Are Home Observatory UK still in business ?

[Graham Beamson]

I ordered an observatory from Home Observatories UK last year and paid the deposit of £1965 on the 14th of October. I was told it would be 'after Christmas'. I'm still waiting. I telephoned at the beginning of January and was told it was in the queue and they would be starting work on it soon.  I've telephoned twice in the last few days and can't get an answer. I'm worried that they have gone out of business and I have lost my deposit. Has anyone had an observatory delivered from them recently ?

[StevieDvd]

How did you pay? If by credit card (even if just a prt of the whole payment) you'd be covered for the full amount under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act

That is not to say that the company is not trading, just to possibly put your mind at ease if it turns out that way.

Steve

[Graham Beamson]

Thanks Steve, No I paid by bank transfer - the only two options I had were bank transfer or paypal. Anyway, I've just heard from Nathan and he has been off work for a couple of weeks after a minor accident. He sliced off the tip of his index finger with a planing machine. Fortunately he is still able to do everything that he could previous to the accident, but it was very painful for a while and so he needed the time off work. My observatory will probably be another two months, which is fine, I'm sure that when I finally receive it, it will have been worth the wait.

[tdinneen]

I got in just before you Graham. Ordered the end of September and I’m still waiting. I really hope they can get through whatever backlog they have and we get these installed in time for when things kick off again in August. 

[malc-c]

From their website 

Quote

Payment can be made by bank transfer, via PayPal or cheque.

The fact they don't take credit cards would alarm me.... Paypal would be the most protected method of payment out of the three, the others are as good as giving cash.

If you have real concerns that they have ceased trading and any attempts to cancel the order or actually have it delivered are not being responded to then you could contact your bank and request a charge back.  This is where the bank contacts the bank the payment was deposited in and requests the return of the payment.  Note the term requests.... there is no guarantee the recipients bank will refund the payment, but given the timeframe involved  you may have a good case

[scotty38]

3 minutes ago, malc-c said:

 

The fact they don't take credit cards would alarm me....

 

Sorry but I couldn't help getting this in my head...

She don't do major credit cards
I doubt she does receipts
It's all not quite legitimate.......

Top marks to those that get the reference 🙂

[malc-c]

3 minutes ago, scotty38 said:

Sorry but I couldn't help getting this in my head...

She don't do major credit cards
I doubt she does receipts
It's all not quite legitimate.......

Top marks to those that get the reference 🙂

So what has a reference to a song about a prostitute have to do with an order for an observatory ????

[teoria_del_big_bang]

8 minutes ago, scotty38 said:

Sorry but I couldn't help getting this in my head...

She don't do major credit cards
I doubt she does receipts
It's all not quite legitimate.......

Top marks to those that get the reference 🙂

I would say there is a Sheffield connection there 🙂 

[teoria_del_big_bang]

15 minutes ago, malc-c said:

From their website 

The fact they don't take credit cards would alarm me.... Paypal would be the most protected method of payment out of the three, the others are as good as giving cash.

If you have real concerns that they have ceased trading and any attempts to cancel the order or actually have it delivered are not being responded to then you could contact your bank and request a charge back.  This is where the bank contacts the bank the payment was deposited in and requests the return of the payment.  Note the term requests.... there is no guarantee the recipients bank will refund the payment, but given the timeframe involved  you may have a good case

Is that actually possible on a Bank Transfer ?
I tried that with a payment I sent and the bank would not do anything. Thankfully the money was rejected anyway and came back.

Oh I do hope we soon see photos on this thread with the lovely new Obsy soon.

 

Steve

[scotty38]

13 minutes ago, malc-c said:

So what has a reference to a song about a prostitute have to do with an order for an observatory ????

Jeepers, just the don't do credit cards nothing more than that...

[Neil27]

Having had a Home Observatory fitted some 4 years ago, I can attest to their quality.

Lovely people to deal with, both during ordering and delivery / installation. They get a thumbs up from me 👍, I would recommend.

[malc-c]

30 minutes ago, teoria_del_big_bang said:

Is that actually possible on a Bank Transfer ?
I tried that with a payment I sent and the bank would not do anything. Thankfully the money was rejected anyway and came back.

