sloopy Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 I was wondering when Bravo Sierra Computers would be mentioned. I remember he spammed rgvc religiously. Great way to get customers. His website is hilarious. Stuck in yesteryear, just like he is. I love the 80s & 80s nostalgia, but this guy takes it way too far. Yeah, emulators will cost you more in the long run. I didn't know who this was and I know nothing of the background. However, I just checked out that website... sweet! Bravo Sierra forms an unfortunate pair of initial letters... I'd like to request that we keep this thread objective especially since the Atari reseller community is so small. As to Ben I see in other posts people didn't like him for spamming and possibly repeated contact of said people on the phone but others defended him. Let's try to keep this thread about business dealings with the person/company. I have never ordered from him so have no point of reference to go on and his website could be better but at least it's there and some of the other Atari dealer websites aren't Amazon/Ebay either. I like that he lists other Atari dealers on his website and though he may be stuck in the eighties aren't we all a bit? BTW - This thread looks like it could be a good resource for people to use to determine who they can buy from and what type or service to expect. order something from BS... i will even give you a 10 spot to order something if i have too... i am sure orpheuswaking would kick in too... then you decide about dealing with him... and please note, my issues with him were over me GIVING him stuff... not even buying... nuff said. sloopy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S1500 Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 I'd like to request that we keep this thread objective especially since the Atari reseller community is so small. As to Ben I see in other posts people didn't like him for spamming and possibly repeated contact of said people on the phone but others defended him. Let's try to keep this thread about business dealings with the person/company. I have never ordered from him so have no point of reference to go on and his website could be better but at least it's there and some of the other Atari dealer websites aren't Amazon/Ebay either. I like that he lists other Atari dealers on his website and though he may be stuck in the eighties aren't we all a bit? BTW - This thread looks like it could be a good resource for people to use to determine who they can buy from and what type or service to expect. Hey, you said "the ugly" on this thread title, well, ya got it! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilsner73 Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 I was wondering when Bravo Sierra Computers would be mentioned. I remember he spammed rgvc religiously. Great way to get customers. His website is hilarious. Stuck in yesteryear, just like he is. I love the 80s & 80s nostalgia, but this guy takes it way too far. Yeah, emulators will cost you more in the long run. I didn't know who this was and I know nothing of the background. However, I just checked out that website... sweet! Bravo Sierra forms an unfortunate pair of initial letters... I'd like to request that we keep this thread objective especially since the Atari reseller community is so small. As to Ben I see in other posts people didn't like him for spamming and possibly repeated contact of said people on the phone but others defended him. Let's try to keep this thread about business dealings with the person/company. I have never ordered from him so have no point of reference to go on and his website could be better but at least it's there and some of the other Atari dealer websites aren't Amazon/Ebay either. I like that he lists other Atari dealers on his website and though he may be stuck in the eighties aren't we all a bit? BTW - This thread looks like it could be a good resource for people to use to determine who they can buy from and what type or service to expect. order something from BS... i will even give you a 10 spot to order something if i have too... i am sure orpheuswaking would kick in too... then you decide about dealing with him... and please note, my issues with him were over me GIVING him stuff... not even buying... nuff said. sloopy. I am not saying you didn't have issues in fact I just want to keep the thread about the companies people do business with. I have seen in past threads some people seem to trash him from adverts for his company that he posted a lot to newsgroups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashjazzcat Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 (edited) I'm sorry, but I'm always suspicious of people who end every sentence with an exclamation mark! It's as if everything they've written is a complete revelation! Sometimes, they even implicitly suggest that you end every sentence with an exclamation mark too, when writing to them! '...please state on the subject line: "Atari Order!"' The email packets will travel much faster with that exclamation mark! One wonders if the person's speech is similarly bombastic! They must be constantly surprised by their own internal monologue! I apologize... I had to let that out... (!) Edited March 3, 2011 by flashjazzcat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kjmann Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 I am not saying you didn't have issues in fact I just want to keep the thread about the companies people do business with. I have seen in past threads some people seem to trash him from adverts for his company that he posted a lot to newsgroups. It's not just about his adverts. Ben Actually Calls People (Repeatedly) that have purchased from him asking if they have some of the things he is looking for to GIVE to him. At one time the guy even went as far as to ask me to give him my Mega4 ST and wanted me to pay the shipping to send it to him. I told him no and he persisted (Repeated Phone Calls). it wasn't until I changed my phone number that I finally got him off my back. This was all before I had my own store. In My Opinion, that's just plain unprofessional. I send out A Bulk Email to anyone that has every purchased from me anytime I add new products to the website. it's a simple Text Email that tells what I added and what page of the website to find it on. But, I would never bother my customers to give me their hardware so I can Re-Sell it for my own Profit and I would never Pester they so Frequently. