Karhedron Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 However of the few Dapol-produced models that I do own, I have yet to be totally satisfied with both Dapol's service or reliability. Different people have different experiences. Some people have horror stories but I have yet to buy a lemon from either Farish or Dapol. The best advice I can give is to buy locos from a store you can visit in person. Most shop keepers will be only happy to allow you to test run your loco before purchase. If the selected loco does not satisfy then try another one until you get a good one. As always, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Y Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 My experience of contacting Graham Farish/Bachmann by email (a total of three times including using their official 'contact' form on their website) has been met with nil responses. I haven't bothered for a while thought - things could have improved. Dennis Lovett @ Bachmann has dropped me an email over this; I shan't publish the whole email but there's clearly a frustration for manufacturers in such contact mediums. Again the issue of the volume of emails, spam-filtering and stuff that just doesn't appear rears its head. Aside from Dennis's normal role he also takes the role of communicating with customers through every medium seriously and I know he tries to stay in contact as much as possible by using the laptop evenings, weekends and holidays to try and stay on top of the flow as much as possible (but there are times when it can't be done or is reasonable to take a breather from it all). None of the businesses discussed here have large work forces and certainly not in this role. Often an email will then involve seeking a response from another person before being able to respond and taking the time to make that reply means that the person who is expecting a near instant response doesn't receive it. I also know that Dennis, Dave and others get some stroppy, ill-mannered and impatient emails (I get them too) which also hamper the progress with genuine communications. I know it's hard from a distance but I'd like to support the notion that all emails to such contacts should be polite, concise and reasonable in their time expectations. That's not to say yours are not Grahame but I know that there's no silver bullet for this issue. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold RedgateModels Posted June 29, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 29, 2011 Thanks Andy for that insight into Dennis' day - dedication over and above the call of duty if you ask me I've personally never had any problems contacting Bachmann service via email, always got a prompt reply and quick turn-round of spares orders etc. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted June 29, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 29, 2011 I've now pressed the little '+' sign adjacent to comments from two manufacturers (albeit one reported indirectly by Andy) and am happy to say that I've done so. It's clear that email as a form of communication has its technical problems as well as the, hmm, potential 'bluntness' which arises from it being so readily available so I think credit is due to the manufacturers trying to do their best with its limitations especially where it involves putting in far more hours than folk are paid for and which impinges on life beyond the office/factory etc (my son emailed Bachmann about a missing coupling - necessary bits + arrived within two days, brilliant service). And speaking from a business background one thing which always makes a difference in an email is being polite and clear about what is wanted, and approaching things through the correct channel of communication - lots of folk shoot from the hip in emails and we should all think twice before pressing 'send'. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Hale Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 Different people have different experiences. Some people have horror stories but I have yet to buy a lemon from either Farish or Dapol. The best advice I can give is to buy locos from a store you can visit in person. Most shop keepers will be only happy to allow you to test run your loco before purchase. If the selected loco does not satisfy then try another one until you get a good one. As always, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Having taken your advice, I have just purchased a Dapol Pug, I must admit that it is a very pretty model and far better than I had expected. Unfortunately it is the only Dapol locomotive that I can purchase but if Dapol's future offerings are OK then I will reconsider further purchases. Tim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodenhead Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 Dapol Pug - that would be the plastic unmotorised kit? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigwelsh Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 Dapol Pug - that would be the plastic unmotorised kit? They used to sell the powered one now sold by Hornby but it must be quite a few years now since Hornby bought that tool and remotored it too I believe? The plastic kit isn't too indicative of Dapol anyway being Airfix and Kitmaster previously! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butler Henderson Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 I wouldn't really judge Dapol today on a c 25 year old model - its a completely different company to all ends and Hattons use to give it two separate listing - Dapol (David Boyle Era) and Dapol (as in current). Theres a lot of current question marks over things like service, spares and long term committment to a model - just how many different motors have the N gauge models gone through and their seems to be a relatively short term availability of the models. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
