Hi,
anybody who made some experiences with dummyworks.com?
4 weeks ago I ordered and paid some dvds and lectures, but didn´t get any response.
Now, I´m afraid that I won´t get my ordered products.

I don't know them personally but you can trust them because I have heard so many good things about them...they are one of the leading Vent Figure Makers in America if not in the world... plus they have a name and reputation to protect...I don't think they will smear their reputation just because of a few DVD's

Im guessing the husband and wife tandem of Tim and Amanda Cowles might just be on the road for a gig or something like that...

Give them time to respond

Wanlu

They are slow, but you do get your stuff, eventually. I've found it useful in the past to send a polite e-mail inquiry about the status of an order. That often gets things moving.

Come to think of it, I have an outstanding order for a stand top. I think I'll dash of an e-mail right now!

Bob

That's weird you mentioned Dummyworks, because I was just sitting here debating what to do concerning an order I placed with them.

I just recieved the order from them yesterday. It took about 2 weeks to arrive. Tim had emailed me right after I placed the order and let me know they were out of town. Then when he got home, he emailed me and asked for my zip code. Like a dummy...uh....sorry....I had forgotten to list it, so this may have slowed my order down a little. Not much, because I replied soon after I received his message.

I also received an email on May 10th telling me my order had been shipped on May 12th??? I guess since it was a weekend it was postdated??? CinChiller, have you received an email confirming that your order was shipped yet? I know it will take longer to get to you in Germany, but I think you'll get your order.

Here's the problem I had with my order. I did not receive one booklet I ordered, and instead received another. I assume this was a mistake because the packing list was correct, but the shipment was wrong. The replacement booklet was one I cannot even find on their website, so I know I did not order it.

What should I do? The booklets are inexpensive, and it will cost me about as much to ship the booklet back to them as it would to just order a new one. However, maybe if they were aware of the problem they might expedite me getting the one I originally ordered. Then again, who knows about that. It may depend upon where they are at the moment.

What would you do in this situation? Your advice will be appreciated.

Regan

Hi Regan,

Let them know that they shipped the wrong item...Its their obligation to ship the right stuff. Im sure they wont mind shipping the right stuff and you keep the wrong item they sent...if they tell you to ship it back, then they must pay for shipping.

Bottomline...IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT SO THERE'S NO NEED FOR YOU TO PAY FOR ANYTHING ELSE...AND YOU MUST GET WHAT YOU PAID FOR.

Wanlu

Thanks Wanlu. I think I will email them and see what happens.

Regan

Hi,
thanks for your answers.
A few minutes ago I recieved an email with the information that orders take 4-6 weeks for delivery.
Very generally answer from them, but an answer. So I hope the best.

Glad to hear that! I think you'll be ok.

I can personally vouch for Tim and Amanda Cowles, over at Dummyworks. They are very honest and hardworking peformers and also provide top quality materials for both the professional and amature vent community.

It is true that they have been on the road with a demanding tour schedule these last few weeks, and because their phone message system has had a temporary glitch and their posted email address: tim@dummyworks.com has been slow sometimes in responding, it has been difficult for some members (including myself) to make contact with them quickly, and for them to respond in kind. However, this is not the norm. In fact, I have recently heard from Tim and Amanda and they assure me that they are working hard to fix this situation and apologized sincerely for any delays. One thing for certain is that they are very honest and hardworking and will make every effort to follow-up and rectify any mis-order that may have occured (again, not the norm). I know from my conversations and correspondence with them over these last few months that they take deep pride in their work and service, and that they felt bad about any tempory delays in service these last few weeks, due mainly (as mentioned) to their heavy show schedule and problems with their phone service provider.

The main thing to know is that their integrity is strong as is their desire to ensure that their customers are all (fully) satisfied.

So, please remain patient, and understanding, and re-assured knowing that they "will" get back to you and provide you with excellent products. In addition to my purchasing and receiving more than a dozen vent teaching booklets from them in the last two months (via their on-line ordering service), I have also ordered and received a wonderful top-quality Travel case for my precious Glen Rappold vent figure. It was fellow Vent and Product Supplier Lee Cornell that first told me of the Dummyworks' well-built and relatively light-weight customized travel cases.

BTW, If you have been looking for such a case, at a very reasonable price, look no further. But do allow 4-6 weeks for delivery for domestic (US) orders, and international order may take 6-12 weeks --as stated on their web site. Each case is custom built to fit your dummy's speciifc size (mine was made to fit my 40 inch figure). Each case is lined neatly with a thick grey quality foam.

Hope this post proves helpful.