Oh I do hope we soon see photos on this thread with the lovely new Obsy soon.

 

Steve

It's possible to request a chargeback, as to what chances you have or getting the money back is down to the individual circumstances.  Not saying this is the case here, but when fraud is involved often the bank rules in your favour.   Some banks may have rules as to what is covered and what is not, so best really to make enquiries at your own bank.

What's sad about this is that two people have parted with upwards of two grand in cash and haven't had anything back in nine months.......

[teoria_del_big_bang]

26 minutes ago, malc-c said:

What's sad about this is that two people have parted with upwards of two grand in cash and haven't had anything back in nine months.......

I agree and I just hope their patience works out in the end.

Steve

[scotty38]

48 minutes ago, Neil27 said:

Having had a Home Observatory fitted some 4 years ago, I can attest to their quality.

Lovely people to deal with, both during ordering and delivery / installation. They get a thumbs up from me 👍, I would recommend.

I really like that and it sits well there too. I ran the old "shed" question past my wife again yesterday and she's having none of it. To be fair she gave me permission for whatever I want on the other side of our barns but that only gives me a Northern half view so of limited use but that seems to be of little  concern to her 🙂 I think I'll show her this picture....

[iapa]

10 hours ago, scotty38 said:

Sorry but I couldn't help getting this in my head...

She don't do major credit cards
I doubt she does receipts
It's all not quite legitimate.......

Top marks to those that get the reference 🙂

Gimme some frozen bananas

But, credit cards generally are the safest way to pay, and home observatory are still on my list of preferred suppliers.

Edited May 17, 2021 by iapa

[malc-c]

Pleased to inform you guys that the company are still trading.

I thought that whilst they may not respond to existing customers chasing orders, they may respond to a possible sales enquiry.  It's a bit sneaky I know, especially as I have my own DIY observatory, but it was worth a try.  I contacted them and raised my concerns of what I've seen and read, which would put me off placing any potential order.  This was the reply I received from Gareth just a few minutes ago

Quote

Hi Malcolm

We are still here, we are only a small micro business and had an insane amount of work come in  over  lock down last year  followed by  3 months of supply problems followed by Nathan losing 1/3 of finger in the planer

has put us behind ,but we are working crazy hours at the moment trying to catch up

our time frame at the moment is somewhere around 12 / 14 weeks

hope this is of some help

Regards Gareth

Hopefully that will put your minds at rest that they haven't ceased trading, and explains some of the reasons for delay.  But it would have been nice if they had communicated those reasons with the existing customers who have already parted with cash.

If they are claiming 12-14 weeks for new orders,  then why are SGL members posting stating they are still waiting some 20+ weeks after they have ordered... clearly they still have a lot of catching up to do.... 

Fingers crossed (wasn't referenced to Nathan !) that they get back on track and can resolve these delays soon

[Graham Beamson]

Thank you for doing that Malcolm - sneaky or not it's very helpful. If they are quoting 12/14 weeks on new orders then my observatory should be due fairly soon - time to give them another call.

Regards, Graham.

[malc-c]

14 hours ago, Graham Beamson said:

Thank you for doing that Malcolm - sneaky or not it's very helpful. If they are quoting 12/14 weeks on new orders then my observatory should be due fairly soon - time to give them another call.

Regards, Graham.

You're welcome.   

It's  a shame that so many companies tend to have poor aftersales service by not responding to telephone calls or e-mails from customers chasing orders, but are happy to respond within a couple of days to a possible sales enquiry.  Hopefully now they will pick up the phone when you call, and confirm  a delivery date..

Good luck and keep this thread updated

[Graham Beamson]

They haven't answered the 'phone or responded to an email yet. I know that there are problems in the company - Nathan has just recently left, leaving Gareth on his own. I was told that by another of their customers who is also waiting for an observatory. I would like some reassurance that they will eventually build and deliver my observatory. I think its really bad to leave customers fretting with uncertainty. After paying a deposit of nearly £2000 it would be ordinary courtesy to offer some reassurance.

