MESU- Frustration.. without ending

[OJ87]

Hi everyone,

i want to share my sad long story with ordering the MESU mount to not let you fall in and to warn anyone planning to order it from MESU:

 I ordered this mount based on its given„fantastic“ specification und a relativ lower Preis comparing to other high end mounts, considering also all good reputation wrote by people who bought this mount or came in contact with Lucas Mesu.

 I ordered it at end of January: at that time i was told all the mounts are sold and he’s  going to make a new 25 serie and assured me I’m the first one who will receive it, but it’ll take longer than 10 weeks he usually give. According to his words it will be possible to be finished in May. So I accepted the deal and ordered it with the wedge and counterweights.

now it’s almost middle of Juni and almost half year after ordering: but it seems the  order not to be finished. Mailing MESU about it from the end of April. I realized after just 5-6 E-Mail his style of answering and also how unprofessional he is: he never answered my question directly and gives me reasons I really can’t follow, which are sometimes not logical to me and of course sometimes I felt I had to apologies because I wrote him emails asking about my delayed order.

 and I’ll try to summary it here:

-April: (asked him after I saw people getting their mounts before me): he told me all parts for the mount are ordered and it will take few weeks to be finished.

-after three weeks: he asked me about the parameters of my pier to make the wedge ( which I already gave him 3 months ago) and he tells me the mount is ready just the wedge.

-2 weeks later I asked him again about the delivery:  now he tells me he is waiting for the material for the wedge to be delivered , after it he will order the material for coating and it takes another week and he is waiting also for controller which appears not to be there, despite he told be the mount is ready( let me mention his first email where he said everything is ordered)

- another 2 weeks of waiting: he tells me everything goes as planned 😂😂 ( I couldn’t resist the smilies despite the sad story), asking him about which Plan he means because I was lost: he tells me to read the E-Mails because I’m wasting his time, which he needs to finish my wedge ( the wedge supposed to be finished according to his given plan 2 weeks ago). 
after so much frustration I told him his plan will be finished in 1 week, so I’ll give him 2 weeks to send me the order, in it’ll not be finished until then, I want to step back and cancel it, I based my decision according to the emails he wrote me( delay of the order more than 6 weeks upon given date and giving him a deadline ). 
the answer was I don’t have the right to cancel my order, and he’ll stop answering my emails until the mount will be finished ( he didn’t give me any date or deadline). After this I decided to  avoid  the pain, more angry emails and I went to my lawyer to open a case (the good thing the insurance will cover it). 
Unfortunately this is my story, I wish I could go back in time and undo this order, slap my self to do such stupid idea but it’s not possible. 

I know there are people in forums swear by Mesu mounts and talks how very good is he, my order was based on those reports. But I didn’t  feel that, I’m wondering how it’ll be for after sale service..

My advice is to step back and order something else, maybe a bit expensive, but you know it’ll come at the given date, the company will apology for delay, will never tell to stop wasting their time.

 I’ll update when something new comes.

 Clear skies,

[bottletopburly]

That’s poor service, looking on modern astronomy they’re taking deposits for a batch of 200e mounts due July , hopefully you get your money back soon, they say a company is only as good as it’s service and this doesn’t read well does it .

[PeterCPC]

Customer Care again - you are the customer and they don't care.

[OJ87]

1 hour ago, bottletopburly said:

That’s poor service, looking on modern astronomy they’re taking deposits for a batch of 200e mounts due July , hopefully you get your money back soon, they say a company is only as good as it’s service and this doesn’t read well does it .

I hope so, now it’ll cost me time and nerves, which I could invest in very good things. 

1 hour ago, PeterCPC said:

Customer Care again - you are the customer and they don't care.

[OJ87]

No wonder there are no astro-seller in Germany want to sell this mount… after they used to do years ago.

[bottletopburly]

Seems mr Mesu needs a reality check , he offering a high end product you’d expect his service to match that too  just be truthful to the customer if there’s a problem just say so give the customer the option to cancel or wait until anticipated date . 

[tooth_dr]

If I'm reading this right (sorry it is hard to follow in places), you were told it would be with you at the end of May? It's now 12 days into June and you should have the mount in the next couple of weeks?  I dont think that is entirely unreasonable at all.  Given that this mount will give you a lifetime of service, it seems odd to be panicking over a few weeks, when it is the middle of the summer and there is not darkness worth talking about?  May be Mr Mesu is few up with the constant emails?

