BH Enterprises - Still trading but order with patience please

Fredastaire · July 14, 2025, 10:55:34 AM

I need various parts for projects. I've used their web messaging, I've emailed, I've telephoned (leaving my no), finally two weeks back I've written by post.
.
I've no reply whatsoever so wondering if they've shut down.
.
Any ideas anybody?

Fredastaire · July 14, 2025, 03:38:13 PM

I've had a pm to say they are trading, it's frustrating that web site messages from weeks back unanswered, my phone call of 2-3 weeks back with me leaving message achieved nothing, a letter I wrote 2 weeks back achieved nothing.
.

.
I'll keep fingers crossed as I want to buy buffers, handrail knobs, plus Gresley parts...

Bob Tidbury · July 14, 2025, 03:50:26 PM

I have put many posts on here explaining That Ray passed away and his sons and a friend are doing their best to keep up to date with orders .The shed is quite big and its sometime very dificult to find things that are not commonly used.
All three have full time jobs and family problems to deal with
Andrew works some really awkward shifts some time VERY early or Very late shifts, Brian does deliveries all over the country and sometimes gets home very late ,Martin lives in Loughborough and can only get down some weekends So if you do place an order don't expect next day deliveries they don't have a huge team working 8 hours a day they just do their best when they can ,
Can I suggest just drop them an Email every so often and I am sure they will get back to you as soon as they can .
I used to help Ray at shows for over 35/40 years and I know how busy it can be with the mail orders .Getting supplies from other small firms is another problem as they dont always answer their phones in the evenings and so they cant get new stock when they
Run out .Then when they do get supplies it all has to be sorted and packed ,I once packed and labled 1,000 different types of Buffers into bags of 4 on a Friday before the ALLY PALLY SHOW so I do know the problem they have
Please be patient and hopefully you will get your order .
I wish I could help them still but I suffer with a bad back so I wouldnt be able to get in the shed with my 4 wheeled walking frame and I dont have a car to get over there.anyway .
Regards
Bob Tidbury

Bhenterprises · July 14, 2025, 05:18:31 PM

Quote from: Bob Tidbury on July 14, 2025, 03:50:26 PMI have put many posts on here explaining That Ray passed away and his sons and a friend are doing their best to keep up to date with orders .The shed is quite big and its sometime very dificult to find things that are not commonly used.
All three have full time jobs and family problems to deal with
Andrew works some really awkward shifts some time VERY early or Very late shifts, Brian does deliveries all over the country and sometimes gets home very late ,Martin lives in Loughborough and can only get down some weekends So if you do place an order don't expect next day deliveries they don't have a huge team working 8 hours a day they just do their best when they can ,
Can I suggest just drop them an Email every so often and I am sure they will get back to you as soon as they can .
I used to help Ray at shows for over 35/40 years and I know how busy it can be with the mail orders .Getting supplies from other small firms is another problem as they dont always answer their phones in the evenings and so they cant get new stock when they
Run out .Then when they do get supplies it all has to be sorted and packed ,I once packed and labled 1,000 different types of Buffers into bags of 4 on a Friday before the ALLY PALLY SHOW so I do know the problem they have
Please be patient and hopefully you will get your order .
I wish I could help them still but I suffer with a bad back so I wouldnt be able to get in the shed with my 4 wheeled walking frame and I dont have a car to get over there.anyway .
Regards
Bob Tidbury

Hi all,

Yes a post from BHEnterprises on the forum?

Firstly big thanks goes to @crewearpley40 for his help today on updates over the phone whilst driving 300 miles today and just got home.

Shout out to Bob Tidbury for his post above.

In relation to those who are awaiting reply from us 3 Andrew / Martin and myself. Apologies for the delay's and we will pick up as soon as.

Personally Martin's father hasn't been very well and taken time out.

As I'd spoken to @crewearpley40 who'd kindly messaged a couple of forum members on our behalf.

