Did anyone else get the email about Tiny wargames and the new owner ? Basically stating
Tinywargames has been mis-sold, and the new owner is pursuing legal action against the previous owner. Customers who placed orders before August 2024 and have not received their items should provide order details to Sales@tinywargamesinfo.com. Customers who ordered premium gaming mats after September 2024 should contact Richard Bailey directly.
due to a mis-coding he has sent them the wrong sized company or the wrong pattern lol.
:)
Derek
It's a bit if pet peeve in that from the site you can't even tell who owns the company. Company house still says mr Bailey runs the company (albeit dormant )
Probably just best off buyer beware
A murky situation. Having been poorly treated by the company in the past, I'd be reluctant to return to them. Which is a shame because the product is good.
I've never bought online from them only from shows where I can inspect the goods, but I read the t's and c's just now out of interest. One of them says that there is a +/- 6% tolerance in their stated cloth size and that all cloths are hand cut. Also that no refunds would be given once a mat was printed. I would not deal with someone under those terms unless their goods were very cheap. If they are going under then I am not surprised.
John
It sees a big shame that this product is so easy (to me) to produce, store, post and catalogue, yet it has gotten into a real mess.
I wish any future owner luck, as there is a good market for mats albeit not amongst the "one green felt mat is my only ambition" gamers.
My own personal liking is for the Geek Villain ones. They are perfect for my uses.
I am not keen on the cigar ones with printed trees etc.although they are good quality prints.
martin :)
I agree Martin. Geek Villain are the market leader in eyes. I'll be treating self to a new one in the new year for the desert.
I have a number of Geek Villain mats now, and I would also still use Deep Cut, especially for their cotton cloths. Using one now (which I bought in the UK from a company called Peter Pig) which is my go to Square Bashing mat. It also features in some of my non-gridded C18th games.
I really like the Tinywargames mats I have, and wish that all the noise would get sorted out to allow them to once again provide their lightweight, easy-to-store product that looks good and is reasonably priced.
As Martin says, this should not be too difficult to achieve!
Simon
If tiny mats can get going again I may order some CK mats from them for resale.
I think the main criterion is to have someone who can print on cloth?
martin :)
Quote from: martin goddard on December 30, 2024, 02:57:43 PMIf tiny mats can get going again I may order some CK mats from them for resale.
I think the main criterion is to have someone who can print on cloth?
martin :)
... to which I'd add "printing regular square grids of the right size and cutting the cloth to the desired dimensions ".
Simon
You are very exacting Simon. Two out of three ain't bad?
martin :)
You are no doubt right, Martin.
Could be why my life is full of disappointments? :D
Simon
I still have a cast off desert mat from them where the edge squares are a little under size. I think a certain customer was just too demanding of perfection, Simon ;D
That one wasn't me, Sean.
I too have a desert mat with under-sized edge squares :)
Simon
I've seen that Phil Mackie, from Oxford way I think, has had trouble with Tiny Wargames.
He's been carrying out some due diligence and it appears that the company was registered as defunct around September but some orders were still taken but nothing delivered.
Phil ordered mats which weren't delivered. It appears the owner has been left with some very unhappy customers :-\
Interesting unsolicited email from the new owner of Tiny Wargames today
"Dear Valued Customers,
We are reaching out to update you on recent changes at Tinywargames and to reaffirm our commitment to delivering the high-quality products and services you have come to expect.
After proudly serving the wargaming community for over 10 years, Tinywargames transitioned to new ownership, Unfortunately, due to operational challenges and management difficulties, the business faced significant setbacks during this three-month tenure.
We want to assure you that Tinywargames is now under new, experienced ownership, and we are fully dedicated to restoring the business to its former excellence. Our primary focus is rebuilding your trust, improving operations, and continuing to provide the exceptional gaming mats and customer service that have been the foundation of our reputation.
We deeply appreciate your patience and continued support during this transitional period. We are excited to move forward and ensure that Tinywargames remains the trusted name in tabletop gaming for years to come.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us directly at this email.
Thank you for being a valued part of the Tinywargames community."
Of course, it doesn't indicate whether they are like the Death Star and fully operational, or still getting things sorted.
Just tried the website. Nothing new since a review dated 2022. Site says "under maintenance".
John
Stand back at a safe distance?
martin :)
Sean, could it be that the new owner may be none other than the original owner ("new, experienced ownership, and we are fully dedicated to restoring the business to its former excellence")?
