Broken item purchased at the Creek, what to do?

[Jim Matthews]

In August I purchased a complete Columbian "parrot" vise from Andy Maldoror of Savannah, GA here at the creek.


I agreed to his asking price of $125 for the complete vise, with shipping.
It finally arrived, September 21st as my birthday present - to me.

It was well packed in newsprint, but the base was broken.
It was not insured.

Repeated requests for compensation or a replacement base (which the seller claims to have) have been fruitless.
It's nearly Halloween, I don't think the seller is going to come through at this point.

This bears mentioning as it is the ONLY unsatisfactory trade or purchase I have made at the Creek.

Any suggestions on how to fix or replace this cast iron base?
I need the vise for a couple tricky holds that I can't manage on my bench.

jim
wpt, ma

[Paul McGaha]

Hi Jim,

I would think it is the responsibility of the seller (Creeker Andy Maldoror) to make this right, and it should have been done immedieatly.

In the case that he wont come through, and unfortunatley it dosent sound like he's going to, I suppose if I were you I would take steps to fix it or replace it myself.

Sorry I have no idea how to repair the vise.

I have either bought or sold items from creekers maybe 10 times. Always a pleasure. Never an issue. The only thing I regret is I didnt take the time to clean the glue off the bar clamps that I sold to you. I really should have.

PHM

[Stephen Cherry]

In August I purchased a complete Columbian "parrot" vise from Andy Maldoror of Savannah, GA here at the creek.


I agreed to his asking price of $125 for the complete vise, with shipping.
It finally arrived, September 21st as my birthday present - to me.

It was well packed in newsprint, but the base was broken.
It was not insured.

Well packed in what!! Newspaper is not going to do it, and the world is so full of used pieces of styrofoam packing. Anyone who has bought anything in the last 30 years knows that it needs to be wrapped up with styrofoam. And why would it take until the 21st of September?

And he has another base? Come on.

[johnny means]

Honestly, there is nothing you can do. If the seller doesn't want to make it right, you have no practical course of action. Unfortunately, buying things in this type of forum sacrifices guarantees for savings.

[phil harold]

Wood you be able to convert use this base for your Colombian?
http://www.toolking.com/shop-fox-d3125-parrot-vise/

[Jerry Bruette]

I don't think I'd bother with fixing the broken base. I'd make a new one.

If the post on the base is of nominal dimension for a few dollars you could buy a piece of round stock or pipe and have it welded to a square or triangular piece of half inch plate and have a base that will never break.

Jerry

[Randy Dutkiewicz]

Jim,

Just throwing this out there, since I really know nothing about metal (repairing), but what about getting someone to weld it back together? I'm just thinking that since it's a "base" it may hold very well with a new weld??? Just my .02 cents.
Randy

[Jordan Lane]

machine shop can braze that back together...l

[Greg Peterson]

You might check with a machine shop to see what they would charge to mill one for you. Or check with your local community college to see if they have a machine shop and if they could make one for you. Or maybe someone here on the creek can mill one for you.

[Mike Heidrick]

Have a highschool near by with a Workforce/Trades curriculum? Many times they have welding students that would like a CI challenge on a small part. Would be worth a phone call. That or a trip to a machine shop. Also any long time farmers or their hands might be able to help you. Just some ideas.

[scott spencer]

Jim - What method of payment did you use? I'm wondering if you have any buyer's protection through something like PayPal.

[Harry Hagan]

I learned enough in my Introduction to Welding class last winter to know that you’d better have a professional welder do the repair. Welding cast iron requires additional welding skills to avoid ruining the piece.

[Aaron Berk]

A courteous knock on the door from a fellow creeker might help
I'm also in Savannah, as are another dozen members.

Honorable men are getting harder and harder to find these days, sometimes they just need reminded that people do notice when they act in a less than honorable way.

[Jim Matthews]

The clamps are awesome, thank you very much.
They're cleaner than the others I have in my stash - and have performed admirably.

I pay by check, as I don't see any sense in giving PayPal more money.


I suppose a Shop fox base would fit, if the pipe OD is 1 1/2 inches.

The local welder won't work with cast iron, it's a pain to handle.
He will gladly fabricate a replacement at his minimum bench charge of $65 for an hour, plus materials.



I wouldn't treat a fellow enthusiast this way, nor would the vast majority of y'all. While I don't think swamp justice is called for it is worthwhile to let other Creekers know when a deal like this falls through.



jim
wpt, ma

[johnny means]

I pay by check, as I don't see any sense in giving PayPal more money.

I've had Paypal reach into my bank account and take 15K back for a customer who filed a complaint. In the end it turned out to be unsubstantiated nonsense, but Paypal was very willing and able to protect the customer. I definitely see the sense in that.