woodsman
off to a rocking start
Member since January 2008
Posts: 4
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Post by woodsman on Feb 14, 2008 8:57:12 GMT -5
As a newbie I read up on the site about various tumblers eventually opting for a Lortone 33b. I took a bit of a chance and bought of e bay from a gentleman called Ron Everett who owns Rons Rocks. If anyone is thinking of buying a tumbler I can not recommend Ron highly enough. The advice and service we received was second to none. I could not believe how quick the tumbler was delivered to me here in England. It was well packaged and the build quality is a credit to the firm. It may sound somewhat corny but I reckon this whole experience has got me off to a great start in a fascinating hobby.
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Post by deb193redux on Feb 15, 2008 10:50:11 GMT -5
Lots of folks here attest that Ron has a great selection of rocks, and some RTH members have also had pleasant face to face contact at shows or in-store in CA. Many others have had smooth online transactions too.
While acknowledging all that, I mention that I had a horrible transaction, and that vendor reps (like the owner of Lortone) say he can be crusty and blunt. So, when things go smoothly, and he is not having a bad day, and he does not have to navigate any difficulty ... then he appears to be great.
I have heard all the positive testimonials, and concluded that it is when navigating a dispute, or when he feels some loss of control in the situation, that ugly & irrational Ron comes out.
1) He shipped me a defective slab grabber, and the defect was immediately obvious when handled.
2) He insisted I send it to Lortone and make a warranty claim instead of having him replace it. This process was going to take 2 weeks, yet I had paid Ron extra for expedited delivery.
3) Ron offered no apologies or expressions of regret, nor would he even acknowledge that I was getting much less than the expedited delivery I had purchased.
3) When I filed a claim with PayPal to try and recover the express shipping, he got super-ugly, and lied saying that I had "refused to send it to him", and started referring to a "so-called defect". (Note: Lortone acknowledged it was clearly defective, apologized, and did replace it. They had also told Ron, who was in touch with them, that it was defective. Yet he still told PayPal that he did not know it to be defective.)
So, many people have had a good experience. I did not. I also found him to be willing to lie and play dirty. Not noticing the defect, or not coming across friendly in email is one thing; but lying is a serious red-flag for me that is not erased by a hundred good reports.
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Post by johnjsgems on Feb 15, 2008 11:33:35 GMT -5
Ron is a CA colorfull character. He is supposedly retiring except for a local show or two and ebay. He was banned from CFMS shows because he chased a customer around the show with a stick, or so I was old. He is the nicest guy in the world on a good day. A friend bought silver from him once. The next time he saw him Ron told him he had silver but the price was about 3 times higher. My friend told him he found it cheaper somewhere else and wouldn't be buying silver from him anymore. He went into a screaming fit. A lot of his e-bay prices are very low and you can get great deals if you can deal with his quirks.
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mike4bears
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2007
Posts: 275
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Post by mike4bears on Feb 15, 2008 14:06:17 GMT -5
may i ask where his store is in ca. mike
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Post by stardiamond on Feb 15, 2008 14:27:05 GMT -5
I have bought online maybe $1000 in DP wheels, MK blades and lube cool from him over the years. He has had blades reamed out to fit my Genie trim saw. He is prompt in answering emails and I have had no problems in my purchases from him.
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Post by deb193redux on Feb 15, 2008 16:34:05 GMT -5
Yeah. Most people don't have a problem with him. Just my bad luck. He pissed me off pretty bad, so whenever I see a glowing testimonial, I acknowledge allthe good reports, but add my account. Unless he apologizes to me, I will continue to do this on whatever board or forum I see people touting his virtues.
If he had ever chased me with a stick, I would have had the police and an assault charge on his a** so fast you could not even blink twice.
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Post by johnjsgems on Feb 15, 2008 21:31:30 GMT -5
I don't know if he has a store but he is in Camarillo I think.
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Post by deb193redux on Feb 16, 2008 17:43:30 GMT -5
Mel goes to his store. He can say where.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller 
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,497
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Post by Sabre52 on Feb 17, 2008 19:34:35 GMT -5
Yeah, Ron's my local shop and his place is in Camarillo but when I last talked to him he's no longer doing in store sales because someone apparently cased his place on a visit and he was the target of several robberies. The thieves targeted specific items which has of course made Ron a little paranoid. So, he told me he's no longer having customers come to his shop which is at his home. However as several have mentioned, he is of variable temperament depending on which day you catch him on and may have changed his mind by now. I personally, like quirky folks and don't mind dealing with him at all as he does have nice stuff and good prices and for the most part has been friendly to me. However, I've also heard enough stories to think he can probably get real interesting when he feels he's been provoked....Mel
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mike4bears
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2007
Posts: 275
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Post by mike4bears on Feb 17, 2008 21:14:23 GMT -5
he really sound like Gary here at the rock shop. he a great person. but has bad days. and then he can be rough. so i have learn to tell when its a bad day for him. and i will walk softly. but he is a good man to know. one thing his bad days are cause by pain. and over the years he has help a lot of pepole. and some of them turn around and hurt him. so you just never know mike.
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