|
|
Post by steveturner on Nov 25, 2015 8:58:15 GMT -8
Well guys i was very happy with the parts department at Broadway.Emails replied to with in a day and parts shipped to me in a timely fashion. We often hear about the bad so i am posting a positive. Dont know the gentlemans name but he was on the ball. Looking after a customer goes along way with deciding your next purchase. Steve
|
|
|
|
Post by jaygee on Nov 25, 2015 12:35:00 GMT -8
I've had some good service from them...a woman in the repair dept. Melanie, IIRC.
|
|
|
|
Post by valenciajim on Nov 25, 2015 13:11:08 GMT -8
That is good to hear. Unfortunately, when I had issues, Broadway did not look after me. Given the vast size of my roster, I don't think I will buying many more locomotives, but I have decided that I am done with BLI. It is just too late. I hope that others who purchase their products have the same experience that you guys have.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dear Leader on Nov 25, 2015 17:48:24 GMT -8
When I needed parts to repair the model myself, BLI was great. When I sent them the model, BLI was worthless!
|
|
|
|
Post by calzephyr on Nov 26, 2015 6:33:21 GMT -8
When I needed parts to repair the model myself, BLI was great. When I sent them the model, BLI was worthless! I had a good response from BLI when I purchased parts several times in the past. They were shipped to me quickly. Larry |
|
|
|
Post by valenciajim on Nov 26, 2015 11:42:25 GMT -8
coastdaylight--your experience is consistent with mine. I never had problems getting replacement parts, but when the locomotive did not run properly and needed to be sent back for repair, BLI was, as you say, worthless.
|
|
|
|
Post by calzephyr on Nov 26, 2015 12:39:00 GMT -8
coastdaylight--your experience is consistent with mine. I never had problems getting replacement parts, but when the locomotive did not run properly and needed to be sent back for repair, BLI was, as you say, worthless. Jim I believe you said you got the BLI GS4, right??? Does your model run well?? I consider those models decent looking GS4's, but mine do not run well at all. Broken gears on one and the other still has the BLI sound with horrible quality sound and the headlight is sort of blue and very dull. The back up light is very good on the tender, but how many times does the GS4 pull a train in reverse?? The super heater badge on the left side of the smoke box is incorrect, but not many care and most are not aware of that mistake. I hope if they run it again, it will be made by a different builder in China. I sent two 2-10-2's back for some problems for a friend living overseas and they were returned about the same. I get the impression BLI technicians set them on a track and see if they run back and forth a few feet. They gave up getting them fixed because it cost too much to ship them back to the states. Larry |
|
|
|
Post by Dear Leader on Nov 27, 2015 9:10:49 GMT -8
The molds for the GS-4 were damaged when the were being injected. A local dealer said the molds "blew up" and shattered. So no more GS-4' until, and if they, make a new one.
My GS-4 shorted out, cracked a gear, burned up the sound board in the tender. I sent mine back three times. When I got it back the third time, I ran it around the club layout, and the heavy smoke rolled out from under the tender. I couldn't believe the sound board burned up like that, it was crisp.
Another club member sent his GS-4 back so many times, the plastic liner wore out from the model moving in it, as well as the box. Sad.
|
|
|
|
Post by valenciajim on Nov 27, 2015 15:36:02 GMT -8
Actually, the BLI GS4 is the last BLI locomotive that I purchased. I ordered it on line a very long time before they arrived and I had forgotten that I ordered the locomotive. My model runs OK. I also have an old Bachmann GS4 and an MTH GS4. The MTH clearly runs the best. The old Bachmann GS4 runs Ok for the price I paid, but does not have sound. The BLI is nowhere as reliable as the MTH.
My real problem with BLI is with their cab forward, I think it is an AH5. It is from the original run. That loco ran like a POS out of the box. Shortly thereafter it started derailing on EVERY turnout. I have Peco Code 100 turnouts that have been in place for 10-13 years and out of the 100+ locomotives I won, I do not own another locomotive that has problems running through the turnouts. I returned the loco to BLI and several weeks later they returned the same loco to me. If they did anything to repair it, those repairs did not work. The loco ran as poorly as ever, including derailing over turnouts. I think you are right, they ran it on a three foot section of test track and said, "There is not problem with the locomotive." I placed a mark on the locomotive that can only be seen under a UV light, which proved that they did not send me a substitute locomotive, there merely returned the one I sent them. This locomotive is now a static model on my layout.
I have other BLI locos (two steam and six diesels) which are OK runners, but quite frankly, I am done with BLI. The quality of the products is poor. For example I have a couple of diesel units where the headlight shines through the shell. For what I paid for those locomotives, that is simply unacceptable. For the money, I get a lot more value and a lot less heartache from other manufacturers. I hear that BLI has improved its quality and its service, but at the last three NMRA National conventions I attended, there were clinic speakers who continued to mention BLI's ongoing quality control issues. I have pretty much all the locomotives I need, so I won't be buying many more and I doubt that any will be BLI products.
|
|