[SimonIRE]

I have to add, I had HOUK set up my observatory and they were fantastic. There is no doubt that they are a little challenged by modern communication systems. On Whatsapp, Nathan would take many days to respond to a text and it would clearly show that he hadn't looked at it in days. Email is a little better. However, their product is superb and worth the wait - they are true craftsmen. 

I am far more active over on CN's and Backyard Observatories in the US are exactly the same - long periods of going "dark" and preternaturally long waiting lists. I am not saying that this is good (perhaps its not even acceptable) but these folk run their timelines they way they run their timelines; its just the way it is. Makes your observatory that much sweeter when it's built. 

 

Simon

[carastro]

Quote

 There is no doubt that they are a little challenged by modern communication systems.

LOl, what a polite way of putting it.

Hope you get your observatory installed soon Graham.

Carole   

[malc-c]

3 hours ago, Graham Beamson said:

They haven't answered the 'phone or responded to an email yet. I know that there are problems in the company - Nathan has just recently left, leaving Gareth on his own. I was told that by another of their customers who is also waiting for an observatory. I would like some reassurance that they will eventually build and deliver my observatory. I think its really bad to leave customers fretting with uncertainty. After paying a deposit of nearly £2000 it would be ordinary courtesy to offer some reassurance.

Here in the three counties (herts beds and bucks ) the local BBC radio have a daytime consumer segment where they help listeners sort out problems such as this, either getting the product the customer wanted or getting a full refund for them.... maybe worth checking if the local radio station in your area does something similar.....

[Graham Beamson]

Thank you folks. I know you are all trying to be kind to HOUK, and I try to be kind to them as well, but what is so difficult about picking up the 'phone and speaking to a customer for 5 minutes ? Hey-ho !

[Swoop1]

I don't know their staffing and workload situation but, in the bike shop where I work, we frequently find answering the phone for what is intended to be a 5 minute chat often turns into 15-20 minutes of brain picking.

Do that 3 times a day and that is an hour gone. Do that 5 days a week and that is over half a work day gone. Do that for a month and that is one less observatory built.

In a perfect world, HOUK would have an admin droid but, often times, these little operations have their admin done by the folk that wield the screwdrivers, hammer and saws.

[malc-c]

1 hour ago, Swoop1 said:

I don't know their staffing and workload situation but, in the bike shop where I work, we frequently find answering the phone for what is intended to be a 5 minute chat often turns into 15-20 minutes of brain picking.

Do that 3 times a day and that is an hour gone. Do that 5 days a week and that is over half a work day gone. Do that for a month and that is one less observatory built.

In a perfect world, HOUK would have an admin droid but, often times, these little operations have their admin done by the folk that wield the screwdrivers, hammer and saws.

Granted, but then you make time the following day to return those calls, or reply to e-mails before you make a start.  I used to be self employed.  I would be out working in the day and come home to half a dozen or more messages on the answer machine.  I either called them in the evening, or first thing the next morning depending on the appointments I had.

I learnt a valuable lesson when working as an office admin back in the 80's.  I was called into a high level meeting between the MD of one of the group companies, the MD of the whole group and the senior buyer form the largest catalogue companies in the UK.  The buyer wanted it made clear to me that if they have an order and they chase delivery, that they wanted regular updates as it made its way from China.  If it was stuck in customs he wanted to know.  Basically he didn't want any fobbing off or BS.   Months later a mixed container that had a large order on was held in customs.  I telephoned him at a regular time every day, even if I had received no update from my earlier enquiry with customs... This allowed him to advise the tens of thousands of customers of any delay, especially as this was coming up for Christmas.  Months late, I was called in to another meeting, and he personally thanked me in front of both MD's.  - The point is (and sorry for going OT) it taught me that communication was so important even if the news isn't what the customer wanted to hear.  I'm sure its the same here, Graham probably wouldn't be bothered to hear that his order won't be ready until xyz, that would allow him to have comfort that things are progressing, al be it slowly.  It's the not knowing and being ignored that he has a gripe about.   Think about it... if the company had the decency to call him every 3-4 weeks just to say how his order is progressing then this post wouldn't exist.  I'm sure it can have an effect on their trade as anyone reading this will think twice about placing an order with them based on the content of this thread.