warranty?

[aky13]

Mr. Bachman,

I bought a Blinking Bridge, item # 46221, new and factory sealed less than a year ago.  It worked fine for 2-3 months, then stopped blinking.  I have checked the electrical contacts and they appear to be fine.

How long is this kind of product warranteed by Bachmann and do I need to mail it back?

I must say, if you read my messages of about 6 months ago, I am VERY disappointed with the quality of Bachmann products in general!

Arthur

[Pacific Northern]

All accessories, power packs and speed controllers, and Plasticville USA® items are covered for 90 days only.

[the Bach-man]

Dear Arthur,
If it's simply a burned out lightbulb, replacing it will cost less than postage. And, if the bulb is still stocked, I'm sure service will send you one.
Have fun!
the Bach-man

[Yampa Bob]

Hi Arthur
A modeler should be familiar with all railroad equipment, which includes making occasional repairs. I don't know what other problems you have had as I didn't see the post you mentioned.

In this case, you can't judge the overall quality of a company's products based on one inexpensive light bulb.  Most hobby shops have blinking LEDs in stock and would probably be glad to advise you on the repair.

I seldom disagree with anyone, each to his own opinion.  But I have to say IMHO that Bachmann makes very high quality products. Accepting these small challenges will add to your modeling skills.

[grumpy]

There seems to be no standard among the Mfg with regard to warranty. I purchased a GP9 Proto 2000 series from a local hobby shop.On the front of the Operating Instructions it says " your new PROTO 2000 HO Scale EMD GP9II Has been carefully hand-assembled and tested before leaving our modern factory ". The loco was DCC ready and did not require any disassembly except to remove the circuit board and plug in the decoder, which I did . I put  it on the track to test it and it worked fine except fo the thump, thump as it went down the track. An investigation revealed a  broken  drive gear. A phone call to Walthers revealed their warranty policy to be ( take it back to your dealer and fight with him about it or send the parts along with a money order fo $6.50 and the puchase receipt).
Now how did they test this loco and why if it is under warranty it should cost  me anything to have it repaired.  I had a problem with an Aristocraft loco . I gave them a call and they sent out the parts no charge. If you can get through to Bachman small parts are sent out no charge.  Large parts may require documentation but usually do not cost the customer anything.
It is my opinion that all mfg should be required to clearly state the coverage of their warranty
I am a bit put out that the warranty should cost me any thing
Don

[az2rail]

The broken drive gear is a very commom problem with the Proto 2000's.

I had to send a ON30 shay back to Bachmann around last december. Bachmann sent me a new engine at no cost, and was in the time line they said it would take to repair it, so I am a Bachmann fan now.

Bruce

[WoundedBear]

We have it good as far as warranties go in the train world......now have a look at my world....racing.

The following exerpts are from Lunati Cams.........

"Since the 1960s Lunati has made a point to manufacture engine components of the highest quality using cutting-edge technology. Every single product we sell undergoes extensive testing and analysis to ensure the end result is a superior product that can withstand demanding race conditions. Our commitment to supporting racers and helping them find Victory Lane can be seen in the always expanding line of Lunati products along with our involvement in several contingency support programs including: NHRA, IHRA, NMRA & NMCA series races."

The term "race" is used 3 times in that paragraph. Then we move onto the warranty notes....

"The Lunati® LLC limited warranty specifically does not apply to products which have been (a) modified or altered in any way; (b) subjected to adverse conditions such as misuse, neglect, accident, improper installation or adjustment, dirt or other contaminants, water, corrosion or faulty repair; (c) used in other than those applications recommended by Lunati® LLC. Lunati® LLC also does not warrant, and disclaims all liability for products used in racing activities."

This is legalese for "You pays your money, you takes your chances"....lol.

Sid

[jayl1]

There seems to be no standard among the Mfg with regard to warranty. I purchased a GP9 Proto 2000 series from a local hobby shop.On the front of the Operating Instructions it says " your new PROTO 2000 HO Scale EMD GP9II Has been carefully hand-assembled and tested before leaving our modern factory ". The loco was DCC ready and did not require any disassembly except to remove the circuit board and plug in the decoder, which I did . I put  it on the track to test it and it worked fine except fo the thump, thump as it went down the track. An investigation revealed a  broken  drive gear. A phone call to Walthers revealed their warranty policy to be ( take it back to your dealer and fight with him about it or send the parts along with a money order fo $6.50 and the puchase receipt).
Now how did they test this loco and why if it is under warranty it should cost  me anything to have it repaired.  I had a problem with an Aristocraft loco . I gave them a call and they sent out the parts no charge. If you can get through to Bachman small parts are sent out no charge.  Large parts may require documentation but usually do not cost the customer anything.
It is my opinion that all mfg should be required to clearly state the coverage of their warranty
I am a bit put out that the warranty should cost me any thing
Don

Don,

Split/boken gears are a well known & documented problem with early GP and FA/FB Proto units.  If this engine was just purchased, I would take it back to the shop & demand a refund.  They - unless they were clueless - should have known about the problem. 

