Issues with regency chess company

Hi 

just a warning about Regency chess company,  regencychess.co.uk

I purchased a 1849 4" set for £573.

i spotted this flaw with one of the pawns i don't think this is acceptable on a set of this cost. A replacement was promised but 10 days later nothing and now all email communication/calls are not being responded to. Not sure what is going on with this company but i find the service very poor.  

That is unacceptable!

Appears to be a grain issue. Most retailers and manufacturers will send replacements. £573 is quite a lot of cash. Goes to show high dollar or pound in this case. Doesn't ensure you will get high quality 100% of the time.

Maybe their prices are not inflated.  Maybe you have just become accustomed to the low priced reproducers.  Cheap is not always better.

Leaving a 1 star review on trustpilot seems to have stirred things up, a replacement has been posted. Hopefully it will be a good pawn !

"The squeaky wheel gets the grease!"

Good luck!

Thank you Russ.

Whoever manufactured that set should have allocated that piece for ebonization. Perhaps, they do inspect the grain after carving but that particular pawn must have escaped their visual inspection. Glad you got the problem sorted out.

I've experienced a few grain issues in the past with lighter colored pieces but all were resolved by complementary replacements from the seller. They were HOS, SC and Noj.

Did you change your rating once they addressed the issue?

I ordered from here as well using their ebay site. Set was much less expensive on ebay. I hate the way some companies do that particularly one that gives off quite an air of professionalism on their website.

Anyway, this was a main Christmas gift for my disabled son. When I purchased said 10 in stock and delivered in 48 hours. After a week of waiting NOTHING. 

Attempted to contact them by phone as that's their preferred method and they had disabled their phone lines. I emailed and very next day my order was cancelled no explanation. Was so disappointed.

So had to wait for a refund close to Christmas and order elsewhere.

I've just gone onto Truspilot to read reviews and they are quite shocking.

89% 5 star reviews on Trustpilot doesn't sound shocking to me.

Regency Chess UK had a lot of problems in December and even January due to   Christmas and Queens Gambit euphoria but the Repchapados board I wanted was available with them last week. They seem to be back on track as the order I placed on 29 Jan got delivered today. That was really fast shipping.

15.75 inch board with 45 mm field size, it’s a perfect fit for my pieces and my computer desk. 

It’s a walnut maple board. What looks better with it sheesham or ebony ?

I absolutely love that board.

Stumbled on this thread by chance... just to say I have run various school chess clubs over many years in this region of the U.K. and have got to know The Regency Chess Company very well.  I have always found them to be utterly supportive of grass-roots chess, and keen to encourage beginners to take up the game. Julian (the owner) is a genuine chess enthusiast and has helped me out over the years (going above and beyond the call of duty to get the best possible prices for equipment for children to use etc.)  I have a "posh" wooden set from this company and it is a joy to play with - one to pass on to future generations!  They were no doubt like every other U.K. chess supplier caught out by the sudden and massive increase in orders due to "The Queen's Gambit" effect (I remember their website featuring pages of chess sets and equipment all labelled "sold out due to The Queen's Gambit") but I can speak from personal experience that they are trying their best to run a business for chess enthusiasts by chess enthusiasts.  I wish all suppliers of chess products were more like them. 

I had the same experience regarding return and replacement. Recency Chess did not reply at all.