R E Faust Posted August 31, 2011 Author Share Posted August 31, 2011 So I'm still waiting for my Brit back...an update: I rang Hattons last week as I hadn't heard anything and they had told me to give it a month or so, but as I was away on holiday I left it longer. The loco was returned to Dapol at the end of June and Hattons had heard nothing further. A few days and couple of phone calls later (because the person who knew what was happening wasn't around last week) Hattons rang them again today to get an update. I was informed that the Brit had been sent back for a rebuild, which seems strange as all that was wrong with it - as far as I knew - was one broken piece of thin plastic rodding above the drive mechanism. I thanked them for the update. An hour later I got another call from Hattons, informing me that Dapol had been in touch to tell them it would be 'several months' before I would get my 'Oliver Cromwell' back..they have already had it for two. At the moment I just feel depressed and let down. I don't want to go through this ever again, so I can't in all conscience buy another Dapol loco online, for fear of having to return it and wait months for it to be sorted out. I still think their products are excellent except for the QC and will still buy rolling stock, but that's as far as I am prepared to go at the moment. If I can't see it in the flesh, running, it's no sale..and as that's likely to cost quite a bit more the proportion of Dapol to other manufacteres products is likely to be reduced. I think Union Mills may do rather well out of all this lol R E Faust Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodenhead Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 A few months sounds to me like, we've another batch in production and we'll replace the existing chassis as part of that run. Dapol state they dont keep spare parts so the only way to fix a locomotive is to cannibalize an existing unsold unit, strip another return that was unserviceable or wait for another batch of models to be completed. They mustn't have any of the first two so you are getting the only other option. Of course the final option is a complete refund and wait for another batch to come out and buy in store. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Western Scottish Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 Dapol not keeping spare parts is a really useful policy as the OP has just found out!. I sympathise with OP. Manufacturers just don't understand the dissappointment and disillusionment that sets in when you've bought a model got it home or received it through mail order to find it defective. They really need to do something about QC, and Dapol are not alone in this. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
R E Faust Posted September 4, 2011 Author Share Posted September 4, 2011 A few months sounds to me like, we've another batch in production and we'll replace the existing chassis as part of that run. Dapol state they dont keep spare parts so the only way to fix a locomotive is to cannibalize an existing unsold unit, strip another return that was unserviceable or wait for another batch of models to be completed. They mustn't have any of the first two so you are getting the only other option. Of course the final option is a complete refund and wait for another batch to come out and buy in store. Well I've been assured that they do not intend to make any more of that model, via their Facebook page. But whether they plan new batches of other names/numbers I don't know. Obviously if they did there would be some interchangability of parts. R E Faust Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodenhead Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 I thought the issue was on the motion, all I expect they will do is get a new chassis and marry it to your Brit body. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
R E Faust Posted September 5, 2011 Author Share Posted September 5, 2011 I thought the issue was on the motion, all I expect they will do is get a new chassis and marry it to your Brit body. No what was broken was a piece of black plastic rodding which sits just above the drive mechanism..I would categorise it as added detail rather than motion. R E Faust Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Piszczek Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 No what was broken was a piece of black plastic rodding which sits just above the drive mechanism..I would categorise it as added detail rather than motion. R E Faust I understand that we don't all the capability to fix things, and granted we shouldn't have to, but if it is a small thing, sometimes, I wonder if that isn't the lesser of two evils to bite the bullet and fix it yourself. With all the time and energy that has been put into contacting the various parties, updating this thread, getting frustrated, etc. a little super glue on day one could have gone a long way. Had you fixed it yourself, you'd have been enjoying your Britannia instead of dealing with all this frustration. Gluing detail parts back on, or snapping a drive shaft back into position, is a whole lot easier for me than going through a mess like you've described.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Mc Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 Hi Well said Pete totally agree, but you know the reply will be "why should I"? I always consider can I repair it before I send it back. Yes, I know you were unlucky with the delivery missing the courier notes being left etc but I also understood it to be the motion that was broken not a little bit of plastic. So all this has being about a tiny broken bit of plastic which may have actually being broken in transport, driver could have dropped it, who knows. As to the topic heading hmmm paints a totally different picture for me now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
R E Faust Posted September 6, 2011 Author Share Posted September 6, 2011 Hi Well said Pete totally agree, but you know the reply will be "why should I"? I always consider can I repair it before I send it back. Yes, I know you were unlucky with the delivery missing the courier notes being left etc but I also understood it to be the motion that was broken not a little bit of plastic. So all this has being about a tiny broken bit of plastic which may have actually being broken in transport, driver could have dropped it, who knows. As to the topic heading hmmm paints a totally different picture for me now. In retrospect you may well be correct but the piece in question was incredibly fine and a neat repair was impossible, though removing it was. Remember that I was unaware when I reurned it that the retailer did not have a replacement. Having said that the subtext of what you are saying is that because manufacturers can be slow or unhelpful the purchaser should just take it upon themselves to rectify a problem. Remember also, feedback is important for the retailer as well as the manufacturer too. As far as the OP goes the 'warning' referred to Hattons decision to stop using Royal Mail exclusively, as the couriers were incapable of following the instructions given to them by Hattons more than once. R E Faust Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom J Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 After reading this I am even more worried about returning my 70013 to Hattons... I put in a pre-order as soon as I knew the model was in the pipeline, and it's been a real let-down. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
