Since beginning restoration on my '67 Spitfire recently, I've ordered parts
from Moss, Victoria British, Spitbits and yes, even the legendary Roadster
Factory.
While all have delivered the ordered parts in a timely fashion, I've had two
strange experiences with Victoria British recently and I'd like to know if
these are isolated incidents or the start of a trend.
While most of the parts I have ordered from VB have been perfecty
acceptable, one two separate occasions now, I've received questionably "new"
merchandise. The first item was a replacement fan for my generator. It had
several scratches and even some beginning surface rust. Since this part is
something that isn't crucial in terms of cosmetics, I kept it.
Today, I received a set of four chromed two-eared knock-offs. Every one had
some sort of scratch on it. Two of them appeared to have dirt or grease
around the outermost thread. One had just a minor scratch that was barely
noticeable. The others had scratches QUITE noticible (I think I'll post a
picture on my web page later, maybe. Now the STRANGE thing is that these
scratches seem to be UNDER the chrome plating surface. What goes on here?
While I won't go so far as to say they are used (there isn't any evidence of
hammering along the ears), I'm beginning to wonder if they are "2nd's".
Is that why they are on sale, currently? If I send these back for
replacements, should I expect to receive others in similar condition? I may
not send them back at all -- most of the imperfections would be difficult to
see from ten feet away -- but it just sort of bugs me that I've received
something less than quality merchandise from Victoria British twice now...
Opinions welcome.
Best wishes,
Jeff
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