I have had some frustrations with UM products, myself, going back to the original Global promotion, 4 yrs or so ago, so I have no special reason to 'defend' UM, but, at the same time, I feel it is important to be open in this thread about exactly who each dissatisfied customer was dealing with, when problems arose.
In my case, it was due to a combination of factors, partly including UMLab being snowed-under with global promotion orders, partly their UK agent (the now defunct 'Amp City') letting their obligations slide & fibbing to their customers rather than being totally up-front about lead-times/progress, etc. etc.
Ironically, it was UM Global (the Australian agent), who stepped in, at that time, and brought the situation back on track, after I contacted them for assistance. It was that same Australian agent whom I also contacted some time later, when my Miracle shells cracked (I was informed that this was not an isolated incident, and was due to a new lab technician, at the time, not UV-curing the acrylic for sufficient time to yield a thick-enough shell). Again, I found UM Global efficient and helpful, so I am saddened to hear that this same Australian agent might be at the epicenter of some of the frustrations being voiced within this current thread.
Coming back to the present day, and the frustrations being aired in this thread:
If 'UM Global', and/or some other agent(s) were the recipients of the money, then UM Lab (China) do not really deserve to be tarred with the same brush. Likewise, if, perhaps, any of UM's numerous other agents were recipients of anyone's cash, then they should be identified, rather than simply calling-out 'Unique Melody' or 'UM'. None of us know what may be occurring, behind the scenes, between UMLab and their agents. For all we know, UMLab may be very diligently pursuing one or more agents, at any given time, to rectify customer issues that have been brought to their attention. UMLab may even have lost-out more substantially than their customers - we just don't know and probably never will.
If I had to guess, I would guess that the situation might be due to ill-health, cashflow difficulties, or some other factor, rather than deliberate foul play. I say this because my experience was one of dealing with someone with integrity, who did care about customer satisfaction.
Another point worth noting, in relation to directly emailing UMLab, is that, last I knew, there were no English-speakers at UMLab. This might have changed during the intervening years, or perhaps not.
So, I'm neither defending nor criticising UMLab, here. I'm just emphasising that if UMLab weren't involved in the transaction, then it really isn't fair to blame them for the actions of an agent, even though it would be nice if they elected to cover all the (alleged) shortcomings of one or more agents. But, heck, there might be a hundred or more such customers, for all we know, and it wouldn't really be fair to expect UMLab to lose many thousands of dollars to compensate for one or more 3rd-parties whom they may have entered into distribution agreements with, in good faith.
Currawong's pragmatic advice is, IMO, accurate. Pursue the agent with whom you entered into a contractual agreement, and with whom you engaged in a financial transaction. Also consider going the creditcard refund route, if you paid via creditcard.
Good luck, all of you. I hope things eventually level out and you get your products or appropriate recompense.
.
