Is Mattel Dumbing Down Things With Revolution?

Isn't Lego an independent company?
Takara too? They both take pride in their product lines, and are both responsible and reliable in satisfying customers
And both are rare examples nowadays.

(09-13-2015, 12:36 AM)Muddy Poppins Wrote: Isn't Lego an independent company?
Takara too? They both take pride in their product lines, and are both responsible and reliable in satisfying customers
And both are rare examples nowadays.

They are, but their customer service is excellent compared to Fisher-Price, if I may be so bold to say so.

Lego really is fantastic!! My son is 6 (and autistic) and loves thomas and Legos. He has lost parts on his own, received sets that had broken and/or missing pieces and they have replaced EVERYTHING. No shipping and NO COST to me. Even when it was his fault!!

Keaton received his first trackmaster sets last Christmas (gray tracks) and one of them was the Sort and Switch Delivery Set (came with Percy I believe) and sure enough straight out of the box...nothing! It didn't work! Talk about a disappointment!! I have also had to return two different single trains one spencer and one James. Both did nothing when I put in batteries. Luckily Walmart out here will return anything so that wasn't an issue. Explaining that something new doesn't work right out of the box is very difficult for a little boy

(09-13-2015, 04:06 AM)Ksthomas209 Wrote: Keaton received his first trackmaster sets last Christmas (gray tracks) and one of them was the Sort and Switch Delivery Set (came with Percy I believe) and sure enough straight out of the box...nothing! It didn't work! Talk about a disappointment!! I have also had to return two different single trains one spencer and one James. Both did nothing when I put in batteries. Luckily Walmart out here will return anything so that wasn't an issue. Explaining that something new doesn't work right out of the box is very difficult for a little boy

How awful! I know that pain, especially with Fisher-Price; they often just ask me to either send the product to them before sending me a voucher, or just send me a voucher.

I had the same instance with the HiT Toy Company with my first Donald and a stock standard Thomas; after an email or two, I received brand-new ones in the mail within four business days with a letter of apology and sincere gratitude for my continued patronage to the product line.

So what is the general problem with these 'out of box failures'? Is it dodgy wiring? Misplaced gears? Are they easily fixable?

Just curious

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Is it maybe where they don't have the 'clutch' type gear so when switched off they can't freewheel? Thus damage occuring somehow in transit due to movement?

(09-13-2015, 09:10 PM)Nigels Wrote: So what is the general problem with these 'out of box failures'? Is it dodgy wiring? Misplaced gears? Are they easily fixable?

Just curious

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Is it maybe where they don't have the 'clutch' type gear so when switched off they can't freewheel? Thus damage occuring somehow in transit due to movement?

For my two HiT Toy engines, the motors would refuse to work unless the battery was fully brand new, and then would die out when the battery went underneath 95%; for the Fisher-Price Revolution, the motors are pretty much the problem for me. Either they refuse to work in general, or they refuse to run smoothly, causing me nothing but headaches.

I don't think it's easily fixable, but it does help me add to my scrap yard.

One shouldn't have to try to repair something straight off the shelf. Manufactures hate it when you take something back to the store where you bought it and thats why I do just that. They don't want the stores to see their bad product numbers because it could affect future orders. The manufactures would rather you contact them so they can hide the defective numbers and maybe after a week or more they will send you a new part. I don't have time to do all this and then find out that the part wasn't the only problem which results in more delays for me. I would much rather return defective items to the place of purchase and have the manufactures answer to them when they have piles of their products returned.

(09-13-2015, 11:58 PM)Super Wrote: One shouldn't have to try to repair something straight off the shelf. Manufactures hate it when you take something back to the store where you bought it and thats why I do just that. They don't want the stores to see their bad product numbers because it could affect future orders. The manufactures would rather you contact them so they can hide the defective numbers and maybe after a week or more they will send you a new part. I don't have time to do all this and then find out that the part wasn't the only problem which results in more delays for me. I would much rather return defective items to the place of purchase and have the manufactures answer to them when they have piles of their products returned.

It's remarkable advice, but then I don't want another customer, particularly one with a young child looking for a certain character, to purchase the defect only to upset their child by returning it before hunting it down again; at this point, I think the Fisher-Price Corporation already knows that almost every single phone call from me means a voucher to be sent my way.

Funny you say that actually...we wound up keeping the set with the Percy broken and spent two months hunting down another single train. You bet I was asked at least once a day if I had found a new one or not! And yes like you said they might send a voucher but it doesn't cover the entire cost or they want me to send it back and cover that cost as well...to be honest it sucks! And if they wanted to send me a new part I don't have any clue on how to fix it

(09-14-2015, 04:01 AM)Ksthomas209 Wrote: Funny you say that actually...we wound up keeping the set with the Percy broken and spent two months hunting down another single train. You bet I was asked at least once a day if I had found a new one or not! And yes like you said they might send a voucher but it doesn't cover the entire cost or they want me to send it back and cover that cost as well...to be honest it sucks! And if they wanted to send me a new part I don't have any clue on how to fix it

Your example is the ideal reason Fisher-Price is probably bombing with their line for the revolution; it takes so long just to find a new engine since they only keep out Thomas, Percy, James, and a handful of other characters in constant circulation while the newer ones are practically missing in action.

I find it rather annoying as well; Ryan cost me $18.40, but the voucher is only good for $17.00, which means I'll have to hunt him down at Toys'R'Us or Wal-Mart to have the cost fully covered by the voucher since Target is just too expensive.