I ordered, payed with Swell pedal company, and never received anything!!!

[dharmashawn]

Wow!! Anybody else have pending orders?

[scotch]

I'm not saying Swell isn't fulfilling existing orders, but it sure doesn't sound like it!

[iggy]

I just checked the Swell website. It's still up and running.Upon checkout it tells you your order is non-cancellable and there are no refunds once purchased. It's too bad that the OP had to take a hit to save people like us from wasting our cash on a product that I know I, for one, was considering to buy. I don't give a damn if they have the best products in the world. If MikeO or who ever is running that company thinks,that they can still take orders from unsuspecting customers, knowing that they are going bellyup, can fry in hell as far as I'm concerned. Spread the word, the ShaftMeisters are padding their nests before filing for chapter 11. Shame on them.

[Ibanezsr500]

Wow, hope it turns out positively for the OP, and other people with orders placed.

[caeman]

Originally Posted by iggy

I just checked the Swell website. It's still up and running.Upon checkout it tells you your order is non-cancellable and there are no refunds once purchased.

That won't fly in any court of law when the product is never delivered. That is like dump trucks claiming they aren't responsible for damage to your car when their load of gravel breaks you window. Yes, they are.

Despite the case being beyond 45 days, if the purchase was done with a credit card via paypal, you could file a fraud claim even on that old charge.

[Gmclachlan]

Originally Posted by scotch

Hmm,... to the OP: I might have a solution for you, but shipping to Denmark might be a sticking point.My local store is willing to help out possibly. They told me that Swell is out of business.

pm'ed...

Bummer. And the Swell price spike starts.....now.

[BiigM]

Hi guys. For clarification the pedal I ordered was a b-drive and an extra tube. If his dealers are saying he is out of business I am definitely not holding my breath.

I probably should post this on some other forums, but this is the only one I use usually.

Where would you say it is relevant for people to know this story?

[jobo4]

Here are a couple of guit forums...

Tele Forum: http://www.tdpri.com/forum/index.php
Strat Forum: http://www.strat-talk.com/

Then there's The Gear Page: www.thegearpage.net/
And Gear Slutz: http://www.gearslutz.com/board/

[scotch]

BiigM, store heard back from Swell, Swell says they were waiting on the power supply - supposed to ship next week.

Keep us posted.

[Eric Swaim]

I would contact Paypal,..They helped me when an individual did not refund my money.

[BiigM]

Wow scotch. You are absolutely amazing.

If this is really the case it's fantastic, but also pretty stupid that Swell haven't contacted me long time ago with info. A lot of frustrations and bad press could have been avoided.

But let's see what happens. I will definitely keep you guys posted, and as said earlier if Mike does the right thing and delivers either product or money, I won't hold a grudge.

[caeman]

Even lone pedal makers need to understand that communicating with customers is part of the job, not just building the pedals. Reading and responding to e-mail may be drudgery, but once people have sent you their money, it is not unreasonable for a customer to ask for updates.

Paul Cochrane does a good job of keeping his web updated with the batch of orders. Something like, "Orders placed in November are being started now" which gives people on the list an idea of how much longer they have to go.

[BiigM]

Funny thing is that I will probably have to go get another power supply anyway, cause we are on 240v here.
So if he is shipping it with a 120 he might as well have shipped it 4 months ago ;-)

[andrew]

So is Swell shut down or no?

[MSUsousaphone]

One source says so. But the safe move would be to consider them down until we start seeing everyone's order is fulfilled. And even if that were to happen and they got back up and going, it would be prudent to order with a card with a good protection plan and NOT paypal.

[sonic 7]

Unfortunatly , Being a small pedal builder seems to be a terrible buisness model . I dont pretend to know anything about buisness or electronics . Once the pedals get a good reputation the demand increases and the builders become overwelmed. Hiring help isnt easy because even if you could find anyone that knows what a soldering iron is you cant afford them without raising the price out of the market. But some do seem to survive , for example Wren &Cuff. I dont know what Matt does differently but he keeps a steady supply to actual dealers. Dave at pigtronics seems to have cracked the code also. But the list of failed builders is long and its not because they sucked but because they made great pedals but probably could have made better buisness decisions.

[caeman]

It would seem to be a very simple solution to the problem...don't take orders when you cannot fulfill them in a timely manner. Put people on a waiting list, for example.

[cheapbasslovin]

Pigtronix outsourced their manufacturing to China. Can't speak to the others.

Originally Posted by sonic 7

Unfortunatly , Being a small pedal builder seems to be a terrible buisness model . I dont pretend to know anything about buisness or electronics . Once the pedals get a good reputation the demand increases and the builders become overwelmed. Hiring help isnt easy because even if you could find anyone that knows what a soldering iron is you cant afford them without raising the price out of the market.

This is true of any small, specialized manufacturing business. Guys that like building stuff stay small or go away. Guys that like running a business while they build stuff figure out a way to make it grow.

[MSUsousaphone]

I'll start this off by saying I've talked to Swell's biggest online dealer and they have confirmed he JUST sent out an email saying he shut down the business and they described it as "pretty sudden". I mean, no one should have after all of the above being said but DO NOT purchase anything from the Swell website.

That being said, I dealt with MikeO a little bit when I first got the whole Swell movement on here going and I ordered my B-Peg. It took twice as long as quoted to come in. He was really cool to talk to but his emails would always be way after I had sent mine and I got the impression that he was old school. A great builder but not into the current business model of.....well crap....I don't want to insult the older generation but just not that advanced on the computer stuff. I mean, check out the facebook page. That thing never gets any love. The website hasn't changed much. I know someone was saying that it looks bad on his part that the site is still up and taking orders, I know, from my own experience, that I have no clue how to change stuff on an HTML site and our band's site still has show dates listed from last year because my friend who does our site is so unreliable. I mean, the signs are bad but it's also possible he has no clue how to shut the site down and he's going to make good. But protect yourself. Contact the BBB. Seek any outlets you can to ensure your money is safe. I still kinda hold out hope that he got in WAY over his head, is completely and totally behind, but will fulfill past orders.

I won't lie, I tend to see the better in people, so I could totally get burned on this, but I've got a vested interest, here. Last month I was telling Mike that I loved the B-Peg but was wishing it had the lower gain mod that the recently current models had. He told me to send it in and that he would mod it free of charge. I offered to paypal money over but he refused it. So my pedal has been with him for about a month. So yeah, if people get burned, I'm one of them. I'm holding out hope that he's way behind and will still fulfill, though.

All that being said. Protect yourselves. After 30 weeks, don't hold out hope, I mean, I will, but my advice to others is to do whatever it takes to protect your investment. If anyone is interested in some Swell pedals, I know that there's some in stock at bassclubchicago.com, stevesmusiccenter.com (older versions), and worldmusicnashville.com.

Those are in stock and safe to order. Hope everything turns out well for everyone.

[sonic 7]

Pigtronix made in china , well that explains that.