The well known supplier in Milton Keynes, is well known for selling sub standard metals. He also could not care less about the comments of his customers.

Solution is DO NOT trade with this dreadful person. I believe that others on this forum have also been landed with rubbish when dealing with this individual.

Andrew.

The Terms & Conditions make interesting reading:

https://www.mkmetals.co.uk/terms-conditions/

The word ‘bargepole’ came to mind.

MichaelG.

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Edit: __ from the public record [make of it what you will]

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/01401716/filing-history

I am not surprised by the OP’s experiences. I went there once !

Gerry

Never buy from a farm and read all the reviews all the good ones are local

As you bought it mail order you have an absolute right to send it back for refund, even if its not faulty (which this plainly is) . If you bought it with PayPal they are very good at refunding, otherwise contact your credit card provider. Never pay for anything like this by bank transfer, much more difficult to get a refund

I was similarly ‘stitched up’ by this company a few years back and have never used them again.

The lesson here Phil is to always do a search on the forum here before sending money to a company you have not dealt with before!

Mike

Duffers guide to buying metal:

1. Random scrap.   Advantage, cheap! Disadvantages.  Pot luck what the metal is, and may not be machinable.  Many scrapyards are downright unfriendly; my local yards buy metal but don’t sell it.
2. Selected machinable scrap from a known source.   Advantage, cheap!  Disadvantage.  Location dependent.  None available where I live, and, because metal is costly, many firms these days have an exclusive deal with a recycler.  Worth asking if opportunity presents, but don’t be offended by dusty answers.
3. Off-cuts sold by a small business, perhaps online.   Advantage,  moderately cheap and they post it.  Disadvantage.   Material and storage condition vary wildly.  Buying is always a bit risky, and as we see in this topic, there are examples of bad practice!
4. DIY Stores.  Advantages: available, and can be selected.  Disadvantages: Very limited range. Costly and not particularly machinable, some horrible.  No specifications.
5. Metal sold by a local metal stockist.   Advantages: can be bought to specification, and the metal will be something like it!  Prices moderate, cheaper if you buy by the ton!  Usually properly stored.  No carriage charges.    Disadvantage:  buying small quantities makes it more likely rolling-mill ends or off-cuts will be supplied.  May not be keen to deal with hobbyists, who are often ‘difficult’ and only spend tiny money.
6. Metal sold by an online metal stockist.   Advantages: can be bought to specification.     Usually properly stored.  Often willing to supply small quantities.  Delivery.    Disadvantage: Prices higher, plus carriage charges. Buying small quantities makes it more likely rolling-mill ends or manky off-cuts will be supplied.
7. Professional supplier who issues certificates.   Advantages: metal can be bought to specification, and will be correct.  Disadvantages.  Cost, Minimum Order Quantities apply, and this class of supplier rarely wants to deal with private individuals.
8. Specialist Hobby Supplier.  Advantages: sell the difficult to find metals and stock sizes needed by hobbyists.   Mostly good to deal with because they value their reputation and know all about us!   Disadvantage: cost.

As always, chasing bargains increases the risk…

Dave

Their Face-Book entry describes the business as a scrap merchants, “nuff sed” as LBSC might have put it.

It looks as if this character is a scrap-dealer who has spotted a potentially more lucrative market for factory-clearance metal, but has no idea how to look after it, or more likely, just does not care.

It’s not the material that is faulty, but the dealer, who “stores” the stuff so badly he spoils it.

Selling sheared material as “strip” suggests he does not really understand materials and metalworking, too, except as something he can sell.

Dave – Point 5. Off-cuts and rolling-mill ends may be all the buyer needs as long as he can extract what he wants from it. It is not a reflection of the metal’s grade and quality.

However, your more general point about many companies’ unwillingness to sell to private individuals does often mean our only choice is the hobby’s own suppliers. They presumably buy in trade quantities, as a factory would, but we pay not only a pro-rate share of the retail metal cost but also for cutting, packaging and carriage.

When I operated a factory materials-store I noticed that the steel stockholder MacReadys’ Ts-&-Cs specifically said it will not sell to private customers. I don’t know how common that is, but some firms might simply refuse us even if not in a formal load of legalese.

On 3 January 2025 at 09:01 Phil P Said:

Well I had a bit of a result yesterday.

I originally bought the metal using Paypal, so I put a claim in through them for “Goods not as described”
They have fully refunded me including postage, and I do not have to send the rusty metal back.

Phil

What a very happy ending to a miserable tale

… spend your refund wisely and tell us where

MichaelG.

Also,

No till or card reader available invoice only.