nash
10 Point Trooper
Posts: 5
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Post by nash on Jun 2, 2005 13:23:21 GMT -5
I have 2 defective figures (Grievous bodyguard - no spring whatsoever, Agen Kolar, same problem).....I emailed Hasbro and got this in return:
"We can either send out to you a $3.00 coupon which you can use towards the purchase of another Attactix Booster set or any other Hasbro product or we will be happy to send out a shipping label to you to use to return 3 Attactix figures to us (one being the defective one) and upon receipt, we will send out a replacement pack of 3 figures to you as the replacement figures are only available in 3-packs."
Does it strike anyone else as odd that I must send them fully operational figures along with the broken ones? Has anyone else had a similar experience? Should I just take the coupon?
Thanks
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Post by meepo on Jun 2, 2005 13:41:30 GMT -5
Wow...that whole coupon stuff is new to me. So it the idea of sending back 3 figures total to get a replacement for one. It used to be simply boken figure = brand new booster mailed back to you.
Just out of curiosity, if you go the coupon route, do you get 2 three dollar coupons, one for each busted figure? Or just a single one?
What happened to customer service, Hasbro? It isn't our fault your products are broken, so don't shortchange us.
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nash
10 Point Trooper
Posts: 5
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Post by nash on Jun 2, 2005 13:44:33 GMT -5
From what I can tell I get only one coupon, though I mentioned I had 2 defective figures.....
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Post by meepo on Jun 2, 2005 13:52:16 GMT -5
That seems odd. And am I reading this right, you do not have to send back the figures to get this coupon? In other words, ever Attacktix player could claim, though it is probably true, that they have had a bum figure and get the coupon just for claiming it as so?
If it is only $3 back for more than half the booster, I would see if you could do them one at a time, and just throw whatever extra common figures you want in with them. You shouyldn't have to give up a valuable Rare or Super-Rare figure because their quality control is poo.
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Post by YodaBreaker on Jun 2, 2005 15:00:30 GMT -5
Funny, this isn't what I was told when I called in yesterday. I'm only sending back one defective figure (Mace Windu). Then, after I send that one, Yoda's going to be conveniently broken right afterward. After that, Ki-Adi-Mundi's breakage may come to light (if I don't get him in one of the replacement boosters). At any rate, I may have to use play_today!! again. And my wife's not gonna be happy.
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Lonestar
30 Point Warrior
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Posts: 666
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Post by Lonestar on Jun 2, 2005 15:01:29 GMT -5
While I would certainly have loved to get in on the send back one broken figure get a whole booster back, this does seem more than fair to me. I mean they are still giving you the option of what you put in the box that you are sending back and should really only be 'replacing' the one broken for a working figure. I don't have a problem with the $3 off either, because that is about the cost per figure many places, so I think that this policy is very fair, and I am sure if it is abused, they will become less fair about it.
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Post by meepo on Jun 2, 2005 15:14:06 GMT -5
Perhaps. But if that figure was a broken Vader, Yoda, or other highly desirable piece, AND it was your only one to date, would you want to send it back only to get a lame Super-rare figure you already have 2 or 3 of? Heck no, you want what you earned!
$3 may be roughly the cost of a single figure but secondary market value and personal wants weigh in much more heavily than that and they know it. If i have a broken Vader, I want a GOOD vader in return, not a booster pack with a stinkin' Emperor as the Super Rare.
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Post by meepo on Jun 2, 2005 15:18:21 GMT -5
In other words, I think they should just replace the figure with the exact same figure and be done with it. It's the only "reasonable" policy I would agree with and I do not see why they don't follow that instead of this booster pack/$3 coupon junk.
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Post by ProgMatinee on Jun 2, 2005 15:29:38 GMT -5
What happened to customer service, Hasbro? It isn't our fault your products are broken, so don't shortchange us. I have to strongly disagree. While its unfortunate to have a broken figure, the concept that someone deserves 3 new figures in exchange for one broken figure is ridiculous. ESPECIALLY considering some people are breaking the figure by playing with it too hard. I think a $3 coupon (approx. 1/3 of a price of a booster) is perfectly fair as would be sending in 3 figures for 3 figures. Ideally Hasbro would have figures on stock to replace on a 1:1 basis, apparently they can't do that...that being said, us fans shouldn't feel we're entitled to profit when you get a broken toy. These are broken toys, not medical malpractice.
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Post by meepo on Jun 2, 2005 15:50:30 GMT -5
I'm not saying lets exploit the system, but it's also not the customers fault his brand new figure is DOA. An extra two figures is simply a nice way of saying "sorry, we're working on our methods of quality control and appreciate your patience" and nothing more.
Of course people will take advantage, but I'd be willing to be it would be the minority of us. The vocal may seem to be the majority but really they aren't, they're just the only ones being heard.
And there is a very easy way of telling if a figure was busted by playing it to death (Like YodaBreaker is infamous for) and busted right out of the box.
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Post by ProgMatinee on Jun 2, 2005 16:02:12 GMT -5
I'm not saying lets exploit the system, but it's also not the customers fault his brand new figure is DOA. An extra two figures is simply a nice way of saying "sorry, we're working on our methods of quality control and appreciate your patience" and nothing more. Of course people will take advantage, but I'd be willing to be it would be the minority of us. The vocal may seem to be the majority but really they aren't, they're just the only ones being heard. And there is a very easy way of telling if a figure was busted by playing it to death (Like YodaBreaker is infamous for) and busted right out of the box. If a toy's broken out of the box, that seems like an issue to bring to the retailer, IMO. Bring all three figures that came from the booster (or for the dishonest of us, the broken figure plus any 2 figures) and get your money back. Let them deal with Hasbro. Unfortunately, I don't share the same sentiments regarding the honesty of people when I read stuff like "maybe I'll break a clonetrooper and send him in for a booster".
