44 Dot Rant:
From: "Marco van de Wakker" <vdwakker@hotmail.com>
Sent 11/22/2009 7:26:25 AM
To: contactus@atthefront.com
Subject: .......
Ok Motherfucker,put a stealgrenate in your ass!
BW means BEKLEIDUNGSWERKE!
NO BUCHENWALD!
You are such a asswhole,seller with a big attitude
Go to hell with your along with your trash!
Just for Marco's information-
1. I never stated that "BW" (as in SS-BW) meant "Buchenwald".
2. The Buchenwald camp did indeed make textiles- along with G-43's and V-2 parts.
So, uniforms produced at that camp could have been marked "BW"- as could uniforms made at other camps, shops or ghettos.
So my attitude remains intact. Next...
KY Cheerleader
Wade does not like my Kentucky Rant. Either it's too clsoe to
home or he lives in Louisville or Lexington and has yet to
experience the Simple Life...
"If you don't like Kentucky why just shut up and hit the
road. We don't need any more bullshit out of you . you have seen
your last dime from me . sorry Gina but yor boss is to mush of
an asshole to buy from Ps I'm going to download this anti Kentucky
bullshit print it and put it on all the cars in the wallmart parking
lot with your phone number JERK"
For the Fat Rant Part 222:
"Rollin, hunting with fmj ammo FELONY ,hunting with an
mg 42 FELONY [state & fed} hunting out of season within 300
feet of a road or bilding and hunting without a licence are ALL
crimes in Ky -----and you just told the world---dumbass Have fun
with Ky fish & wildlife and the ATFE PS shipping dead wildlife
throgh the US MAIL FELONY"
Grand Prize Winner
The following is the responses from an agitated ex-Marine who's
P44 cap had the EGA off-center by 2mm (.08"). (He claims
6.5mm (.25") but I got out the digital calipers just to be
sure since I couldn't see which way it was off.) Normally, we
get this sort of thing from wannabe Marines, not real ones. I
had one instructor at PLDC that might have been able to compete,
but he was a leg and I doubt that he could write half as well
as this guy.
"Being that I am a 1st of November 2007, retired from the
Marine Corps after 30 years of service, Chief Warrant Officer
5, I know quite well what the center mass on the emblem decal
is in relation to the front tab of the utility hat. With just
my simple Marine Corps eyeballs, I found the cap was quite silly
looking. Then, without aid of any digital caliper and using a
plain ole ruler, I measured the decal, using the head of the eagle
to be centerline through the globe, and found the decal to be
1/4 inch left of center on the 3-inch wide front tab. That is
1/4 inch left of the 1-1/2 inch centerline.
As far as your two originals you use for a standard I've been
to countless Cash Sales over the years at many duty stations where
emblem decal screwed up utility caps were piled up unsold. You
see, Marines do not like wearing crappy utility hats... even you
admit to this "We know that the most important aspect of
these caps is the EGA. It is so hypercritical to the fit and function
of the cap as to be indescribable."
As far as using "We have had a few customers examine their
cap with micrometers and feeler gauges and determine to their
shock and fury that we screwed up the EGA's" the only one
I've ever found to do this... is you! Marines only need to use
their eyes and I only used a ruler to identify how far off the
decal was for you.
But, if you are telling me you have used your “original
caps” as a standard instead of the proper uniform and clothing
regulations for the decal to be centered both horizontally and
vertically, then I do agree that you should send a refund to me."
I then explained how these are made, that my originals are
4mm and 5mm off-center (respectively) and that we couldn't afford
a laser designating system at the present time to achieve the
perfection he required. I refered him to a couple of other vendors.
They'll be sooo pleased....
"And I doubt any real Marines you have sold bad caps to would
have let it go. After all, we hold ourselves to higher standards.
And the proof is in the fact you had to add a complaint to your
ebay page due to the high number (probably way greater than the
10 that you profess) of buyers telling you how far off your emblem
decal is.
And let me be very crystal clear... inking the decal on before
you make the hat is just plain laziness and sloppy work. A simple
jig made to place the cap on to ink the decal after the cap is
made would provide greater accuracy and a more professional product.
