Get this, I call Bachmann because I need to know how to get the shell off my spectrum passenger car. There is no choice for “Customer Service” just repairs, check on repairs, and buying. So I pick repairs, now you get a choice of returns, check on returns and something else I can't remember. so I try “0” and get thank you for using our automated servcie, good by!
So I call back, pick repairs and pick new repair and wait 25 - 30 minutes. Finally someone picks up and I tell him what I need so he yells across the room and asks someone if they know how to take the shell off. after I tell him what I’ve tried he said “wait, I‘ll switch you over to the guy who knows.”. a couple rings and another guy picks up, I tell him what I need to do, what I’ve tried so far and guess what he tells me....
”maybe you should post something on the forum, there are guys there that have done it.”
Seriously? after reorienting from this I say, Ok, thanks, and he hangs up.
Did I slip into the twilight zone? What company sells a product their own repair people don’t know how it works?
Since my confidence in Bachmann is LOW, anyone here know how to take the shell off? It’s a Bachmann Spectrum lighted passenger car. I removed the couplers and the two screws on each end that hold the coupler bracket, I tried to pry off the roof and I have tried to separate the sides to get the shell off but everything is still tight.
Gary
It's been a while, but the roof and the glass are one piece You need to slip something thin between the sides of the car and the top.
There are 3 or 4 clips that you have to disengage, on each side. Some guys have used credit cards, or pieces of plastic, to seperate the top and glass panels from the car sides.
I don't think those clips are visable from the bottom.
You can also go to HoSeeker.net, there is a diagram of the Spectrum passenger car, showing the clips.
No matter what you think about Bachmann, the forums are a good place for info, and most times good ole' MR. BACH-MANN is there to help out, plus a couple of other monitors.
Mike.
My You Tube
Expecting help from a human before you've tried a search in the obvious places is a recipe for long waits and disappointment unless the product you're using has a specific provision made for such hand-on service in our increasingy computer-driven world.
Labor is expensive. Crowd-sourced aid is cheap.
Bachmann builds to all sorts of quality standards, depending n the market and the line in its brand constallation. They also do exquisite contract work for others, like the HOn3 Blackstone line, which is well-regarded by a group of very picky consumers. You get great customer service from Blackstone, but remember it's high-end stuff and sold by people who aren't part of Bachmann, but an independent company whose made it's own decision to devote the resources to customer service that it does,
In the US, Bachmann's own lines concentrate mostly on the more "popular" offerings for more price conscious consumers. Their customer service seems to reflect this. I've only had a couple of occassions when I needed their help and they responded well. But I wasnt expecting Blackstone-level service, so I wasn't disappointed. I got what I paid for.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
mbinsewi It's been a while, but the roof and the glass are one piece You need to slip something thin between the sides of the car and the top. There are 3 or 4 clips that you have to disengage, on each side. Some guys have used credit cards, or pieces of plastic, to seperate the top and glass panels from the car sides. I don't think those clips are visable from the bottom. You can also go to HoSeeker.net, there is a diagram of the Spectrum passenger car, showing the clips. No matter what you think about Bachmann, the forums are a good place for info, and most times good ole' MR. BACH-MANN is there to help out, plus a couple of other monitors. Mike.
THANKS!
I’ve been on their forum and it’s true that there are helpful people there. I guess I was just so frustrated that their tech/repair people didn’t know. Seemed really strange To me. When I call other endors, BLI, TCS, Soundtrax, etc. people know their product. Oh well.. Onward!
Normal procedure is to go to the Bachmann forums first.
Over the years i have belonged to a bunch of forums for some years and many just do not bother to ask at the Bachmann forums first. They Rant in other forums about Bachmann products.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
gdelmoro I’ve been on their forum and it’s true that there are helpful people there. I guess I was just so frustrated that their tech/repair people didn’t know. Seemed really strange To me. When I call other endors, BLI, TCS, Soundtrax, etc. people know their product. Oh well.. Onward!
Keep in mind that the folks who fix things often do not see product until it arrives broken, so new stuff is new to them sometimes. For those passenger cars, I would also think someone would know. Maybe the experienced people have retired or were on vacation when you called? Still, the recommendation to use the forum to find the best answer isn't a bad one. And it's your best bet on the weekend...
Mike, your suggestion worked! I used 4 pieces of styrene and they popped the clips. Off it came.
gdelmoro mbinsewi It's been a while, but the roof and the glass are one piece You need to slip something thin between the sides of the car and the top. There are 3 or 4 clips that you have to disengage, on each side. Some guys have used credit cards, or pieces of plastic, to seperate the top and glass panels from the car sides. I don't think those clips are visable from the bottom. You can also go to HoSeeker.net, there is a diagram of the Spectrum passenger car, showing the clips. No matter what you think about Bachmann, the forums are a good place for info, and most times good ole' MR. BACH-MANN is there to help out, plus a couple of other monitors. Mike. THANKS! I’ve been on their forum and it’s true that there are helpful people there. I guess I was just so frustrated that their tech/repair people didn’t know. Seemed really strange To me. When I call other endors, BLI, TCS, Soundtrax, etc. people know their product. Oh well.. Onward!
Gary,
I understand, but keep this in mind. Those other companies you mentioned are all relatively small compared to Bachmann in terms of number of different products to have knowledge of.
Bachmann has a large selection of products over a number of different scales. But yet even the biggest model train companies, like Bachmann, Athearn or Walthers are small in terms of number of repair or customer service personnel.
Sheldon
gdelmoroMike, your suggestion worked! I used 4 pieces of styrene and they popped the clips. Off it came.
Well great Gary, I'm glad it worked. I don't have any Spectrum passenger cars, but have some Bachmann commuter type cars, and some domes. And to add people, what I suggested, is what I used to get them apart.
gdelmoro THANKS! I’ve been on their forum and it’s true that there are helpful people there. I guess I was just so frustrated that their tech/repair people didn’t know. Seemed really strange To me. When I call other endors, BLI, TCS, Soundtrax, etc. people know their product. Oh well.. Onward!
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