I'll give you the Readers Digest version on my history with HL dealers:

In the beginning I went to area dealers and bought from their stock. Like Geraldine (Flip Wilson) stated, "What you see is what you get!" They were 4-digit flag#'s but I didn't care. The hunt for special or retired pieces was on.

Soon thereafter, I met a dealer who had auto ships in the low 400's. Never the exact same number in most cases but always in the low 400's. Things went well with him for a few years then suddenly everybody had their latest releases and I was left hanging. I'm not talking a week. I'm talking a month plus before I got mine. What's the big deal you ask? Well like many of you, I like to be in on the discussion about how you like the new pieces but I didn't have mine so I could only sit back and wait. I stopped buying from that dealer and moved on.

My next dealer was a 2-digit auto ship in the Great Lakes area and the arrangement for that auto ship was made through another CF member. For the first time I was purchasing HL's without being able to look them over first, and if there was something wrong I would be paying shipping to return them. We had a good business relationship and things went well for a couple of years. Then I heard of a really low flag# was available through another CF member's dealer so I grabbed it. I think my former 2-digit was scooped up by another CF member but I'm not sure. Two-digits were sought after back then and they were an easy sell. This dealer did nothing wrong. I left for the lower number.

The I started dealing with my new dealer on auto ship on all LE's, Lenses, and AB Boats. Things went well at first. I got my pieces on time. I received many pleasant phone calls from one of the dealers workers about Hl's etc. It was a nice personal touch, and good customer relations. Then the person I usually dealt with was gone and my new releases came later and later. Then out of the blue, I got a call from that dealer who explained that he had some health issues of late and could not oversee the operation of his business as well as he should have. I accepted theat fact and he told me from now on my pieces would be shipped out as soon as they arrived at his store. I felt touched by the call and even wrote him a long thank you email explaining my thoughts but that mail was not delivered because the address on the HL web site was supposedly incorrect. I emailed Harbour Lights and asked for the correct address and never got a reply. As a matter of fact I didn't receive a reply to two other emails I forward to HL in January. I figure as an auto ship customer I'm a guaranteed income for both the dealer and HL. I really don't believe people are beating down the door to do this anymore.

Should I be not pleased over what has transpired lately? I think I have more than enough reasons to be unhappy with my dealer and HL itself. Will this mean a change in my collecting habits? It could, and if it does, you folks, my faithful CF membership will be the first to know.

:rolleyes: Bob

P.S. If you are wondering if I saved the unanswered emails, they are saved on my computer.