Faith restored a little!
Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2022 2:54 pm
Not tank related but relevant. You may have read here the trouble l had with a pre Christmas delivery problem l had with a large, heavy Hornby W1 loco. It arrived with two step sets broken off and a fractured plastic tender chassis where the coupling screw is fitted. I called Hornby and they gave me a case number but said that they had dozens of problems with the new model release and no spares to fix them!
I decided a master modeller like to myself could do a self repair..... fixed but not yet tested!
I purchased an Oxford Rail N7 loco in 2019 but with my railway layout moving to a larger room and in bits l left it in the box. Last week l purchased a rolling road so decided to test the N7. The motor ran but the wheels didn't turn. I opened it up and found the gear on the driving axle was bathed in oil and spinning free. Out of warranty l called Oxford Rail and reported the problem, asking them to send me a spare axle with gear and wheels fitted. They called back next day stating they had the part which they wanted £17 for.
Faith restored? The N7 part arrived yesterday. Not an axle with gear and wheels but a complete new working chassis! The loco costs £139. The chassis represents at least two thirds of that cost!
Then today a phone call... a follow up from Hornby! Did l still need help or should they close the case. I explained my untested repair with no facility to test it on. Could they leave it open please? I can, he said, but spares are now in so why don't l just send you all the parts you need plus a few spare parts to replace all the broken bits. No need to return anything!
With so much recent bad press regarding quality control, couriers, packaging and non-existent customer service l feel there's hope yet.
I know how much pain these sort of issues cause retailers and manufacturers - ask Dave about the grief caused by those damaged IS-2's - but at least when sh*t happens it's good to receive good customer service
I decided a master modeller like to myself could do a self repair..... fixed but not yet tested!
I purchased an Oxford Rail N7 loco in 2019 but with my railway layout moving to a larger room and in bits l left it in the box. Last week l purchased a rolling road so decided to test the N7. The motor ran but the wheels didn't turn. I opened it up and found the gear on the driving axle was bathed in oil and spinning free. Out of warranty l called Oxford Rail and reported the problem, asking them to send me a spare axle with gear and wheels fitted. They called back next day stating they had the part which they wanted £17 for.
Faith restored? The N7 part arrived yesterday. Not an axle with gear and wheels but a complete new working chassis! The loco costs £139. The chassis represents at least two thirds of that cost!
Then today a phone call... a follow up from Hornby! Did l still need help or should they close the case. I explained my untested repair with no facility to test it on. Could they leave it open please? I can, he said, but spares are now in so why don't l just send you all the parts you need plus a few spare parts to replace all the broken bits. No need to return anything!
With so much recent bad press regarding quality control, couriers, packaging and non-existent customer service l feel there's hope yet.
I know how much pain these sort of issues cause retailers and manufacturers - ask Dave about the grief caused by those damaged IS-2's - but at least when sh*t happens it's good to receive good customer service