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+orpheuswaking Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 I've had dealings with Ben Smith on several occasions. You want honest feedback in this thread and I'll give it to you. Bottom line the guy is a parasite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FastRobPlus Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 We've had the Bravo Sierra Discussion before. There not much more that can be said. Let me add another dealer: www.gamesplus.com - Computer Games Plus I don't know who this person is, but he's easy to deal with and very quick. Only drawback is that his inventory is pretty much depleted, so he isn't sitting on a warehouse or something somewhere like other dealers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spookt Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 Heh - he rang me in the UK to ask if I had stuff he was looking for. His dollar so we had a nice loooong chat 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilsner73 Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 (edited) About bravo sierra if he really does hound people with repeated phone calls to give him stuff that they haven't even said they are willing to part with, that's a bit much and I rather not deal with someone who would do that. I thought he got his stuff by finding people who have no use for their Atari stuff and were going to just give it away or even throw it out. Question I see various people talking about getting shipping refunded from some dealers, is this for orders going outside the United States or something else? Edited March 3, 2011 by Pilsner73 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctor_x Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 I haven't scanned the threads yet, so I don't know if anyone has listed what I am about to list... But I will say FEDERATED. It was a store somewhat similar to a current day BEST BUY, only thing was, it was owned by ATARI so there were always ST's and 8bits laying around and a lot of them live connected to a BBS or at least a phone line that would allow you to dial out. I think most of my rememberence of this store was the fact that it was so close to me and also that I purchased my first modem there - which I can still remember the silica gel insert smell of.. Anyone else remember federated? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+wood_jl Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 I haven't scanned the threads yet, so I don't know if anyone has listed what I am about to list... But I will say FEDERATED. It was a store somewhat similar to a current day BEST BUY, only thing was, it was owned by ATARI so there were always ST's and 8bits laying around and a lot of them live connected to a BBS or at least a phone line that would allow you to dial out. I think most of my rememberence of this store was the fact that it was so close to me and also that I purchased my first modem there - which I can still remember the silica gel insert smell of.. Anyone else remember federated? I lived in Riverside, California for roughly a year in 1988-1989. Having read about Federated from Atari magazines (while in Anchorage) I was just absolutely stoked to be able to check one out. And there was one nearby. I built up this idea in my mind of a place like Apple or Sony store is today, only Atari. HA! When I got there, it looked like a Musicland store run by wayward teenagers. There were no ST computers, there were a few oddball Atari 8-bit items, in disproportionate quantities; that is, no disk drives but lots of 65XE computers, etc. There was tons of stuff out-of-stock, holes in the shelf. The place was a mess. The prices and selection were poor on not only everything Atari (which was shocking, considering the owners) but not too great (although better than Atari items) on other things, but Circuit City beat the pants off them for both price and selection, in general electronics. This was long before I'd ever heard of Best Buy, and Circuit City was the cat's ass back then. I never saw (nor looked for) another Federated store, but I had to wonder if Atari had either, (1) bought a real loser like that - and why, *OR* (2) Perhaps they bought Federated when it was indeed a going-concern and then ruined it. Can't say for sure, but it had to be one or the other, eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sloopy Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 About bravo sierra if he really does hound people with repeated phone calls to give him stuff that they haven't even said they are willing to part with, that's a bit much and I rather not deal with someone who would do that. I thought he got his stuff by finding people who have no use for their Atari stuff and were going to just give it away or even throw it out. Question I see various people talking about getting shipping refunded from some dealers, is this for orders going outside the United States or something else? i sell stuff on ebay, and i give quotes for out of US shipping, if the actual shipping is more then $2 less i give a refund of the difference... otherwise i use flat rate boxes anytime i can... sloopy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Havok69 Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 B&C - Strictly professional. They always refund shipping costs without the need to ask. Last purchase I made from them, they didn't do this. I had to ask three weeks later for the difference, especially since they charged me $17, and it ended up costing them a little over $5. The BS part there was they only gave me back a couple of dollars. That just moved them down the queue for when I need Atari stuff... