• You must be a Supporting Member to create a listing in the Long Range Hunting Marketplace. To read all the rules, click here.

    We offer multiple options to become a Supporting Member here.

SELLER: Beware of "Tikkamike "

Joined
Dec 15, 2014
Messages
8
I originally wasn't going to post a negative review of this seller but enough time has passed that it appears he isn't going to make things right so it seems well deserved at this point.

(Tikka)Mike sold me a set of Badger Ordnance rings through his classified ads that had been lapped and weren't listed as such.

When the rings arrived I discovered they were lapped and the lapping had been colored over with a black sharpie. I asked Mike for a refund since I didn't want Badger rings that had already been lapped and were thus void of the warranty, I even offered to cover the return shipping on my dime.

He readily agreed to send me a refund when he could get the funds together. This was back in February 2015, since then he's been buying expensive toys here on the classifieds so I can only assume he isn't (and wasn't) actually short on cash.

Here is his exact statement, the last thing he ever wrote to me, a message I received on 2/26/15 just some three hours after asking him for a refund:

"I will accept return, however I dont have the money right now but if you can bare with me I will get it rounded up and send your money back. then when you have your money you can send them back. no hard feelings. I thought I had that they were lapped in the description so I appologize for that."

Mike had these listed multiple times on at least two forums, I don't see in any of the descriptions where he lists them as lapped.

It's worth noting, that Mike was aware that lapping these rings voids the warranty, you can see him stating that in this thread:

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f18/lapping-scope-rings-156265/index2.html

So, the last contact I had from Mike above (2/26) was his promise to send me the refund soon. I waited over a month after that message to ask Mike for a timetable on the return, fully believing he actually needed time to raise the money, that message and all messages since then have never been responded to. In fact, since his promise of a forthcoming refund he won't answer or return my calls, phone messages or pm's.

I'm confident Mike is receiving my contacts, as he's even visited my profile here after receiving one of my PM contacts that he read and chose not to reply to. If you click my name and visit my profile you will see his name in the log of visitors.

As far as I can tell the man just thinks leading me on about actually sending a refund then ignoring me is the proper way to deal with this. His pm's offered no initial evidence of deception when I asked him for a refund and as the months have progressed I've only gradually come to realize his ill intent. I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt and I believe I've now allowed a reasonable amount of time for him to make amends. Never before have I been treated this way by a fellow sportsman but it appears I misjudged Mike and he is not the typical quality member as I've been accustomed to dealing with on these forums.
 
No sir, I haven't heard a peep from him. I still have the rings, I tried to sell them with an honest description at a big discount from what I paid but it doesn't appear anyone wants lapped, out of warranty Badger rings. I probably should just throw them out as it puts a sour taste in my mouth every time I see them sitting there over the reloading bench. First and only time I've been ripped off by a fellow sportsman.
 
No sir, I haven't heard a peep from him. I still have the rings, I tried to sell them with an honest description at a big discount from what I paid but it doesn't appear anyone wants lapped, out of warranty Badger rings. I probably should just throw them out as it puts a sour taste in my mouth every time I see them sitting there over the reloading bench. First and only time I've been ripped off by a fellow sportsman.

I understand your frustration, but out of curiosity whats wrong with lapped rings? Doesn't that relieve stress on the scope tube? Or is it that $200 rings no longer have a warranty bc that would make me upset too.
 
To quote from the Badger website:
"Badger rings are machined from the highest quality materials as serialized matched pairs This guarantees that both rings are identical and eliminates the damaging effects of poor fitting mass produced rings."


At least in my opinion this is part of what justifies their cost as compared with competitors. Lapping them for a particular rifle ruins this effect. In addition as you said, lapping them voids the warranty.
 
Thanks for posting this. I will beware Tikkamike !
You would think someone that posts as much on this sight would conduct themselves honestly.
 
I totally agree! I have not seen any post from him since then. I hope he still works with OP to resolve the issue, it's never too late.

Agreed, its never too late! I am sure an apology and an offer to refund would wipe the slate clean!
 
Erin, it sounds like you gave him ample opportunity to make things right. Thank you for your post! ! I have added his name to the "bad guy list" that I have been quietly keeping for future reference. I have done dozens of deals on this site and have had a couple disappointing experiences....so I understand your frustration. Thanks again for your post and good luck with any future transactions. Jerry
 
I understand your frustration, but out of curiosity whats wrong with lapped rings? Doesn't that relieve stress on the scope tube? Or is it that $200 rings no longer have a warranty bc that would make me upset too.

That's a good question and deserves a comment.

Lapping rings is a last effort to straiten poorly fitting or aligned rings. It should be done very carefully by someone that knows what they are doing.(They can be reamed/lapped to much and will not hold the scope in place). The other problem is that once they have been reamed, they should remain on that rifle and the same base.

If you ream/lap rings there is no guarantee they will be true on another set of bases or rifle.

J E CUSTOM
 
Erin, it sounds like you gave him ample opportunity to make things right. Thank you for your post! ! I have added his name to the "bad guy list" that I have been quietly keeping for future reference. I have done dozens of deals on this site and have had a couple disappointing experiences....so I understand your frustration. Thanks again for your post and good luck with any future transactions. Jerry

Agreed, its never too late! I am sure an apology and an offer to refund would wipe the slate clean!

Ditto!
 

Attachments

  • a9cc6155-f27f-4013-830a-373fa278ce92_zps44fa0f82[1].jpg
    a9cc6155-f27f-4013-830a-373fa278ce92_zps44fa0f82[1].jpg
    15 KB · Views: 18
I've dealt with Mike a few times with no problems. He's been here a long time and adds character to the forum. I hope this gets worked out. Mark
 
If you ream/lap rings there is no guarantee they will be true on another set of bases or rifle.
J E CUSTOM

If the rings were lapped, I agree the seller should have mentioned this prior to sale.

Having said that (the obvious), there's nothing to say a used set of rings lapped for use on one rifle couldn't be lapped a second time for use on a different rifle. This would depend on how aggressive the rings were lapped the first time, and how much material was removed. I purchased a set of used Seekins aluminum rings that had been lightly lapped, and re-lapped them for my rifle. No problems.

Also, there's no guarantee that a new set of rings will be perfectly true on any rifle - new or used. Which is why many begin the lapping process on every rifle, just to see how the rings align with the lapping bar on their rifle.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 8 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.
Top