Strona Butika

Short story of my LONG attempt to buy a sim Boeing 737 yoke from Horizon Flight Simulation of Michael Lehkamp.
This is the WARNING to any potential customers.
My correspondence and also pictures of their products prove, that Mr Lehkamp can be a simple LIAR
and CHEAT his customers to get the money a.s.a.p.
It also proves how rude he can be to those who pay him.

Very big photos of the yoke, high details

Smaller photos of the yoke, especially for modem users

Attention! It can be harmful to your eyes ;-)

2004-04-14
My first e-mail to Michael asking if they make a 737 yoke.
The answer came same day "Thank you for writing. We are currently modeling the 737 sim yoke and should have pictures available in the next couple of days. Prices will be similar to the Model 67."
Yeah, you bet, just read the next answer that came a month after.

Same day I asked if it was possible to get it in 2 weeks as I was planning to go to USA for 4-5 days, the answer was:
"As for getting it done in 2 weeks, hmmmm, maybe. I'm not promising anything but I should have an answer on this for you by the end of the weekend.Please write me on Sunday and remind me. I should have an answer as to whether I can complete it in two weeks or not."

Ups. That should have been a sign for me. The customer should remind the seller that he wants to buy something? Well - that was the first point showing my stupidity along the whole story.

2004-05-10
I asked about the status of 737, which Michael had wrote they were modeling.

2004-05-25
After 2 weeks of having no reply I resent my question again. And the answer was:
"Currently we have not been requested to make a 737 yoke, therefore we have not. If someone orders one, then we will make it."

Here's the first LIE: you wrote a monthe before that you had already been modeling the first one!

In the meantime when I was trying to get some info prices went up from about $450 to aobut $850. As I was not prepared to pay that much and started conversation before I tried to trade a bit. After a couple of e-mail we agreed the price of $600 for the yoke and $100 for shipping to Poland. Michael's final answer was:
"I'll tell you what, I'be been wanting to do the 737 yoke anyway. I will lower the sale price to $600.00 for YOU ONLY."

I thought it was a good deal for both of us taking under consideration I was a launching customer for this type of product.

2004-06-10
After a few days of troubles with sending money to Michael (full down payment of $600) I got a confirmation from him that the money is received and work is started.

2004-06-13
Written confirmation from Michael that the yoke would be ready within 3-4 weeks. HEHE - good joke (not yoke ;-)).

2004-06-25
Short e-mail from me asking about the progress of work.

2004-07-03
After more than a week of no answer I resent the e-mail from June 25th asking about the progress. Anyhow that was already the time to have the unit nearly finished.

You would not believe the anwswer, which came 4 days later:

2004-07-07
"Hi Michal,
Was vacationing. Sorry.
Your yoke is not completed as of yet. I will keep you posted.
Michael"

WOW. I do not forbid anybody to have vacations but... There's $600 on your account, and delivery time has passed, and I have no info for more than two weeks from you and, no SORRY, no APOLOGISE just that!!!

My reply was quick, but still gentle:
"I would never bore you too much but... A month ago I was told about 3-4 weeks lead time. Now after a few days of silence (and almost 5 weeks from 100% prepayment) I just got a short message about your vacations (why not before??) no info about what I can expect... I do understand you need to rest, but I need atl least some info how long it will take. Waiting for the news, with best regards"

This is what I got as a word back:

2004-07-13
Yes I do take vacations and I do not feel I need to report this to anyone.
Please understand your yoke is being manufactured for over $200.00 less than anyone else pays. Therefore patience is a virtue.
Yoke cronstruction is completed but I am waiting on switches that are back ordered through Mouser Electronics. That is out of my hands and control.
Will be in touch,

I wish you told me before "OK, 200$ less but don't expect neither to be treaten in a normal way nor to have a yoke on time". I whought we agreed for that as it was the FIRST unit. I was stupid again.

But I was quiet for another 10 days

2004-06-23
E-mail sent with short question: "any news"?

No answer.

2004-07-27
Another reminder from me, curious what was going on. I also informed Miachel that I would be in USA shortly (3 days) between 13th & 15th so I would pick it up myself

The answer was (without any apologies or whatsoever):
"Yes I spoke today with Mauser who assures me the thumb switches will be here this week.
Yes, I think we can have it ready for you before the 15th if all continues well."

No signature, no "Best regards" or "Worst regards". No "fuck off" at the end, although the last quoted "f" word came from this guy a bit later.

2004-07-30
I send final confirmation of my stay in USA between 16th and 18th August and ask for final confirmation (not "I think we can") if I can get something then.

2004-08-02
After no answer one more request for delivery confirmation.

2004-08-03
This is confirmation by Michael's means (after approx 3-4 reminder e-mails):
"Yes, I think we can have it ready for you before the 15th if all continues well."