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Post by meepo on Jun 2, 2005 16:06:28 GMT -5
For the record, though dissapointed by there inability (yet understandable) means of not replacing figures 1 for 1, I wasn't happy about their replacement policy up until this post. I find the notion of handing in three figures I may need for three random figures insulting. At least before, I wasn't "profiting" from their mistake, but rather being told that it is an unfortunate that one of them was busted, but please know we are trying to work out the kinks by keeping the extra two figures. By now asking for all three back without any offering as to why their policy changed, all I hear is "tough luck, we don't care to fix what is broken with the quality control" and your broken figures, outside of the mailaway packaging, is your problem, not ours.
As for your Clonetrooper arguement, yes that is rather unfortunate, but these are the same folks who are going to return a taped-up booster to the otherwise naive store with three extra figures he didn't want. Hasbro can't control this from happening and everyone gets screwed still. There will always be exploits to a system, but this change in policy listed in this post just seems to be statement that they just don't care (anymore).
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Post by YodaBreaker on Jun 2, 2005 16:09:20 GMT -5
What happened to customer service, Hasbro? It isn't our fault your products are broken, so don't shortchange us. I have to strongly disagree. While its unfortunate to have a broken figure, the concept that someone deserves 3 new figures in exchange for one broken figure is ridiculous. I've gotta agree with Meepo on this one. Yes, it's odd that they'll give you a whole booster pack in exchange for a broken figure. But what's really bizarre to me is that they don't have spares of each individual figure available. I've yet to see a statement from Hasbro as to why this makes sense, and I've got a number of reasons why it doesn't. Let's assume the worst case scenario: Every last bit of Attacktix production, from the initial casting of the figures, to the painting, to the sealing in bags, to the packaging of the figures is automatic. Why, then, can't they just open a lage number of boosters to have figures on hand for replacements? Surely this would be less expensive to them than sending out an entire booster pack. And this is an extreme scenario that is implausible; more plausible scenarios would involve even less cost to them to replace figures 1:1. I hardly agree. To me, a $3 coupon would only be a fair exchange if they sold figures separately, so that you could purchase just one figure at the store to replace it and be guaranteed that it can be replaced. Also, keep in mind, though $3 may be 1/3 the cost of a booster to us, it may be the entire cost of a booster to Hasbro itself (before middle-man and retailer markups). Wouldn't it be better, for its own bottom line, for Hasbro to do us the service of replacing the equivalent of $1 worth of figures to it by offering an even exchange? I find it incredible that it is impossible for them to have stock figures like this. Rather, I find it more credible that they choose not to do this to preserve the collectible aspect of the game above the good of their customers.
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Post by meepo on Jun 2, 2005 16:14:47 GMT -5
I do too. This isn't joe-blow company, tihs is Hasbro, an international company with plenty of resources at its disposal. They CAN store individual figures for customer service exchanges, they just choose not to. Sad, but I can deal. But the $3 coupon is just plain silly. It holds no merit at all. If I get a broken Darth Vader figure, all a $3 coupon is going to get me is less than half a shot at trying for another 1:16 lottery to get a new one.
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Post by ProgMatinee on Jun 2, 2005 16:29:17 GMT -5
For the record, though dissapointed by there inability (yet understandable) means of not replacing figures 1 for 1, I wasn't happy about their replacement policy up until this post. I find the notion of handing in three figures I may need for three random figures insulting. At least before, I wasn't "profiting" from their mistake, but rather being told that it is an unfortunate that one of them was busted, but please know we are trying to work out the kinks by keeping the extra two figures. By now asking for all three back without any offering as to why their policy changed, all I hear is "tough luck, we don't care to fix what is broken with the quality control" and your broken figures, outside of the mailaway packaging, is your problem, not ours. As for your Clonetrooper arguement, yes that is rather unfortunate, but these are the same folks who are going to return a taped-up booster to the otherwise naive store with three extra figures he didn't want. Hasbro can't control this from happening and everyone gets screwed still. There will always be exploits to a system, but this change in policy listed in this post just seems to be statement that they just don't care (anymore). *Shrug*. We'll argue about this till we turn blue in the face. Personally, I think this culture is fixated on trying to profit from a corporation's error rather than just getting our fair deserves. As a customer, you deserve a safe, functioning product or your money back. Nothing more, nothing less. If you get a broken toy out of the package. Return it to the store with the other two figures. Get your money back. If you so choose to role the dice and buy another booster...thats your choice. If you get the figure you wanted, great, if not, thats the game. I don't see Hasbro needing to remunerate anyone with 2 free figures...for what? Pain and suffering? Lost wages? Both of you point out the perfect solution...they truly should have a 1:1 replacement system. In the meantime. I highly recommend taking the broken product, with the receipt, back to Target or Walmart or wherever you bought it. I guarantee that these guys have more clout than we do. If Walmart starts to complain that too many people are returning the toys, then Hasbro will be sure to adopt a better system. Anyway, I'm out for the weekend. See ya'll later.
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