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EDIT: Thought I should update this on the first post, for anyone just coming upon this thread and not wanting to read the entire thing. The shop, railroad depot hobbies, quickly corrected the issue and I am a happy camper. I'll use them again, knowing that they will make things right if there is an issue.
Well, I ordered, among other things, one dozen Athearn BB #1624 undecorated reefers from an internet shop called Railroad Depot Hobbies. Shipping time was good, I received the order in 9 days, considering this is Christmas time, not bad.
The Athearn 1624 is a non-outside-braced reefer that I will use to model the SLC reeefers from the Mountain King Potato factory. Only problem is, Railroad Depot Hobbies sent me Athearn BB #1631 which is the undecorated outside braced reefer. Darn it. It is right there on the order form, #1624, not 1631!
Crud. I hate it when stuff like this happens. I sent them an email with photos of the boxes and numbers, and I'll call them first thing in the morning to see what the remedy will be. So, the verdict is out right now. They filled the order in decent time, and everything else was correct, although the shipping was a bit steep. I was willing to pay it though, because I really want those Athearn 1624s. I'll let everyone know how they do on this, just to keep in mind when ordering in the future.
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I hope it was just a fowl up instead of a replacement if they are out of 1624
Tom
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That's what I am afraid of. On their website, it indicated they had 16 of the 1624 and only 4 of the 1631. So, I'm betting it is an inventory glitch on their end, the order filler saw that they didn't have the right thing, but figured that an undecorated reefer is an undecorated reefer, not realizing that the 1624 is a riveted side reefer, while the 1631 is an outside braced reefer. Probably filled the order hoping that I wouldn't know the difference. 
Edit: typo
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Gary, that is a bummer but they should make it right, no additional cost to you. Be Firm.
I had a similar situation last week. I ordered 2 25 yard bolts of fabric for a skirt for my layout. I paid for 2 25 yard bolts of fabric. when I received 2 15 yard bolts I was very unhappy, made a call, and they offered to pick it up and give me full credit. Under the description in tiny fine print in the online catalog it says 15 yards, but the big bold print and my invoice said 25 yard bolts, so I told them I felt it was deceptive advertising, and I wanted the other 20 yards. and low and behold, Saturday I recieved 2 more 15 yard bolts at no charge, so now I have 60 yards., which I can use for sure.
Most places strive to make it right. sometimes it just takes a big hammer to get there attention. 
Charlie
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Thanks for the success story, Charlie. I intend to be tactful but firm. They need to make this right. I will keep everyone informed of how it goes.
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Gary S Wrote:I intend to be tactful but firm.
A friend of mine at work the other day called it "polite persistence". 
Good luck Gary! 
Andrew
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Thanks Andrew,
Really, we all need to be more open about these kinds of things. If a shop does right, we need to spread the word. When a shop does wrong, we need to let people know about that too.
Reminds me of awhile back on the other forum when a particular online shop advertised a certain quantity of item that Kadee had discontinued. I needed them, so I ordered them, they ran my credit card, then when they finally figured out they couldn't get the item, took months to credit my card, after about a hundred emails on my part to them. When I posted about it, 10 or 12 others chimed in with the same type of story of how that same shop had screwed them.
Hopefully, this one will turn out for the better so I can heartily recommend this shop to everyone.
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It is unfortunate that these things happen from time to time. It is somewhat alarming that it seems to happen more and more frequently.
It is my belief that the problem is two-fold. One, the schools are graduating young people who are not "edumacated" enough to fillout a job application properly, some can only barely read. And the "point-of-sale" terminal was developed because end users requested it from manufacturers ... the check-out employees could not figure out how to give proper change, and some were only marginally successful when the amount actually presented to them on the display of the terminal! Sad!
The other, and possibly more over-riding reason for this kind of incompetance is that many young employees just don't care! "I put my time in, give me my check" is the attitude! Gone are the days when people actually made an effort to do the job correctly and took pride in a job well done.
We can thank the NEA ... they've done a smashing job! Maybe we should throw even more money at it. Think it would help?
Be firm with them, Gary. Insist that the mistake be made right. Just because some illiterate order-picker doesn't know the difference doesn't mean that the person who made the order doesn't now what he ordered.
On a positive note, I ordered some DCC stuff from an on-line model railroad shop here in Florida not long ago. The order was shipped quickly, It was picked correctly and packed well to insure undamaged delivery. The shipping charges were reasonable. The name of this unusual retailer is The Yankee Dabbler. You might want to check them out for Digitrax, Soundtraxx and other DCC vendors. The prices seemed to me to be very competitive.
biL
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Dang - and I was hoping for another rant about my arch-nemesis - UPS  
Don't be too hard on them, Gary, until you give them a chance to fix things. It's probably a busy time for them right now, and the more one works, the greater the chances for mistakes. Right now at work I am dealing with 80 water right applications, and I need to send a letter for every one of them requesting additional information because they filled out the form incorrectly. I asked a guy who has worked in the program for many years, and he said he has not yet seen an application sent in that didn't have at least one issue with the form being filled out incorrectly.
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Getting the wrong item(s) is something I've never had a problem with - so far. But I hate it when you go to a web site that shows they have a certain item only to find out after you've ordered it that it wasn't in stock and has been back ordered with no projected delivery date. And if the item was a one time paint scheme from the manufacturer - when would you ever get it????
I'm always a little nervous when I place an order with a dealer that I've never ordered from before. Will say that it's always a good idea to read their order policies page - if they have one. Sometimes that's a real eye-opener and a lesson I learned the hard way! Things like restocking fees for returned items - fees for canceling an order or parts of an order - no returns or my favorite "must be returned unopened".
Since it's been mentioned - one of the best on-line outfits I've been dealing with is M. B. Klein (Model Train Stuff) https://www.modeltrainstuff.com/. Good prices and fast service! On any item, they show the number they have in stock and seems to be kept up to date.
Ed
"Friends don't let friends build Timesavers"
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I order darn near everything from them. Great prices, and the web site shows an accurate inventory. Never had a problem, and being close to Baltimore my stuff comes in a couple of days. 
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Lighten up guys, maybe it was just a mistake......If the hobby shop you ordered from is anywhere near reputable, they will resolve it. If it's a one-man-show-from-the-garage-drop-ship-"hobby shop"-with-a-way-cool-internet-address....it's a mistake you'll hopefully never make again.....
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I don't think anyone is being "heavy". If we all reported our experiences with the various companies, it couldn't hurt. Right now, the verdict is out. I have not received an email or an answer to the phone message I left them. This is feeling like one of those "out of the garage" places right now. However, it is the only place where I found the Athearn BB 1624 50' undecorated reefer.
If they fix this issue, then we all know we can deal with this company with confidence. If they don't, then we won't shop there.
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Getting heavier, Richard. Almost 24 hours and no response via email or phone.
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I you don't get an answer tomorrow put a dispute on the CC bill. Email them now and tell them you are going to do it tomorrow and that may make them respond. When I got stuck with the Internet hobby shop that led me to finding the old big blue I filed with my cc company and they stopped payment.
But, it was worth the grief because I found you folks. 
Charlie
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