So, Mr Castro has come out of the shadows but not fully into the sunlight. It seems he has been in touch with the Moderator.
First of all, his claim to be 'averse to social media' is nonsense. Vpipes.com has its own active Facebook account and Ramon M Castro has his own personal Facebook account, with 775 friends – many of them deeply involved in Irish Traditional Music.
I wholeheartedly agree with the moderator when he said the very simple way forward is for Mr Castro to come on here and explain what happened. If he is too shy to do it then someone else from Vpipes could come on and do it for him.
It was pointed out by the Moderator that private correspondence is not allowed on here so I will give an exact run-through my attempt to purchase pipes from Mr Castro and his company 'Vpipes.com'. I will do it in my own words with just a few exact quotes from Mr Castro. You will see what actions he took to get a deposit from me and later his 'assurances' that the pipes were almost ready. Then you will see the messages from me that were blocked.
You can decide for yourselves who has been 'fair'.
In early July 2019 I sent an enquiry through the website vpipes.com.
19th July I got an email from Mr Castro. Two main points (along with the price) ; First of all
“If you are interested in going ahead please let me know so that I can put you down on this waiting-list and keep you informed of progress. I am aiming to be able to deliver vPipes that are reserved now, in about 20 to 25 weeks as they are made only to order.”
And second point,
Please let me know if you want to go ahead to reserve you a set or if you wish for me to delete you from the list as I will be closing orders soon.
25th July I got an email with a very official looking set of bank details along with instructions about import duty and tax responsibilities.
25th July I replied giving the information he requested for his tax declaration in Spain.
25th July I received an acknowledgement of my message and I was asked if I was using Paypal.
25th July. I said no – it was a bank transfer.
26th July. Mr Castro said he would tell me when he received the money.
4th August I had to send a message to see if the money had arrived.
5th August I was told it had,
“Sorry about not confirming.
Indeed, your bank payment deposit of 449Euros came through on the 26 July all perfect and
correct.”
5th January 2020 (20+ weeks after the order). I sent a message with a general query about the delivery date and wished him a Happy New Year.
7th January I got a very reassuring reply
“Happy New Year also.
I wrote to you just before Christmas letting you know that I would be receiving your vPipes during the beginning of January. I am expecting to receive it either this week or next so all systems go....!!!
I'll get you invoice ready for the remainder and send it to you when I get back to the office over the next few days.”
9th January. I thanked him.
20th January. I let him know I was still around.
20th January. Another reassurance,
“I haven't yet sent your invoice as I have been away from the office although over the next few days I shall be in a position to send it.”
26th February. I asked for an indication about a delivery date.
26th February My email was returned “Undeliverable” with this message
“Delivery has failed to these recipients or groups:
Ramón M Castro (
ramonm@vpipes.com)
Your message wasn't delivered because the recipient's email provider rejected it.”
28th Feb. I asked why my messages were being rejected.
28th Feb. Another “Undeliverable” response.
2nd March. I asked again about the rejected emails.
2nd March another 'Undeliverable' message.
11th March I wrote an old fashioned letter to the company address on the Vpipes website
Conde Duque 2, 28015, Madrid.
18th June My letter was returned by the Post Office 'Desconocido Inconnu'.
There you have it. I now, openly ask Mr Castro to tell all of you his version of events.