2004-08-04
A few e-mails with adresses where I would be staying and request for photo of my unit.

2004-08-14
3 days before my flight to USA obviously no photo has arrived nor there was any commyunication or even short information about the status from Michael. As I was getting nervous not to have my uoke anyway (after almost 3 months instead of promiced 3-4 weeks delivery) I wrote:
"Just want to ask if everything is OK and whether I will finally get my yoke beginning of next week in Buffalo?"

Guess what the answer was... Yes, you are right - there was NO answer.

2004-08-16
I am about to leave to New York the next day morning and no news. I am writing then:
"Michael... Unfortunately i've got no news from you. I contacted also my colleague in Buffalo - seems like you still have not contacted him about shipment. I really believe you will send the goods on time as primces. I am flying to USA tomorrow and will be in Buffalo on 18th only, hope you can organise everything before."

Obviously I still got nothing. I tried to call the number, which was shown on his webpage but I could only listen to answering machine thoughout the whole night (afternoon and evening in the USA).

2004-08-17
Early in the morning (my flight was at 7.00 from WAW to FRA) I wrote once more:
"It's 5 o'clock in the morning in Warsaw, I am leaving to the airport. I will be in Buffalo in about 25 hours for aprox 24 hours. Plese do not make me disappointed and do not fail another promice...
If you are not able to send the yoke to BUF on time the last chance is to catch me in New York, where I will be for 2 days on 19th (whole day) and 20th (will be leaving in the morning).

Of course I also tried to phone him a few times but without success.

When I was waiting in the business lounge in FRA for my next flight JFK (I had about 2 hours) I opened up my laptop to check if I had any e-mail. Yes, I had. I could not believe my eyes. You judge yourself:

"You know Michal,
Your attitude really sucks and I've had about enough of it!
I have never promised you anything. I indicated at times when things should be ready. But I have never promised you anything other than I would make good on the deal we initially had on price. Which brings me to another issue. Your order is only (1) of 16 such orders I currently have going for Generation 1 yokes. And your order was about number 11 in the order. And, your the only one of the 16 that whined about the price and I lowered for. Yes I agree it has taken some time to finish this. But you have to understand that as I make these I learn new things and then I try to implimant then in the others that are under construction. I have made such better changes to your yoke as well. But unfortunately there were more things I could have done had your level of patience been as the other 15.
Now on the matter of shipping. The yoke is ready after I spent most of the day yesterday and all day today getting the thing finalized due to your schedule. Which meant I placed other orders on hold to get yours ready and accomodate your schedule.
On Tuesday I will be sending this yoke somewhere so long as I get payment from you for the shipping. Just let me know where you want it to go and I will generate the invoice for shipping. On Tuesday if payment is made, I will send the yoke out via UPS."

Oh my GOD. My attitude sucks? No comments.
My yoke was one of 16? LIAR LIAR LIAR!!! Even if it was (although wen we agreed you were telling something completely different) - SO WHAT??
Now, when I am on the way, just about to board the plane you are telling me to pay for shipping in advance? How the hell can I do that? I do not even want to mention, that on the telephone we agreed to have the shipment free of charge, when it goes to Buffalo, not far to Poland.
You may want to read it or not, but I will quote my whole answer to him:

**
>>Michael_Lehkamp>>Your attitude really sucks and I've had about enough of it!>

You know Michael... yours as well, no offence... I am your customer, no matter of the price. If you agree on the price it means, you're OK with it. It is unfair now to tell me that I am just one single bullshit out of 16 because you agreed on the price... An why are you getting angry? Are you judging me because I am getting a bit impatient? Yes I am, but I would not if you only answered e-mails on time. Not really many of them. I sent one after more than one month of silence (I got an info from you that the yoke would be made in 3-4 week) and understood your explanations. Then I called you up again a week ago just becous of my visit to USA. Do I expect too much just to get an info and my yoke after more than 2 months? Do I ask you for too much just to get a short info? I do not think so. Do you still think that it is MY attitude that sucks?? I hope you do not treat me like that just to make a typical american Polish Joke out of me...

>>Michael_Lehkamp>>I have never promised you anything. I indicated at times when things should be ready.>

A week ago you toldme that the yoke is ready, only one piece was missing, and we agreed you would send it to me later on. You told me that in such case there would be absolutely no problem to get the yoke when I am in Buffalo shortly. I called my friend 2 days ago and he did not receive enything from yout, that's why I wrote you another e-mail and tried to catch on the telephone, just to be sure if you can do what you... yeah, this time really promiced.

>>Michael_Lehkamp>>But I have never promised you anything other than I would make good on the deal we initially had on price.>

Yeah, again. You agreed on the price, but did not tell me that because of the price you will treat me like a beggar.

