At the beginning of September I came across a final sale for some of Dick Malibu’s Faceplates. Since the Machinedrum and Monomachine were discontinued this summer, I figured it’d be now or never to order a black faceplate for my Machinedrum. So I did September 2nd. They said there’d be a 6 week lead time, and that has now well passed us by. Several weeks into my wait, their website seemed to have closed down. I reached out to their email support, asking for an update on the order and to ask about the website… they followed up with a phone call a day or so later. Reassured me that my order was still being processed, and that i’d get a call by the end of the week with further details. Never got that call.
I emailed them back a couple weeks later… no response. I called their phone number, and left a message… still waiting for a follow up. I just messaged them on Facebook, hoping to get a response… but am really concerned now that i paid a hefty price for this custom faceplate, and won’t ever receive it. I paid with Paypal, so my next step is to contact them to request a refund… but was hoping to hear some positive feedback from anyone else that’s done business with them in the past. Can anyone vouch for Dick Malibu? Should I just presume that they are trying to steal my money, and start working on a refund with Paypal? I’d really like to have the black faceplate, but I’ve pretty much lost all hope that they will respond, since they seem to have gone dark with any form of communication.
There was another thread on this. Apparently he’s running a really small operation and he takes a really long time for turnaround. Based on what I’ve heard about it, not a scam in the strictest sense of the word, but I’d ask for a refund of I were you, because customer satisfaction means something, and a business whose customers have to even ASK if it’s a scam deserves to fail
Thanks for the feedback. I did see the post from a couple years back. Didn’t realize by the dates that the thread was ongoing until just a few months ago. I’d really like to think they’ll ship the faceplate, but silence speaks volumes for a company… especially a small business looking for satisfactory reviews.
Honestly, a simple email response or phone call (as it was already promised) would make a world of difference… or an ETA or tracking number wouldn’t leave me searching online for others that either received their purchase or had to complain to get a refund. I find it hard to believe they have so many orders that they can’t be bothered to respond to a customer asking about a pre-order for several weeks.
I’ll give twitter a go next if i have to, thanks for the suggestion.
Dick does amazing work. I cannot comment on the lack of reply, but I have ordered multiple items from him, all without issue. I was in a recent batch of orders and received my items. I know the website was down for short period.
I agree the faceplates look like they’re designed and manufactured incredibly well, which is why i opted to order in the first place knowing full well there was a long wait. I took a shot… patiently waited the 6 weeks, and just want to know that I’ll receive what I paid for… and when. I get that a small outfit may take a bit to deliver, but no response when you’ve got a delay is the worst thing you can do. Could have easily followed up with any orders that will take longer than estimated, and customers will at least be reassured that they’re not being cheated. I’d far prefer to get the faceplate i paid for months ago, in the next week or two over getting my money back and trying to source a black faceplate from someone else.
I also ordered a MD faceplate on September 2nd, still waiting for it to arrive (AUS)… I had read about the long turnaround times in that other thread but then also saw the feedback from users that received their items so I’m hopeful that it is just delayed and will eventually arrive. If @dickmalibu is out there then an update message to let us all know where things are at would be greatly appreciated…!
I just re-checked my order and it was placed in August. Received early October if I am not mistaken. This would put me before the last batch of orders*
From everything I’ve read, I’d say he’s not a scam, but a bad businessman with no concern for customer satisfaction, or straightforward communication and should probably consider finding some other way of making money.
I woke up to a follow-up email this morning. He politely explained that life got in the way, and that caused the delay. Communication went dark, but he said this group of orders should start shipping on 11/4. Sounds like i should have mine in a week or two. That’s fine by me, just happy to have some reassurance that my order will be fulfilled. The only issue I have is the lack of communication as I’ve asked several times for a status update.
Thanks for the feedback everyone! Glad to see there are other customers that have received their orders in the past. I’ll post here when I’ve got my shipment.
Great news that you seem to be getting what you want, however the broader picture seems to be that he only surfaces when called out in this forum, or harrassed incessantly. It really is a shame that anyone feels it is acceptable to run a business this way. Hope you enjoy your faceplate if it materialises.
Yeah not on. This guy shouldn’t be in business. My business would last 5 minutes if I treated my customers like that. Not on when all it takes is a simple email to keep customers in the loop. @dickmalibu keep it as a back shed hobby, that way when life gets in the way you can close the shed without anyone worrying. Buyer beware
Here’s another idea @dickmalibu
How about you charge your customers IF and ONLY the product is ever fabricated.
That way when life gets in the way customers aren’t thinking they’ve been screwed over with their hard earned money.
Messaged him for this very reason months back about whether he has faceplates in stock. Never got a response. Great looking craftsmanship, but none of that matters if you aren’t responsive. For this reason, I decided not to order from him. Business is business. Need to learn how to run one to survive.
I also received an email from DM this morning explaining the reasons for the delay, I’m happy to wait a few days extra to get the faceplate. ill also post back when the faceplate arrives