On snail mail Andrew who's in the family house hasn't had any post for 3-4 days, to be honest Watford snail mail is shocking. So apologies on not seen anything to comment on.

On emails dad in his wisdom always wanted to keep emails in inbox as always useful, even though replies would have the previous message. Could I ask if your waiting for a reply please resend with as per Brian post on forum so it'll become to the top.

We are still trading and looking forward to seeing many familiar faces at TINGS in a couple of months. If anything specific you may like we can bring if advise on emails.

You can always reach out to Bob Tidbury or @crewearpley40 to have a quiet word in our ears.

I've got a nice double Watford - North London trips tomorrow on deliveries

Keep smiling and keep cool

Regards to all
Brian
BH Enterprises

Bhenterprises · July 14, 2025, 07:56:41 PM

Quote from: njee20 on July 14, 2025, 07:13:53 PMOf course it's good having people here who advocate for businesses like BHE, but if replies are genuinely likely to take weeks (or not at all until other platforms are used to chase) then surely a banner on the website, or auto reply on the mailbox is a minimum?

@njee20 appreciate comment, if we cast minds back 3 years ( dad is retired working at home ) and 12 years both Mum and Dad were main stays for BH. I'm sure Bob will back me up Helen (Mum) used to pick up the mailorder and phones.

The website is on the to do list with 100. And other things, but time is a killer.

Regards
Brian
B H Enterprises

Bhenterprises · July 14, 2025, 10:15:56 PM

Quote from: njee20 on July 14, 2025, 09:16:42 PMBut you have a website, just a banner saying "please note that replies will be delayed". Or take the website down and just put a holding page in its place?

I don't doubt for a minute that your intentions are entirely noble, but again, people shouldn't need others on here to vouch for the fact you are still trading.

@njee20 we do appreciate your idea on the banner for delayed replies idea banner.

I'm sure if we were to take the website down the forum would be on fire

? BH not trading BH bust.

As the website was kindly put together by a family friend who like us have Fulltime jobs and family life it's not going to be a quick fix (happen overnight). We appreciate that people on the forum more in a day then we can in our day jobs.

Personally I feel an update on the about us section would be more suited.

Regards to all
Brian
BH Enterprises

Bob Tidbury · July 15, 2025, 08:09:59 AM

Yes HELEN was the packing and dispatch dept for B H E and Ray used to get the orders together for her every night she then packed them and took them round to the post office ,
I used to go over sometimes on a Friday after work and if there were no shows I used to stay over and me and Ray used to pack lable and price the kits some of the parts were produced by several other cottage industries ,who had their own families and jobs to deal with .If we had a show coming up we often stayed up very late to get things packed , then up very early and on the road to get to the show .
I agree that if they could a message on the website would be a good idea but as Brian has said another friend deals with the website ,I really enjoyed helping and going to the shows and have met many friends that I still keep in contact with But I miss the face to face chats and meeting all our regular customers and friends .But I have to face facts at 78 with a bad back and a 4 wheeled walker I am now unable to help ,
Finaly I can assure you all that Andrew ,Brian and Martin are doing the best that they can do to keep B H E trading but admittedly on a smaller scale Than when Helen, Ray and even myself used to do .
Regards
Bob

Bhenterprises · July 15, 2025, 10:41:58 AM

Quote from: njee20 on July 14, 2025, 10:39:04 PMHence saying a holding page. "We are dealing with a high volume of messages at the moment, please feel free to email us on ... and we'll reply as soon as we can". This forum is not the internet, it's a very small subset, people posting intermittent messages here won't reach large numbers of your customers, prospective or otherwise.

That said, I admit I'm aware of your dealings overwhelmingly because of posts from Bob on here, that you have that conduit is great. Please take my comments as constructive, as that is how they are intended, but burying an update in "about us" which says it may take ages to reply isn't ideal - just stick it on the homepage. Should be trivial. People are understanding, we're playing with toy trains, and we all have lives, but people don't like the uncertainty, that's more damaging.