>Which brings me to another issue. Your order is only (1) of 16 such orders I currently have going for Generation 1 yokes. And your order was about number 11 in the order. And, your the only one of the 16 that whined about the price and I lowered for.>

Yeah, but you told me that I would get the special price as mine was going to be the FIRST 737! Now you tell me that it's 11th and you don't like me because I had a price discussion with you... Well I am not angry off the delay, but lack of communication and information.

>>Michael_Lehkamp>>But you have to understand that as I make these I learn new things and then I try to implimant then in the others that are under construction. I have made such better changes to your yoke as well.>

I appreciate it, that's why I am not angdy for the time but, as I've written before, communication problems.

>>Michael_Lehkamp>>But unfortunately there were more things I could have done had your level of patience been as the other 15.>

Mike, if you told me a week ago the there was no chance to get the yoke when I am in USA I would be quiet. If you answered my first e-mail of last Friday you rould not get another 3 during last weekend - do you understand what I mean? Communication, just few words and 1 minute to write them.

>>Michael_Lehkamp>>Now on the matter of shipping. The yoke is ready after I spent most of the day yesterday and all day today getting the thing finalized due to your schedule.>

Great!

>>Michael_Lehkamp>>On Tuesday I will be sending this yoke somewhere so long as I get payment from you for the shipping. Just let me know where you want it to go and I will generate the invoice for shipping. On Tuesday if payment is made, I will send the yoke out via UPS.>

Mike. On the telephone we agreed you woudl ship it to Buffalo without surcharge. But OK I will be happy to pay for that but... I am getting on the plane to New York in 2 hours (I am sitting in Frankfurt now) and then after another time spent on JFK I will be getting on another plane to Buffalo.
So questions:
- if you send it on Tuesday morning are you 100% sure it will get to Buffalo on Wednesday before noon time, so that I can pick it up from my friend's home
- I am not able to pay you anything now as I will be flying for the whole day. Is it possible to send it, so that my friend pays cash to the courier while receiving the pack?
- or maybe you can phone him (I sent you his mobile phone number) and he will pay you somehow... but I would really like you to ship the unit on Tuesday morning, so that I am sure to get in on Wednesday
- the last chance is to send it to my hotel in New York (address sent in last e-mail), but si MUST get int on Thursday maximum, and also the only way is to pay cash while receiving the pack
- what will be the shipping cost?
- what will be pack dimensions and weight?

I have my flight from Frankfurt at 13.00 LT (7.00 your time) so probably we will not have any chance to speak to each other on the telephone before I arrive in New York. Pls call my friend to set up the details.

Michael, it's really a pitty that we came to such a discussion. That was not my intention. I hope we can finish the deal without problems and forget about unpleasant things.

An hour later I got the following message:

2004-08-17

"Your attitude does suck. Period! Your nationality has absolutely nothing to do with it.

Your yoke was finished as I indicated on the phone. I however, chose to add some "new found feel" to the unit, AND replaced the hand made yoke with one of the NEW molded ones. I had written down much earlier the date you would be here as communicated by you. The fact you feel it necessary to pester me over and over again with worthless emails does not mean I am going to respond to all of them and has caused me to re-think "giving" you one of the molded yokes.

I do not live by the email computer and I get to them when I can and as time permits.

No one here has treated you like a beggar, so perhaps you should quit acting like one.

I told you long ago during our phone conversation that your yoke would be ready for your US trip. For crying out loud, what else do I need to do?"

Well. Maybe it is something wrong with me? Was I relly so bad guy that I wanted to know what was going on with my yoke after long delay? You judge yourself.

Anyway. I already landed in NY. I quickly phoned my friend in Buffalo, who made a payment of $100 to Michael, so that he could send the unit to BUF or NY. I also wrote to Michael a few words, just to calm the situatino down, althoughthat was not me who made it like that:

"My suggestion is - let's stop saying who sucks, who does not. Maybe I made a few mistakes, maybe you a bit... OK let's forget about them and I am sorry for mine. I am just waiting for the yoke now.

Unfortunately we (with my friend) did not receive paypal invoice from you yeasterday, but we sent the 100$ for shipment anyway... I hope you got that."

I was still stupid. After all those things I was still trying to get something on my shoulders and it was I who was saying sorry. But even I already how Michael treats the customer, how he lies and how rude he is, the answer I got exceeded anything I could imagine. Just read:

2004-08-19
*
What in the fuck are you talking about now? I thought after our peaceful conversation on the phone last night everything was ok. Apparently not. You are the absolute worst customer I have ever dealt with. I spent 20 years as a law enforcement agent here in the states and I have to say your one of the most difficult people I've ever dealt with.

I could have sent your yoke to you long ago. But I thought you would appreciate me making new changes to your yoke like I have to all the others. Obviously not. Then I spent all day Sunday putting on the new molded yoke for you as a surprise. Then I read all of your trash emails. Well needless to say, the old yoke went back on.

