Here is the dilemma I have concerning VF. I placed an order with them in early November. They received my payment (money order) on November 21st, 2004. It has been 4 weeks since they received my payment and still no plane. I have received several replies from them concerning the status of my order. Until the e-mail I received yesterday, 12/16/04, they informed me of a backorder issue and that I was scheduled to be on the nexy shipment out. This is what their e-mail stated:

"Dear Gary:

Christmas and seasons greetings. Thank you for your message.

We sincerely apologize for the extended delay. We have been under tremendous pressure during this holiday season by customers who have requested delivery before Christmas, by letting us know at the last minute that it was a gift, and we have been forced against our policy to reprioritize some orders recently, as we only have a limited amount of airplanes available at any time. Your airplane was indeed scheduled to be shipped a week or so ago but we were not able to do so at the last minute because of a similar situation. However we are trying very hard to get it out over this weekend so you may have it next week. We do sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused. It has been a very tough situation for us as it has been for many of our customers, and we thank you for bearing with us for a few days more.

Thank you and very best regards,

Chuck Weber
VF"

My disapointment with them is that they are not being fair. They do not have their priorities straight. Instead of shipping out the "last minute gift" first, they should have shipped the orders on a first come-first serve basis. We are all paying customers and we should not have to pay for someone else's lack of planning. I was a Restaurant Manager for more than 10 years and I never sacrificed the needs of one customer over the needs of another. Everyone should be put on a level playing field and the orders should be filled as they receive them. I can understand that some people wanted to receive their plane before Christmas. These individuals should have planned accordingly and ordered with enough time to receive the plane before Christmas.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to bash VF. Their customer service has been second to none so far. They have always replied to my questions very quickly. I just think that because they are a small company and they became overwhelmed, they made some rash decisions on which customers should receive their plane first. We all spent our hard-earned money for their excellant product and we should all be treated fairly.

OK, I feel better now that I was able to "vent" some.

Thanks.