Yep
DIY Express Issues.
- Thread starter dnesci
- Start date
Yep
Not to be nasty , but from my experience @ DIYC>>>
This is a broad statement that gives new members a dim bulb view only .
Pre sales were a staple on this site and I for one benefited greatly from them .
Painting pre-sale like this with a broad stroke is just wrong .
I am not as willing to just look to China first when there may be other local options !
There is no local option, so to speak. It all comes from China. Fact is, back then, pre sales were the only option to get a good deal, now there are other ways to get a great deal and you dont have to wait months on end to get your stuff.
dnesci
Member
Yes. Thank you. I've been on the sight over 10 years and did not know of this vendor.
By the way as I started this thread. I heard back today that some of my items have shipped. At least some of the word will ship.
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SoftwareGuy
New member
So I did a small show last year but I'm looking to order 500-1000 pixels this year. Does this mean I shouldn't use DIY?
Last year I ordered some stuff off of Amazon. Amazon stuff worked ok but I understand they cheaped out on the wire length, the connectors weren't waterproof, and the wiring seemed really cheap*. I figure DIY should do it better? Or is there another vendor that works best?
I'd like to get the pixels by the beginning of October, along with a power supply, maybe.
(Hopefully this question is allowed, not sure of the vendor rules here)
--
*EDIT: I also couldn't get a good orange, so I'm hoping a different vendor can make a better orange for Halloween.
Last year I ordered some stuff off of Amazon. Amazon stuff worked ok but I understand they cheaped out on the wire length, the connectors weren't waterproof, and the wiring seemed really cheap*. I figure DIY should do it better? Or is there another vendor that works best?
I'd like to get the pixels by the beginning of October, along with a power supply, maybe.
(Hopefully this question is allowed, not sure of the vendor rules here)
--
*EDIT: I also couldn't get a good orange, so I'm hoping a different vendor can make a better orange for Halloween.
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DIYledEXPRESS
New member
If it's in stock on our site, it will ship within a week. As far as the orange, adjust the 'gamma' setting either in the controller or in your sequencer, if using xLights/falcon controller, set it to about 1.8 or 2 and see what looks best.
I need to hit up john, cause i still aint found a good orange. The orange from LOR is ok, but not a good deep orange like i want
SoftwareGuy
New member
An update for those that might come across this thread in the future...
I placed an order with DIY lights on Sept 8th and the lights arrived today, Sept 17th. I'll need to rewire my controller to do testing but the order itself looks to be fine. Shipping speed, price, and order confirmation was fine too. So I'm not sure what motivated the initial post of being unresponsive but that was not my experience...
Thank you DIY for responding to my post here so quickly! It gave me confidence that you'd deliver - and you did. If every experience is like this you'll have a customer until my kids think Christmas lights are dumb... and one isn't even born yet, so I'll be around for a while.
Now... on to see what I can do about that elusive Orange color. I'll try the gamma adjustment, thanks for the tip. (I am using Falcon + xlights)
I placed an order with DIY lights on Sept 8th and the lights arrived today, Sept 17th. I'll need to rewire my controller to do testing but the order itself looks to be fine. Shipping speed, price, and order confirmation was fine too. So I'm not sure what motivated the initial post of being unresponsive but that was not my experience...
Thank you DIY for responding to my post here so quickly! It gave me confidence that you'd deliver - and you did. If every experience is like this you'll have a customer until my kids think Christmas lights are dumb... and one isn't even born yet, so I'll be around for a while.
Now... on to see what I can do about that elusive Orange color. I'll try the gamma adjustment, thanks for the tip. (I am using Falcon + xlights)
Keebler
New member
Paypal will almost always take the side of the customer (buyer) when there is an issue. if for some reason the seller is non communicative or doesnt ship in a timely manner. paypal will refund your money promptly. less reputable sellers shy away from services that protect the buyers. Im not saying that any particular seller is less reputable, merely my experience with paypal and sellers on ebay and in china, etc
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Keebler
New member
Id say contact Chris (the owner), but he is also not real communicative. BUT, his work takes him all over the globe. even places where there is NO internet (if you can believe that - like here in ok). He is a VERY nice guy, if you can ever get a hold of him.
dirknerkle
Supporting Member
Yes, he is a nice guy, and over the past 3 or 4 years, life, job changes and some very tough issues caused by weather and flooding in Texas have really been a damper to his ability to stay with the hobby. I'm not sure of the status of his store -- but you can usually find Chris on FB:
https://www.facebook.com/chris.foley.7583
As far as http://renard-shop.com goes, they are most definitely operational and are constantly replenishing stocks.
