Hornby Customer Care - Not!

[PMP]

On 21/04/2019 at 02:25, The Johnster said:

.  If you think getting into a Hornby coach is hard, try putting crew in the cab of a Bachmann 4575!  

 

 

There’s no great difficulty with Bachmann’s 45xx or Panniers, it takes little effort and a few minutes. Even if you don’t want to take the body apart you can fix crew using tweezers and a touch of rapid superglue on their feet.

[The Johnster]

Like jjb1970, my worry is the brute force, in this case needed to separate the cab front from the firebox backhead.  You've obviously managed this at least twice without precipitating a disaster, so I'll have another go with a bit more confidence now.  But, in line with the OP's point and the discussion of the topic, I would like to see removal of roofs made a lot easier both to actually do and to work out how to do in the first place.  With even small locos around the £100 mark and coaches around £50 or more in some cases, I reckon the cost involved will not be excessive as a percentage of the retail price of the model.  

 

Magnetic mounting would be my favourite method, though I'm not sure of the effect it might have on DCC.  Screws will be unsightly and plastic clips will get broken.

Edited April 22, 2019 by The Johnster

[PMP]

For anything like this there’s additional cost in the tooling, and subsequent manufacturing time, vs the demand from the customer. Then there’s the spares, because there’s a number that will undoubtedly lose the cab roof...

 The easy option for the manufacturer is to put the crew in at manufacture with no complex extra tooling. So we’ll get exactly the same mass produced and painted figures, pink blobs for faces just like in some Bachmann diesels I can think of. I cant imagine the market will ask for that, and even less likely they’ll ask for more expensive models so a few people can fit crews easier.

[Phil Parker]

On 20/04/2019 at 23:43, Steamport Southport said:

The OP is just pointing out his experience I don't see what all the fuss is about. 

 

The "fuss" is because the OP chose an aggressive title for the thread "Hornby Customer Care - Not!"  Instead of asking the forum for help, they have decided to have a pop at Hornby on a public forum. Several users have suggested that the confrontational position they have taken is unwarranted. 

 

I'm sure "How do you take the roof off a  Hornby Mk 4?" would have generated many helpful suggestions and perhaps it would be nice if they changed the title.

[jonny777]

I am surprised that someone whose name appears as "Guest" is not only allowed to comment on a thread, but start one of their own. 

 

 

[AY Mod]

13 minutes ago, Phil Parker said:

The "fuss" is because the OP chose an aggressive title for the thread "Hornby Customer Care - Not!"

 

After he contacted me to complain he was getting bullied in this topic I gave him some life lessons.

[cravensdmufan]

My dealings with Hornby - Customer Care and Service departments - have always been met with polite, helpful and positive results.

 

 

[truffy]

39 minutes ago, jonny777 said:

I am surprised that someone whose name appears as "Guest" is not only allowed to comment on a thread, but start one of their own. 

 

It would appear that the OP is an ex-member. He is no more (a member, that is).

 

36 minutes ago, AY Mod said:

 

After he contacted me to complain he was getting Bulleid in this topic I gave him some life lessons.

 

Hopefully including one on growing a thicker skin. This was nothing.

Edited April 22, 2019 by truffy

[andyman7]

I've always found Hornby very helpful, but would not ask nor expect their customer care to explain how to disassemble models beyond the normal service/maintenance requirements. The best course of action in such a case is to post the query on RMWeb, where I have always found excellent advice and tips from people who have been there before!

[truffy]

1 hour ago, andyman7 said:

The best course of action in such a case is to post the query on RMWeb

 

The OP himself stated that he found a YT video how-to. So perhaps the best course of action is to start with your internet search engine of choice, only then followed by your web forum of choice?

[jonny777]

12 hours ago, truffy said:

 

It would appear that the OP is an ex-member. He is no more (a member, that is).

 

 

Hopefully including one on growing a thicker skin. This was nothing.

 

 

Thanks. I hadn't realised this - sorry, I was away for Easter. 

 

It does both surprise and sadden me that manufacturer bashing seems to have become a right of passage these days. Not only do certain customers want every possible variant of a model to be RTR straight out of the box, but they want some form of nanny aftercare service as well; and all for a price that 'must be' well under three figures for each item. 

 

 

 

 

[truffy]

53 minutes ago, jonny777 said:

Thanks. I hadn't realised this - sorry, I was away for Easter. 

 

The "guest" moniker is the giveaway.

 

I'm not sure why, but many web forums (not just RMWeb) assign guest status to deleted/banned members. It gives the impression that 'guests' can post, which they cannot.

 

I would've thought that there are better ways of describing a non-existent account, but since it's relatively widespread I've obviously missed something.

[jjb1970]

The substance of the question in the OP was a valid one, unfortunately it could have been presented better and avoided the unfortunate tone which rubbed people the wrong way. I think it's easy to forget that not everyone is as familiar with the basics of the hobby as others and surely a forum such as RMWeb should be a place to ask for advice. If the question had been presented in a more positive manner I'd have seen nothing wrong with it, as I've posted already, I've found removing bodies from some locomotive and MU models to fit DCC chips quite difficult. In terms of customer care, model railways are different from some consumer products in that suppliers are fostering a long term relationship that may last decades and bring in regular repeat purchases. I'd view cementing that position with good customer service at the outset of the relationship by helping new entrants with the basics of the hobby more as an investment than an inconvenience. People increasingly expect and demand good service and are benchmarking against companies that do it very well. It's a bit like e-commerce, whether it was considered necessary in the past or whether a company thinks it does enough isn't the point, it's how people perceive performance relative to expectations established by companies that do it very well. Although in fairness I've found Hornby are pretty good at customer care.

[Classsix T]

No question was asked or advice sought though was it. The sole purpose of the OP would appear to just have a gripe at a perceived lack of after sale service.

 

C6T.