Anyone receive a McHaffie whistle recently?

AKFire · Post by **AKFire** » Tue Jan 08, 2002 2:09 am

Since it is clear that any of us will not be recieving the whistles we ordered anytime soon, (or perhaps at all). Could someone be so kind as to recommend another maker of whistles? Perhaps one that is known to have a good product, and tends to deliver more or less on time.

JessieK · Post by **JessieK** » Tue Jan 08, 2002 8:56 am

Can't go wrong with a Water Weasel.

Jessie

Ron Rowe · Post by **Ron Rowe** » Tue Jan 08, 2002 9:42 am

Mack Hoover is one of the best, great whistles and exceptional customer service

Loren · Post by **Loren** » Wed Jan 09, 2002 12:30 am

I haven't ordered from Mack, so I can't comment there.

I agree with Jessie, Glenn Schultz generally delivers quite promptly and Water Weasels are a great Bang for the Buck.

As others have mentioned, John Sindt delivers like clockwork. The clock runs on an 8 month schedule, but John is amazing with his timeliness and the precision of the instruments he makes.

Colin Goldie is extremely reliable and will bend over backwards to get you a whistle that suits you. Want rounded or sharp edge holes? Hard blowing, medium, or easy blowing? Long fipple "beak" or short? Standard aluminum, or anodised in your choice of color? Whatever it is you want, just ask and Colin can probably do it for you. You may have to wait a while, but you'll be glad you did - and he's as honest as they come. Actually, it's worth giving him a call if you want an Overton, occasionally you catch him with the odd whistle left over from a batch that is unclaimed.

Bernard Overton - Don't think he offers the anodised whistles, but otherwise, well....The name says it all.

Chris Abell generally has a 3-4 month wait for his whisltes, but sometimes you can catch him with a whistle or two in-stock. Chris is very reliable, although it seems the Abell shop turns out both loud and quiet whistles.

You can also go strait to an on-line vendor: Celtic Fire often has Overtons in stock and some Thin Weasels and Howards as well.

Elderly stocks Water Weasels and Thin Weasels.

Thom at the Whistle Shop stocks just about EVERYTHING, and is as realiable and amiable a guy as you'll find to deal with. Go to him if you're hankering to grab a Silkstone quickly.

Steve Power stocks some interesting (and hard to find) whistles, and, to his credit, he's been garnering much praise for his customer service.

Well, there's a start for you anyway

Loren

ChristianRo · Post by **ChristianRo** » Wed Jan 09, 2002 1:17 am

If this thread turns out to be a "which-whistlemaker-is-reliable-in-quality-and-customer-service" one, I put my word in for Mr. Paul Hayward and his Silkstone whistles. He's amazingly quick in answering e-mails, as helpful and friendly as a man can be and his whistles are truly miraculous! It's people like him or Colin Goldie who make me want to buy whistles from them every other month just for the great job they do. Alas...
Christian

JohnPalmer · Post by **JohnPalmer** » Wed Jan 09, 2002 1:29 am

On 2002-01-09 02:17, ChristianRo wrote:
It's people like him or Colin Goldie who make me want to buy whistles from them every other month...

Obviously you don't have WhOA, or you'd be buying whistles monthly, like the rest of us!

ChristianRo · Post by **ChristianRo** » Wed Jan 09, 2002 2:31 am

Lucky me!!
Christian

Larry · Post by **Larry** » Sun Jan 27, 2002 5:09 pm

Sigh... count me in as one of the unlucky ones. I emailed John back and forth for months. As a small business owner myself, I was understanding and patient. But, the key difference between us is: I do not take someone's money before I deliver product. That's wrong and, according to what I've read in merchant account agreements, illegal. Too bad. I'm a new player and was very excited. I doubt that I will ever purchase goods from an "unknown" over the internet again. Can't afford to get burned again!

