Is Atarimax still in business?

[AMenard]

Hi,

 

I'm starting to get a bit anxious concerning a transaction I did with them last Monday.

I never received any confirmation email or shipping info and yet my credit card has been charged.

I've sent two email to them and also posted two message on their forum and still I've not heard from them.

 

Is this normal for this online store?

 

[Alfred]

Yeah, he rarely responds.

[flashjazzcat]

Before contacting your attorney regarding the legal situation, have a look at a recent thread on the same forum discussing the exact same issue:

 

https://www.atarimax.com/flashcart/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=2121

 

So yes: it's normal for the store, and the forum is quite quiet, so you may have to wait for a few days (i.e. more than two) for a reply to a post. However, the proprietor is a trusted seller and supporter of the Atari scene, and you may therefore rest assured that merchandise ordered will eventually materialise.

[AMenard]

Before contacting your attorney regarding the legal situation, have a look at a recent thread on the same forum discussing the exact same issue:

 

https://www.atarimax.com/flashcart/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=2121

 

So yes: it's normal for the store, and the forum is quite quiet, so you may have to wait for a few days (i.e. more than two) for a reply to a post. However, the proprietor is a trusted seller and supporter of the Atari scene, and you may therefore rest assured that merchandise ordered will eventually materialise.

 

Oh, ok.

It's just that most web store sends you at least an automated transaction confirmation when they charge your card.

Since I've not received anything I was getting a bit anxious.

In any case, since he's someone well known around here I'll just relax a bit and wait for the postman :-)

[+mytek]

Geeze that is a totally unprofessional way to conduct business in my opinion. I know people will say things like the Atari business side is small potatoes, and the guy's busy making a living elsewhere. But let's be real, how much effort would it be to send an email stating something like "order received, and is in process"???

 

I've never bought anything from the guy myself, so I can't comment on the quality of the products, although apparently a lot of people like what he has to offer. So perhaps this is why some of those previous customers feel the need to make excuses for the lack of timely communication. But this wouldn't bode well for me either, so I can understand why people start to worry. I also tend to have more concerns when buying from a small one man operation because of the uncertainty of whether they are still a viable business, thus making feedback even more important.

 

Let me just add that I am not saying that Steve can't be trusted, which testimonials say that he can be. But that anytime you take someone's money, that it's good and expected to give confirmation of such other than letting the person see the money exiting their account.

 

- Michael

Edited November 5, 2017 by mytekcontrols

[Mclaneinc]

I'm a staunch defender of the man but I agree that he could do just that little bit more to just let the person know their order has been taken and maybe a dispatch email..

 

Just a little automated script would not be above Steve's abilities

[+mytek]

I'm a staunch defender of the man but I agree that he could do just that little bit more to just let the person know their order has been taken and maybe a dispatch email..

 

Just a little automated script would not be above Steve's abilities

Exactly my feelings and what I was trying to convey. A little feedback goes a long way.

 

- Michael

[flashjazzcat]

The approach to e-commerce on some of these Atari sites (especially in the US) seems pretty arcane and in the past when discussing the matter on the forum we've asked "Why doesn't X update his site?" or "Why doesn't Y get help updating his site?" or "Why doesn't Z do this or that... it takes five minutes to set up an auto-responder?". And as I type this, Paul wrote: "Just a little automated script would not be above Steve's abilities". Totally true, but who knows why they do the things the way they do them, or even why they continue to bother supporting this ancient platform in the first place?

I suppose what I'm saying is that bemoaning the comms situation at AtariMax isn't going to accomplish anything at all unless someone actually gets in touch with Steve and either offers him help or gets some definitive answers about the way things work. Beyond that it probably is a case of take it or leave it. Even raising some goal-oriented points on the AtariMax forum instead of on this one might be a step in the right direction.

[AMenard]

The approach to e-commerce on some of these Atari sites (especially in the US) seems pretty arcane and in the past when discussing the matter on the forum we've asked "Why doesn't X update his site?" or "Why doesn't Y get help updating his site?" or "Why doesn't Z do this or that... it takes five minutes to set up an auto-responder?". And as I type this, Paul wrote: "Just a little automated script would not be above Steve's abilities". Totally true, but who knows why they do the things the way they do them, or even why they continue to bother supporting this ancient platform in the first place?

