure credit card ordering system up and running. It's quirky but does the job. I tend to call directly for most orders though. I prefer talking to real people sometimes.
Maybe, I'm biased but Tony has always bent over backwards for me when I have ordered kits. And that's not an easy thing for him to do considering I live in Hong Kong! He has done me countless personal favours when it comes to payment methods. He has allowed installment payments on large items (ie: the AB 44-inch Eagle) and even takes off the VAT at source which a lot of other companies will not do. And both of us know what a hassle that can be with British Customs and Excise.
In 2002, after a trip home to London there were two kits I wanted but couldn't afford at the time. It just so happened tha Tony was planning a brief holiday to HK, so he said he would bring them out and allow me to settle up in person. He then carried a large box as cabin baggage about 8,000 miles just for me. That's what I call service.
And just today, I received the Master Elevator car through the post. (Girlfriend picked it up from the post office so I haven't seen it -- but it looks great on the website.) This was pre-ordered a few months ago. Since then the price has risen by 10 pounds sterling but Tony was kind enough to honour the pre-ordered cost. What can I say.
As for the guy who sent back his 22-inch Eagle, maybe it's not the greatest kit in the world (I'll admit it's not and neither is the 44-incher), but was there any other game in town at the time? No, there was not.
Eagle fans waited 25 years for a big model, and I for one wasn't going to say no. Kudos to Tony for having the balls to help get the thing out there.
I suppose we do have a long history, so all I can say is if you get to know him and his staff they will do all right by you. I don't think mentioning my name would help with orders but you never know!! (The Force is not that strong with me!)
Cheers
Steve Liu