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qix_maniac Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 B&C - Strictly professional. They always refund shipping costs without the need to ask. Last purchase I made from them, they didn't do this. I had to ask three weeks later for the difference, especially since they charged me $17, and it ended up costing them a little over $5. The BS part there was they only gave me back a couple of dollars. That just moved them down the queue for when I need Atari stuff... I like B&C myself. For the most part I've had all positive dealings. Last month I bought 2 800xl keyboards and one arrived and did not work. I got mad and just threw it out, didn't complain or ask for my money back cause I was too busy and had to much going on at the time;but that my fault, they always work with you and yes their shipping refund are not perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tin_Lunchbox Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 Although I am more of an eBay buyer, I've had great buying experiences with Darek Mihocka of emulators.com and now-defunct Sunmark. I ordered some things from Video 61 a few days ago but am traveling right now and thus haven't checked my mail. I'll see about posting how I do there, I am confident all will go well. TiN[]BoX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSchoolRetroGamer Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 Atarimax, my experience Great service and support! Same for Best Electronics. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ransom Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 Just completed my first order with Atarimax, and I have to agree with the general sentiment: it was a great experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blues76 Posted March 6, 2011 Author Share Posted March 6, 2011 SYSOP, would it be a good idea to "Pinned" this thread? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svenski Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 B&C - Strictly professional. They always refund shipping costs without the need to ask. Last purchase I made from them, they didn't do this. I had to ask three weeks later for the difference, especially since they charged me $17, and it ended up costing them a little over $5. The BS part there was they only gave me back a couple of dollars. That just moved them down the queue for when I need Atari stuff... I like B&C myself. For the most part I've had all positive dealings. Last month I bought 2 800xl keyboards and one arrived and did not work. I got mad and just threw it out, didn't complain or ask for my money back cause I was too busy and had to much going on at the time;but that my fault, they always work with you and yes their shipping refund are not perfect. B&C do ship quickly and not had any problems with them over the years apart from the shipping costs - and I wasn't aware they refunded the difference - they've never done that so far. I did email them last week and they said they'd process something for me but basically they put their transaction costs into the shipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Havok69 Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 B&C do ship quickly and not had any problems with them over the years apart from the shipping costs - and I wasn't aware they refunded the difference - they've never done that so far. I did email them last week and they said they'd process something for me but basically they put their transaction costs into the shipping. Even with Paypal fees, they raped me of $10. SYSOP, would it be a good idea to "Pinned" this thread? This gave me a chuckle; we're not on a BBS anymore... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svenski Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 Even with Paypal fees, they raped me of $10. Same here at the moment, waiting to see what out of that they'll actually refund. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+wood_jl Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 They've always refunded me, so far. I usually wait to order several items at a time. I assume with a single item, there'd be no discount. Atarimax is, hands-down, the best dealings I've ever had. There's just nothing to want for, either with the products, the service, or helpful hints and replies from Steve. Well, I guess the stuff could be free - that's something to want for...HA HA HA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blues76 Posted March 6, 2011 Author Share Posted March 6, 2011 SYSOP, would it be a good idea to "Pinned" this thread? This gave me a chuckle; we're not on a BBS anymore... Hahaha... I know, but how do I call the forum admin? SysAdmin? Forum Admin? I wasn't sure... SysOP seems to apply to all , at least in my vintage brain... hahahaha So, is it good idea or not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sloopy Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 SYSOP, would it be a good idea to "Pinned" this thread? This gave me a chuckle; we're not on a BBS anymore... Hahaha... I know, but how do I call the forum admin? SysAdmin? Forum Admin? I wasn't sure... SysOP seems to apply to all , at least in my vintage brain... hahahaha So, is it good idea or not? call him 'Al' (yes that song is going through my head now...) sloopy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stephen Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 SYSOP, would it be a good idea to "Pinned" this thread? This gave me a chuckle; we're not on a BBS anymore... Hahaha... I know, but how do I call the forum admin? SysAdmin? Forum Admin? I wasn't sure... SysOP seems to apply to all , at least in my vintage brain... hahahaha So, is it good idea or not? I see no problem with it. From here on out, we will refer to him as "SYSOP ALBERT". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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