 

I suppose what I'm saying is that bemoaning the comms situation at AtariMax isn't going to accomplish anything at all unless someone actually gets in touch with Steve and either offers him help or gets some definitive answers about the way things work. Beyond that it probably is a case of take it or leave it. Even raising some goal-oriented points on the AtariMax forum instead of on this one might be a step in the right direction.

 

My goal wasn't to start a flame war against Atarimax, but to understand why I haven't received any hint of what was happening about my order.

I've dealt with many "ancient platform" web store and never had anything but good communication with them, until now.

I did buy an sio2rs232 with the APE program years ago and that transaction went normally so I was surprised by this one.

 

My intention by posting here was that maybe someone, maybe he has friends here, could reach him via a personal email and bring him up to speed about the fact that his web store isn't issuing a confirmation email/receipt after charging the customer CC.

Maybe something is wrong with his shipping cart/CC processing service, I don't know!

 

This purchase is for the usb version which I need now that none of my PCs have RS232 ports anymore. It's an $87Cdn purchase, not the end of the world but it's still money I would prefer not to lose or worry over.

[flashjazzcat]

Yep: fully understand your initial intentions, but these things never stop at question asked, answer given. But hopefully we can have a continuing discussion which actually accomplishes something.

[+mytek]

The approach to e-commerce on some of these Atari sites (especially in the US) seems pretty arcane and in the past when discussing the matter on the forum we've asked "Why doesn't X update his site?" or "Why doesn't Y get help updating his site?" or "Why doesn't Z do this or that... it takes five minutes to set up an auto-responder?". And as I type this, Paul wrote: "Just a little automated script would not be above Steve's abilities". Totally true, but who knows why they do the things the way they do them, or even why they continue to bother supporting this ancient platform in the first place?

I suppose what I'm saying is that bemoaning the comms situation at AtariMax isn't going to accomplish anything at all unless someone actually gets in touch with Steve and either offers him help or gets some definitive answers about the way things work. Beyond that it probably is a case of take it or leave it. Even raising some goal-oriented points on the AtariMax forum instead of on this one might be a step in the right direction.

All good points for sure. And after scanning through some of the other threads about this stuff, and looking at the AtariMax forum link you posted earlier, I would have to say there appears to be very little chance anything will change. So yes if you want to purchase something from AtariMax, then this is the way it will be, and is considered normal.

 

My main worry really came out of other similar, but to be clear, unrelated posts I've been reading as I continue to catch up with things in the Atari world (only got back into it about 3 years ago). Just on AtariAge alone I saw about half a dozen cases where a seller had an extremely good reputation, and then one day not so much anymore. In several cases people ended up waiting for extensive periods of time without much if any feedback as to what the hold up was, whereas their credit card had almost immediately been charged (funny how the seller was able to find the time to do that). In some cases those people have waited for years to see what they paid for materialize (personally I would say give up if you've been waiting for over a year with no clear sign being given by seller as to when it will ship). Now granted in some cases there were legimate reasons such as financial hardship or major health issues. But in the end unless that person got locked up in jail or is in a coma, some kind of response was owed, with a reasonable ship date or refund option specified.

 

Anyway I'm still processing all of this, and yes I am beginning to see that due to the extremely small market for the 8-Bit stuff that exceptions have to be made for how business is normally done. Do I have to like it? No, but if I really want a particular Atari gadget I guess I have to put up or shut up so to speak. But to tell you the truth part of the reason I have sought alternatives to AtariMax is because of better, faster confirmation with other sellers. However if I absolutely needed something that could only be gotten from AtariMax then yes I would still order it from them, and armed with the information I now have, know that I shouldn't expect much if any confirmation, but that it will be shipped and quality backed by the seller.

 

Once again let me stress that this is the way I see things, and everyone needs to conduct themselves as they see fit, whether that be as sellers or buyers.

 

I think that's enough from me about this... time to move on to more constructive things. Thanks for the extra info Paul and Jon, as always you guys present things in a practical and reasonable manner.

 

- Michael

 

Edit: no flame wars intended what-so-ever... simply trying to better understand how things are done and throwing in a few of my opinions on the matter. And Steve does look to be an upstanding person from what I have gathered.

