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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2016 17:33:22 GMT -8
I tried to just let it pass, but it burns me up. Trainworld. Not a good place to do business. At least I never will again.
I purchased what I thought was a Kato SD38-2 with dynamic brakes. At least the picture they had on their web site showed it with DB's. What I received was a non-DB SD38-2.
I called them and was told they do not have any more Kato SD38-2's in stock.
ME: Can I return this one?
TW: Yes, but there will be a 15% restocking fee.
ME: WHAT? You advertise the wrong product and sell me the wrong product and it is my fault? No. I would like to return this and get my money back so I can use it somewhere else.
TW: You can send it back, but there will be a 15% restocking fee and we will only give you store credit.
ME: Are you kidding me?
TW: No.
ME: You guys suck! I'll keep the model. You have nothing else I need nor will I ever shop with you again!
Hang up the phone.
Beware when you shop at Trainworld. What you see on their web site may not exactly be what you receive.
So a plea goes out. Does ANYONE have a DB hatch for a Kato SD38-2?
I am pretty sure the odds are VERY slim to none. But I have to ask.
Brian
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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2016 17:52:02 GMT -8
If you want to burn your bridges with them, you could always do a chargeback on your credit card.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2016 17:53:22 GMT -8
What a bunch of Crapola! Well...I second this. I bought an Athearn Genesis GP15-1 in Conrail blue from them...for parts...and guess what? The engine arrived with broken trucks...
Glad I didn't waste my time calling them about it...I junked it out...and took what I use and junked the rest.
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Post by dharris on Nov 4, 2016 18:05:25 GMT -8
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Post by SD90 on Nov 4, 2016 18:11:32 GMT -8
I've never bought from Trainworld, but after hearing this, I never will!
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Post by slowfreight on Nov 4, 2016 18:16:48 GMT -8
They used to be the closest hobby shop to the house...3 stops away on the F train. I never got over the time I asked where they kept Floquil paint and got told rudely to go to a craft store because they were a train store. They are so ignorant (stupid?) about the hobby they don't even know how ignorant they are!
So I settled for mail order.
With other shops.
That weren't rude and stupid.
Mind you, I know New York manners. These guys are rude by any New York standards.
They best advertise themselves as an engine store for people who are not model railroaders.
It was still worth taking the F to Ditmas, though, to see where the South Brooklyn Ry used to curve into McDonald Ave, through the corner of Kings Ready Mix (another company with Trainworld ethics, I might add), and run in the street underneath the elevated subway. But I digress.
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Post by valenciajim on Nov 4, 2016 18:18:37 GMT -8
If you want to burn your bridges with them, you could always do a chargeback on your credit card. Actually that is not likely a good idea. If you dispute the charge, the store will likely prevail. The store will be charged a $20 fee from the bank however. Furthermore, I was advised that whenever you dispute a charge, it frequently adversely affects your credit score. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2016 19:06:04 GMT -8
If you want to burn your bridges with them, you could always do a chargeback on your credit card. Actually that is not likely a good idea. If you dispute the charge, the store will likely prevail. The store will be charged a $20 fee from the bank however. Furthermore, I was advised that whenever you dispute a charge, it frequently adversely affects your credit score. I don't know what kind of card the OP used, but in an example like this, my credit card offers me return protection up to $500 and the ability to dispute a charge. I would think that either option would work for OP. |
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Post by Brakie on Nov 5, 2016 3:31:53 GMT -8
I have used this company twice but, I called to insure the needed items was in stock..I had no issues.
The reason I called instead of just ordering I recall what a fellow club member went through in '98 and have read bad experiences on various forums about this outfit..
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Post by jpchester on Nov 5, 2016 4:21:08 GMT -8
I hate to jump on the band wagon, but they are just peddlers. Attitudes and rudeness aside, it is a maddeningly painful experience even checking out at the register, where they write everything on that archaic slip. Most of the time, I need to get on their computer, and find THEIR inventory in THEIR not-logical-to-any-human system. I live about a mile away, but will trek out to Willis in Mineola or the MR Shop in Piscataway, because they are real hobby shops with polite humans that you can interact with and know the difference between a boxcar and caboose.
