Don't buy from Arcadeforge.de

[vaanen]

Hello, so i'm sorry to bother you all but i must warn you : don't buy from arcadeforge.de.

Basically, i paid for an UMSA, a device to convert VGA to SCART a while ago and it stopped working after only 2 weeks of usage. I contacted them, they took horribly long to just ask me what's happening, asking me to wait "3 to 5 days" between each emails. I provided them every proof needed (pictures, we troubleshooted it) and then they asked me to send it back in "cheap box letter, no value". They live in germany so the shipping fee was pretty expensive, i told them i did not really have much money and i was kind of pissed off that i had to pay almost half of the original price just to get it fixed (i did not say that), but they did not want to take in charge the shipping back.

In the end i decided to just ship it back, and i told them. They received it the 24th june I waited, waited, and then nothing. I asked them again, he anwsers finally and says "he was sick" and that my message was lost. I thought ok, well here are the infos again ! I sent everything back again, and no answer. I contacted multiple times again and again, no answer.
I thought it was so weird, and see their facebook page is pretty much active so they do not seem in vacations. So i tried to contact them there. They answered here only after i posted it publicly. They asked me for "more information" again and when i gave them, again, they stopped responding, well, again. I then tried to post publicly "again" and they litteraly blocked me, and sent as last message "we have vacation and work not on weekends. So you get in touch with a wrong name and no order number?", something i can't answer cause they blocked me, when i contacted them almost a week ago and gave them everything through email and through facebook messages. I don't know what the hell they're talking about the wrong name, i have a different name on facebook but i gave them my real one on facebook also.
I did not ever insult them ever or ust bad words, ever. I was very polite all the time. I don't understand why they did that. I paid almost 50 euros for an UMSA, a hardware to be able to show VGA signals on a CRT, i paid almost half to ship it back, and now they have my money and my non working UMSA. It's been more than a month now and they are not intending to do anything about it.

By the way i can provide every proof of it. I have the email exchanges. I have pictures of them deleting my posts and blocking me on facebook. I even have a video of me posting the UMSA and the tracking number, which luckily i did because i'm used to exchange stuff with forum member and that's a precaution measure i always do. I'm pissed as hell because i don't understand how, and why a company screw over customers like that for litteraly no reason. I don't know what to do so i fugured out the last thing to do was to post about it publicly. Because my PVM 20L5 has been damaged during shipping, i can only play on my normal CRT and this device was supposed to do it but i can't anymore. I just wanted to play my arcade games on my crt... that's all i wanted to do

EDIT : someone on reddit said that him and their friend had similar experience https://www.reddit.com/r/cade/comments/ ... ?context=3

EDIT 2 : well, more and more people are saying they had similar experience everywhere i posted. I guess this was definitely not a one time thing but just how this company works

EDIT 3 : and on top of that, someone said that they were plenty of complaints for similar issues on german forums. To add to the thing, he said that there was a lot of drama about them litteraly replicating the work of someone and selling it as their product, and they never adressed anything or even took the product off the market. It can still be bought, and the original creator doesn't get a penny on it

[DoomsDave]

I suggest you buy a Kenzei. I've bought a few devices from beharbros and they've been great every time. They are also regular posters on this forum.

https://www.beharbros.com/kenzei

[vaanen]

Thank you very much. They seem better quality indeed and way more complete. It looks really good, i'm pretty low in income right now but i will probably buy it later. Such a shame i did not know of them back them, shipping fee included it's around the same price.

[TestType]

Have you complained to your credit card company to get your money back? Seems like you've tried everything within your power, so that would be my next step.

[vaanen]

I just did it through paypal, thank you for your advice. It really seems like the logical next step. Can't believe i have to go there.

[philexile]

I had a similar problem with a SLG-3000 a while back. I never heard anything more after the first response confirming that the pots on the units do fail from time to time.

You mentioned he was sick – that could be the reason for the lack of communication. However, if that is the case, then he should pass on the duties of the store/business to someone else or take it down until he is better.

Good luck with this and sorry to hear about your difficulties!

I'd actually recommend an Extron for this sort of thing. Here is a nice 202rxi on eBay for $40 and free shipping:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/132244247129

[vaanen]

I mean, he was sick like a month ago and asked me for more details, which i did. He then answered me again on facebook and then blocked me. I'm not sure "sickness" has anything to do with anything, specially considering that i'm not really alone in this case (someone on reddit).

Thank you for your kind message. And thank you for your recommandation also.

[philexile]

That's unfortunate. No problem on the recommendation. Those Extron units are quite handy. I have a few of them myself.

[waiwainl]

Never had any problems with arcadeforge.de. Bought multiple times from him.