[_The Doctor__]

and as stated repeatedly in other threads, it's usually the weekend when he handles emails and mailings....I have yet to see someone not receive their item... although with the multitude of issues that have happened in Florida and elsewhere as well as illness school and family... it's a wonder he managed to stay in this at all. I have reached out with a text as well as phone call and did not get the call back or chat I had been accustomed to years ago... but that's okay. I just hope he is well and we are not losing another good person from this earth.

Edited November 5, 2017 by _The Doctor__

[Mclaneinc]

Might I suggest that someone do a sticky with wording that grabs the attn of question askers / customers re AtariMax just to point out he's sound but a little slow to answer...

Edited November 5, 2017 by Mclaneinc

[Tillek]

and as stated repeatedly in other threads, it's usually the weekend when he handles emails and mailings....I have yet to see someone not receive their item... although with the multitude of issues that have happened in Florida and elsewhere as well as illness school and family... it's a wonder he managed to stay in this at all. I have reached out with a text as well as phone call and did not get the call back or chat I had been accustomed to years ago... but that's okay. I just hope he is well and we are not losing another good person from this earth.

Florida?

[OldSchoolRetroGamer]

Ah THE MONTHLY EVENT !

 

[AMenard]

Again, I just want to reiterate that my intentions wasn't to start a flamewar against Atarimax in any way.

I'm new around here and I don't want to be percieved negatively because of this.

[Tillek]

Ah THE MONTHLY EVENT !

 

Actually, looking at the calendar, it would seem we're quite overdue. Someone apparently dropped the ball.

[+slx]

When mail-ordering stuff from the US in the 80's there were about 3-4 weeks without any communication between sending off the order by mail and receiving a note from the customs office that they needed some extra Information to process the import. As it's still the same computer I can live with that

[Kylev]

AMenard,

Please don't feel like you have initiated anything negative. As the last couple of responses to this thread show, this has become a perennial topic. Your question was well intentioned and was received in that fashion by the vast majority of those here. I would like to add my assurances that Atarimax will come through with your order in due time. I am sure he appreciates your patience.

[AMenard]

AMenard,

Please don't feel like you have initiated anything negative. As the last couple of responses to this thread show, this has become a perennial topic. Your question was well intentioned and was received in that fashion by the vast majority of those here. I would like to add my assurances that Atarimax will come through with your order in due time. I am sure he appreciates your patience.

Thank you.

[Umberto]

Again, I just want to reiterate that my intentions wasn't to start a flamewar against Atarimax in any way.

I'm new around here and I don't want to be percieved negatively because of this.

Steve will get your order to you and it's been my experience that his warranty last FOREVER. A week ago I received a package from him on some items not listed on his site, he sent them to me for free. He may not be the best communicator, but his communication is through a great product and great product support.

[toddtmw]

Check your SPAM filter. I've expereineced the slow response to follow up queries, but I've always gotten an Automated e-mail when I originally placed an order. (And if the initial e-mails are in SPAM, any responses may be too.)

 

Having said that, I have personally decided not to order from Atarimax anymore. I prefer to support people that are more responsive.

[toddtmw]

Even raising some goal-oriented points on the AtariMax forum instead of on this one might be a step in the right direction.

Last time I checked the AtariMax forums it had been almost a year since Steve posted there.

[toddtmw]

This purchase is for the usb version which I need now that none of my PCs have RS232 ports anymore. It's an $87Cdn purchase, not the end of the world but it's still money I would prefer not to lose or worry over.

IMHO, Lotharek's device is a much better option if for no other reason than it is an open solution that has a chance to be supported after the original vendor decides to exit the business. And it will arrive faster than the AtariMax version.

[toddtmw]

Might I suggest that someone do a sticky with wording that grabs the attn of question askers / customers re AtariMax just to point out he's sound but a little slow to answer...

I'd like to see AA post a sticky topic about the various web stores that are available. It could be heavily moderated, if necessary, and offer objective reviews of the feedback the community has received. If you are the type of person that craves instant feedback and plenty of hand-holding, you should be able to determine after reading the thread, that AtariMax may not be your best bet. But, if you want to support a long-time contributor to the Atari Community and you are more laid back about communication and speed of delivery, then perhaps you would consider it.