@njee20 again comments taken on board, it's not easy to ask a friend in his spare time to do X Y Z.

I know it's a discussion for the 3 of us to relaunch the BH website but trying to get everyone's personal diary's together is worse then work diaries I can tell you that.

I've been involved with BH since a little kid traveling all over the country with Mum / Dad and once driving myself with a certain Mr Tidbury Esc, and we my brother and I with Martins help are trying to keep the memory of dad going.

Regards to all
Brian
BHE

Newportnobby · July 15, 2025, 12:24:38 PM

Thread re-titled to reflect the current situation

Bob Tidbury · July 15, 2025, 01:37:36 PM

The team will be at T I N G S as usual in September so if any one wants to order and collect there that will help them a lot but please make sure you give them your full name and to say you will collect , and ask for a conformation Email that your order can Be completed and will be ready for you

Bhenterprises · July 15, 2025, 07:17:53 PM

Quote from: Fredastaire on July 14, 2025, 10:55:34 AMI need various parts for projects. I've used their web messaging, I've emailed, I've telephoned (leaving my no), finally two weeks back I've written by post.
.
I've no reply whatsoever so wondering if they've shut down.
.
Any ideas anybody?

@Fredastaire,

I've gone through the BH Google mailbox and can see a email from ****mail dated 24/4/25 mentioning if handrail knobs and past 7F kits/ were back in stock to Martin. But cannot see any for May/June/July on searches.

I know @crewearpley40 had kindly PM yourself to resend email in. Have you? As haven't seen anything come in within last 48hrs. As I can appreciate your looking for reply.

Regards to all
Brian
BH Enterprises

Bhenterprises · July 15, 2025, 07:38:08 PM

Quote from: njee20 on July 15, 2025, 02:03:21 PMPeople don't not understand Bob, if you'll forgive the double negative, but why would they come to a forum to read about issues being faced by a totally unrelated retailer? That's why you put something on the website, to avoid that issue in the first place. I understand they're beholden to someone else to do that though.

Again, it's all just toy trains, I worry about anyone who can't wait, but people simply like to know where they stand. Fitting things in around 'life' is always hard, particularly when it's multiple people to coordinate.

@njee20 @ntpntpntp @alec_m @Malc-c I do see your comments on adding bits to the website. But as mentioned above and I'm sure the mod team @Newportnobby can see above.

Both Andrew and Myself do not perform the maintenance on the BH website, this is kindly done by a close friend who has a family life and a career. So any updates are not going to happen overnight and clicking fingers together. Just isn't going to happen.

We all do this as a hobby whether running BH, modelling to enjoyment levels.

This post is just everyone coming up with ideas ans if they're running BH. I can speak for my brother we're getting stressed out as people don't understand BH is a spare time hobby / cottage industry.

I feel like I'm repeating myself over and over again. which I believe @njee20 can understand also with a hobby sideline on FB.

Right I've had stressful day driving over London with a nice 2.5hr drive from Guildford to Muswell Hill, the M25 / M4 / M40 / A406 was fantastic. Ending up with a late finish to work. Also taking calls from @crewearpley40 whos mostly online and relaying message.

so I'm going to get a beer, log out from the forum for tonight and relax.

Regards to all

Brian
BH Enterprises

Newportnobby · July 15, 2025, 09:08:35 PM

And on that note, and with all the explanations throughout this thread, it's time it was locked and left as information to others seeking BHE products

Newportnobby · Last Edit: **Yesterday** at 03:04:55 PM by Newportnobby

Contact BHE at either

@Bhenterprises by PM or

www.bhenterprises.co.uk

The catalogue is above but please do add full name and contact details. The team will be pleased to receive any full orders @Bhenterprises and will respond kindly as soon as.

All extraneous posts have been removed such that the thread just contains info from BHE/Bob Tidbury and I'll move it to N Gauge Discussion rather than have it in someone's OMWB section.