Toy train operating and collecting

Lionel has posted new warranty Info on their web. Everyone should read.

 

Bill

Here's the link to the warranty:

Lionel warranty

Robert

http://www.robertstrains.com/

 The part of the new warranty policy that REALLY BOTHERS me, is the part about any item more than 3 years old, even if purchased new, never sold before, from an authorized Lionel dealer will not be repaired under warranty.

  There are several dealers that have NEW OLD STOCK, that I would eventually like to add to my collection. Under this policy, even if I buy it from an authorized dealer, I am throwing the dice as to whether or not,it will be fine right out of the box, if there is a problem, I am just out of luck with a $1000.00+ locomotive( I would love to get both JLC UP Challengers, as well as the UP #9000, 4-12-2) Now, I am just as well off, buying a New/Never opened model off ebay, as I would be buying from a Lionel dealer.

  In the past, Lionel's Customer service dept. has been outstanding, the standard for others to reach for in my experience. I have started several Nephews in Lionel, and have called Lionel's CS dept many times for small repair parts, a simple phone call, and 4 days later the parts have been in the mailbox, usually NO CHARGE, a very big part of the reason that I am a Loyal Lionel Customer.

 

Is this the kind of Customer that Lionel wants to risk losing over some warranty issues? I HOPE NOT!! 

 

Doug

Lionel has to make business decisions that best supports their long term strategy. I am sure that Mr Calabrese and his staff discussed the pros and cons of this decision and determined that this was the best approach for their success. There must have been strong evidence that repairs for 3 year or older new product was causing service issues for their repair and parts departments. 

A few observations:

1. Lionel recently mandated that ALL service centers wanting to remain 'Authorized Service Centers' send at least one tech to Ohio for training. This would enable the service centers to identify any problem with electronics and get it fixed and hopefully all of this would be done in 2 weeks.
2. I did not see one item in the new Vol 2 catalog that read 'TMCC' they are either Legacy or Conventional.
3. I doubt HIGHLY that the CS dept will stop shipping small replacement parts free of charge, this would not include higher ticket parts like replacement trucks, motors, electronics, etc (bet those can only be obtained by Authorized Service Centers.
4. There has been evidence that the longer an item sits on the shelf without use, especially the newer electronics stuff, does not opperate at optimum levels. (search the board, you can find it all over the place).

I have met and spoken with Mike Reagan one a few occasions, as well as other CS staff, and I can tell you they are ALL top-notch people who take extreme pride in the Lionel name and heritage. Instead of jumping to conclusions and throwing people under the bus, how about we take a step back and let things play out. If you are interested in an item and are unsure about support, why not call the CS line and ask them what the policy would be if you purchase the item and there are issues? I am also fairly certain that if the store you are purchasing from is an Authorized Service Center and they want your return business they will work with you on repairs... One thing I have learned while being a part of this hobby is to ask, if you don't ask you are doing yourself a disservice.

Hi Brent,

  I agree, and am not trying to jump to conclusions, but the last two lines spell it out pretty clearly, regarding products more than 3 years from the date of manufacture, ending with:

 "Under no circumstance, will any component or labor be provided free of charge"

  I will still want to add those and other items to my collection, it is just that if they follow that policy, there is no reason to buy those from a Lionel Authorized Dealer, where I would expect them to be covered under warranty, and be willing to pay a higher price than I might find the same item some where else, but that wouldn't be covered by a warranty.

  In these times, in MY opinion the way to keep customers, would be to improve a warranty, not reduce it. Maybe they would still honor the warranty, but I don't feel as comfortable now spending over $1000.00 on a locomotive, and hoping that everything was done right at the factory.

  Lionel CS, has treated me very well in the past, and it was my most recent small parts order (Berkshire jr Bell and bracket, and plastic axle journals/bearings) that they charged me for, it was a reasonable charge, and granted obviously not warranty, but previously, all similar small parts ordes had been NC (those little guys can keep Uncle Doug busy at the repair bench). I am not even saying that I expected that they should replace the parts free, just that it seems that "Things are a Changing" at Lionel.

Doug

Doug,
I agree with you, believe me. I know that the fellas at my LTS would work with me on any repair to an item that I purchased from him. If the place you are looking at purchasing from is still a Lionel Service Center then they have a test track you could run the engine(s) on and see them in action prior to purchase.

At my LTS they have a display track in the store, but a MUCH larger setup (sans scenery) in the back. If memory serves me correctly the outter loop on the test track is O-72 and they will run anything you want on it (for demo purposes).

That may be a route you could take? My biggest concern now is that Lionel will no longer manufacture replacement TMCC boards... if you have one die and they are no longer available... well I guess you could strip out the electronics and use it in conventional mode... or you have a nice desk weight!

BTW - Print out the Warranty info and take it with you to the store... if he's had that $1,000 engine sitting on the shelf and won't run it for you and/or knock the price down to $750 I would consider getting it elsewhere. (just my 2 cents)

Doug and Brent, you both make some convincing points.

Doug, try sending your comments directly to Lionel and I would suggest you include those photos - those speak beyond words.

BTW - Print out the Warranty info and take it with you to the store... if he's had that $1,000 engine sitting on the shelf and won't run it for you and/or knock the price down to $750 I would consider getting it elsewhere. (just my 2 cents)

The only problem with that Brent, is that small dealers already have it hard enough. I'm not criticizing you for the suggestion. But let's use your example: $750 is probably below cost for the loco to that small dealer. Usually more expensive locos are made in limited quantities and allocated to dealers. Once the mail order venues have sold out, then folks have to look for the smaller dealer who might still have one. Of course the customer pays more, but if he's willing, can get that product he couldn't find elsewhere.