Try calling Walthers again. I believe it depends on who you speak to about a service charge for mailing a defective part.  If all else fails, buy an Athearn gear for a SD40-2.  I believe they retail for about $2.50 for a pack of 6.  Your shop should be able to get them if they are a Horizon dealer.
You can also order them directly from Athearn but they also have a $5.95 postage charge (and aren't very fast).
Hope this helps.
Jay

[Yampa Bob]

I use the "Dalton" approach when discussing warranty problems with companies. It goes like this:  "Be nice, until it's time to not be nice".

At first I speak very calmly and explain my problem. I know they will usually blow smoke up my (you know where).  When all else fails, I ask to see the manager or owner.

Yesterday we went to a local discount store to return a defective watch. (watch out, here comes the smoke) "Oh, it just needs a new battery".  The clerk removed the back and tried to force an oversize battery into the watch.  In the process the clerk ruined the watch, didn't have the right size battery, so handed it back and said, "Well, there's nothing more I can do". I calmly walked to the office, a brief (nice) visit with the manager who very politely apologized and gave me a new watch.

The manager said the clerk had recently been transferred from the shoe department to jewelry.  Moral of the story, don't assume that the person answering the phone has any knowledge of your problem, if any knowledge about anything. 

[pdlethbridge]

So, you better Watch it. Especially if your in a roadhouse

[Yampa Bob]

In some cases, if a clerk says "I'll get someone who knows about this", that usually translates to:  "Moron #1 calls Moron #2".

[pdlethbridge]

moron this later

[grumpy]

Jay
I thank you for your advice on the repair of my GP9 . My problem is that any warranty repair should be strictly at the cost of the mfg.. in all cases. I think that  this subject is one that the forum should address as a whole and apply pressure to  mfgs that require some sort of payment for warranty repair.
I have sent an email to Walthers as a follow up to my ph. call On monday they will get another ph. call.
I think this forum is an excellent place to begin.                                                                     I would take it back to the hobby shop but I have trouble getting around and I have no idea when I may make it back to the hobby shop. Trains are also a small part of his business.
Don

[r0bert]

The gears tested fine in the factory, the issue was that as the nylon gear cures after the molding process, they shrink, and the hole for the metal axle shaft was made just a bit too small, and as the gear cured the around the axle it could split.

Not all of them did, and the crack may not open up wide enough to effect operation for months after they left the factory, if at all.

When it was discovered, the tooling and the mix of the plastic was changed to corrrect the problem, and Life-like sent out free replacements to anyone who asked for them.

It's not Walthers that's to blame, it's the people who abused the replacement offer.

Walthers is/was not under any obligation to honor any warentee offers issued prior to their purchase of Life-Like, but they did, and when the total requested gear sets exceded the number of effected loco models ever manufactured, They said, "Hang on a Minute", and put the brakes on just sending out however many gears to anyone who requested them.

What they found is, that some people, even if they needed only one gear or set of gears, they ordered gears for every Proto loco they owned, wether it was one of the effected models or not, "just in case".
They now require you send in defictive parts, provide proof of purchase, and pay postage, not uncommon practices.
Our host for this website, has almost identical warentee enforcement requirements, by the way.

You know, Just like the guy who takes 55 cents out of the take a penny-leave a penny cup, a few selfish people ruined the good will intentions for everyone else.

Now the easist and cheapest fix is if your hobby shop sells Athearn products, then they have a Horizon Hobby Dist. account, and can order you a set of (six) axle gears for the Athearn SD40 Loco, which will cost you all of $2.25, and since they will come with their regular order, no shipping and handling charges, unless you have your LHS mail them to you, which might cost you an extra buck fifty.

If all else fails, order them directly from Horizon, but the shipping charges will come into play.
http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=ATH60024

[grumpy]

Robert
I thank you for the information. The parts list for the GP9 show a price of $1.50 for each gear set. If the sent me 4 gear sets It would be a cost of $6.00 plus mailing which may be another $4.00 bucks for a total of $10.00., not much to cover a warranty and keep a customer. There is an id no on the box which should keep warranty replacment at least to the loco's sold . If Walthers used this id they shouldn't have sent out an excess no of  units . These are very inexpensive parts . If I ph Bachman and advise of warranty problem which involves a low cost item they would sent it out without too much hassle which they have done for me.
To me the money is not the issue . Even if my claim is legit they still want $6.50. Why should it cost me $6.50 which I assume is for mailing . A legit claim should cost me nothing .
I bought a set of kitchen sink taps that proved to be faulty. I ph the mfg and they sent me out the repair parts no questions asked .There is a lot of money spent on this hobby is it such a nickel and dime industry that they cannot afford to replace the small pieces without having to charge mailing costs on a legitimate claim .
Again it is not the money that counts it is the principle. On principle I will fight for what I consider an illegitamite charge,  and I persuade everyonelse on this forum to do likewise.
Don