*WARNING - Artesania Romera PSA - WARNING*

[1morepasswill]

It's a strange way to run a member based forum , to ban a person with no previous problems for life after posting a legitimate complaint against a vendor. Or maybe it's just a knocking shop for all the vendors, surely not

 

[RSSO]

Sorry that you got through all that trouble and thank you for sharing.

 

[1morepasswill]

Sorry that you got through all that trouble and thank you for sharing.

No problem. The fact that people are getting the message is almost worth it now for me

 

[Nick_S]

It's a strange way to run a member based forum , to ban a person with no previous problems for life after posting a legitimate complaint against a vendor. Or maybe it's just a knocking shop for all the vendors, surely not

When a forum is run by a vendor, this sort of thing happens I've seen it on TSN, B&B and at least one automotive detailing forum. Stinks to high heaven.

 

[Lann]

This artisan was on my wishlist of shaving buys. Having read of your experience, this is no longer the case. Thank you for sharing

 

[BlacknTan]

I'm sorry to read this account, and while there are two sides to every story, this does not appear to be an isolated incident with this vendor ... but, I have no first hand experience.
I kind of makes me long for the old days when there were only a few brushmakers left, hanging on by their fingernails.. But, still putting out high quality products. The only way they knew how to produce them. As with all areas that begin to explode with popularity, there are always sharks circling the waters with dollar, or pound signs in mind. I've had a few issues myself with brushmakers, some well known and highly respected, but I do the best I can, and go away and lick my wounds. However, the issue does get stored in my memory banks.
I also refuse to chase down some makers and jump through hoops for the privilege of throwing my hard earned money at them. We all have the opportunity to vote with our wallet, and the internet is virtually the only way for the consumer to strike back at shoddy service, as the OP did here.

I must say one thing though. While I'm sorry the OP got banned at another forum, I must say that I've had nothing but good experiences with Phil @ Bullgoose. Unfortunately, that board seems to be taken over by a "clique," for want of a better word. I tried to catch on there three times, and never got a remotely comfortable feeling .. certainly nothing like i feel here.
I recall once making a remark contrary to the accepted "protocol," the troops were up in arms. Phil sent me a PM agreeing with my position, but could do nothing about it. So that was my last try there... not a friendly place.

 

[1morepasswill]

When a forum is run by a vendor, this sort of thing happens I've seen it on TSN, B&B and at least one automotive detailing forum. Stinks to high heaven.

Yeah, I won't be missed or miss it myself.

 

[1morepasswill]

I'm sorry to read this account, and while there are two sides to every story, this does not appear to be an isolated incident with this vendor ... but, I have no first hand experience.
I kind of makes me long for the old days when there were only a few brushmakers left, hanging on by their fingernails.. But, still putting out high quality products. The only way they knew how to produce them. As with all areas that begin to explode with popularity, there are always sharks circling the waters with dollar, or pound signs in mind. I've had a few issues myself with brushmakers, some well known and highly respected, but I do the best I can, and go away and lick my wounds. However, the issue does get stored in my memory banks.
I also refuse to chase down some makers and jump through hoops for the privilege of throwing my hard earned money at them. We all have the opportunity to vote with our wallet, and the internet is virtually the only way for the consumer to strike back at shoddy service, as the OP did here.

I must say one thing though. While I'm sorry the OP got banned at another forum, I must say that I've had nothing but good experiences with Phil @ Bullgoose. Unfortunately, that board seems to be taken over by a "clique," for want of a better word. I tried to catch on there three times, and never got a remotely comfortable feeling .. certainly nothing like i feel here.
I recall once making a remark contrary to the accepted "protocol," the troops were up in arms. Phil sent me a PM agreeing with my position, but could do nothing about it. So that was my last try there... not a friendly place.

I wasn't a heavy user on TSN but i've heard similar stories to the one you just mentioned. Nobody was unfriendly but I never got a very inclusive vibe on it when I did try to get involved. To be perfectly honest it's one less place I need to post a SOTD now and if I'm banned for what I posted having never having any issues before then it's not the kind of place I want to be a part of. I believe the words shop and knocking come to mind.