Plus, in the past, a defective item would be sent back to Lionel by the customer. Now it seems Lionel wants repairs more repairs made locally. Which is probably not a totally bad idea. I'm with you in your thinking that Lionel put thought into the new policy. But this could once again hurt the smaller dealers who already have a rough time. I'm not defending bad dealers. Just the ones who are really trying to do their best in this competitive environment where sometimes price comes before other considerations... especially on big ticket purchases.

 Gee-wizz Wally.

Even the paper its printed on is made in China.

 

The new warranty language has to do with the express warranty, aka the warranty that spells out what is covered and for how long. The implied warranty is still in force (aka the product works out of the box). The main difference on these is that the implied warranty doesn't cover a specific period of time the way an express warranty would. I'm sort of amazed by people buying something two or three years old and then considering it "new". If a dealer wants to keep something on the shelf that long at full price that's his business. If you choose to buy something that's been sitting around for X years, that's your business. If a dealer choses to sell a three year old loco at full price HE can extend the warranty at his own expense, aka the labor and parts charges fall back to him (or to you) as Lionel won't recomp him for parts or time. A large dealer may well do something like this for a regular customer. A more likely scenario is that the unit would be offered as is and both the seller and buyer are aware of this and take that into consideration when dickering over price.

Brent,

You're right about the Lionel Techs, both at the Michigan and Ohio locations, as well as, the Customer Service Dept. personnel, all taking pride in the Lionel name and heritage.  I recently delt with both Michigan and Ohio Techs., to have my U30C diesel serviced and they all couldn't have been nicer and helpful to me.

As, for the 'Authorized Service Center' designation, it looks as though my local shop will not have that destinction any longer, because their repair personnel haven't attended the courses in Ohio and that's why I had to ship my engine off to Lionel, Ohio.
No parts, no can fixie, as Brent mentioned: If a repair person don't attend the classes for certification, then the repair person's shop will not receive newer parts from Lionel, untill someone becomes qualified, because Lionel don't want to get a bad reputation over a poor repair job, or worse sued. 
The unqualified shop will only be able to sell Lionel items and if that shop does any Lionel product repairs and something goes wrong with it, Lionel will Not back up that shop.

Ralph

Ralph

 A dealer can still get parts for repairs from Lionel, they still can do repairs. They can't do warranty work.

 

Bill

Chuck,

  Why wouldn't someone expect to get a warranty with a Brand New unopened locomotive? What difference should it make if the dealer has had it in stock for a couple of years (or more) If it worked when it went into the box, it should work when taken out for the first time. If it was defective when it was packaged, it would have been a warranty issue if it had been sold 30 seconds after being put on the dealers shelf.

  The particular locomotives that I am talking about were Lionel's TOP of the LINE limited production models only released one year each. The Challengers had an MSRP of $1,800.00 IIRC, and the 4-12-2 was I believe $1,500.00. If I am going to spend around $5,000.00 on three locomotives, that have never been sold or opened, I expect a little support from Lionel. These are just examples of models that I am interested in, in particular, there are plenty of other "New Old Stock" locomotives out there, that others would be interested in as well. For locomotives like these to sit on the shelf for an extended time is not that uncommon, while these are limited run items, there is also a limited customer base, that will justify these purchases. If the box has never been opened, and the locomotive is still at the original ordering dealer, why wouldn't it be considered "New"?

  You may not collect or be able to justify that kind of price for a locomotive, but some of us can. I personally wouldn't spend $20-30,000.00 on a Harley, or $50,000.00+ on a Corvette, but there are those who would.

  Unfortunately, the dealers that I have found that have these are on the other side of the country, and asking to "test run" them is not an option.

Doug

Why wouldn't someone expect to get a warranty with a Brand New unopened locomotive? What difference should it make if the dealer has had it in stock for a couple of years (or more) If it worked when it went into the box, it should work when taken out for the first time. If it was defective when it was packaged, it would have been a warranty issue if it had been sold 30 seconds after being put on the dealers shelf.

The thirty second scenario is still covered by the implied warranty, aka it dies out off the box, you are covered.   The dealer may be SOL but you should get your money back under most state/fed consumer protection laws/rules. 

How long is the original purchase warranty supposed to be in effect if an item isn't purchased for years?  Three years sounds pretty reasonable to me.  There are issues with lubricants drying up/out, paint adhesion to packaging, possible improper storage, etc.  The company has no idea what a dealer is doing to/with the equipment once it leaves their possession.   Availability of parts is another concern for the company.  They only make x number of items and then y amounts of spare parts to cover repairs for x.  The old days of massive quantities of spares are gone.  There was too much money tied up in inventory and everyone complains when items don't change.

I'm betting the time frame on this is sliding number (it says five years on my HE add on pack) is based in part on trial law cases where the limits are being set on what is "reasonable".  What's reasonable for a toaster oven may not really apply to a $1000 toy locomotive.

This warrnty issue is not the only problem I foresee, I wonder how long we will be able to get parts for these high priced items. I am a loyal Lionel fan but it appears if you need a part several years down the road we are going to get a No Parts Available answer. For me this direction means I would have to want it awful bad to spend big dollars on their engines.