Hattons Model Railways of Widnes (formerly Liverpool).

[Gwiwer]

The co.uk version seems to only list what's in stock.  eHattons includes forthcoming and announced items as well with the opportunity to pre-order.  I can't see that on co.uk unless it's geoblocked to overseas users.

 

It's sometimes handy to have both if one goes down as a stocked item can be ordered from the other at the same price.  Which suggests they are also hosted differently so there's a side-benefit to both business and customers.

[steve1]

Another thumbs up from me to Hattons.

 

Bargain Lilliput set ordered by phone on Tuesday evening arrived yesterday. Perfectly packed and safe.

 

steve

[GWR8700]

I live near Hattons and have always found the staff very polite and welcoming.  I bought a 4P compound which was DCC fitted at a bargain price.  It was acting a little funny on my DC controller at low speed so I went back and they let me run it on their track in DCC and it ran perfectly.  They also oiled it to reduce the squeakiness which was coming from the tender.  Top marks for Hattons!

Edited December 14, 2015 by GWR8700

[robmcg]

I too have always found Hattons staff helpful and polite but a serious black mark against their supply system,

 

a complete fiasco last week-this week I bought via web R3306 Silver Link 2509  3 in stock as per purchase confirmation and picking list number supplied,    but after a week they have 'discovered' that they have 'none on the shelf'.

 

'Sorry'   and  'Would you like to buy R3307' Quicksilver instead?'   (I had bought this off them just over a week ago.... sigh)

 

So I'll go for a refund, but there are foreign transaction costs, and exchange rate has changed against my interests.  I also invited them to supply via another retailer who has stock,  at their cost, to retain good faith  Not hopeful.

[JCL]

My understanding (for probably more than a year ago now when I inquired) is that the NEW one www.ehattons.com was a disappointment to some old codgers folks who longed for the old one to stay, so they kept both.

That's exactly what I was told by a manager there. I mentioned that it was unnecessarily confusing.

 

I've never had any problems with them at all. One thing did make me smile though. I was once quoted £3 for postage of a package to western Canada, and if I wanted the same package sent to my in laws in the Wirral where my wife was at the time, it would cost £4 - I had it shipped over to Canada directly

Edited December 18, 2015 by JCL

[Robin Brasher]

Over a year since the Hattons pe-order saga started. On 4th September 2014 I ordered a LBSR E4 at a guaranteed price of £76.46. In June 2015 it arrived and Hattons debited my credit card with £97:46 (£93.46 + £4.00 postage).

 

Now they have over 10 left and are selling them at the bargain price of £80.

[Dunsignalling]

Over a year since the Hattons pe-order saga started. On 4th September 2014 I ordered a LBSR E4 at a guaranteed price of £76.46. In June 2015 it arrived and Hattons debited my credit card with £97:46 (£93.46 + £4.00 postage).

 

Now they have over 10 left and are selling them at the bargain price of £80.

You can (or recently could) get them for £69-95 from a number of other suppliers.

 

So, where's that massive pent-up demand for pre-grouping models we've been hearing about............

 

John

[Robin Brasher]

I was surprised at the poor sales of the E4 as the Rocket and the pre-grouping version of the C class have been very popular. Hattons are also offering the BR and Southern versions of the E4 for £80 each so perhaps it is just the E4 which is unpopular. Other models in the pre-order saga were the Graham-Farish blue Merchant Navy and the Bachmann BR green PMV.

 

There are six Merchant Navies left at £135.96 which is what Hattons were selling them for after the price increase and the BR green PMV has sold out. I cancelled my order for the PMV as £24.61 represented a huge increase on the original price of £16.11 and I thought they would end up as Hattons bargains.

[Forester]

I was surprised at the poor sales of the E4 as the Rocket and the pre-grouping version of the C class have been very popular. Hattons are also offering the BR and Southern versions of the E4 for £80 each so perhaps it is just the E4 which is unpopular. Other models in the pre-order saga were the Graham-Farish blue Merchant Navy and the Bachmann BR green PMV.

 

There are six Merchant Navies left at £135.96 which is what Hattons were selling them for after the price increase and the BR green PMV has sold out. I cancelled my order for the PMV as £24.61 represented a huge increase on the original price of £16.11 and I thought they would end up as Hattons bargains.

