Hornby Spares/Customer Service

[Stevelewis]

Around 3 weeks ago I bought a Hornby Brighton Belle 5 car set, on opening the boxes I found that one of the bogies on a trailer car had a broken spigot therefore the bogie could not be attached to the car's chassis.

 

Instead of returning the car to the supplying retailer for an exchange I decided to contact Hornby,so the next day I phoned Hornby's 'Customer Service' Dept to enquire if they could supply a replacement bogie, it took a while to explain to the customer service employee to what I was referring but eventually I believe he got the details correctly, he advised that he would send a replacement, or if none available would contact me to advise, duly taking both my address and phone number.

 

Since then nothing has been heard from Hornby!

 

So I have now returned the faulty car to the retailer, who has refunded the cost and my return postage..

 

I will decide whether to reorder the car or perhaps just run the Belle as a 4 Bel!

 

This experience is a total contrast to the service which I experience from another volume manufacturer of UK outline 00 products

[darren01]

HI

I too have has this problem with Hornby, I brought a Q1 (just as they stopped making them available) only had it a few weeks, when the lubricator snapped off.

Went back to the shop I got it from, only to be told sorry have no more in stock, but was advised to contact Hornby about it.

Phoned Hornby up and spoke to a chap about sending it back,†Sorry we are no longer making this model and would not be able to repair it “.

Then I contacted East Kent models and got a new one sent , fitted it myself ,only to have it snap off again , found out later this was due to the front wheels going out of quarter and straining the lubricator !.

Now the model has sat in my stock box for the last three years and has hardly turned a wheel.

Maybe I will try again with Hornby as they are now reintroducing the model, will let you know how I get on this one.

Darren

[Stevelewis]

HI

I too have has this problem with Hornby, I brought a Q1 (just as they stopped making them available) only had it a few weeks, when the lubricator snapped off.

Went back to the shop I got it from, only to be told sorry have no more in stock, but was advised to contact Hornby about it.

Phoned Hornby up and spoke to a chap about sending it back,†Sorry we are no longer making this model and would not be able to repair it “.

Then I contacted East Kent models and got a new one sent , fitted it myself ,only to have it snap off again , found out later this was due to the front wheels going out of quarter and straining the lubricator !.

Now the model has sat in my stock box for the last three years and has hardly turned a wheel.

Maybe I will try again with Hornby as they are now reintroducing the model, will let you know how I get on this one.

Darren

 

Their attitude is poor, to say that just because an item is 'discontinued' so they have no spares is really not acceptable, shows a lack of customer care,

 

Unlike the customer care other manufacturers show us!

 

Perhaps this is one of the reasons that the percentage of Hornby manufactured items on some layouts is quite low!

 

(On the layout I was looking at yesterday only 2 out of 14 locos were Hornby ones!)

[59205]

I would like to say I have had 3 separate issues with Hornby in the last 12 months and all 3 have been dealt with superbly for me personally.

[john.wishart]

I have had unsatisfactory service from margate, the only way to get it resolved was to speak to Simon Kohler at Swindon show, resolved within the week!

A dealer has told me that the service dept at Margate is reduced to a shed with inexperienced staff cannabalising locos to provide a service.........surely not, I hope not

[oOld Harry 666]

This was exactly my experience when I had to contact them regarding a missing buffer beam from an A4 locomotive (Yes, superb quality control in China).

[PLD]

staff cannabalising locos to provide a service.........

Which is exactly what the other other two biggest players in the UK have always done...

[andyman7]

My experience with Hornby has always been excellent, that isn't to deny the experiences recounted above but just to be honest with my own experiences. As PLD says above, all manufacturers now obtain spares by effectively 'breaking' locos - they are contract manufactured items so the days of raiding the parts bins are long gone!

[Stevelewis]

I am curious to know how the information that manufacturers 'BREAK' locos for spares has been obtianed?

[Guest 40-something]

My most recent contact with Hornby ended in my being told that Hornby do not hold spares and to contact a spares specialist!

[PLD]

I am curious to know how the information that manufacturers 'BREAK' locos for spares has been obtianed?

From the 'horses mouth' - direct from one of the staff actually doing it at one manufacturer, and I seem to recall another saying similar here on the forum...

[andyman7]

I am curious to know how the information that manufacturers 'BREAK' locos for spares has been obtianed?

 

Sorry I should have been a bit more specific. In the case of situations such as the Class 31 chassis, a special batch of the relevant parts had to be produced. Other than that, the only product delivered is per contract order. So, for example, couplings, 'screw packs', and replacement wheelsets may have their own catalogue number and be supplied to order, but other than that, the only way a non-catalogue spare part can be obtained is by breaking finished products. In the case of Hornby, the Airfix replacement parts department supplies requests just as described, they have a stock of the current models which act as 'Christmas trees' and a robbed of parts as required. For trains, Hornby normally refer requests for non-catalogue spares to East Kent Models (see further post above), who supplement the few parts they can obtain wholesale by literally dismantling complete locos for the spare parts. Most of their wholesale spares are remnants of the clearout from Margate as a factory over a decade ago alongside grey market quantities of former UK produced spares from other dealers.

 

Whilst neither Bachmann or Hornby can routinely supply a non-catalogue spare, on occasion (i.e. maybe due to a faulty model that is no longer stocked by a retailer) the part *may* be supplied if possible by removal from a returned model. The point I was trying to make is that apart from a few basic consumables, the notion that 'spares' for an item can be obtained from the factory no longer really exists.