[JeremyS]

I agree with @tooth_dr - I don’t see a real problem here 🤔

[newbie alert]

Sorry to hear of your frustration but... at the time being it's a totally different world out there now.. gaining materials is a massive problem in every aspect, not just astro... in the construction industry  there's massive issues getting stock..as a e.g I got told that timber has gone up in price, trying to get stock is a massive problem which he blamed on trump buying supplies and paying double.. concrete supplies are limited because they can't get the polymers to make the bags, can't make paving slabs, or concrete blocks, can't get get wheelbarrow or shovels because they can't get the metal to even make them..

I've only had a email question to Lucas once, he replied very swiftly, was very polite dispite me not being a customer.. so I think you need to work with him rather than against.. he's probrably based his lead times on what he's been told, so a delay on gaining material has a massive knock on effect..

It could be worst, you could have ordered a JTW Trident 😁🤔

Remember Lucus is the only one making them and knows them literally inside out

[newbie alert]

2 hours ago, bottletopburly said:

Seems mr Mesu needs a reality check , he offering a high end product you’d expect his service to match that too  just be truthful to the customer if there’s a problem just say so give the customer the option to cancel or wait until anticipated date . 

Ok, put it into perspective.. people ordering a eq6 r pro have had to wait 6 months plus for their mounts, or any astro products... 

Covid, brexit have added to the normal related issues..

Think it's quite reasonable to have a custom made product within a few months.. that's pretty fast I think

[bottletopburly]

12 minutes ago, newbie alert said:

Ok, put it into perspective.. people ordering a eq6 r pro have had to wait 6 months plus for their mounts, or any astro products... 

Covid, brexit have added to the normal related issues..

Think it's quite reasonable to have a custom made product within a few months.. that's pretty fast I think

If a company stipulates a date you will have it then that when you expect it if it’s not happening then inform customer at earliest date too many people roll over and get led up the garden path on dates a week turns into 2 then 6weeks just be honest .

[newbie alert]

50 minutes ago, bottletopburly said:

If a company stipulates a date you will have it then that when you expect it if it’s not happening then inform customer at earliest date too many people roll over and get led up the garden path on dates a week turns into 2 then 6weeks just be honest .

So if the supplier misses his delivery date then how he ment to achieve his deadline?

With regards to the Trident mount, a friend ordered one and was told about a month.. that was over 2 years ago now.. 

With regards to the skywatcher eq6 which is  a massed produced product.. is 6 months unreasonable in your eyes..

Atm everything is a nightmare to get hold of, demand exceeds production

Not everything is off the shelf like B&Q

[bottletopburly]

1 minute ago, newbie alert said:

So if the supplier misses his delivery date then how he ment to achieve his deadline?

With regards to the Trident mount, a friend ordered one and was told about a month.. that was over 2 years ago now.. 

With regards to the skywatcher eq6 which is  a massed produced product.. is 6 months unreasonable in your eyes..

Atm everything is a nightmare to get hold of, demand exceeds production

Not everything is off the shelf like B&Q

It’s quite simple if a manufacturer has the materials then he can roughly gauge  his delivery date , if on the other hand he is missing a part then he can’t  so if the customer is informed of this and given honest info as to what the problem and be realistic  then customer can decide if another 6 month wait is acceptable or not , with regards the trident mount that is totally unacceptable if on the other hand he was told it’s a three  year wait then that’s acceptable , one month to two years that’s called lying 🤥 about a realistic date knowing full well it’s not happening.

[newbie alert]

48 minutes ago, bottletopburly said:

It’s quite simple if a manufacturer has the materials then he can roughly gauge  his delivery date , if on the other hand he is missing a part then he can’t  so if the customer is informed of this and given honest info as to what the problem and be realistic  then customer can decide if another 6 month wait is acceptable or not , with regards the trident mount that is totally unacceptable if on the other hand he was told it’s a three  year wait then that’s acceptable , one month to two years that’s called lying 🤥 about a realistic date knowing full well it’s not happening.

So with regards to the skywatcher mounts I doubt that there was a realistic delivery date ever set... there was a flood of deliveries from Celestron,  ioptron, skywatcher etc lately to all outlets but I'm sure that most of it was sold so won't be much left if any for stock..

