In March, I decided to acquire an observatory. My initial preference was for a SkyShed Pod MKII, and I contacted Wayne regarding pricing and shipping. Although he promised to provide a shipping estimate, I never received one despite following up with him several times. After waiting for a month, I turned to an alternative supplier and placed an order with NexDome.
It has been over four months, that order was not fulfilled. I notified my credit card company. NexDome neither responded to my emails nor answered my phone calls. In total, I sent approximately five emails and two or three messages through the website chat system, all of which went unanswered. Lo and behold, after my credit card provider intervened, the company finally replied. The representative apologized and attributed the delay to reasons ranging from my emails being filtered into spam to tariffs. He claimed that the dome was available and that the only remaining requirement was for me to provide my Social Security number for shipping purposes. I responded immediately, but it has now been a two weeks without further communication.
I then reestablished contact with SkyShed, explaining that I had not heard from him since March. Wayne indicated that he had located my original email and promised to provide a shipping estimate within a few days. However, it has now been five days, and I have yet to receive a response.
Given these repeated difficulties, I have concluded that I will likely construct a roll-off roof instead, although I had originally hoped to obtain a dome. It is remarkable that two different suppliers of personal observatories appear to be so overextended that they are unable to provide the very products they advertise.
