I've ordered from both Craddocks and Paddock. The first order was with
Paddock - about 400 pounds sterling worth. Well, some bits were
back-ordered and I had to keep calling to find out what was going on.
Finally, they shipped everything out UPS Express before I had confirmed
shipping methods - the day before I was heading over to the UK. Needless to
say, the 185 quid shipping bill didn't make me terribly happy. Then UPS
lost the parcel for two weeks and so I requested that Paddock put in for a
refund. A month later (after the deadline) I found out that they hadn't -
so not only did my "next day" service take a fortnight, I was unable to get
my money back. I'm in no rush to deal with them again mostly because of the
lack of service. The prices were good, though.
With Craddocks, I was careful to ensure that everything was in stock so my
order could go out right away. Well, they TOLD me it was in stock. But
apparantly not, and a week after I needed the parts (and a couple of phone
calls later) they showed up. With one bit missing. So not much better then.
Again, excellent prices. Bad website, but at least the prices are there.
Rovers North, on the other hand, has been exemplary. Fast, knowledgable and
accurate. Fantastic website with a very clever ordering mechanism. And
expensive.
My favorite so far has been Atlantic British of Canada. Since they're on my
side of the border, the shipping is cheap, there are no customs issues and
they were very good to deal with. Plus they're far cheaper than RN. The
biggest downside is that they don't have a website or online price lists,
so I have to bother them each time I want to price something.
I've gotta say, there's nothing like dealing with the Brits to appreciate
how professional some of the North American vendors are.
Keith Tanner
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