Bachmann srevice and durability???

[Burly]

 I am a new comer to this site and to trains (trains for my son), so the questions and statements I am going to make may be frowned on here .,

This topic is on Bachmanns service (or lack of) and the durability of Bachmann engines. Some of you may recall a few weeks ago I joined this forum, because my son is a HUGE train fan, and we bought him a BAchmann train set, well after the first day it stopped running, took it back for a refund, looked around a few days and bought him another Bachmann train set, first 2 hours it worked great,(my son had the biggest smile on his face, I was a happy father). Well 2 hours later it stopped running too.After doing some checking and emailing to a fellow memeber here, decided the engines motor shorted out.

So I look on Bachmann site and find the email address for service, I email them and do no get any response. Read on here that they never answer email, (then why in the sam hill do you post a email address for service? Very bad business practice)So a few days later I call service and only get an answering machine with a recording you can not understand. I leave a message, NO return call, so I ask on here and "BAchmann" tells me that it was a holiday the day I called and they would call me back after the weekend. Well that never happened either, So I call them back a few days later and finally get to talk to a human.Tell him my problem and he has to find someone else for me to talk to. Tell the new guy my problem, and he just states, well send it to us and we will send you another one in a few weeks.

This guy did not even tell me a reason for this (even a "well this or this probably happen")Just a short, "send it to us and in a few weeks will will send you one".

Needless to say, I am now wondering if going with Bachmann brand was a wise choice or just throwing good money after bad? I do know that they need to do something about the product and do ALOT with service department.

Ok, off my high horse now  So did I just get "unlucky" and buy the only 2 bad angines that Bachmann made? Did I just have a bad dealings with service and they usually are more professional?

[ajp3751]

The service department is good at replacement if you talk to a human.

If you are looking for a better quality piece, try the spectrum products by bachmann. They are a better quality and have higher detail. For this you will have to pay a little more than the standard though.

[Woody Elmore]

Buy from another manufacturer and see if you can call their service department and talk to someone on the phone. Bachmann sells a lot of stuff. I'm sure that they are deluged with calls and emails.

They told you to send your locomotive back to them and they'll probably replace it. I think that is a great policy.

[Burly]

Buy from another manufacturer and see if you can call their service department and talk to someone on the phone. Bachmann sells a lot of stuff. I'm sure that they are deluged with calls and emails.

They told you to send your locomotive back to them and they'll probably replace it. I think that is a great policy.

Woody,
I agree, that them replaceing it is a great policy, but my concern (gripe) is for them to not return phone calls, and to have an email for service that they do not use or answer. I have seen more then one post on here that email is never answered.

[Yampa Bob]

No company should ever be so "deluged" that they can't answer the phone.  The new automated, "for this push 1, for this push 2" then you get a recording or hung up on, puts a barrier between a company and its customers.

I often get the message at companies:  "All our representatives are on the phone or away from their desk"...Doing what?  Hanging around the break room or goofing off? It's a sad fact, but few employees today give 8 hours work for 8 hours pay.

You should always get a prior authorization number before sending anything to a company, and send it certified mail, otherwise you may never see the item again.

[The Old Man]

Buy from another manufacturer and see if you can call their service department and talk to someone on the phone. Bachmann sells a lot of stuff. I'm sure that they are deluged with calls and emails.

They told you to send your locomotive back to them and they'll probably replace it. I think that is a great policy.

I don't know.  Why should he pay the postage, and probably spend the time on a trip to the post office, to get a brand new engine fixed?  I would just take it back to the dealer at this point.

[rogertra]

Buy from another manufacturer and see if you can call their service department and talk to someone on the phone. Bachmann sells a lot of stuff. I'm sure that they are deluged with calls and emails.

They told you to send your locomotive back to them and they'll probably replace it. I think that is a great policy.

I don't know.  Why should he pay the postage, and probably spend the time on a trip to the post office, to get a brand new engine fixed?  I would just take it back to the dealer at this point.

What? 

For the cost of postage, plus $20.00 if you don't have the warranty card at had or it's over 12 months old and your time to go to the nearest postal outlet, you get a brand new loco!

And you think that's too much effort?

It's the best warranty deal going.

[The Old Man]

Buy from another manufacturer and see if you can call their service department and talk to someone on the phone. Bachmann sells a lot of stuff. I'm sure that they are deluged with calls and emails.

They told you to send your locomotive back to them and they'll probably replace it. I think that is a great policy.

I don't know.  Why should he pay the postage, and probably spend the time on a trip to the post office, to get a brand new engine fixed?  I would just take it back to the dealer at this point.

What? 

For the cost of postage, plus $20.00 if you don't have the warranty card at had or it's over 12 months old and your time to go to the nearest postal outlet, you get a brand new loco!

And you think that's too much effort?

It's the best warranty deal going.

But it's brand new.  It's happened to him twice.  Why should he be punished?