If the original poster is Brian Banna, I have a Kato PC GP-35 you did a while ago. I bought it from Mike Rose at the Valley Forge RPM meet a few years back. Still an absolute work of art!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 5, 2016 4:23:32 GMT -8
If you want to burn your bridges with them, you could always do a chargeback on your credit card. I have no bridge to burn with them. It was the first and last time I will ever deal with them. Thankfully the community has come to my rescue and it appears I will be able to replace the non-DB hatch with a DB hatch. As for Trainworld, well ____ them! (you can fill in the blank). Brian |
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Post by nightmare0331 on Nov 5, 2016 5:02:16 GMT -8
I'm sure somewhere I have a dynamic hatch for a Kato SD38-2. PM me your name and address and it's yours. Enjoy! Kelley. www.dufordmodelworks.com |
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Post by theengineshed on Nov 5, 2016 6:49:15 GMT -8
I mailorder occasionally from Trainworld and have never had any problems, but they aren't my first choice, because this isn't the first complaint I've heard.
Contrast Trainworld's response with Model Train Stuff.
Bought a pair of Alcos from MTS a couple of months back. I didn't like the color of the stripes on the locos, so I emailed them. Received a return authorization with free shipping back and they promptly credited my card for the full price minus the original shipping.
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Post by markfj on Nov 5, 2016 7:37:18 GMT -8
If the original poster is Brian Banna, I have a Kato PC GP-35 you did a while ago. I bought it from Mike Rose at the Valley Forge RPM meet a few years back. Still an absolute work of art! Can you post a photo or two of that GP35? It’s always a treat to see Brian’s work and I don’t recall that particular model being discussed here or on his (now defunct) website. Back on topic: Wow, that is some crappy customer service on Trainworld’s part. I guess they have to charge restocking fees to cover costs, but in this case it should have been waived. On the opposite side of the coin, I recently had a very good experience with Toy Train Heaven. Placed an order for parts online and got a friendly call confirming the order. Call me old fashioned, but I like follow up like that, shows they’re paying attention and care about getting things right. Thanks, Mark J. |
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Post by riogrande on Nov 5, 2016 8:06:10 GMT -8
It just goes to show the difference between outfits like MB Klein and Train World, TW gouges the customer for restocks, even when the item is not what was represented on the online order. Someone above mentioned TW will be the winner; maybe in this one situation but they will be the loser if enough people spread the word on how they handle situations like this. If TW doesn't give a rats a__ then, as the old saying goes, what goes around comes around. If they get a bad rep, it's going to eventually hurt their bottom line. But we've heard stories like this before and seen the results, and not in a good way.
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Post by The Ferro Kid on Nov 5, 2016 8:51:11 GMT -8
I don't know why it is that Gotham has to have such a "Yes, we have no bananas!" attitude (i.e., we don't have what you want, but will push something else on you and be rude to boot). My Dad used to run into same thing with the big NYC photography shops back in the day. I will say that I did some business with Manhattan Trains when it was still there in the early 2000s. Took them forever to get an order out, probably because of time needed to get stuff from a distributor, but order was always accurate when it did get here. Think they were the ones who blamed any delays on their cat, "Al Quitty."
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Post by nw611 on Nov 5, 2016 9:49:30 GMT -8
You have to be Italian to get some attention at Train World. A few years ago I went to their store in Brooklyn with a friend of mine. After 10/15 minutes of looking around, we started speaking in Italian and suddenly Frank Napolitano materialized and took care of our needs. Ciao. RG
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Post by stottman on Nov 5, 2016 14:00:28 GMT -8
Well, to play devil's advocate, did you verify part numbers?
Only ordered from them 2 or 3 times. Once, they called to tell me the item I wanted was out of stock but asked if their was another I would like. Second, they shipped me the sound version when the non sound was out of stock.
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Post by MONSTERRAILROAD on Nov 5, 2016 16:42:50 GMT -8
Trainworld, ha!! Those people! If they are your sponsor, you will get what you want but if they don't sponsor you they will try to put blame on you for damaged items they ship to you- TWICE IN FACT! Then they go as far as to try and discredit you by making a video of how they inspected the model prior to shipping it to you. That crap surely backfired on them for that stunt too! They just proved that their inspection was a joke. Those fools.
#1. AA Hobbies!!
#2. MB Klein's!!
#3. Tony's Train Exchange!
And NOT one of these fine Hobby shops sponsor me or give me ANY additional discounts.
THE END!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 5, 2016 18:01:05 GMT -8
Well, the community has really come through for me. Not only did I get one DB hatch, but I will be getting four. SWEET! You all are great whenever I need something, it shows up. I do not know if he is here, but a great big thank you to Eric Rissman from Illinois. EJ&E SD38-2's are in my future. At least one will be the Bicentennial unit.
