828CC

On 04/02/2022 at 06:40, 60800 said:

My 60700 arrived on Monday - no visual issues, but I haven't ran it yet. 

 

 

I couldn't resist doing this pairing, both locos ironically being my newest arrivals;

 

 

Cheers,

  60800

Have to admit W1 looks an impressive beast in that configuration.  Whilst I haven't considered the Garter Blue offering, were Hornby to offer wartime/post war black I think I could succumb  :-)

2 hours ago, AY Mod said:

 

 

Both are correct points but no model has been supplied for review to us (and some other magazines) so we can hardly form an article on the basis of what the internet has said.

 

With regard to buying several models with already known and widespread issues brings the phrase “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” to mind.

With regard to the second sentence, bottom line is there ARE models out there that do not have issues.  Should we really have to partake in a lottery when we spend our hard earned cash?

18 hours ago, melmerby said:

Where did BR get the 60700 number from?

Was it intended to be LNER 700 following on from the pacifics but never got done?

Good question.   Thompson left it as 10000 in his renumbering scheme, and as you point out, 700 would see it in with the 2-6-2 and Pacific classes...

So why DID BR choose 60700??

Rather than fine abrasive paper, I'd be tempted to try T-Cut or similar on a cotton bud perhaps?   Test on an area maybe underneath the loco or tender first, but potentially less aggressive, though maybe more effort...

5 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said:

From what I've read on this forum about Hermes, I get the impression they aim them down the chimney.

My problem with Hermes was they tried to get a fragile parcel through the front door in spite of it being too large...

I was left with a mangled and broken mess on the front step after they eventually gave up  trying to wind it through the letterbox :-(

15 hours ago, robmcg said:

 

Interesting that the models which have been removed from packaging and photographed and are demonstrably undamaged get better prices than the unopened ones. The reverse is often the case on Ebay.

 

Ii think you might fluke a purchase by bidding on a low reserve version, but all the 'buy now' offers are over UKP299, at a quick look just now,.   

That 'inspection charge' seems to vary between £100-£500 at the moment....  And that's without the cost of the loco!

A poor pun, perhaps, but wasn't: 'Pegasus' in the running regarding names, at one time?

19 minutes ago, MrTea said:

Does anyone have a photo of the underside of the box they could share? There’s usually a manufacturer code on a sticker on there that starts with 3 letters e.g. ‘REF’ followed by some letters and numbers. 
 

I’d be interested to know which factory produced these and whether it’s the same as the A2/2 and A2/3?

No time for pics, but on my W1 box:  HUA02-PO10008725   Under that: R3840-38-362

From my A2/3 box:  GFT01-10008025  Under that:  R3832-2-362

Trouble is, an awful lot of people did: 'the right thing' and pre-ordered.

As we now know, for many that back-fired.  If you were lucky enough not to have it cancelled, you were now in the lottery of whether you received a whole model or one in pieces...

I totally get the: 'supply and demand' of the subsequent ebay auctions, my choice how much I value ownership of one of these.

My original post was prompted by a: 'reserve not met' announcement on one retailer's auction, already in excess of RRP, so it is him who's setting that value, and after withdrawing stock from another online platform..

Just one blatant retailer plug, if I may?  As with insurance companies and 'breakdown' cover providers, we never know a firm's mettle until things go wrong...

Like many I received a broken W1 during the feeding frenzy, so elected to return it for refund whilst hunting for a replacement.

So a big: 'Thank you' to Katie at KJB Models for handling my refund request so promptly, and to quote Arnie (when the P2's appear):  'I'll be back!'

9 hours ago, SamThomas said:

Nothing - the laws of supply & demand - effects absolutely everthing we buy whether it's essential or not.

 

A trader I know always orders/buys in excess of what he knows will sell out quickly. The "overstock" gets stored until these models become rare & then dripfeeds them on eBay - simple business sense on a trade where the margins are very low to start with.

 

Nobody will be forcing people to buy model locomotives.

I can understand to a certain degree, it was the:  'reserve not met' notification I found a bit callous, perhaps?

And their stock on Amazon disappeared overnight, which I assumed due to selling out...

But, as duly noted, nobody HAS to buy them....

What do people think about retailers cashing in on the scarcity of these now?

Thanks to due diligence and excellent packaging by Aiden and staff at Roxley Models I too have now joined the ranks of happy owners....

Hopefully the original retailer will refund in good time so the credit card bill arrives with just one to pay for  :-)

Not sure if I'm being cynical, but a few turning up on ebay emphasising 'unopened' boxes, some even posting totally nondescript out of focus photos:  'Which form a part of the description'

In any other circumstances that wouldn't worry me, or am I doing human nature a disservice?

Hornby R3840 LNER Class W1 ‘Hush Hush’ 4-6-4 No.10000 OO Gauge 5055286672231 | eBay

On ebay this morning, though photos show 'British Enterprise'   Yours for £350...

17 minutes ago, micklner said:

How many of the damaged ones mentioned on here,  have actually not been bought direct from Hornby ?

I will respond and say mine wasn't.  It did come with a: 'price reduced' sticker which I found a bit strange as according to the retailer they had only just arrived, and subsequently sold out within three hours!

Returned for refund......

2 minutes ago, GWR-fan said:

Outsourcing the distribution to me seems an out for Hornby when it comes to claims being made.  How does one prove where the actual damage occurred?  If the items are "drop shipped" and the company never sees the items in a wharehouse,  then finding a broken/damaged item before distribution occurs could be very difficult.  For those receiving a damaged item is the dispute with the distribution company who packaged the item for posting or with the manufacturer?  Apparently,  even items purchased directly through the Hornby website are not distributed by Hornby.