R E Faust Posted November 1, 2011 Author Share Posted November 1, 2011 An update: Since 3 more months have gone passed I gave Hattons a ring for an update. They contacted Dapol for me but were told Dapol have now decided they can't fix my loco, nor is a replacement available. I haven't been given any reason for the delay in coming to that conclusion. I won't post my thoughts here, but thought some here may like to hear how this was resolved (or not lol) That also sounds like no more Brits are planned in the near future. R E Faust Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DapolDave Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 An update: Since 3 more months have gone passed I gave Hattons a ring for an update. They contacted Dapol for me but were told Dapol have now decided they can't fix my loco, nor is a replacement available. I haven't been given any reason for the delay in coming to that conclusion. I won't post my thoughts here, but thought some here may like to hear how this was resolved (or not lol) That also sounds like no more Brits are planned in the near future. R E Faust R.E., Amazing you havnt contacted me really especially as we have had a dialogue recently. Might be worth you actually asking for someone who knows? I'll expect your call after 1pm tomorrow if you care to ring? cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium romley midland Posted November 2, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 2, 2011 An update: Since 3 more months have gone passed I gave Hattons a ring for an update. They contacted Dapol for me but were told Dapol have now decided they can't fix my loco, nor is a replacement available. I haven't been given any reason for the delay in coming to that conclusion. I won't post my thoughts here, but thought some here may like to hear how this was resolved (or not lol) That also sounds like no more Brits are planned in the near future. R E Faust It seems strange that they say this when they are selling are Britannia chassis on their website?! However I can't find any info about the semaphore signals, N gauge A3, A4, Light pacific or N gauge couplings on their website so maybe th site is well out of date? It does seem that any Dapol customers that don't use facebook or RMweb these days are penalised which seems strange as if I want to know about a company and their products I instinctively go to their website, not try and find a Facebook page they might have! Cheers, Richard Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
R E Faust Posted November 2, 2011 Author Share Posted November 2, 2011 R.E., Amazing you havnt contacted me really especially as we have had a dialogue recently. Might be worth you actually asking for someone who knows? I'll expect your call after 1pm tomorrow if you care to ring? cheers Dave Sorry Dave but having been criticized on here for contacting Dapol directly over this before I felt reticent about doing so - I did send you a message here but it was quite a while ago and you may have been busy at the time. When I dealt directly with Joel over the lighting issue on my Class 58 I found the whole process much more efficient, problem was solved and a replacement with me in just a few days - very happy with how it was resolved. Maybe thats a lesson for the future, but I will give you a call as you suggest thanks R E Faust Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Revolution Mike Posted November 2, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 2, 2011 Amazing you havnt contacted me really especially as we have had a dialogue recently. Might be worth you actually asking for someone who knows? Dave It is great that you are able to help people, but RE Faust has done the correct thing in contacting Hatton's first off (his contract is with Hattons and Hattons is with Dapol). So either Hattons were told the right information or the wrong information (or are telling porkies!). It sounds like something has gone amiss with communications between Dapol and Hattons. Cheers, Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Al Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 RE Faust has done the correct thing in contacting Hatton's first off (his contract is with Hattons and Hattons is with Dapol). Indeed, and on Dapol's own instruction sheets that come with locos it says this - that returns should be directed to the retailer in question..... Cheers, Alan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DapolDave Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 The point i'm trying to make here is a simple one, Instead of keep mentioning the problems with the Britannia here, why not just contact me directly? After all we have been having discourse on other subjects. Whilst returning it to Hattons is of course the correct thing to do, first hand information rather than Chinese whispers through a third party, which in this case gave information i wouldnt have done, is surely the easier thing to do? You would be surprised at the amount of stockists out there that will not even bother to contact us and literally fob customers off with invalid and wrong information (not saying that is the case here) but i think that in most cases customers that dont get the correct or wanted response form a model shop should phone us directly if only to hear the same thing from us. who knows it may be totally different information directly from the horses mouth. Its not as though picking up a phone is hard. cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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