Something you probably could not comprehend. Marines in the 40s
and 50s who wore the P44s sure found a way to ink on their Eagle,
Globe & Anchor on after the cap was made. Something you apparently
do not have the skill to to. You can bet those Marines got their
Eagle, Globe and Anchor centered too...
The real proof of what you say would be to take a large front
angle photo shot of MY supposedly good-to-go cap... and put that
picture in your ebay sales and at your AnTheFront website.. You
currently show the cap at an angle so the decal looks OK. You
and I both know why... I bet a whole lot fewer army guys who like
to play Marine would even buy your cap with such an off-centered
decal. Let's just see if you are up to putting a large front shot
picture of MY returned cap all over your for sale sites. Should
be no problem for you to use and since it is so centered everyone
will want to buy a cap that looks just like the one you sent me~
If you continue to send out such crappy hats like the one you
sent me you will have many many more caps being returned back
to you. I would suggest you correct the problem as you will continue
to lose money on paying back buyers for each bad cap you send....
and/or start getting the negative feedbacks that you deserve."
It's not listed on the website so you
probably have it:
This is a common problem. When we do not carry an item, there
are about an equal number or reasons not to mention it all as
there are to list it as sold out so as to communicate that we
do not have it. The problem is, if it's mentioned, that
is usually interpreted as tacit acknowledgement that we're bound
to have it any day...or that it's here hidden in my "secret
stash", only available to those who ask and receive the secret
code word....
The Initial query:
I am unclear from the information contained on your website
whether or not this item is available. Both NCO and Officer ranks
are mentioned, however only the NCO ranks are illustrated and
some of these are identified as "out of stock." The
officer rank insignias are neither illustrated, nor are the individual
ranks identified as either in or out of stock. Please clarify.
My Response:
If it's not listed or mentioned, then we don't have it. It'd
be silly to advertise what we don't have. Conversely, we don't
hide things. And out of stock means just that. It may say that
for years...I don't refresh the pages every week just to reassure
people that I've looked at them. When something does come in,
I update it within an hour or two. So, if we ever get ANY more
camo rank insignia, I won't neglect to make a note of it on the
website. But, the company that made them went under to due to
the owner's preference for cocaine over filling orders. So, it
may indeed be never.
I'm an asshole...
I asked a (fairly) simple question and your website left
the answer unclear. Your reply is, as usual, full of a lot of
extraneous verbage. I met you nearly 20 years ago at an event
(I don't remember where it was) and I never thought you'd turn
out to be the type of individual you apparently are or have become.
Clearly, you have earned your reputation as an "asshole"
and your company's alternative moniker "alwaysoutofstock.com"
My reply to that one:
Thanks for the hate mail! We needed some. It's far more entertaining.
As for what people call me, it's usually "jackass",
but "asshole" will do.
However, you didn't get even a terse response. I told you the
truth and now you're pissy?
I was trying to cover all the bases with an answer as well as
"why", as queries like yours normally morph into 5 additional,
nearly identical ones if I appear to leave any door even slightly
cracked.
The only reason I leave things on the page that are "sold
out" is to help cut down on inquiries like yours. If I don't
list it, somebody gets upset. If I list it, but take your money
and promise delivery "any day now" (like those alwaysINstock.com's)
then you'll get upset because we took your money and ran. What
would make you madder? List it as "in stock" when it's
not, or be honest and tell you to keep your money?
Probably fake, but not bad:
Because of the disrespect and snobbish attitude you have given
to the efforts of Living Historians and our efforts to honor history,
I have advised my entire crew to avoid buying any articles from
your site. You have brought this upon yourself.
Gerhardt Karpentier
Hauptman
U-403 Crew
And.....
Perhaps, if you bothered to read news papers,
you would have noticed that there is a serious problem with obesity
in the United States. To “just say no the doodle burger”
is as insulting as Betty Ford’s solution to the drug problem
(about which I assume you are intimately familiar, considering
the tone of you ravings). Perhaps a little more understanding
on your part could go along way. There were weight challenged
soldiers in all armies in WWII.