 

I'm afraid I have come to the end of pre-ordering.

 

I think both the RRPs and the limited initial discounts allowed by the main manufacturers are unsustainable across the railway ranges.

They sell what they can at these prices and then as soon as they are allowed, the retailers drop the prices massively to shift not just the remainders, but in my view the bulk of the products.

 

I've made massive losses on every pre-ordered item I bought this year at the initial discounted price, only to see the prices plunge later.

Not just talking about Hattons (I have always purchased from a range of suppliers). I suspect they are as frustrated by the policy of the manufacturers as much as I am.

 

There are a number of newly-released Bulleids I would like. Apart from the Hornby Club Manston, I've passed on them all and will wait until they drop to sensible prices, as every other item I wanted this year has done.

 

No way to treat customers (if you want them to remain customers), in my view.

 

It could destabilise the whole production process if pre-ordering dies out. The retailers will have no idea how popular an item will be, and no idea how many to order. The manufacturer then will get no feedback on how many to produce.

 

Not getting at Hattons, they are as much victims of the latest manufacturers' policies as everyone else.

[TheSignalEngineer]

Likewise i have given up on pre-orders due to the length of time they take and pricing uncertainty.

 

Meanwhile, another tick for Hatton's service. The order I placed on Saturday evening thinking at least I'll have all I need for the January 2016 Engineering Works was here at 8.30 this morning. Wonder if I can sneek in a possession for next week? I know my new soldering iron is waiting under the Christmas tree.

Edited December 23, 2015 by TheSignalEngineer

[Removed a/c]

I use Hattons solely for my orders. Their website is the easiest to use, and I don't have to email asking for postage quotes to Canada. I never pre-order but the downside is items have sold out before I could order............. the Hornby 56 is one of them.  No biggie there will be other 56 releases. 

[andyman7]

I was surprised at the poor sales of the E4 as the Rocket and the pre-grouping version of the C class have been very popular. Hattons are also offering the BR and Southern versions of the E4 for £80 each so perhaps it is just the E4 which is unpopular. Other models in the pre-order saga were the Graham-Farish blue Merchant Navy and the Bachmann BR green PMV.

 

There are six Merchant Navies left at £135.96 which is what Hattons were selling them for after the price increase and the BR green PMV has sold out. I cancelled my order for the PMV as £24.61 represented a huge increase on the original price of £16.11 and I thought they would end up as Hattons bargains.

We don't if sales are 'poor' - all we know is that the size of the original production order has exceeded the ability of the market to absorb the entire run at first release price. In fact, I suspect that because the C class sold well the orders for the E4 were increased.

 

Inevitably with batch production from China, the likelihood is either that a model sells out to cries of 'not enough were made'; or lingers and is marked down to cries of 'but I paid full price'. The most unlikely outcome is getting the demand exactly right..... 

[Legend]

Surprised the LB&SCR umber version has not sold better. Perhaps there is a contributory factor in that Bachmanns massive price hikes have put people off collecting pre grouping models as a side line. I had the intention of collecting pre grouping locos but it ended with the L&Y tank ( Locomotion models)as I felt that continuing the collection would be prohibitive and I wasn't really likely to run them.

[SD45T-2]

On the question of two separate web-sites, IIRC the "ehattons" one was intended for and better suited to broadband users while the "hattons" one, being less graphics-intense, was better for those people struggling with dial-up or slow broadband connections.

[Stevelewis]

Re  the  E4  and  the  poor  sales  reports,  I dont  recall seeing   many posts  regarding  quality issues  with  the  E4 ( I wondered  that  if  there  had  been  it  may suppress sales)

However  I had  an E4  delivered yesterday and  I found  that there were a couple of  issues which i found  annoying,  the  pickups on some  wheel  were  very poorly adjusted so on analogue  test  running  was  very poor  and  Stuttery!

I rectiied that problem by removing  the  keeper  plate and adjusting the pickups  so they  actually made contact  with the  wheel  backs  at the  same  time correcting  the  position of the  sand pipes which were pointing in many different directions!!

 

When I fitted a decoder running was  very erratic,  an alternative  decoder brand  was  tried  with smilar  results,  so  I removed  the  3  capacitors  and running  is  now perfect.