Granted he is a bit slow in responding sometimes, but trustworthy guy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Blair]

I had a slight problem with them after buying the sync strike. apparently newer units don't have any switch/jumper for csync/hvsync. but all the reviews I had read talked about the switch and all the pictures on the website still used that version. he took a long time to get back to me and didn't really explain much (maybe it's because of the language barrier)

after some correspondence back and forth not being able to solve my problem he finally told me that they don't put the switch on anymore (not sure if this is true or not, I was thinking he probably just forgot to solder one on). when I pointed out that it was false advertisement. he agreed and said they would change the pictures on the website and other places to reflect the change. from what I've seen recently they still haven't change the pictures. so that's kind of disappointing.

otherwise they still make really neat products, I just wish they were better at communicating. and perhaps just a touch more professional.

[Wolf_]

Definitely refute the charges and return shipping via paypal. Provide the return shipping number and any pictures you can of your conversations on facebook and emails. Should be an open and shut case.

Edit: also can confirm that beharbros make quality products and have great business ethics.

[Zappyraccoon]

The SLG3000 I purchased years ago was wonderful but earlier this year I ordered an SLG HD= YUV Edition as well as an SLG SCART. Maybe they have gotten lazy over the years but both units arrived with scratches on the plexiglass and the SLG HD=YUV wasn't even fully soldered. I had to solder one pad on the LED so it would function as well as solder in the two front tabs on each switch that were meant to be for securing the switch in place. They were just hanging over the PCB edge instead of in their respective holes. Aside from that the switches were different than in the pictures and the connectors weren't flush with the board. It also gave very bad serration when scanlines were enabled before and after me fixing the solder points. Not sure if it was just how it functions with my setup or if something else wasn't put together properly. Other devices that generate scanlines don't add this serration though. I didn't send an email complaining as I thought it was a random fluke but I did take pictures. A real let down because they seem like nice people.

My dealings with the Beharbros on the other hand has been fantastic. Quality builds and fast response times to email questions.

[geekmiki]

+1 for Behar Bros. Great products and fantastic support!

[vaanen]

@waiwaini

he is not trustworthy, that's what this thread is about. It's not because you didn't get ripped off by someone that this someone becomes trustworthy. It's like saying to someone that got raped that their rapist is not a rapist because he didn't rape you. There seems to be plenty of threads on his shadiness and multiple reports of people having similar experience on reddit. You're lucky and maybe you're in his "good side", but it doesn't change the fact that he does rip off people and there are several testimony testifying this. Someone who seems to know him personnaly says that he is very hypocrite, appearing very nice at first and if you don't really scratch the surface but in reality he only thinks about himself and screwing other . typical sellersman behavior

Plus i can absolutely not forgive a company that rips off the work off the community and sell it at their own (the JVSPAC). Good quality or not (which seems to have greatly lowered recently) his company should be avoided like the plague just to not encourage his practices

[gray117]

You take a bit of a chance on most hobby stuff. The unfortunate situation of long shipping distances/costs is a pain but again something you have to accept or else avoid (either source alternative or do without). Losing shipping costs is generally a risk both buyer and seller must accept; just as the postage carrier accepts insurance risk.

The odd hardware failure will be coupled with user errors; which are clearly going to be a pain in the arse to any retailer, who will generally refund or replace after you send back the device (unless he can prove you stomped on it or something). The real tricky situation generally occurs when both parties end up putting time and effort into avoiding this - generally well meaning, but you tend to enter into disputes over who owes what, especially if the device still fails to function.

These are hobby/shoe-string suppliers, we're lucky they exist at all, they're not amazon, and they are 100% dependent on the whims and availability of their owners. So my advice is to accept/agree before ordering a warranty/returns principle in advance, and be prepared for this in advance as part of your cost when ordering from such suppliers. And as disappointing as it maybe, simply stick to that system - straight up returning the device and getting your money back - leaving no room for he said/she said/interpretation. If the user fails to respond - leave it up to paypal/credit card companies, and provide them with a very straight forward chain not some kind of exchange - i.e. here is the returns agreement, sor I sent it back for refund .... and not a this-then-that-because-of-what-was-said-here-but-not-here kind of chain of correspondence.

Only get involved in troubleshooting if you're prepared to write off the device cost and time/effort you put into this.

In the specific case of arcade-forge, it seems like they tend to be a little abrupt in terms of support/service, they have had some slight short comings in various designs, and they definitely expect that a user should test any device before using (in case of damage in transit/fabrication error/or some crazy setup the user is putting it into). This has put the backs up of some buyers - with superguns in particular, where you may understand sometimes the kind of customer looking for this kind of product is not prepared for these expectations... You can also understand in this environment why arcadeforge are not prepared to admit any product liability - what with people plugging in chains of expensive equipment/pcbs etc.

There may also be a couple of things further at work here: i) I don't think it's just 1 person, I think various people with limited time/engagement are involved with arcadeforge, so a full answer may not be available since I think only 1 guy does any store/web stuff and the others aren't engaged in it ii) English is not their native language.

