Lets face it - paint isn't cheap. Even when it is, it's sometimes hard to find locally. Ranges can be limited and sometimes your local store will need to put a hefty markup on it. In my area, I don't have to worry about that, as there are none.
GW has monopoly, and the town is awash with Revell enamel.
Joy.
Shopping online can be a bit iffy, especially with paint. Colour swatches can be a dodgy affair at the best of times. Postage rates vary and again, paint can get pricey. Enter FILS model supplies.
http://www.filsmodels.com/catalog/
The site is well laid out, though thier range is a tad sparsae for anything other than paint and mediums. That said, the prices are hard to beat. Friday morning saw me online filling my boots. I loaded the basket with allsorts of mediums and paints. The total came to around £108. Not a small order. Postage was reasonable - for all the junk I was buying, the rate was £4.95. Much better than one Geek/Gift Postage counts as profit website that shall remain nameless. Even better, the orders are processed through sagepay, which is great if anything goes wrong. It's a lot easier to get your money back with the aid of your bank with a sagepay invoice than it is to spend hours dicking around with paypal. I ordered up, paid and said goodbye to my money, eagerly awaiting delivery day.
Delivery is stated as taking no more than 5 days including despatch, with order confirmations and tracking available. Here's where it gets a bit grim. Over the weekend I recieved my sagepay invoice advising the money had been debited. Hunky Dory. I didn't recieve an order confirmation from the supplier until yesterday. I was lucky enough to pick up a local commission on monday, so could really do with the paint to get started, Feeling a bit irked, I sent an email asking when the order was actually processed, and whether it had been shipped and if so, when, as I don't want to be sitting on someone's minis if I can't do any work on them.
The post has come and gone again today, which is pushing it a little bit. In the last 20 minutes, I've recieved an email advising that they think the order has gone, but are not sure. They expect I'll recieve it "soon"(
tm).
Mega. You've got over a hundred quid of my money and you can't tell me if my order has gone.
I have advised that if the order has not arrived by tomorrow, which is one week/5wd as per the shipping blurb, then I will instigate the process of late/missing order tomfoolery, however if the service continues to be flaky, it's off to the bank to arrange indemnity on the payment.
Conclusion: On the face of it, great store, good range if you're a vallejo nut. Decent prices and excellent shipping rates. I may be tempted to order again if the package shows up in good condition and has a reasonable datestamp on it, as I'm quite prepared to put it down to a bit of a hiccup. What does unsettle me however is the slightly lacklustre approach to customer service.
Overall? 3 camels and a turnip.