Regarding the JTW,  yeah fully agree..and he's terrible with any updates on a fully upfront paid product

But this is getting away from the subject of the mesu.. Lucus said that he needed to make 25 units and it will take longer than his normal 10 week turnaround( so a delay was anticipated) and possibly in May and now it's 12 days into June .. not really too much different is it... he's not making one unit at a time, it's made as a 25 unit batch and then assembled.. take it he's a one man band,and doesn't only just do mounts.. Just think it's better to work with him than just to jump on a social platform to air his frustration( which i think won't do him any favours)

It's not a off the shelf massed produced product, it's a highly successful bespoke made product, made by 1 man..

Edited June 12, 2021 by newbie alert
Added info

[OJ87]

3 hours ago, tooth_dr said:

If I'm reading this right (sorry it is hard to follow in places), you were told it would be with you at the end of May? It's now 12 days into June and you should have the mount in the next couple of weeks?  I dont think that is entirely unreasonable at all.  Given that this mount will give you a lifetime of service, it seems odd to be panicking over a few weeks, when it is the middle of the summer and there is not darkness worth talking about?  May be Mr Mesu is few up with the constant emails?

He said it will be in May but he didn’t defined the date, I took the middle of it. But that’s  not the only point, as I mentioned above: the way he tells me how my order being late and reason are not logical. 

[newbie alert]

26 minutes ago, OJ87 said:

He said it will be in May but he didn’t defined the date, I took the middle of it. But that’s  not the only point, as I mentioned above: the way he tells me how my order being late and reason are not logical. 

Whatever the reason is it won't solve anything by venting on a social platform...

And why do you think you need to give Lucas a deadline?

Opening up a case with a lawyer just put his back up, harrasing him with emails certainly did as he's now refused to contact you back.. 

The controllers aren't made in his home country, they need to be imported and cost a fortune

You're painting a very ugly picture of yourself.. do you think you're the only customer in the world

Hope he does refund you as I don't think you're the type of customer he needs..

Buy a Trident.. then you will find out what waiting and unresponsive to emails is really like

[bottletopburly]

28 minutes ago, newbie alert said:

And why do you think you need to give Lucas a deadline?

I think a customer is entitled to be kept in the loop irrespective if he’s a one man band if you tell your customers may then why would you expect two weeks into June and not have received an update, sorry in my book it don’t wash , quick to take your monies all to do with communication, they say a promise means nothing until it’s delivered.

[tooth_dr]

1 hour ago, bottletopburly said:

I think a customer is entitled to be kept in the loop irrespective if he’s a one man band if you tell your customers may then why would you expect two weeks into June and not have received an update, sorry in my book it don’t wash , quick to take your monies all to do with communication, they say a promise means nothing until it’s delivered.

Those are quite harsh words about Lucas. I think they are unfair and inflammatory and you don’t know the other side of the story. 

[OJ87]

22 minutes ago, newbie alert said:

So with regards to the skywatcher mounts I doubt that there was a realistic delivery date ever set... there was a flood of deliveries from Celestron,  ioptron, skywatcher etc lately to all outlets but I'm sure that most of it was sold so won't be much left if any for stock..

Regarding the JTW,  yeah fully agree..and he's terrible with any updates on a fully upfront paid product

But this is getting away from the subject of the mesu.. Lucus said that he needed to make 25 units and it will take longer than his normal 10 week turnaround( so a delay was anticipated) and possibly in May and now it's 12 days into June .. not really too much different is it... he's not making one unit at a time, it's made as a 25 unit batch and then assembled.. take it he's a one man band,and doesn't only just do mounts.. Just think it's better to work with him than just to jump on a social platform to air his frustration( which i think won't do him any favours)

It's not a off the shelf massed produced product, it's a highly successful bespoke made product, made by 1 man..

I  just answered Tooth_dr about the delivery date…

but let me please explain the situation: comparing high end mount with middle class or low class one ( not only the performance but also the price and service) MESU comes according to its specification and price to AP and GM mounts. Most of  those mounts are not massively produced. 
but as said before: it’s not only the delay, but also how I get the replies from him. 
frustration, waiting and getting over all challenges is a part of our hoppy. But the way I’m treated hier is so unfair and unprofessional. 
it’s my right ( and everyone also) to know when I can get my order and in case of delay to cancel it.  The Pandemie is 1,5 year old, so I really can’t see if it has anything to do with the delay. 
 