I believe the buck stops with those who took your money, unless somebody knows different?

5 minutes ago, atom3624 said:

There's a broken tender top grey W1 on Ebay with more than one day to run, currently at £310 + P&P ....

Fair enough, if that's what people are prepared to pay, their call.

Ridiculous!!

Al.

Damn !!!  Shouldn't have sent mine back...

9 minutes ago, Steamport Southport said:

 

But it shouldn't be the retailers checking these. That should be Hornby's QC.

 

I want my model BRAND NEW IN BOX, not having some junior member of staff pawing over it. If there's something wrong that's my onus to get sorted out.

 

Any retailer opening models are not getting my money I'm afraid.

 

 

Jason

Absolutely!  In an ideal world it shouldn't be necessary.  

But in this instance somebody has screwed up big time.  So if a visual check by the retailer at my request saves me the hassle of returning the model, then I'm more than okay with that...

14 minutes ago, micklner said:

In this case he needs to urgently point both Barrels at either/both The Couriers or whoever is doing the packaging /designing the packaging in China .

It needs to be stopped now , or Hornby will be losing many future customers and whats left of their reputation after this fiasco.

Hi fellow Essex LNER enthusiast!

Whilst I agree wholeheartedly with your first paragraph. not too sure about the second....

Yes, with so many returns they will lose money, which is bound to lead to internal repercussions.  And some sort of press statement ASAP wouldn't hurt either.

But, as for losing future customers?  Maybe if viable alternatives exist.  But to carry on the washing machine analogy started above, I can't see Zanussi coming up with a W1 any time soon, or Hotpoint for that matter!

Seriously though, we enthusiasts will always clamour for these 'out there' models of prototypes we'd never dreamed of seeing in the past.  Yes, I'm p*ssed off at the moment, but my two P2 orders still stand.....

12 minutes ago, Steamport Southport said:

 

How many models do you think the so called "box shifters" are processing. About 1000 just of these I would assume. Then all their other items.

 

I don't expect Currys to test my washing machine. It should work.

 

 

Jason

You're right.... It should work.  But if there's growing evidence that it might not, I would hope any retailer regardless of size would seek to reassure potential customers that their product is saleable and fit for purpose.

There are, mind you, plenty of alternate washing machines out there. 

30 minutes ago, w4rrn said:

We were very lucky looking at other folk’s experiences on here. Me and my son collected our R3840 from our local model shop yesterday and I’m happy to say it’s fine, the guy at the shop had previously checked it before to picked it up. He gave it a quick test run in the shop and it was fine. Once we got it home we then gave it a gentle 5 hour running in session on my sons railway. Superb model very happy with it.

 

Can't deny I look at this and the other photos of pristine models with a certain degree of envy!   But.... I'm grateful you post them because they also give me the hope that the next one to appear on my doorstep will be in a similar condition...

Who needs a quiet life ?  :-)

2 minutes ago, Obsidian Quarry said:

 When I ordered mine I immediately fired off a message to the shop asking if they could check mine considering the damage that was being documented, and was told that unfortunately they could not check models before posting them. I completely understand that for bigger shops having to check through huge amounts of models is too time consuming and I do not hold it against them, 

I'm afraid that can only be summed up as poor service.  Again, perhaps they weren't expecting this (who would?), but they do have a duty of care towards their customer.....

5 minutes ago, Dick Turpin said:

This thread does reinforce the reassurance of being able to call into a model shop to visually inspect a model of this complexity and price bracket and watch it being tested prior to purchase, or to have been reassured by your chosen retailer that they have done these things for you to your complete satisfaction. 

 

I picked mine up from Peter's Spares of Middlesbrough yesterday, and would just like to just say how relieved I am to be able to report that everything is fine and I am now the happy owner of a fine looking model of a prototype many said we would never see produced. I am now watching the thread to see what radius gets decided on for those flanged trailing wheels.

 

I would also like to give a shout out to Peter's Spares, and recommend them for their high level of service. 

Agree absolutely...  But acknowledge that your scenario exists because the retailer received models in a satisfactory condition to be able to offer them.  But if dealer stock is damaged, where to from there?

It does seems some are just taking Hornby's sealed boxes and shunting them straight out the door, hopefully unaware of what's inside. And I expect until now everyone had the confidence in Horny to be okay with this.  This one maybe caught everyone out.

Hence I did ask my second supplier to open and check it's condition.

1 hour ago, zr2498 said:

And still availble at Cheltenham Model Centre £219.99 !!!!!!

It's simply a case of supply and demand.  The demand for what was expected to be a desirable and unusual model is still there, but anyone with half an interest in these things will know by now that supply was going to be marginal at best, even without the: 'damaged on arrival' lottery.

And 'in stock' is no guarantee of condition either, sadly.  I have emailed some enquiring as to the condition of their stock and had no response.

And if Hornby's best response so far is an automated mail saying spare parts could take 28 days, then I do feel for those frustrated customers.

I've already returned one and await another, though resigned to the fact that may too arrive less than perfect..

2 minutes ago, cctransuk said:

 

The second part of the question would be pure speculation - unless one has access to a crystal ball !!

 

CJI.

TBH I was probably thinking more along the lines of:  Did you receive a satisfactory response from the seller, which leads you to believe the problem can and will be resolved to your satisfaction within a reasonable time scale?

I would imagine an automated email response would be quite frustrating...