jshan55@aol.com · Post by **jshan55@aol.com** » Mon Jan 28, 2002 5:29 am

After receiving numerous emails from a friend of McHaffie's (she seems to be acting as his go-between) with numerous excuses about why the whistles haven't been mailed, I decided enough was enough. I paid for my whistle set in July 2001 and was suppose to receive it in 2 weeks. They have yet to show up. Several attempts (via email and phone calls) were made to get in touch with McHaffie. He has never responded. A friend of mine even sent a certified letter about not receiving her order. He never picked up the letter at the post office (even when the go-between was told about it). So, tonight I put in a complaint with the Better Business Bureau for his region of Missouri. I don't know if this will make a difference, but if after another 2-4 weeks there is still no resolution, I plan on making a complaint to the office of the Missouri Attorney General. At least I feel like I'm doing something to correct a bad situation. Jeanine

fiddling_tenor · Post by **fiddling_tenor** » Mon Jan 28, 2002 8:28 am

jshan55@aol.com: You're a tad ahead of me in the process. I'm working the same process (formerly a collections rep) building the "evidence" file. I've left phone messages, emailed and recently sent a letter with SASE and a response form. If I haven't heard by end of the week, I go the certified letter route. Then, I'll be ready to file formal complaints with the Better Business Bureau and the Attorney General of Missouri. All my contact attempts include warnings to this effect. So far, not a peep.

I don't expect to ever see a whistle (from what I've read, it may not not be worth playing), nor a refund. Fortunately I'm only out $35, plus the costs associated with trying to get Mr. M to respond.

[Edited misspelling.]

-Tom

_________________
Tom Gallagher
aka fiddling_tenor
fiddlingtenor@usa.com
"If schools had glass walls, the kids could watch the fire engine go by without having to stand up."

[ This Message was edited by: fiddling_tenor on 2002-01-28 09:29 ]

John Allison · Post by **John Allison** » Tue Jan 29, 2002 12:41 am

Obviously you guys haven't seen the movie Deliverance!

John's business was run out of a house deep in the woods of the Ozarks. I seriously doubt the Better Business Bureau or the state's Attorney General is going to bother with him.

Now if'n thars sumone wid purdy lips theyze mite be intrusted...

stimps · Post by **stimps** » Wed Jan 30, 2002 11:39 pm

On 2002-01-29 01:41, John Allison wrote:
Obviously you guys haven't seen the movie Deliverance!

John's business was run out of a house deep in the woods of the Ozarks. I seriously doubt the Better Business Bureau or the state's Attorney General is going to bother with him.

Now if'n thars sumone wid purdy lips theyze mite be intrusted...

Eek! Making the Attorney General SQUEAL LIKE A PIG!!

O_o

stimps

ScottStewart · Post by **ScottStewart** » Fri Feb 01, 2002 5:42 pm

Been doing a search on McHaffie, and found out the name listed at his address is Don McHaffie. There is a John B. McHaffie listed in Springfield, MO. Anyone know how close Rogersville is to that? Anyhow, I'm thinking that Don might be his dad, and he moved out in his attempt to remain hidden. Anyhow, it appears that certified letters don't work, so it's on to the next step. Time for the BBB and the AG of MO.

LeeMarsh · Post by **LeeMarsh** » Mon Feb 04, 2002 9:34 am

Since Mr McH. Used the USMail to deliver across state lines, you might want to consider contacting the US Postal Inspectors, they may be successfull in locating him, and anything they turn up could be forwarded to the Missori AG if they found they lacked jurisdiction.

Just a suggestion, from my dearly beloved that works as a postal carrier.

_________________

Enjoy Your Music, Lee Marsh 

[ This Message was edited by: LeeMarsh on 2002-02-04 10:35 ]

StevieJ · Post by **StevieJ** » Mon Feb 04, 2002 9:57 am

It would seem that hell hath no fury like a whistle buyer scorned...

Can you guys explain what you hope to gain by seeking to bring down the full force of government -- better business bureaus and attorneys general and whatever -- on the head of this unfortunate man?

Is he anything other than someone who got out of his depth very quickly? Or what we from the British Isles would call "a chancer" at worst?

If he is not stopped, is this man likely to go on to defraud seniors out of their life savings?

I know some of you are out of pocket, and some of you have experienced economy with the truth, or maybe you feel your trust has been abused. But how much is at stake?

Take it on the chin, people. Move on!