Good points - bad points at Service

[Jhanecker2]

Unfortunately the way the tax codes are written , manufacturers keep as little
stock of parts as they can get away with . Considering that a good deal of the manufacturing is done outside of the country most of the parts are in the country of origin.  All parts in the parts department have to be inventoried al least once a year for tax purposes . It is time and cost that has to be payed for by the company .  Companies are in business to make as much money as possible with the least expediture. Sadly Economics truely does drive everything.

[Yampa Bob]

You're welcome Tim

Bob

[grumpy]

You must also remember that the final say as to whatever happens at Bachman is dependent upon a Chinese Co. that owns Bachman. As consumers we do have some influence but that co. owns more than just Bachman . The concern there is return on investment and for this reason some components are reused in other models rather than recasting . Service is something the guys in China can influence by setting the parameters and telling Bachman to live within those parameters. Hopefully if we make enough noise they will listen to us .
Don

[Pacific Northern]

I would certainly like to see Bachmann have a service department like Rivarossi used to have. You could identify just about any part on the engine's part list and order that part. They had the most extensive parts list I ever encountered, ordered a number of replacement parts for my Rivarossi engines and passenger coaches.

Then again, Rivarossi went bankrupt. Have no idea what the new entity has in the way of parts.

Overall having a replacement option with my Bachmann engines is certainly better than what I have encountered with Athearn or Walthers. Although I do consider price in my purchases I weigh the replacement portion of the warranty highest. In  my steam roster the majority of engines are Bachmann Spectrum with the  old BLI second.

For Diesel engines I consider Intermountain overall the best.  They are most approachable  to deal with.  Any problem I have encountered has resulted in a timely response offering parts or offering to repair or replace the default.

[SteamGene]

In defense of Proto, under either Life Like or Walthers, I've always had good luck with them - even know them to have bent over backwards.  
Many believe, or know, that a defective locomotive sent back to Bachmann is trashed.  With it are many useful parts - on a steamer - valve gear, trailing trucks, screws, nuts, bolts, cabs, smoke boxes, tenders, crew figures, etc.  Easily salvagable, and easily done by a person with minimal skills - an entry level position if I ever heard of one.
Gene

[Yampa Bob]

Unfortunately we live in a "disposable" world.  You buy something, hope it will last for awhile, and when it breaks you replace it.  Notice the rapid demise of TV repair shops and auto salvage yards. I'm referring to the good old junk yards where they kept cars around so people could buy used parts.  Very useful when I was a kid driving a 40 Ford bought for $50 at a farm auction.  Today they just smash and ship them for recycling.  Much more profit in recycled materials than selling a hood ornament, mirror or hubcap.

Do you repair a $50 blender or a $25 toaster?  Of course not, pitch it out and get a new one.

Here's my take on the parts issue.  My supplier tests a loco before shipping it to me. I buy mostly Bachmann for the "lifetime" warranty. I keep a spare connie in the box for backup parts for the 3 that are active.  I figure if I can get one or two year's use out of an item, and it breaks....well, my philosophy is, it is or can be an expensive hobby, get used to it. 

Over the years I have saved thousands of dollars by NOT buying extended warranties on anything I buy new, like they offer on computers, tvs, autos, cameras, virtually anything you can think of.  Recently K-Mart offered me an extended warranty on a cheap digital camera for "only" $29.95 a year.  Phooey on that.  It's a gamble, and the factories usually win, but the money I saved has paid for my hobby.

I think trying to establish and maintain a parts inventory from take-offs would be a virtual nightmare for Bachmann, or any other company.

[SteamGene]

Question does remain, though - if Athearn (except for certain infamous gears), Life-Like, Walthers, and Atlas can maintain spare parts, why can't Bachmann.  They are so good otherwise.  
And yes, Roger, myself, and several others still want our Delta trailing trucks!
Gene

[Yampa Bob]

Here is another view I have of the parts issue, one I've taken on several occasions when trying to get a part for a piece of farm equipment.

If I close my eyes, this is the "vision" I get.  You have an assembly line, long rows of tables with assemblers seated on each side, and a conveyor belt running down the middle.  Each "station" has this huge box of just one part, and as the loco goes by, that one part gets put on, then on to the next station.

Say I need a part...how hard would it be to take one part from the warehouse where all those station boxes are filled and send it out.  Pretty simple huh?

For one bolt on removable equipment part I had to wait 2 months. The excuse was that removing the part from the assembly/warehouse stations would mess up the entire production schedule.  What a crock.

This is a bit off topic but funny. One time we bought a new truck and discovered rattles in one door, the dealer found 2 bolts laying loose in the bottom cavity.  Turns out that the factory worker, whose only job was to install the 2 bolts, was just tossing them into the door as the truck went by.  They estimated some 2,000 trucks had the loose bolts. Yup, the guy got canned.

By the way, every Bachmann Connie 2-8-0 Union Pacific, which has the Stephenson gear, is missing the valve stem and connection rod to the inner cam.  The part is shown on the old master photo, but is missing in the new photos.  I called service and was told that the part was made at first, then they quit making it. ....did they think we wouldn't notice?  There is a hole in the valve box for the part, but no parts.

I complained like crazy, but got nowhere. I love my Connies, but that empty hole really irritates me.

[grayfitz]

I read all the 22 messages about poor service ,I hope Bachmann read them also.You dont know how lucky you are to be in the USA as you have so many fellow enthusiests to help. each other.We here in Australia are not considered important by manufacturers ,I put an order with payment to Bachmann for parts in december 2006,Still havent got them. I have got parts from indipendant people in USA that Bachmann couldnt supply. I love my K27 and cant wait for the Mallet,  GRAHAM

[Yampa Bob]

G'day Graham

Bachmann US is not to blame, they are just a part of the  foreign company (Kader).

I will give Bachmann (US) credit for not copping out and saying "We have no control over it". I believe they are trying very hard to meet our needs in spite of the ocean and corporate barriers.

I get that all the time from stores here that give poor service.  Low inventory? "Not our fault, we just stock what the home office sends us."  No parts in stock?  Same excuse.

As a consumer, I absolutely will not tolerate store ignorance, lack of courtesy or poor quality and service.  When I ask for something I only want to hear 2 words:  "Yes Sir".

[Pacific Northern]

Mr. B

Note the information on the service department as to locals etc is no longer valid. When I phoned the recorded messages did not match the extenstion numbers at all.

Also, when I finally did reach a mailbox the message was so distorted it could not be heard.

Also, other than the 1-800 number there is no other phone number listed. What is the dial on your own dime number please.

[Jhanecker2]

Sometimes I think every conglomerate and corporation should broken up to the point that the reduced companies are run my people that really know what they are doing, and realized that customer satisfaction is the only reason for their continued existance.  Too many quick buck operators , too few artisans .      John II

[the Bach-man]

Dear PN,
I'll pass along your post.
The number is (215)533-1600.
Thanks!
the Bach-man