Sgt F Arbuckle
Welsh Light Infantry
British Special Forces
Hate Mail
I simply don't get this one. Can anyone explain
this to me? What does this guy want?
Initial emails already deleted.
Basically, our old description on the site stated that the M41's
had a wool lining. The older generation had some sort of wool/
poly blend. No label was present. My dumbass didn't update the
site when the newer version came in. The guy's initial email basically
stated that he had noted the difference, was unhappy and pointed
to the erroneous description. I offered immediate refund (shipping
and all), changed the site and offered alternatives, both ours
and other vendors. Learned my lesson...
Hi Perry,
Sorry to hear about this, are you perhaps wanting one of our tanker
jackets?
These have the good heavy wool lining.
The M41's we have always carried are more like a spring jacket.
Light weight.
Were the originals heavier? I've not seen one so I am only aware
of this one we have in stock.
I know there are about four other companies that carry this same
exact coat, we all order them from the same maker. I think Jerry
Lee at What Price Glory may be carrying a different one, he is
listed under our links page. You may want to ask him if his are
a thicker wool.
Is there any thing else I can do to help?
ATF
Gina
sales dept.
No, that's ok as she has allready
had a divisional insigna sewn to the jacket(for Christmas) and
has already went through the routine of returning the first M41(blue
blob on the sleeve)she ordered so I'll just keep it. It fits and
looks good but it's not as heavy as the orginals with wool lining.
I understand most people are concerned with the item being khaki
but I'm not that picky, just want one like pictured and described
on your site. My only concern was having one made like a original(with
wool) which your site states you make them like originals with
brown flannel wool. I understand the cost of wool has risen, but
from your site you were selling M41's with wool lining at the
price I paid for one with acyrlic. I hope your not stating it's
my fault since I only paid $90 for one, and that customers should
know one with real wool would be well over a $100 regardless of
a key error in the description. People order/buy from what you
state about your items. So since insigna was added to the jacket
(she thought it was wool since that's what she read the jacket's
were made of) I'll have to keep it. If you wanted to do more it
would be soley a moral issue for you of right and wrong. Lastly
a update of your site would avoid future problems, unexpected
surprises, aggravation, extra shipping costs, wasted time to the
usps and so on for both sides. From your site I see that your
feed up with people in the past that send checks that bounce,
worry about something that doesnt match what their doll is wearing,
people that complain you can't make and ship a item in one day
and people fail to size themselves properly then blame you. So
I guess you could understand the way I feel when someone buys
a reproduction M41 from you, made like an orginal as its described
by you and recieve one that is only 50% like an original. Customers
feel no different than you over things like this, and there are
some that just want a transaction to be simple where both parties
do as expected in a honest transaction, the seller gets his money
as expected and the buyer gets the item he was looking at. Regards,
Perry Floyd
I have reread our description
three times now and I do not understand how you thought we had
misrepresented our jacket.
Perhaps you are looking at another jackets information?
I have asked the owner to find an original I can look over, but
he is out of town now until after the new year.
This way I will be better informed, as your letter has already
helped me.
Thank you for taking the time to write me back. Sorry I could
not be of any help.
Gina
Thanks for your response Gina.
To answer your question , yes, the originals were a heavier, thicker
jacket. Comparing it to the one you sell, advertised like an original,
would clearly show the shortfall and miswording of your description.
Being a company that survives on a collector and reenactor market
I'm sure someone at your company would know what a orginal would
look like. From the wording on your advertisements your a company
that prides itself of making quality reproductions, made like
originals. When someone buys from you that is "out of the
loop" so to speak of reproduction/reenactor clothing company's,
all they have to rely on is what you state in your sales advertisements
and descriptions. Remember this was a gift to someone(me) that
has no interested in reenactor clothing except that I wanted 1
M41 jacket just like a original to wear, just like someone that
would want a reproduction A-2 flight jacket for modern wear.
