[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

 

[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