I got home very late from work last night. About an hour and a half after we spoke. I was preparing to email you an invoice ($100.00) for the shipping but realized that your friend had all ready made payment. Therefore, I did not send an invoice as it was not necessary.

Today after I transported the yoke to UPS, I tried calling you via your friends phone number and he hangs up on me telling me I have the wrong number. Typical.

I'm sorry it came to this. I have been involved in the flight simulation community for over 10 years and was one the very first to ever build a working simulator. Never have I received the grief I have over this transaction.

Due to this, please do not write me, call me, or have any other form of communication with me ever again. I have had with you period! I have no intentions whatsoever of ever again responding to any kind of communication from you.

By the way, your freaking UPS tracking number is 1XXX
**********

I got sepeachless for a few minutes, read this e-mail a few times and could not understand who the hell this guy was. I realy have no comments about that.

Finally I got the package. I thought that there was nothing that would shock me more than previous e-mail. I was wrong again. There was something even more shocking and it was the yoke itself. Long time awaited, longly delayed and... Unbelievable. I will not write any more words about it, I am only asking you to see it under the following links:

Very big photos, high details

Smaller photos, especially for modem users

Any comments needed? I do not think so. If you have any comments, of course do not hesitate to e-mail me (e-mail available on the main page).

Immediately I decided to return the package. I got it on Thursday late evening and my flight back to Poland was the next day, Friday morning. I wanted to order a courier and even pay for it, but no one wanted to get the package from me, as I was just a hotel guest, not US citizen and couriers were not sure whether I realy wanted to send something or pay for it. THe hotel also did not want to send the big pack, because of "security reasons". I decided to go to JFK (I stayed in a hotel near the airport) and send it via USPostal, even pay for it, but this method was refused by Mr President of the Great Horizon FLight Simulation Company. I got a message like that:

"However, in order to refund your money, you will need to follow the proper steps with UPS in order to file a claim. I understand your delimna with having to leave tomorrow. My suggestion would be for your buddy to keep the package and file the claim. If no claim is filed, I cannot help you."

Heh, standard. He knows it's the night, he knows I have to board the plane back to Europe the next day and gives me such a big choice. Good care of customer's satisfaction, again.

I called 1-800-PICK-UPS and told them about the damaged package (as you see on the photos a bit of the left horn is broken). They told me they would pick up the box on Monday. Hotel manager did not want to agree to keep the big box through the whole weekend - no place to store it and... security reasons of course (close to JFK, big box, nobody knows what's inside). I called UPS again and they promiced me to pick the package the same day by evening time. I agreed with the hotel to keep the package whole day, after that I went to the airport to catch yu plane.

2004-08-26
Asked Michael if he got the package - he did not. I phoned the hotel to ask if UPS took it - they told me that UPS did.
I informed Mike that I was going for 2 weeks vacations in EGYPT the next day and I did so. I forgot about the whole case for 2 weeks. I came back and...

2004-09-12
As there was no info from Michael that he got anything in the meantwoweekstime, I sent an e-mail again. He still claimed that he did not get the package. I got furious. I tried to find the package with the tracking number, but could not do too much very far away from the place. I asked Michael to help me. He promiced to do so, but obviously only promiced and did absolutely nothing. I was just keeping asking what was going on and gettnig short replies (every my 3rd-4rth e-mail) that they have nothing.

My other stupidity here was, that I did not have any document with me - neither confirmation of receiving of the package, nor any paper that I made a claim. So formally there is nowa I can prove anything. On the other hand I doubt I was so unlucky after all these months of waiting to have even the claim lost.

I could quote a few more fantastic quotes from Michael's correspondence, while he was trying to "help" me. But it is useless. I do not have the yoke, I do not have my $700, I got frustrated and stopped building my sim for a few months.

Luckily I took a few photos in the hotel before shipping the yoke back. I took them in the toilet, close to the water closet - that was the best scenery (and place) for the product of Michael's company. I decided to post it on simbuilder's forums before Christmas. But before that I politely (again, why did I do that??) informed Mr Lehkamp about my intentions, giving also the link with photos, whih had not been published yet. Immediately I got a reply:

2004-12-21
"Forgive me for its been very hectic here of late. I do intend on replying to you in letter from very shortly.

Basically we would like to come to some sort of compromise which I believe you will find satisfying. I will outline this when I write back to you shortly.

Thank you

Kevin H. Mulroney
Horizon FLight Simulation"

WOW... Qualms of conscience for the first time? Nope. It appeared to be another proof of my stupidity and naiveness. I waited a week, two weeks, 4 weeks. I wrote a reminder at the end of January and till today still got nothing from them. So here we are. At the end of the story. I've alread said "byebye" to the 700$. But I want anyone from the simmers community to know who these guys are. Although they are vely lucky for how naive I am, and also how much I travel, which makes me have no time for writing long stories like that. But finally I had to do it.

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