And should I be feeling like a less-than-valued customer, as I didn't get their email? ;D
Simon
I've had a look at the current website [https://tinysites.wixsite.com/update]. While it says it's under maintenance, this time the catalogue has been removed (you have to email for prices, but that implies you already know what you want to buy) and the "under new management" status is stated (albeit with no details of this latest change).
The email address linked to is different from before, with a gmail.com domaine that implies that it's temporary until they get a new corporate one sorted?
I see that there is a US "branch" (in Florida), but the Swanley, Kent address for the UK matches that of the original owner. So either they've only updated part of the provisional website, or the original owner is again the latest owner?
I really hope this time that all works out well, as I do like the product!
Simon
Richard Bailey is still listed as director at Companies House. IF it is under new management, they should probably change the name. I've never had a problem with Tinywargames myself but there's a lot of people across various social media who have.
It's all very murky. As Martin says, probably best to stand back and see what's occurring.
First a disclaimer; I never had any of the problems others suffered with Tiny. There again I never had any problems with Hotz either despite many horror stories.
I think the biggest problem is that the "brand" is tainted by the issues that have dogged it.
I've seen all the amateur detectives come up with various conspiracy theories about who owns what.
First, it is possible to transfer a business without transferring the limited company that operated it. That the original director appears on Companies House means nothing. He could in theory still operate that entity, but the brand may be more problematic depending on what was transferred in the sale.
A new address for Tiny appeared. We then had various posts about legal action and that the original owner had been taking orders when they shouldn't have (allegedly).
I suspect the sale ( if indeed there has been one) may have been conducted on less than sound principles with poor attention as to what was being bought.
In any case, with the previous reputation and current uncertainty, I doubt many will order mats or be wise to do so. He may be able to sell at shows. If there has been a new owner, I think I'd rebrand as soon as possible.....
Neil
Bargepole - not touching - for the use of...
Geek Villain seem to have a problem keeping mats in stock.
Maybe these mat sellers are using an associated printing company which does not have gaming mats as their main income source?
martin :)
I was under the impression that Geek Villain have their own printer. I think the issue is keeping it working properly at times.
Mats have become such a mainstay of our hobby its a shame that two of the UK's manufacturers are having issues.
I agree Sean.
Mats have changed the nature of what we play on.
martin :)
It would be impossible to argue with that, Martin ;D
Simon
I spy a marketing opportunity Martin!?!
John
If I had access to a material print company I would go for it.
I think Geek is in Leicester, which is a busy hub for fabrics.
martin :)
It does seem like a licence to print money, if you can get some basic admin right.
Simon
Printing money is all well and good but I really want a Scilily mat from Geek Villain 😁
Note that TINYWARGAMES was sold in good faith in August 2024, unfortunately the new owner messed it all up in 3 months and blamed me. We sold over 13500 mats in ten years and only 0.04% issues with customers. Wesley the new owner ruined the business in 3 months. He is trying to sue me! I am counter suing for £50,000 for defamation online. TINYWARGAMES is not trading at present!
Good luck
Loved your mats
Stewart
To make the numbers speak more clearly.
That is 540 issues total. That is good.
54 problems per year.
5 per month.
martin :)
5.4 not 54!!
Quote from: martin goddard on April 10, 2025, 07:46:47 AMTo make the numbers speak more clearly.
That is 540 issues total. That is good.
54 problems per year.
5 per month.
martin :)
This is Richard from TINYWARGAMES I sold to Wesley fitton due to ill health and he messed it all up by overspending on an office and not following my advice. He messed it up and starting slagging me off online. The very small minority of unhappy customers started a vendetta against me and Wesley is trying to recover the money he spent on it. I am counter suing for £50k as he has defamed me online. It was sold in good faith and was running ok. He messed it all up. I will win the case and recover TINYWARGAMES and make it bigger and better. TINYWARGAMES was clearly explained to him and we never had a signed agreement. All of his claims are false. I gave him training and all the help he needed. He has since sold the printer I sold him.
Double exclamation mark.
Gosh.
My maths ability is obviously not as good as Richard's?
Let me try again.
13500 mats in ten years and 4% errors.
13500 x .04= 540
divide by 10 (the number of years)= 54
divide by 12 (the number of months)= 4.5 errors per month.
Conversely 5.4 per year. Divide by 12= half a mat error per month. Amazing
Genius or numerically hopeless?
martin :)