Model Expo questionable practices.

[lakedaisy]

I wanted to update my post #20. Carlos (and Rick) contacted me over the weekend and this morning. Thanking me for bringing the (old) Amazon price error to their attention. They also wanted to discuss how to remedy the problem. But, I had already sent a reply that I no longer wanted to buy the Fair American as I'm trying to fix the errors in the one I have. I feel better about the situation as (though it took a while for them to respond) they were offering to rectify the situation.

 

[lakedaisy]

ModelExpo did it again. There was a 33% off sale for everything on the site a few days ago. I was considering a Proxxon - Micro Mill MF 70. However along with the sale being posted the Mil became out of stock.


As soon as that sale has ended, it has become available again. Still on sale but at a $100 more. Funny how those sales work.

 

[Kurt Konrath]

If you feel they are doing things underhanded, turn a complaint into the Federal Trade Commission.

 

[DAWarden-(Jaager)]

turn a complaint into the Federal Trade Commission.

Alas, this is a remedy from the past. The necessary bribes needed now make it too expensive. Companies can out send you anyway. It is now a profit center instead of a protector.

The sort of sale that is being hoped for fits with: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Work the numbers.

That Proxxon Micro looks like way too many compromises - on the hoof - a niche tool at best. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Little Machine Shop - smallest benchtop mill is $2500 for the bare machine.
Grizzly $700

These are metal working machines. So is a metal lathe. They are machines used to make other machines.

For wood working
At the bottom - if you want to push the limits OttoFrei has its branded version of a Eurotool DRL 300.00 for $135 the QA is worth the extra
Adding a quality XY table is about the same.
Sharp cutters sloooow feed.

A versatile option is
Foredom Flexshaft - SR for reverse rotation - TX for power
HP are designed for a side load
MasterCarver stealth 1/4" HP
VandaLay Acra Mill Plus with the Foredom tool mount instead of for a POS Dremel.
for a bit more get a small wood lathe and or a drill press
Foredom has a drill press accessory and an XY table can be jury rigged to fit. A larger XY table will get a 9" travel.

 

[mberg]

It's not a sale, if it's always that price

 

[Roger Pellett]

A suggestion. Next time one of these”sales” pops up, don’t use the on-line purchase feature. Call them! It might make it harder to claim “ out of stock”.

Roger

 

[Corsair]

A suggestion. Next time one of these”sales” pops up, don’t use the on-line purchase feature. Call them! It might make it harder to claim “ out of stock”.

Roger

Even if they offered it a 1/2 off, I won't buy it now. I purchased a used one and now I'm set.

 

[Signet]

It is true, about the Proxxon MF 70 mill being out of stock during the sail, then in stock afterwards. I too was interested in one, having purchased the mill along with a PD250/E lathe from Amazon just weeks earlier, at 10% cash-back. But I was able to re-order the lathe, then a Proxxon band saw and Proxxon steady rest and vise, for less than I had paid for the lathe alone from Amazon. (Obviously I'm returning the duplicate items to Amazon.) A day later, after they extended the sale, some of the things I bought were no longer in stock. Also, while Amazon took over 2 weeks to get me my lathe, having it sent from Germany, Model Expo got me all my stuff in 4 days, direct from New England.

I'm thinking that they are getting stuff in and selling it all the time, especially with this 33% off sale, so it's possible they really did run out, then get new stuff. Or - it's possible they set a limit as to how many of certain expensive items they were willing to mark down that much. I don't know. Sounds semi-legit to me. I do know that this is the first sale where their "sales price" on Proxxon was cheaper than I could buy it from elsewhere. And I'm very happy they had it!