Sincerely,

Jonathan

For those of you that have urgent business to take care of and need to correspond with Tim and Amanda over at Dummyworks as soon as possible, it should help to send your email to the address posted on their site, but also send a "cc" to the following address:
amanda@timandamandacowles.com

Because of their very demanding perfromance schedule, Tim may have difficulty responding personally to emails at present, while amanda seems to also be working hard with Tim on tour, she seems to be able to respond to urgent matters in a very timely and concerned fashion.

Hope this helps.

Jonathan

PS: For those that are interested, the great vent cases that I mentioned in my post above can be found at:
http://www.dummyworks.com/ventriloquist%20accessories.htm

I am another firm believer in Tim's integrity as an honest dedicated businessman. I know nothing of his busy schedule but I know of his work and character.

Dr. Solar

Well, I have to apologize to them for the above post about my order being wrong. It wasn't! I was! What threw me off was a booklet that I ordered which was actually a set of 2. It is called Bible Humor, and the companion booklet is called More Bible Humor. Well, I knew I didn't order More Bible Humor by name, and I realized I was short another booklet. When I looked on the website I could not find More Bible Humor listed. I got my packing slip and went over it again and noticed a handwritten backorder note for the booklet I was shorted. Now I am wondering why I got the extra booklet, but upon further reading the description of Bible Humor it mentiones that it is a 2 booklet set.

Sorry about all the confusion. I should have looked at the packing list more carefully.

Regan

Greetings, all! We have recently (and gratefully) been made aware of the concern a few of you share in regards to orders placed with The Dummy Works. Your concern is understandable. Hopefully we can set your mind at ease and also let you know a little of what is happening here at TDW.

First, any orders that have been placed prior to today (Fri. May 16) will go out no later than Wed. May 21. We sincerely apologize for the seeming “silence” on our end. Please know this has been completely unintentional. Your orders have not been overlooked and are most definitely in the process of being shipped.

Second, given you are our customers, we believe it may be wise to let you know what is happening here at The Dummy Works. In addition to building ventriloquist figures and selling product, we also present children’s programs in schools and churches. Originally, both businesses were relatively small and we could easily balance the work load. Over the past two years, both The Dummy Works and our performance schedule has increased dramatically (more than doubled, actually). We are suddenly realizing the two are no longer coinciding in a workable fashion. Just to give you an idea, during the month of May we have 30 programs scheduled. We also have multiple vent figures due to customers. This does not include book, dvd, stands, and case sales. Please understand we are not making excuses but are simply trying to shed a little light on the matter. We are scheduled to be out of the country for the month of June. Between now and the time we leave on June 8 we will be home (and in the office) for 4 days. We were not expecting our performance schedule to become what it has, nor were we expecting TDW to grow as it has. We are grateful, but busy.

And so now here we stand, realizing that “somethin’s gotta give.” This means downsizing The Dummy Works. Tim is currently accepting few (if any) figure orders. He is hoping to complete current orders and build in-stock characters when he has time. Orders will be taken on a limited basis. We are cutting many of the products on our website -- mostly the smaller puppets and such. Most anything that requires us to order from another company. We will continue to sell books, as we print those in house, and will continue to offer the Home Study Course. While running The Dummy Works is a blessing in itself, the truth of the matter is that nothing beats a Caféteria or children’s camp full of 600 elementary students. We love to perform and feel this is the path we need to follow.

We truly hope this answers a few of your questions. As mentioned above, if you are unable to contact us through tim@dummyworks.com you may contact us through our performance site at http://www.timandamandacowles.com. When traveling, we often have access to this email, but not the dummy works account. Also, please know you are valued by us, not only as customers, but as fellow performers and teachers. We would never want you to think we were dismissing your inquiries or not working for you. Please contact us, or respond to this thread, if you have any other questions or concerns. We will do our best to respond in a timely fashion. (wink)

Sincerely,
Tim and Amanda Cowles

I told you

Thanks all for your answers, all you nice posts tranquilized me and I´m looking forward to my ordered material that hopefully send out soon. Thanks

Thanks from me, too.

Bob

As an update to this thread, I recently tried to place an order with Dummyworks, and was told by Tim that they are going to be scaling back their retail business. Their performance schedule has become very full, which has made things difficult for them to accompllish with the reatil business. I had tried to order some DVDs from them, but noticed there were no order buttons on the DVD page of their website. When I inquired, I was told they will no longer be selling DVDs, and that the retail business in general would be phased out.

Mark Pettey
Naples, FL

Mark,
Try Lee Cornell at Ventriloquism101. He has a very active business going. If you mention that Dummyworks is scaling back, he may try to get the DVD's for you. Lee is quickly becoming the source on-line for Vent materials.
Tom

Great minds think alike ! I actually already ordered and received the DVDs I wanted from Lee. He was fast and reasonable. He has a great selection of stuff, both books, and videos.

Mark Pettey
Naples, FL

Another vote for Lee. Three orders from them, and each arrived quickly (better than timely) and correctly!