Has Explora-Dome stopped trading

[Brassey5]

I've been trying to buy some parts from Explorer-Dome and started with an on-line enquiry 2 weeks ago.  I've had no response at all from that, so I decided to place my order and did that on their website.  The order was accepted OK but when it came to paying for it I got an Email accepting it and saying they would contact me with a shipping cost, (I'm in New Zealand).  There was no way of moving forward and actually paying for the goods.  I've waited just over a week now and have had no contact at all from anyone within the company.  I've tried Emailing a Sales address which I got from their website but no response from that either.  Has anyone heard any thing??

regards

John S

Edited Monday at 21:03 by Brassey5

[Mognet]

They're not a familiar company to me, so I've had a quick search and not found much. It might be worth asking on Cloudy Nights as they're a US based company. They also have a forum, which is still active. Only 98 members though, and last post was 21st September https://exploradome-observatories.groups.io/g/main

[Brassey5]

Hi Mark - yes I'd found that forum and although it's still active there's hardly any activity.  My impression is that the company is a subsidary of a family run agricultural firm in Minnesota.  I think responsibility for Explora-Dome products is vested with a separate person/part of the company and that person/part is unresponsive.  I rang the parent company today and was given another number which also proved to be unresponsive.  Whatever is happening/not happening there, it's a pain - they seem to have a good range of observatory domes and have been around for at least a decade.  Some of their products will have found their way into the UK.  I think the range was expanded recently too.   I'll try joining that forum.  All I want are some replacement azimuth wheels for my self-built dome.

John