 

[1morepasswill]

This artisan was on my wishlist of shaving buys. Having read of your experience, this is no longer the case. Thank you for sharing

That's probably the most satisfying thing I can hear despite all the grief , I'm glad people are reading my story and getting from it exactly what it was intended to be, a guide. If people still feel his knots sound worth the risk and it works out then great but you may be let down by him like myself and as it turns out a lot of other customers from all different parts of the world.

 

[bakerbarber]

 

[1morepasswill]

 

[UKRob]

I certainly don't want to add petrol to this fire because I experienced a relatively normal transaction for a very similar brush - in fact the one below in the SOTD photo. I placed the order, sat back and didn't bother to contact him - the brush turned up with no prior notification after about the expected period.

Like @1morepasswill I found that the dark colour started to leak on first use and came off on my towel when I dried it- not permanent. Working on the basis that I would rather not pay to return the brush, I coated it with some wax and sealed it as best I could with a mop running at high revs.

It seems to have cured the problem and I've not noticed any issues with the other part of the handle. Overall impressions are that the rustic look is great but the knot is no better than I have from the likes of TGN or Turners Workshop. It certainly doesn't compare to my favourite knots from Shavemac and Thater.

 

[halvor]

I wasn't a heavy user on TSN but i've heard similar stories to the one you just mentioned. Nobody was unfriendly but I never got a very inclusive vibe on it when I did try to get involved. To be perfectly honest it's one less place I need to post a SOTD now and if I'm banned for what I posted having never having any issues before then it's not the kind of place I want to be a part of. I believe the words shop and knocking come to mind.

The funniest/worst thing is when browsing through threads. Every n-th post is made by a user now banned, left there as if in a pillory to frighten the public from "bad behaviour". Beyond that, and witnessing typical petty forum behaviour between members (no doubt ending in banning for many), I have never been treated badly and all of my encounters with Phil and Bullgoose have been good. Only been visiting, though; I already have a home

 

[Rufusdog]

It's a strange way to run a member based forum , to ban a person with no previous problems for life after posting a legitimate complaint against a vendor. Or maybe it's just a knocking shop for all the vendors, surely not

I don't consider many of the forums to which I belong to be member-based per se. In the case of TSN, the site is owned and operated by Phil; hence I regard myself as being a visitor or guest (to borrow the current euphemism used by many car dealers when referring to their customers). In my view there is nothing intrinsically wrong with that, but one must guide one's behaviour accordingly. For the record, I've been a "member" of TSN for many years and have no gripes, but sometimes I do scratch my head in puzzlement over some of the bannings.

 

[1morepasswill]

I don't consider many of the forums to which I belong to be member-based per se. In the case of TSN, the site is owned and operated by Phil; hence I regard myself as being a visitor or guest (to borrow the current euphemism used by many car dealers when referring to their customers). In my view there is nothing intrinsically wrong with that, but one must guide one's behaviour accordingly. For the record, I've been a "member" of TSN for many years and have no gripes, but sometimes I do scratch my head in puzzlement over some of the bannings.

I didn't think I was doing anything inappropriate , after all I had tried to resolve the issue with the vendor for almost a year , he wasn't replying to emails and he blocked me on other social media platforms when I tried to contact him. All I felt I was doing was warning fellow members of the issues they may experience with the vendor because of my experience with him. I backed all this up with great detail so people who didn't know the situation could have as much detail as possible to make an informed opinion of my post. At no point did I ask anyone to boycott him , in fact I encouraged people to make their own minds up and praised the quality of his knots.This was my first brush with any mods on TSN and it resulted in a lifetime ban. If they had asked me to remove it or the part where i called him a charlatan then I could have worked around it. So what do you do if you have a genuine case of horrific customer service that the community should know about in their best interests , just keep quiet because Gustavo pays his monthly fee?