This kind of hobby-ist environment is much more buyer and user beware, I'm not saying you're totally unjustified in your disappointment and that certainly arcadeforge would ideally be more friendly, BUT neither would I personally expect much from such a supplier as long as they stick to making a good effort to supply product when they say they do, and if you send back your product, you should get a refund in a timely fashion - worst case you can usually simply rely on paypal/credit card people.

[mvsfan]

Well, some hobbyist shops are really good at the customer service side of their business. they get your products out fast and answer any questions you may have, just like any business should.

[FinalBaton]

That's disapointing to hear. I ordered a couple SyncStrikes from him. Looks like I'll have to order elsewhere if want more of those.

Does someone else sell sync strippers of equal quality to the SyncStrike? I remember seeing another hobbyist shop making them but I've never found any feedback on those

[Guspaz]

The SyncStrike doesn't seem to be anything but an LM1881 and a NAND gate to get hsync. If you don't need hysync (and why would you need hysync for 15 kHz), then something like this cable should be able to replace it:

https://www.retrogamingcables.co.uk/fem ... m-monitors

[waiwainl]

@waiwaini

he is not trustworthy, that's what this thread is about. It's not because you didn't get ripped off by someone that this someone becomes trustworthy. It's like saying to someone that got raped that their rapist is not a rapist because he didn't rape you. There seems to be plenty of threads on his shadiness and multiple reports of people having similar experience on reddit. You're lucky and maybe you're in his "good side", but it doesn't change the fact that he does rip off people and there are several testimony testifying this. Someone who seems to know him personnaly says that he is very hypocrite, appearing very nice at first and if you don't really scratch the surface but in reality he only thinks about himself and screwing other . typical sellersman behavior

Plus i can absolutely not forgive a company that rips off the work off the community and sell it at their own (the JVSPAC). Good quality or not (which seems to have greatly lowered recently) his company should be avoided like the plague just to not encourage his practices

Not sure if I am lucky or not, over the course of 4 years I never had any issues. Just expressing my 2ct's.
Perhaps you were just unlucky

@JVSPAC: Can you buy the JVSPAC from somewhere else too than?

[invzim]

@waiwaini
@JVSPAC: Can you buy the JVSPAC from somewhere else too than?

http://jvspac.kirurg.org/?page=bootleg
http://www.arcadeshop.de/product_review ... anguage=en

[FinalBaton]

The SyncStrike doesn't seem to be anything but an LM1881 and a NAND gate to get hsync. If you don't need hysync (and why would you need hysync for 15 kHz), then something like this cable should be able to replace it:

https://www.retrogamingcables.co.uk/fem ... m-monitors

I know about these cables, but I prefer the SyncStrike because of the ability to use my own audio cables through the RCA breakout jacks. The audio leads on the cable you linked legit sound thin, I've compared their sound with a SyncStrike+my own cables and the latter sounded noticeably better. fuller.

(btw don't try to convince me otherwise regarding this, you would be wasting your time, lol. My mind is set on the matter)

Also it's not like these cables are cheaper. they're the same price as a SyncStrike.



But yes, they are indeed an alternative. Thanks for the input anyway

[Guspaz]

The SCART head opens up, so its nothing a little soldering couldn't fix, with your own RCA leads

Another option is Wookieewin:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Female-RGB-Euro ... 1978868656

They cost more, but they're also higher grade cable (for the video part, dunno about the audio part). Actually I'm pretty sure the BNC part is literally just Monoprice 4 BNC cables that he cuts in half.

[FinalBaton]

The SCART head opens up, so its nothing a little soldering couldn't fix, with your own RCA leads

True, that'd be a good option

[Dev]

Ditto - I have had the same issues and problems dealing with Arcadeforge.de. in last couple of weeks. Purchased their SYNC strike last year, which is still under the one year guarantee. Never used it until last month. Found to be faulty. Sent countless emails with pictures whenever they requested them.

I do not know what I have done to get this sort of treatment but the responses from Arcadeforge.de - if they responded at all without chasing them with another email - were not helpful at all, avoided my questions raised in my emails to them. I had to repeat the same question in 3 separate emails which they have successfully avoided answering. They also tried to sell me their PSU for their SYNC strike - I know that my PSU is fine and within spec -

There came a point when I knew when to just give up to avoid losing my sanity. The impression given by Aracdeforge.de was that of not being interested and to "wind up" the customer so that they just go away which unfortunately they have succeeded (with me anyway)

I also have the all emails exchanges.

There are other companies out there making these sort of units not just Arcadeforge.de The only reason I purchased from them was the information on the net at that time. I have purchased SCART2VGA unit which does the same function and costs less than Aracdeforge.de offering but more importantly it works!! And the company I purchased from, was professional, courteous and helpful when contacted, because of that, I purchased another unit from them for a future project.