I took the advice from the other e-mail by someone at ATF and
took a look at the one sold by WWII Impressions. They do state
up-front that they have one with a 100% acrylic lining and that
it's close to a original, with a price of $80. This is the same
jacket you sell for $90 with a incorrect description. They seem
very honest and state upfront what the jacket is, If I knew this
from reading your description or if I new the existance of WWII
Impressions I would have callled you to clarify what you state
since the jacket they have is the same you sell but with a different
description. I would have no doubt seen the error made by you
and would have been able to make the right decision.
Like I mentioned in my previous e-mail, this is just a case were
a item was mis-represented, a buyer took your word that what she
was buying was what you were describing.
What should have occured was you should have advertised it as
WWII Impressions does. If you had, we wouldn't be exchanging e-mails
today and I would have the jacket I originally wanted as I would
have seen that one exactly like a original with wool lining would
cost $175, which would have been paid. When you vist your site
a reproduction M41 like the originals with brown wool flannel
lining are $90, so that's what we thought they cost. I had no
idea of the other companies. Had I known I would have seen this
is a cheap version of the jacket and would have made the purchase
from WWII Impressions as they were clearly accurate/honest in
their description ( I know as I now have the jacket they are describing).
Anything you choose to do is strictly a morality issue of right
and wrong. In this day, this means alot to some and is worthless
to others.
Regards..
I do see that now, you can think
what you like but I was not aware of this at the time of my last
letter.
I see in the boxes two completely different jackets from the same
maker we have always gotten them from. I think maybe you received
this more recent stock then what we have had in the past.
Send the jacket back and I will give you a complete refund including
initial shipping charged as well as regular ship cost back to
me . Just send it in a regular method, If you send it back overnight
I will not refund that expense. If you will please include the
invoice if you have it, so I can do it as soon as the jacket gets
here.
This is going to be a new jacket with just a patch sewn on right?
You haven't made any major alterations?
Also I do not ever do the updates..don't
even know how.
Thank you for waiting for me to get this mail and take care of
your order.
Gina
Sales for ATF
Gina the description was changed after my first e-mail, by someone
at ATF. Please don't think I'm so ignorant that I would fall for
what your doing...You took at the wool word describing the lining
out and added it was a lighter jacket for better wear in the summer,
or something to that effect.
Doing so really shows me the character flaw of someone at ATF.
Regards...
Perry
NOTE: I had changed the description by this time, as requested.
WTF? My middle name is Lucifer....
Gina you have missed my point entirely.
I'm not going to return the jacket, it was a gift and she already
went to the trouble of returning the first one (blue blob on the
sleeve). On every correspondence to ATF I ended it with the moral
issue of right and wrong, evidently this is foreign to you. I
wanted you(atf) to admit that you had made a serious error in
the description of your jacket, state to me you will correct the
description on your site so no on else may be fooled and lastly
offer a sincere apology in good faith. Nothing of the sort was
done by ATF, what was done is this.
First it was hinted I should have known regardless of your advertisement
and descriptions that I couldn't get a wool lined M41 because
of the recent increase in the cost of wool. But you blame the
company you get the items from which should never be mentioned
to a customer (ATF habit of displacing blame instead of on themselves).
You contend that they switched the material even though your price
never changed and your competitor who sells the same jacket e-mailed
me they never switched the lining on them, it has allways been
acrylic. Then you act is if I was ignorant and thought that maybe
what I was really wanting was a tanker jacket, not really a M41.
Then after you go back and discretely change the decription you
go back and act is if I read the description wrong. Again a constant
habit of displacing blame.
The whole time ATF battled that it was in some way my error and
you were doing me the favor. I wanted you to make things right
and you returned arrogance, blame and treated me that I was so
dumb I didn't know what kind of jacket I wanted. You then claim
to be in sales for a company that makes reproduction WWII items
like originals and you don't know how a real M41 is made. What
you have done is told me you don't know what you sell..
Customer service at ATF is virtually non-existant.
Most consumers who are dissatisified with a resturant or dept
stores usually end up telling 4-5 people close to them their poor
experiance. I'm going to make a special effort to at least tell
45-50 people in the collecting community of the poor customer
service and blame I recieved after recieving a product clearly
not as advertised.