And to those who wonder about the deliverability of goods from blinky-flashy vendors, have patience. All the LED strings, pixels, connectors and what-not are manufactured overseas and primarily in China. Tariffs, shipping delays and, believe it or not, theft (fairly common in China) contribute to delays in receiving products which then delays the turning around and shipping to you.
In the case of some of the custom board providers such as renard-plus.com (and even DIGWDF when we were open), board supplies are carefully monitored and sales are incredibly difficult to predict. Typical in-stock levels might be 18-24 boards of a certain type and the most frequent order is one or perhaps two boards. However, once in a while someone decides to decorate their neighbors' houses in addition to their own and and a single order can take everything in stock, which then requires replenishment. And don't forget -- many of the PCB manufacturers are overseas, too, and "s*** happens" from time to time as the boards sit in limbo in China's postal system... Why not keep more stock on hand? The answer is plain and simple: $$$$$. Opening a blinky-flashy store is a risky process because at any given moment, there is no true way to read the potential of selling the inventory. This is why many will run pre-order programs in the spring where the pre-orders help provide the capital for acquiring the inventory. And don't forget that pre-order programs have risk, too: when the vendor takes your money, he/she assumes that financial liability and is completely at the mercy of the overseas manufacturer and shippers.
Running an online blinky-flashy store for this hobby isn't an easy process. There's a lot more than meets the eye than just a web page where you can click on the quantity you want and finish the order via PayPal.
It would be tough to get pixels from anyone by October if you ordered now. January is the time to buy.
DIYledEXPRESS
New member
With in stock items, we are still shipping within a few days/week Max of the order date. Within a few weeks when we start shipping May pre-sale items, that lead time will go up a little bit as we are trying to clear room.
SoftwareGuy
New member
As I said in my previous post, everything went perfectly (though I can't test until I do some major rewiring of my controller). Payment, shipping, communication (via website) was all just fine, so again, I'm not sure what's motivating these statements to the contrary but that was not at all what I experienced...
How do you know that Chris is the owner?
According to The Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions Todd Jetzer is the owner. See below:
Addresses
Registered Agent
Office
TODD J JETZER
5231 WILD MEADOW CT
SHEBOYGAN , WI 53083-1975
File a Registered Agent/Office Update Form
Principal Office
5231 WILD MEADOW CT
SHEBOYGAN , WI 53083-1975
United States of America
There is an old saying : "It's the service after the sale that counts!"
DrNeutron
Active member
Chris is the owner of Radant Holidays......Todd is owner of DIYEXPRESS.
Stormyblade
Member
Well, it's been a month since I've heard back in any form...I was told it would be "...a few weeks..." to get replacement P5 panels that were defective from the pre-sale in January. It would be nice to get some sort of reply and movement since the holiday season is quickly approaching. My last message from them was Aug 21 and I've sent a message to them since then.
Maybe posting here will get some vision??
Maybe posting here will get some vision??
mikel3332
New member
Get them from Amazon , 2 day free shipping
DIYledEXPRESS
New member
Trying to get all of the warranty claims finished up before the summer Pre-Sale items start shipping. Aiming to get them all done within a week or two.
XmasinVancouver
New member
Not sure which place you are referring to. Yes, it's prime season, but without paying for premium tier rush shipping, from the time of payment to receipt for orders from Ray wu, another random aliexpress seller, and holiday coro, was about 10 days including the weekend. I've heard Boscoyo may have a significant shipping delay of 5-6 weeks+ ( don't quote me on that, I don't recall with certainty). I've also found that with the Chinese sources, if I've enquired politely about when they will ship it if it hasn't shipped after 3-5 days, they usually ship it the next day. The only time I've had the infamous loonnngggggg shipping time from China was selecting the cheapest, estimated delivery 40-60 days option. And at that, even though using that option many times, it's only happened once so far with some luck. Selecting the cheapest shipping that offers tracking usually results in faster delivery. Just my experience, and I'm not ordering custom built products