If you bought that helmet in the link from John he should refund it.
There is not much else to say about it , it is not original and not worth 2k.
If you bought that helmet in the link from John he should refund it.
There is not much else to say about it , it is not original and not worth 2k.
Hmm, "a tricky one" indeed.
I agree that the helmet in the linked thread is a bad one and if as you say you bought it from John then I would expect that he would accept this and give a refund especially as it was John who posted it here saying that he himself was unsure of it.
However, John is an active member here who is as far as I can tell (I have never dealt with him), a credible regular contributor to the forum. Plus, that thread is eight years old and was written in the context of the helmet being "long gone". As you say, John appears to be currently indisposed so unlikely to be concentrating too much on such matters at the moment.
I am not taking sides here or trying to belittle your issue but I would suggest that there is a lot that we don't know and should hear of the whole matter before making any kind of judgement. Whether or not it is the responsibility of the purchaser to ensure he knows his subject is neither here nor there in this context and it is clear that anyone who knowingly passes a fake off as original is guilty of offence on many levels.
So, as you have levelled an accusation and presently have the floor uncontested why not tell us the whole story and perhaps we shall have the benefit of hearing John tell his side too.
2k is a large sum to lose for anyone and I do hope the matter is resolved. I just feel that we need to know more before anyone forms too much of an opinion.
Regards
Mark
Last edited by Watchdog; 12-05-2018 at 09:19 PM. Reason: typo
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing he cares more about than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature with no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."
I've only bought one purchase from John - an M35 helmet earlier this year. I found him pleasant and easy to deal with.
The last time I saw him post on here was a few months back now. It would be interesting to hear his side of this as well.
Either way, I hope you get a satisfactory conclusion. I can understand your frustrations.
Nick
If he supplied a return address im surprised you've not paid him a visit. That's what i'd be doing...
Hi Mate,
Have dealt with John a few times & have always been happy with what I've bought from him & found him to be extremely helpful. I hope that that you are able to come to an agreeable settlement on this item, given the facts that you have outlined.
All the best
Paul
He lives on the Isle of Man i believe - not impossible to get to, but not the easiest either.by smealy
In response to Watchdog's request...this is as brief as i can make it...
I saw the helmet advertised on John Brandon's website and contacted him by email asking for layaway terms Feb 2008.
His email reply:
"As for the helmet, I do guarantee every item that I sell to be “original to the period” all I can say is that I have been collecting for over 30 years and dealing for a little under 4 and in all this time, I have held or owned 6 SS helmets, that I (along with others) consider to be original, and this is one of them"
"The pictures that I have taken of the helmet, are very high quality, and should alleviate any concerns over its originality. The picture, especially of the decal shows up any imperfections, that a loop would miss. So what I am saying basically is if you want this helmet, and reserve it through the shop, you will own it, as 3 months down the line I will not have the funds to reimburse you. Be sure that it is what you want, I don’t mind you “touting” the pictures to get opinions, as long as any opinions comes from a “knowledgeable” source, and not just a friend. This hobby of ours is based on opinions, and put 4 people in a room with one item, you will get 5 opinions."
"If you still wish to proceed, please go through the shop, and reserve it. I know that the postage will be £9.70 next day delivery, I usually cut a deal on most items, but on this one, I won’t. I know its real, and I’ve had opinions from several Knowledgeable collectors, and dealers"
In 2014...after joining the forums i learn that the helmet was offered for opinions by John Brandon in 2010.
I contact John in 2014 to forward the proposition of some kind of refund...
He is obviously surprised and leads me a merry dance for some months .. I even ask for a part refund, with me removing the decal...total refusal for any kind of refund whatsoever..he wont even aknowledge he sold me the helmet in the first place!!
I have every email saved, along with the cheque stubs, original delivery box with handwritten return address AND letter that came with the helmet hoping i would enjoy it as much as John...I am happy to forward all the original emails to anyone that would like to see them.
I too would love to hear John's reasons behind not granting a refund...all i have had from him is that its been a long time!!
For the record i also bought a Heer helmet from John, showed it on the forum...and all was good....so he's not all bad... but this was BEFORE i knew about the SS being faked.
I believe he has made a mistake with the SS helmet and because of pride or bloody-mindedness will not budge.
I did try to warn him that i would post on the forums....his reply to that "Go for it"
So i have.
Sorry for such a long post....but i have 100% proof of what i have stated.
Thanks
This is a tough one because there is clearly a live issue here. Looking at the posts did you say you purchased this in 2008? That’s a long gap to them ask for a refund, but see how you get on.
In terms of more general feedback on UK dealers, the one outright outfit I’d call out as shisters is Spandau Militaria (possibly now defunct) they regularly sold blatant fakes as genuine articles. I also had an experience with a UK dealer this year I have spent a lot of money with in the past and ended up with one item that was a pup. In fairness we got to an accommodation that suited me, but it does dent your confidence in doing business with someone when this happens. Buying online can be especially difficult because some dealers post (maybe intentionally?) very poor quality pics. So buyer beware etc
I feel sorry for you Carl, it is a very expensive lesson to learn when purchasing from dealers. I am certainly not pointing any fingers at John Brandon here, and unfortunately it is true what John says about different opinions amongst friends and 'knowledgeable' sources... and he DID make it quite clear to you that there would be no refunds at a later date. That alone should have been a red flag to you. You should never have dealings with ANYONE that refuses a refund, without that offer you have nothing to fall back on if you later find out that it is a 'wrong one'. I have several dealer-friends that I have known for many years, but I have always viewed them as likeable rogues who will tell you want you want to hear if there is the merest whiff of a sale in the offering.
Cheers,
Steve
Thank you Carl, this is what we needed to hear from your side if the matter is to be discussed here in any meaniningful way.
What we also need to hear of course is Johns story and for that we may have to wait.
In the meantime it seems to me that the salient points are;
It was a very long time ago which does naturally weaken any argument especially if no "lifetime assurance" was given (was it?).
John made it clear that there would be no refund in the future. This would not bear on your rights under consumer legislation (if it came to that).
John did assert that this was a genuine piece notwithstanding that he subsequently expressed his own doubts here and appeared to accept the negative outcome.
Let's see what he has to say.
What may help is if you post here your own images of the helmet to prove that this is actually the same helmet as the one in the images posted by him. Not because I doubt you but to openly confirm it before anyone suggests otherwise.
Hopefully John will respond and this will be resolved. If not I cannot see this being good for his reputation as a dealer or indeed for the hobby as a whole.
Regards
Mark
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing he cares more about than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature with no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."
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