[Fireline]

My most recent contact with Hornby ended in my being told that Hornby do not hold spares and to contact a spares specialist!

 

Hornby supply spares to Service Centres, and to spares dealers. They do not sell directly to the public. They tend to refer enquiries to these stockists.

[oggy1953]

I have found Hornby customer service to be a disgrace. I dont want to bang on about my class 31 chassis, but it will be a year in a couple of weeks time and it srill aint fixed. In contrast i contacted Bachmann a few weeks ago and they couldn't have been more helpfull. I for one now avoid Hornby models.

[bigherb]

Their attitude is poor, to say that just because an item is 'discontinued' so they have no spares is really not acceptable, shows a lack of customer care,

 

Unlike the customer care other manufacturers show us!

 

 

 

Have you actually tried getting spares for out of production Bachmann locos? You must have had better luck than me.

[geoffers]

Sent a sickly Rebuilt West Country to Hornby Repairs a week last Monday and it was returned repaired and working on the Thursday and FOC. Great response. Not the first time either.

[50A55B]

I had a rather underwhelming experience when trying to get a spare class 31 bodyside window from them. Hornby told me to contact Peter's Spares, who in turn told me they didn't stock them. I raised the subject with Simon Kohler at Ally Pally and he was totally disinterested. Apparently all those damaged 31 bodies returned after the chassis problems were binned (and the chassis issue didn't affect many locos anyway...).

[Stevelewis]

I had a rather underwhelming experience when trying to get a spare class 31 bodyside window from them. Hornby told me to contact Peter's Spares, who in turn told me they didn't stock them. I raised the subject with Simon Kohler at Ally Pally and he was totally disinterested. Apparently all those damaged 31 bodies returned after the chassis problems were binned (and the chassis issue didn't affect many locos anyway...).

 

Totally disinterested WOW thats bad considering he is supposed to run the company!

 

When I made my call to the company with my initial request for a spare Bel bogie, I got the impression of lack of interest from the person whom I spoke to!

 

Incidentally I received a Hornby 8f last week, the current heavily weathered version, ( a bit of a nostalgia thing I suppose) straight out of the box it ran for an inch or two then completely jammed up, The valve gear on one side had basically fallen off, I considered returning it for a replacement but knowing that stocks are now becoming depleted decided to fix it myself,

But this sort of thing does make me wary of buying Hornby products at the moment!

[oggy1953]

I had a rather underwhelming experience when trying to get a spare class 31 bodyside window from them. Hornby told me to contact Peter's Spares, who in turn told me they didn't stock them. I raised the subject with Simon Kohler at Ally Pally and he was totally disinterested. Apparently all those damaged 31 bodies returned after the chassis problems were binned (and the chassis issue didn't affect many locos anyway...).

Where did you get the info ' The chassis issue didn't attect many loco's'. I know of a few personally, quite a few on here and its taken almost a year to fix mine, AND i haven't got it back still.

[oOld Harry 666]

Totally disinterested WOW thats bad considering he is supposed to run the company!

 

When I made my call to the company with my initial request for a spare Bel bogie, I got the impression of lack of interest from the person whom I spoke to!

 

Incidentally I received a Hornby 8f last week, the current heavily weathered version, ( a bit of a nostalgia thing I suppose) straight out of the box it ran for an inch or two then completely jammed up, The valve gear on one side had basically fallen off, I considered returning it for a replacement but knowing that stocks are now becoming depleted decided to fix it myself,

But this sort of thing does make me wary of buying Hornby products at the moment!

 

 

Actually he is the Marketing manager, he does not 'run the company'. Lack of interest is still not acceptable though.

[Stevelewis]

As his name is mentioned mostly one assumes perhaps too much!!

 

Mind you I should perhaps keep quiet having that title myself!!

[Mod3]

Reasoned debate only please gentelmen, unsubstantiated comments will be removed.

[50A55B]

Where did you get the info ' The chassis issue didn't attect many loco's'. I know of a few personally, quite a few on here and its taken almost a year to fix mine, AND i haven't got it back still.

From Mr Kohler himself. This was said in reply to my surprise at the lack of Class 31 spares, given the apparent (unexpected) availability of bodyshells, albeit damaged. It did strike me as odd given the extent of the reports on here, but I suppose in his position I wouldn't want to be too negative about something like that.

[richard hines]

i would describe my one and only customer service experience as superb.I got my select controller back in 5 days after the installation of a free upgrade to its software.My email requesting the details of the upgrade was responded to the same day.I would add that i was very civil and good mannered in the wording of my email to them,perhaps that made the difference?

[Brit70053]

I think there's an element of 'luck of the draw' about this. My last personal enquiry got the "Hornby don't carry spares, enquire of a spares retailer" reply, which was a surprise to me given previous excellent experiences dealing with Hornby's Service Dept..

A friend however received brilliant service regarding a manufacturing fault on his Sound fitted A4 chassis and accidental damage to the motion of his Sound fitted 'Duchess'.

Both were repaired/ replaced free of charge and his postage refunded, all within a week of his first enquiry

.

My worst ever experience was with another manufacturer some years ago now, where the whole model loco was eventually shipped back to China for attention to a manufacturing defect and was returned to me after 1 year and 17 days. The worst part of that was unreliable information, several estimated 'fix' dates which lapsed and never was a meaningful apology made to me in all that time. Not the best PR then, but much improved now. I still bought another version of the same class at a later date however.

 

Regards,

 

John

 

edit for punctuation