Mark, I will post images of my old Penn Central stuff in a new thread. Thanks for asking.
Brian
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Post by stevef45 on Nov 5, 2016 19:58:07 GMT -8
Anyone have any athearn sd38-2 db hatches? lol
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Post by bnsf971 on Nov 5, 2016 22:52:58 GMT -8
Anyone have any athearn sd38-2 db hatches? lol Umm... Don't think Athearn ever did an SD38-2. |
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Post by lvrr325 on Nov 6, 2016 2:44:13 GMT -8
I would presume they just threw up whatever stock photo they found first.
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Post by edwardsutorik on Nov 6, 2016 8:02:12 GMT -8
Yes. It does have the feeling of getting the item you ordered (by part number), but the illustration for that particular part number was of something else, probably meant as a "generic" illustration.
Ed
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Post by kenjrtw on Nov 6, 2016 8:43:44 GMT -8
Hi Brian,
First off I would like to apologize for your negative experience with us. I understand the picture and the product did not match up and that was a website error. We take 100 percent accountability for this mistake. Unfortunately, the sales representative you spoke with did not have the authority to waive the restocking fee and therefore followed typical protocol in an effort to do their job. Please send me an email to orders@trainworld.com attention Ken Jr. and I will make sure it is handled appropriately. I will make sure all of our sales personnel are aware of this situation so that this scenario does not arise moving forward. Again, we apologize for the inconvenience and will issue you a full refund. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Sincerely,
Ken Bianco Jr.
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Post by dharris on Nov 6, 2016 11:07:09 GMT -8
Sale Representative following typical protocol to do their job.
If it was just one time, any store can have a bad transaction.
But to read it over and over and over again on multiple places, including people who say they live nearby but drive to another state just to not do business with the store?
A sales representative presumably exists to generate sales. How did this do that as it drives away 10 customers.
I think TW needs to take a long look in the mirror and decide if it really is interested in changing how it behaves. Or not. Then, either actually change and people will experience it in time and pass the word. Or, don't. Just tell people you are from New York City, and if they don't like it they can get lost.
But in 2016, nobody is fooled by companies pretending to care when they really don't. Or pretending you QA every order and locomotive you ship after someone posts of video of a product they say was defective upon receipt. There is no try. Do, or do not.
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Post by stevef45 on Nov 6, 2016 22:24:24 GMT -8
Anyone have any athearn sd38-2 db hatches? lol Umm... Don't think Athearn ever did an SD38-2. Meant SD38 |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2016 5:17:07 GMT -8
Hi Brian, First off I would like to apologize for your negative experience with us. I understand the picture and the product did not match up and that was a website error. We take 100 percent accountability for this mistake. Unfortunately, the sales representative you spoke with did not have the authority to waive the restocking fee and therefore followed typical protocol in an effort to do their job. Please send me an email to orders@trainworld.com attention Ken Jr. and I will make sure it is handled appropriately. I will make sure all of our sales personnel are aware of this situation so that this scenario does not arise moving forward. Again, we apologize for the inconvenience and will issue you a full refund. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Sincerely, Ken Bianco Jr. Ken, I appreciate you coming out and apologizing like this. I can see that you are trying to retain a new customer. Unfortunately, the experience I had with whomever I talked to burnt that bridge. From what I have recently read on just this thread. There appears to be a long standing issue with customer service. I do not want to have to deal with that again. I spend a LOT of money in this hobby and I want to give it to stores that treat me with respect and value me as a customer. I am very thankful to the modeling community for stepping up and helping me locate the parts I need for my projects. Needless to say, the model will no longer be a shelf queen. Thank you Eric if you are on this forum. Again Ken. Thank you for stepping up, coming here and offering to remedy the situation. I hope your establishment will work harder to retain customers and regain a reputation of valuing its customers. Brian |
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Post by NS4122 on Nov 7, 2016 10:32:48 GMT -8
So from Trainworld's response here, it appears that their "typical" protocol for sending the wrong item is to charge the customer a restocking fee and only give store credit?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2016 11:01:32 GMT -8
So from Trainworld's response here, it appears that their "typical" protocol for sending the wrong item is to charge the customer a restocking fee and only give store credit? Yes, it does appear to be that way. It is the exact response I received. Brian |
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