 

Sorry  to  wander  off the  topic,  but  I do use  Hattons very  frequently, the  service  is  good,  The order containing  the  |E4  was  placed  latish PM on Dec 30  and  delivered 08-15 on  31st.

 

Last week  I returned a  faulty Oxford Adams radial to them posted Christmas Eve, recvd email notification of refund+post cost on 29th Dec which I consider to be excellent customer service

Edited January 1, 2016 by Stevelewis

[cromptonnut]

Big announcement on their page this morning https://www.ehattons.com/store

 

Essentially Smithdown Road will be closing and they're moving everything to their site in Widnes.

[luckymucklebackit]

Looks good if you have a car, but it doesn't look very accessible from public transport.

 

Jim 

[cromptonnut]

Looks good if you have a car, but it doesn't look very accessible from public transport.

 

Jim 

 

Looks like a taxi ride is the only option if you're coming by public transport.  I can understand why they'd want a nondescript industrial estate as a location as it's cheaper but in this modern day where "alternatives to the car" are a necessary consideration, perhaps a little short sighted.

[amdaley]

Most major retailers are or have moved from the centre of cities all over.

I would think with time public transport will follow.

As to the suddenness of the move ? It seems they don't have much choice.

[Gwiwer]

The official statement makes it clear that something in their planning has changed.  The condition of the building at Smithdown Road is given as the reason for this apparently rather sudden exit.  It may indeed be the case that it has had increasingly weak knees for some time and is no longer fit for their purpose though with its historical location (in terms of our hobby) it would have been a big decision to pull out.

 

The Widnes location isn't ideal from a public transport aspect but being realistic how many retail visitors would have gone to Smithdown Road by bus or train?  Most, probably, in this day and age would have shopped by car.  You could argue that Gaugemaster also trade from a modern warehouse a long way off most beaten tracks though at least some Sussex coastal trains stop within a few yards.   It's been a while since Ford had any sort of bus service and the most recent was two Tuesday & Friday only trips to and from Arundel.

 

Hattons aren't the only ones to be "off the bus map" in that context.

 

Today is the final day at Smithdown Road.  The announcement gave no prior notice so I suspect something has either gone badly wrong with their plans or with their building and it could not be rectified within reasonable means.

 

Farewell Hattons, Liverpool.  Welcome Hattons Hub, Widnes

Edited January 20, 2016 by Gwiwer

[melmerby]

At least they are still alongside the A562!

 

Keith

[melmerby]

As regard public transport: DCC supplies are in a back of beyond part of Worcestershire in a small development on a farm and originally mail order only but opened a retail shop which has since expanded so must be doing OK.

There is an infrequent bus service that stops at the end of the lane.

So poor public transport maybe not to much of a problem

 

https://goo.gl/maps/uoG7SdC6ytQ2

 

Keith

[GWR8700]

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but will they be moving back to the Smithdown Road store afterwards?  Is this just a temporary move?  I really hope they go back, it was just up the road from me, I'll be gutted if they don't return there.

[Andy Y]

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but will they be moving back to the Smithdown Road store afterwards?  Is this just a temporary move?  I really hope they go back, it was just up the road from me, I'll be gutted if they don't return there.

 

No - see http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/107307-hattons-to-close-smithdown-road-store-and-move-counter-sales-to-hattons-hub/

[Dunsignalling]

Surprised the LB&SCR umber version has not sold better. Perhaps there is a contributory factor in that Bachmanns massive price hikes have put people off collecting pre grouping models as a side line. I had the intention of collecting pre grouping locos but it ended with the L&Y tank ( Locomotion models)as I felt that continuing the collection would be prohibitive and I wasn't really likely to run them.

These have been available for £69.95 from various on-line suppliers since before Christmas and not sold out yet so it looks more like lack of interest than lack of funds.

 

I generally stopped buying anything I didn't anticipate using a couple of years ago and have only weakened a couple of times.

 

Prices are a factor but, over the past 10-15 years, excellent new models that do fit my primary interests have been so numerous that I just don't have the space to collect much that falls outside of them.

 

J.

Edited January 20, 2016 by Dunsignalling