[rowdyjoe]

Burly,
     Last week my 2 month old Spectrum steam locomotive broke so, I emailed Bachman service and asked about repair.   They answered my email within two days and told me to fill out the on-line serivce form and send it, the locomotive, and a copy of my receipt ... which I did.  I'm waiting now for repair or replacement.
     My experience with their service dept., so far, has been good but, that's not to say they are always that quick to respond.  I also have a "standard" quality Bachman steam loco that I needed replacement parts for (I broke it).  It's an older, our of production, loco and it took about 6 weeks for them to reply.  I was surprised one evening when they called me at home and told me they had the parts and how much they cost.  They were surprisingly inexpensive and I bought them.
     I agree with the other fella that the Spectrum line is the best way to go when buying Bachman steam locomotives.  Don't know about the diesels because I don't have any.  They are not without flaws but, most can be overcome. 
     Frankly, there are other brands that are more durable and hold up better for children, who tend to be a bit rougher on toys than an adult would be.
     
RJ

[Burly]

Burly,
     Last week my 2 month old Spectrum steam locomotive broke so, I emailed Bachman service and asked about repair.   They answered my email within two days and told me to fill out the on-line serivce form and send it, the locomotive, and a copy of my receipt ... which I did.  I'm waiting now for repair or replacement.

I still have not heard from them on my email, and I really do not figure I ever will. When I talked to them on the phone, they did not tell me to fill out anything, just send a copy of my receipt and a letter stating what the problem is.

   

My experience with their service dept., so far, has been good but, that's not to say they are always that quick to respond.  I also have a "standard" quality Bachman steam loco that I needed replacement parts for (I broke it).  It's an older, our of production, loco and it took about 6 weeks for them to reply.  I was surprised one evening when they called me at home and told me they had the parts and how much they cost.  They were surprisingly inexpensive and I bought them.

Glad they finally got back with you, but I am a business man and if it took me 6 weeks to answer a customer I would be out of business real quick.
 
     

other brands that are more durable and hold up better for children, who tend to be a bit rougher on toys than an adult would be..

My problem with the two that were bad, was not due to my son, I was in there with him, while he was running it, and I didnt see anything that he did that would have broke it.
     
Again, thanks for the post, And again I say , I am not trying to be a Bachmann basher, just trying to figure out if I need to go another route or if I just happen to get the 2 lemons of a batch and cought service at a bad time.

[Pacific Northern]

Buy from another manufacturer and see if you can call their service department and talk to someone on the phone. Bachmann sells a lot of stuff. I'm sure that they are deluged with calls and emails.

They told you to send your locomotive back to them and they'll probably replace it. I think that is a great policy.

I don't know.  Why should he pay the postage, and probably spend the time on a trip to the post office, to get a brand new engine fixed?  I would just take it back to the dealer at this point.

My first Spectrum was purchased at a LHS and it was experiencing electrical problems.

The LHS would exchange the unit if they had another which they did not, or would give me a credit for the interim.

The LHS informed me that any warranty work was between the customer and the manufacturer.

I ended up contacting Bachmann Service myself  and returned the unit and received a replacement a few weeks later.

I have not purchased many items from my LHS after that incident. I now purchase off the web, and with the selection of Bachmann Spectrum units from factory dealers have ended up paying about 1/3 to 1/2 the cost that the LHS is charging.

[Yampa Bob]

Even with 2 bad locos in a row, I wouldn't count Bachmann out yet.  When I ordered my second Spectrum Connie, it arrived defective. It sounded like a thrashing machine, something was messed up in the gears.  I returned it for replacement, that one was defective also, same symptoms.  The third one I received was perfect, and still running daily on my layout.  Since then I bought 2 more and they run great also.

Luckily, I bought the original from Tower Hobbies with free shipping.  I called them, and they sent me a prepaid UPS label by email, twice.  So it didn't cost me anything for shipping. With Tower you have 30 days to return any item, even if you just don't like the item.

Now I buy mostly from Caboose Hobbies in Denver.  Recently I received a defective IHC Mikado, they not only gave me a full refund including the original shipping charge, but also refunded the shipping to return the defective loco.  When I thanked them for the shipping refund, they said "It isn't your fault, why should you be out any money?"

Caboose Hobbies is only 160 miles from here, my wife says that's too close.  Every time we go to Denver,  we always devote several hours to shop their store. Of course that means taking my wife out to dinner at a restaurant of her choice. 

[Rashputin]

---  Snip, Snip ---

<< Of course that means taking my wife out to dinner at a restaurant of her choice.  Shocked >>

     A nice dinner for the imnportant stockholders just after an investment in the road an accepted cost of doing business.  I tred the dinner a few days prior to the purchase thinking it was going to be a pre-paid expense.  It didin't work.  Those stockholders are real sticklers for doing everyting in the proper order.

     Regards

[Yampa Bob]

If you treat to a night out on the town before the purchase, the CEO knows something is in the wind.

I'm satisfied just being the "engineer".  Like Bill Cosby says: "I've seen the boss's job, and I don't want it."