Hopefully this will change the way you conduct business in the
future, even more so when the error is completely your fault.
Regards...
Perry Floyd
Perry,
What exactly do you want? You are blowing this way out of proportion.
This is not an issue of morality or character. There's just no
way to make you happy... I offered you several solutions to what
I assumed your problem was. I mistakenly deduced that you wanted
a better quality jacket and for me change the description.
I immediately offered to give you a full refund (including shipping),
ADMITTED the description needed to be changed, DID so, suggested
alternative products from us as well as another vendor. I never
said you couldn't return it despite the patch being sewn on. Now
how in the hell does that displace blame or accuse you of being
in error? What precisely more could I have done to fulfill your
definition of "customer service"? If you're looking
for a massage or 2 years of free pizzas, you need to see someone
else. Somehow I doubt this fits the bill for a punitive damages.
I'll pay the mileage for your trip to the post if you pay for
my aspirin.
My real error apparently was offering you an explanation as to
why the description was wrong. Somehow you construed that to contain
a litany of personal insults and finger pointing. It appears that
you are the sort that reads into things or has an odd way of interpreting
things and takes personal affront rather easily. You people baffle
me. Perhaps I'm too dimwitted or shallow to understand.
We've told you 3 or 4 times now just to send the damned thing
back for a refund. I changed the site and even gave you credit.
We can even send a call tag for UPS Ground if it's that big a
deal. However, we won't reimburse you for Overnight or some sort
of hyper expensive expedited shipping.
Gina did not write the initial response. She came into this in
the middle, after I changed the description. She wasn't trying
to deceive you. Her suggestion that you might have wanted a tanker
jacket was simply her trying to help, not insulting your intelligence.
You were talking about wool lining, and Tanker's came to her mind.
We get many, many confused inquiries from people who don't know
the difference between a Tanker Jacket and a canteen cover. She
deals with very confused cases all day long.
As for the jackets: the old run had no label stating acrylic or
otherwise. It obviously had some polyester in it (notice I did
not state "100%" wool), but I don't have the proper
lab equipment here to analyze it. Perhaps I should invest in it.
There was no evil intent to defraud anyone. I told you exactly
and honestly why things were the way they were. I wrote that description
3-4 years ago. Of 400-450 jackets sold this year, yours is the
first complaint about the lining. (We get several complaints per
month about the left opening zippers and people who want the color
tweaked). Please note that I corrected the description within
24 hours. (Apparently you managed to interpret THAT as yet some
new attempt to demean you or your family)
There are about 280 pages within the site. I hunt mistakes nearly
every day. There are probably a dozen or more obsolete descriptions
or photos requiring a change at any given time. I act on them
as soon as I am aware of them, regardless of whether I find them
myself or they are pointed out by someone else. (Actually I leave
them up to lure poor, unsuspecting types into my web deceit...)
My point about the cost of all-wool lining was to simply to inform
you that there were 100% correct jackets available (not to insinuate
that you were on food stamps or expecting too much) and to explain
the price difference. However, you did mis-read the description:
it NEVER said we manufacture them. I went out of my way to explain
that fact on the site: note #3 in bold red text. That I have not
changed since this began. (It was there not for you, but because
a lot of people were wanting fabric swatches.) If you want to
accuse me of lying about that, I have dated archive back-ups of
the web-pages with which to prove otherwise.
As for your desire to tell the world, how's this? I'll help you
out. Just so you don't feel like I'm ducking the blame again.
I'm going to post this exchange on the site for you. I'll omit
your email address unless you wish to fill in the details for
those more curious. That'll let thousands know about my fraudulent
descriptions, dishonesty and our horrific customer service. Threatening
me and calling us lying thieves is, after all, the most efficient
way to get me to re-examine my entire moral code and alter my
behavior to one that suits you....
Bottomline, no hints, no lines
to read between:
1. You can have ALL your money
back.
2. I corrected the description.
3. I've hung your accusations and concerns out for everyone to
see.
What else can we do for you?
Sincerely,
Rollin
a.k.a. Mr. Amoral Character Flaw
Reply as of Jan 2005
None.