[Tomatobro]

31 minutes ago, OJ87 said:

The Pandemic is 1,5 year old, so I really can’t see if it has anything to do with the delay. 

Unfortunately its just the opposite. And I recall didn't the folks at SiTec loose their homes and factory in the Californian wild fires late last year?

[OJ87]

2 hours ago, newbie alert said:

Whatever the reason is it won't solve anything by venting on a social platform...

And why do you think you need to give Lucas a deadline?

Opening up a case with a lawyer just put his back up, harrasing him with emails certainly did as he's now refused to contact you back.. 

The controllers aren't made in his home country, they need to be imported and cost a fortune

You're painting a very ugly picture of yourself.. do you think you're the only customer in the world

Hope he does refund you as I don't think you're the type of customer he needs..

Buy a Trident.. then you will find out what waiting and unresponsive to emails is really like

So you call it harassing when I  ask about  my order every 2-3 weeks AFTER the promised date??? I don’t know which standards you are used to. But it’s not supposed to be this way. I have worked hard to earn that money ( Maybe you didn’t so you don’t care if it’s one month or one year) and I wrote him in very polite style without any anger, but his responses were at the end the opposite , so I earn more than“ please don’t waste my time with your question about delivery “ (in doubt I have all emails ).

and yes I need a deadline so I know at that date my mount will be ready or I’ll get my money back. That’s why there is a thing called deadline.. and he must accept it because he can’t give me anything else but weeks of waiting.
 

The only thing we share is our hope that Lucas give my money back ( I seriously doubt it) . There are a lot of good high end manufactures , I guess I still feel much better buying a mount there after all this.

[OJ87]

7 minutes ago, Tomatobro said:

Unfortunately its just the opposite. And I recall didn't the folks at SiTec loose their homes and factory in the Californian wild fires late last year?

Maybe it’s true and I totally understand it. What I don’t understand: why I get a promise that’s the mount will be ready in date if the controller factory already burned in fire? Why I don’t get the simple truth to be told? 

[callisto]

Deep breath's everyone, deep breath's 😉

[newbie alert]

56 minutes ago, OJ87 said:

So you call it harassing when I  ask about  my order every 2-3 weeks AFTER the promised date??? I don’t know which standards you are used to. But it’s not supposed to be this way. I have worked hard to earn that money ( Maybe you didn’t so you don’t care if it’s one month or one year) and I wrote him in very polite style without any anger, but his responses were at the end the opposite , so I earn more than“ please don’t waste my time with your question about delivery “ (in doubt I have all emails ).

and yes I need a deadline so I know at that date my mount will be ready or I’ll get my money back. That’s why there is a thing called deadline.. and he must accept it because he can’t give me anything else but weeks of waiting.
 

The only thing we share is our hope that Lucas give my money back ( I seriously doubt it) . There are a lot of good high end manufactures , I guess I still feel much better buying a mount there after all this.

We're 12 days into June..

Maybe because of your deadlines and general attitude as you come across on here you've been put at the back of the que

We have no astro darkness only twilight, those photons won't stop travelling and still be there when you finally get a mount.. If you're that impatient maybe you picked the wrong hobbie... venting your anger on here has solved what? 

I've got 3 working mounts thankyou and yes I work hard for my money.. what is it a peeing up the wall contest

Could buy a Trident, or keep it local a Gemini... but none will work as well as a mesu..

 

[newbie alert]

2 hours ago, bottletopburly said:

I think a customer is entitled to be kept in the loop irrespective if he’s a one man band if you tell your customers may then why would you expect two weeks into June and not have received an update, sorry in my book it don’t wash , quick to take your monies all to do with communication, they say a promise means nothing until it’s delivered.

We're 12 days into june, from his own words he said there was a delay right from the start, so he anticipated the delay.. from what cause isn't said but he only said it could be may..

He's obviously annoyed Lucas that much much for him not to respond to his emails( we all don't know what has been said, but obviously pushes a few buttons)

I deal with supplying materials and this year hasn't been worth trying to trade..so I'm only fitting...we should have had a new price book in Sept and another in March to keep up with increases but so far it's June and still no pricebook.. 

So if you phone a customer to tell then there's a delay and don't know when it's due to arrive the first thing they ask is when🤔