Lummi still alive?

Just one question: did anyone order a Lummi flashlight lately... and indeed receive it?

A friend of mine ordered one over half a year(!) ago, but despite numerous emails to them, he never received the light, although the payment was confirmed.

Any info would be welcome...


Timmo.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?98-Lummi
be sure to read the RED banner at the top.

OK, that's clear. I was afraid of such a thing already, as we didn't get any answers back on the numerous emails we sent...

Thank you for pointing this out,


Timmo.

There may be associated threads in the marketplace also (Jeers) but I really haven't been paying much attention as I have no Lummi stuff.

325addict said:

OK, that's clear. I was afraid of such a thing already, as we didn't get any answers back on the numerous emails we sent...

Thank you for pointing this out,


Timmo.

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This seems like a pattern. He doesn't answer if you email about an order you placed but didn't receive, BUT..I emailed a couple weeks ago and told him I wanted to order one or more if his lights and asked what he had in stock. Didn't mention CPF or anything. I stated that I didn't want to order if there would be a long wait. He replied back the NEXT DAY saying that he would have Wee and Raw in NS and SS ready by that following Friday. Needless to say, I do not trust him at all and did not order. I just wanted to know what he would say when asked directly about what he had in stock. I wonder why he would sell those to me, if they were indeed going to really be ready, when he still owes so many lights to so many people? Sad...

Evidently alive. Hopefully in good health and spirits.

:wave:

Member: orb
Last Activity: Today 04:42 AM

I ordered from Rob back in February. It took 6 weeks until I recieved my package from him. I was expecting a wait but my order was fufilled nonetheless.

thebeans said:

This seems like a pattern. He doesn't answer if you email about an order you placed but didn't receive, BUT..I emailed a couple weeks ago and told him I wanted to order one or more if his lights and asked what he had in stock. Didn't mention CPF or anything. I stated that I didn't want to order if there would be a long wait. He replied back the NEXT DAY saying that he would have Wee and Raw in NS and SS ready by that following Friday. Needless to say, I do not trust him at all and did not order. I just wanted to know what he would say when asked directly about what he had in stock. I wonder why he would sell those to me, if they were indeed going to really be ready, when he still owes so many lights to so many people? Sad...

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Same thing happened to me......I really wanted to trust Rob, but thought long and hard about it and just felt that if I placed an order I'd be screwing all the
others her on CPF that never received their orders....

thebeans said:

This seems like a pattern. He doesn't answer if you email about an order you placed but didn't receive, BUT..I emailed a couple weeks ago and told him I wanted to order one or more if his lights and asked what he had in stock. Didn't mention CPF or anything. I stated that I didn't want to order if there would be a long wait. He replied back the NEXT DAY saying that he would have Wee and Raw in NS and SS ready by that following Friday. Needless to say, I do not trust him at all and did not order. I just wanted to know what he would say when asked directly about what he had in stock. I wonder why he would sell those to me, if they were indeed going to really be ready, when he still owes so many lights to so many people? Sad...

Click to expand...

Same thing happened to me......I really wanted to trust Rob, but thought long and hard about it and just felt that if I placed an order I'd be screwing all the
others here on CPF that never received their orders....

Rob is top notch when it comes to his outstanding designs and build quality. However at one time or another in our lifetimes we run into situations that are difficult to confront. Rob's is gradually trying to address the unintentional business problems he created. He is starting to produce small runs of lights in order to fulfill his prior obligations and go through a rebuilding process.

Understandably Rob is very embarrassed as to the criticism he has been receiving daily on the boards and is hopeful that in the very near future he will regain the confidence and trust he once enjoyed being a part of the CPF community.

bf1 said:

Rob is top notch when it comes to his outstanding designs and build quality. However at one time or another in our lifetimes we run into situations that are difficult to confront. Rob's is gradually trying to address the unintentional business problems he created. He is starting to produce small runs of lights in order to fulfill his prior obligations and go through a rebuilding process.

Understandably Rob is very embarrassed as to the criticism he has been receiving daily on the boards and is hopeful that in the very near future he will regain the confidence and trust he once enjoyed being a part of the CPF community.

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Well, said Barry!

Thanks Todd!

bf1 said:

Rob is top notch when it comes to his outstanding designs and build quality. However at one time or another in our lifetimes we run into situations that are difficult to confront. Rob's is gradually trying to address the unintentional business problems he created. He is starting to produce small runs of lights in order to fulfill his prior obligations and go through a rebuilding process.

Understandably Rob is very embarrassed as to the criticism he has been receiving daily on the boards and is hopeful that in the very near future he will regain the confidence and trust he once enjoyed being a part of the CPF community.

Click to expand...

Rob should be embarrassed. Check the Jeer that EngrPaul posted. The problems he had with Rob started back in January of 2009. My problems with Rob started in May of 2009. That is over 2 years to fix his "problem" and he is pulling the exact same stunts now as he was back then.

I can completely understand falling behind with work, that happens to most of us. However, I cannot excuse the lying. I also cannot excuse the pure childishness of his replies on these forums and his insulting behavior in private communications.

Go check out the "stickied" thread in this forum. Rob has $2,500 worth of outstanding orders (that we know about) and he is STILL willing to ship lights to new customers when it's obvious that he doesn't give a crap about the people that have already paid him. People in this forum have emailed Rob and he has been willing to ship out lights to them, or at least that's what he's said.

You want an example of what happens when an honest businessman falls behind? Go check out how Elektrolumens handled the BlasterNG situation. He fell way behind, people got quite pissed. He messed up. What did he do? Did he run away from his forum and ignore people? No, he kept up constant communication, worked out a solution, and delivered on his promises. I'm sure some people are still miffed at him but at least he tried to do what's right.

