[breastonstation]

I today managed to find a shop who sell Hornby 8pin decoders - fitted it to my NRM Flying Scotsman model, took 2 hours to sort it out and ended up breaking the speedometer cable - well the cable diddnt break the housing which is on the plastic shell ripped off when I turned the speed to move. It diddnt say how tight I needed to tighten it up as it was fairly tight when I first untightned it in the first place.
I phoned Hornby (expected nobody to be there) and it came onto answer phone. Left my name and tel num. What I'd like to know is, Will Hornby fix it without charge or will it cost me anything, as their instructions are very unclear. I have installed the decoder and everything, will I need to remove it when I send it to them if they say send it?
I can't wait until they call as it will be bugging me all night and I wont be able to sleep - just how I am.

Many thanks

 

[ashleyh]

Don't worry!

In my experience, Hornby have always fixed anything I have sent them without charge, I always include a polite covering letter of course.
The turn-around is also very quick, usually within 2 weeks, often within a week.

I don't think I would worry about taking the loco apart to remove the decoder, just mention it in your covering letter and I'm sure everything will be fine.

It just proves how difficult it is to take many of the super-detailed models apart to fit decoders, I ran into a similar problem with my A4 Silver Fox, and I am still working on it!
There MUST be an easier way, perhaps tender mounted decoder sockets like the Bachmann Ivatt 2MT?

Regards
Ashley

 

[pedromorgan]

Hello there.

the Hornby servicing department are very kind and helpfull and if you are nice to them they may well swap it for free. but you might have to pay a couple of quid if you are unlucky.

you are very lucky only to have broken the spedo cable. i think it was Neil who tried installing a decoder in this loco and broke the boiler in half!

Most importantly of all, dont panic. at the end of the day its only a model and really isnt worth loosing sleep over.

Peter

 

[Doug]

It was my Flying Scotsman that broke it's boiler due to a manufacturing problem I presume. It didn't actually break, it just came apart at the seam.

I did send the loco back to Hornby. They sent it back to me in exactly the same state, untouched. I bitched and moaned, then eventually another person offered to fix it by which time I had done it myself.

I'm not a fan of service departments.



Here is the review with photos of the boiler problem.

 

[Martin71]

Hi Breston

This is one of my favorite loco's lots of detail but at a price very very delicate. Do not worry I snapped mine too, I know the feeling. I find it a very hard loco to re-assemble especially around the cab with the recessed D-ten. I ended up filing a slight taper on the leading edges to help it go together easier.

Can I just make 2 suggestions 1st I find 7 o clock the best location for getting the speedo cable back on and if you want to leave the cover on I really suggest you consider another decoder. I did more damage to it as I replaced 2 hornby decoders and since I went to another brand no a problem.

Best of luck

m

 

[alanb]

I still cannot understand why people in the model train world will send a defective engine back to the manufacturer or repair it themselves.
If you bought a defective car, would you take it back to the dealer? - or drive it up to the manufacturing plant?. I am sure you would not attempt a repair yourselves.

I recently purchased a Hornby 'Battle of Britain' locomotive - DCC ready.

On trying to fit a decoder, bits of the 'copper' piping fell off. I managed to get it back together with great difficulty as the body was extremely tight. After a few days running, it started to run rough. I decided to take the decoder out to check everything. On removing the body, I noticed that the boiler was split exactly as shown in the review of the
'Flying Scotsman'.

I put the loco back together, and took it back to the shop I bought it from for a full refund. Which I got. Shops have special 'return' forms for just this purpose. I have seen them when I have returned Hornby and Bachmann.

The point is that if the loco is designed for someone to take apart to put in a decoder, it should not fall to pieces whilst doing this. It is actually 'Not fit for purpose'.

So please - if you get anything that is defective, take it back or send it back to the shop where purchased for a replacement or refund. Manufacturers may then start to spend money on quality control.

Alan

 

[Dinwiddy]

QUOTE (alanb @ 11 Dec 2007, 16:10) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I put the loco back together, and took it back to the shop I bought it from for a full refund. Which I got. Shops have special 'return' forms for just this purpose. I have seen them when I have returned Hornby and Bachmann.

The point is that if the loco is designed for someone to take apart to put in a decoder, it should not fall to pieces whilst doing this. It is actually 'Not fit for purpose'.

So please - if you get anything that is defective, take it back or send it back to the shop where purchased for a replacement or refund. Manufacturers may then start to spend money on quality control.

Alan

Sorry, no we don't have special 'return' forms. We have to do exactly what you do, write a letter, pack it well and send it off. In all cases, unlike yourself, all we get is a credit note against further purchases (usually not including anything for the cost of P&P either!). Some larger shops may be able to return via reps. visits but us smaller folk only get a visit once a year (or less). Having refunded the customer it leaves me open to financial difficulties if the manufacturer refuses to refund on the grounds that altering or modifying the product negates any responsibility on their part! We now test all new locomotives arriving before putting them out for sale and again at point of sale if requested! Quality control is better than it was but could still be improved. I suspect that some damage occurs when locos are placed in their final (extremely tight) packaging and possibly in transit to (and within) the UK as I have found a number with loose or broken fittings at different times.

David Y

 

[poliss]

If the model is described as dcc ready then the manufacturer cannot say the warranty is void if you open it to fit a decoder.

 

[alanb]

David,

As they say, there is always two sides to a story.

The shop I use is a very large retailer and net seller. They produced forms to fill in on both occassions that I did returns for Bachmann and Hornby.

But as you know, consumer law states that shoppers with defective items should return them to the retailer for refund, not the manufacturer. It is the retailers responsibility to liase with the manufacturer, as you say you do. All I can say is that Hornby do not treat their retailers well.

Even national retailers have problems with this. I bought a television from a well known top drawer retailer who told me I could not have a replacement when it went bust after two months because the manufacturer would not agree. I soon put them straight (although it took me a week and a strong letter to their managing director). I received a new television.

But as Poliss states, if a loco is listed as 'DCC READY' the manufacturer knows that it will have to be taken apart to put in a decoder. If this causes damage through no fault of the buyer, then the manufacturer is responsible. I am afraid from what I have seen, some of the locos are old chassis, and are not built to take decoders so there is a lot of shoving and pushing to get them in.
The only recent one from Hornby that I have bought is a Railroad 'Flying Scotsman' It is a purpose designed chassis with plenty of room to fit the largest Lenz decoder with room to spare. The 'Battle of Britain' loco was an old chassis that would only just fit a Hornby decoder.

Alan

 

[breastonstation]

Thanks for your replies everyone. I managed to print this long thread off and read it at work and I gave Hornby cust service a call and they said if I send it back to them direct they will repair ir "Under the warrenty/gaurentee"
Although the person was helpful, he did advise I send it after Christmas as if i send it now I wont get it back till the new year, but seeing its a xmas pressie I will wait till new year.
I dont know if its just me, but I always seem to have a problem with Hornby products. Not major, but theres always that little "thing" that is just "there". My pendolino had a problem with the motor when I first had mine, it started smoking when it moved - slow or high speed. Took it back to the shop and they replaced it (just the motor car). Personally I think it was 2 wires were in contact in the motor or something to cause that, but in theory it should have just cut out if this was the case.

Like said above, usually you would send it back to the retailer (like I will be doing with this new pc - what a waste of money) - half the components dont work. I wont be taking a trip over to The Netherlands for them to fix it so will just return.
However, I bought my model Flying Scotsman from a shop way up north - 100+miles when I was on holiday a couple of weeks ago and I dont want to take a trip just to exchange a model which would cost me the price in a rail fair one way.

Thanks everybody for your comments - all noted.

Many thanks