Again, go read the thread about Rob's undelivered orders. Herrgurka ordered from Rob in March of 2009! That was over 2 years ago!

That whole time he as been designing and selling new products. He has been shipping these peoples' lights to other customers. Plus, we even get to see pictures on FB of him vacationing and having pints with his friends. I'm glad he's putting our money to good use! Here's an idea, put the damn beer down and go machine a light.

Rob has been "making changes" and "improving things at Lummi" for years. The only thing that has changed is now, instead of lying to people about their order statuses, he's just ignoring most of them. There's a step in the right direction!

He's got time to redesign his website and he is still designing new products. I was looking at them before he banned me from his FB page. All that stuff takes money and time. Money and time that should be put into making his customers whole.

If Rob truly wanted to regain the trust and confidence of people on these forums, then he would actually be making changes. He is still lying. He is still stealing. He is still obviously using his time and money to do things other then fulfill his obligations. That seem like a good start to you?

You're just banging your head against the wall in trying to convince Barry that Rob is a crook. Here's what he had to say to me in another thread in regards to Rob stealing from customers:

bf1 said:

The majority of Rob's customers do not purchase their lights from Walmart. Life can be a risk reward venture. So my advice would be to just get over it.

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I guess in his world the ability to design and build a quality light forgives all other sins, no matter how egregious.

I am a believer that people are entitled to second chances in life. We are all prone to make poor Judgements. Mglamb obviously took my Walmart comment totally out of context. Walmart provides offers products off the shelf , warranty, and services. One thing Walmart does not offer are custom lights.
Perhaps all the negative rants and lack of understanding is why Rob has not been responding. Knowing that regardless what explanations Rob might provide would still be unacceptable. I feel sorry for all those that suffered a financial loss. Unfortunately I sustained one as well. Yet I believe strongly after recent conversations with Rob that he will eventually make good.
I would hope that the CPF community would be more understanding.

It is apparent that a number of individuals have unfulfilled orders and, worse yet, little to no communication from Rob as to the status of either their order or any potential refund. Understandably, that is a problem - a big one - and it has been well-documented here in this forum. In addition, the huge red banner warnings at the top of the Lummi threads shout out a buyer-be-warned alert that, in my opinion, serve only to exacerbate the problem. Personally, I wish the forum itself would remain neutral and not bias the reader, but that is an administrative decision that is out of our control.

I don't have any skin in this particular game, but I do know Rob. And the Rob I know is, at the core, a good man, and means well. From an historical perspective, I've dealt with Rob almost since I joined this forum and, in every case, he has come through, eventually. It's obvious to me that Rob is hurting. I believe the more people bash him the more he retreats. And when he tries to post explanations, he gets bashed even more. Many of you will say "well, he's brought it on himself and I have no sympathy for him." Maybe so, but can we please try to show just a little compassion?

Is Rob a good financial manager? Like many entrepreneurs, probably not. Is he a good communicator? To those who aren't throwing rocks, yes. To those who are, no. Is he embarrassed? Yes. Does he want to make it right for everyone? Yes, of course he does. Do I believe, ultimately, he will? Absolutely.

Lummi/Orb products are among the most unique high-end flashlights ever conceived. As Barry mentioned, you won't find them at Wal-Mart and you will be hard-pressed to find them even on eBay. That's because they are still in very high demand, and most owners covet their Lummi collections. Every concept Rob has introduced to market has been successful. To state that Rob is a top designer and creative artist in the custom flashlight arena is an understatement.

History has shown that Lummi has always fulfilled its orders.....eventually. That answer is not good enough for some of you, and of course you're entitled to feel that way. But I say this: give Rob more time. Yes, I know some of you have waited months and have neither product nor money nor communication to show for it, and you're DONE with giving him time. But my money's on Rob making right by you. He will get to you, either with product or refund, as soon as he possibly can. That's the way it's always been, and that's how I personally feel. I know from experience that we CPF'ers are an immediate gratification society - we want our lights and we want them NOW. I'm no different than anyone else in that regard. Prepays drive me crazy. But we must show some compassion and understand that, once in a while, good men suffer. To kick them while they're down won't help. Rob's a good man but a crappy communicator. But, as I said, history has shown that he always comes through.

It never ceases to amaze me how people will stick up for terrible behavior. Do people make mistakes? Yes. Are some very talented people bad businessmen? Yes. Do people get behind in their work? Yes. We understand that. And if that were all it were people would be more understanding.

But holding money hostage, and filling new orders with lights that should have been sent to customers that paid months upon months ago, and then lying to or ignoring those customers when they rightly question the situation is completely unacceptable and in my opinion is tantamount to theft.

Troy, I think highly of you as a longtime member of this board, and valued contributor, and I am truly shocked at your support of this kind of business.

All other opinions aside, if Rob was completely unknown here and we knew what we know about his business dealings he would be called a liar and a thief. However, he says nice things in conversations with his friends and receives total absolution. So what does his defenders opinions, coupled with his history tell us? He's really a great guy who is simply misunderstood... and don't trust him any further than you can throw him from the other side of the Atlantic.

While I've never dealt with Rob, I've always admired his lights for their form and function. But, I've never bought one because there have always been instances where there have been very long waits. I've kept up with threads like this one because I guess I love a good soap opera. It seems to me, and I could be wrong, that this could have all been avoided if Rob had not continued to give a pretty standard reply to those inquiring about their lights which is "it will ship next week". I don't mind a long delay, and I understand things happen with parts, suppliers, and life itself. But just tell me up front "I'm behind, and I wont be able to ship this to you for probably a couple of months.". Now my expectations are real, and I'm not hacked when in a couple of weeks, it hasn't shown up so I'm firing off another e-mail. It's all about communication. I hope he gets everything back together because I'd still like one of his lights!