Author Topic: Yay! I placed my first ...  (Read 5083 times)

Offline Bill Blackhurst

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Re: Yay! I placed my first ...
« Reply #20 on: March 14, 2012, 21:13:15 »
Well it took me 4 months. Perhaps PM could work a bit more on the DS side of things - after all, it's still a source of revenue for the company, isn't it? AND it keeps the fans happy.

Aw yes, but it seems that the same old DS issues are like beating a dead horse, it doesn't go anywhere! You are correct, it is additional revenue & needs to be done as it is in the countries that are serviced by Germany PM DS IMO! :hissyfit:
  Forget about all of the other stuff,....all we need is the reintroduction of the 3526 Fire Engine!

Offline GrahamB

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Re: Yay! I placed my first ...
« Reply #21 on: March 15, 2012, 10:17:30 »
Quote
One thing I didn't really like was that I was not informed about what was in stock after I placed my order, and what the price of what was,

It has been suggested elsewhere http://www.playmofriends.com/forum/index.php?topic=10793.0 that one can request a breakdown of costs when placing an order, before paying. If DS Malta were able to do that, you would know what you are getting for your total and what parts were missing. It may be down to the enthusiasm/ helpfulness of the particular PM employee who handles your order.
In my latest order, I received a list of parts no longer available and was able to identify alternatives to add to the list, request an updated total and then pay. There was one item (£15=18 Euros) which was an 'automatic substitute' which I would have rejected had I had a breakdown of costs of individual items- luckily DS agreed to reimburse me in exchange for return of the item in question.

Your long wait -and Tahra's- seems inexcusible. I know UK orders for parts get sent to Germany to fill (same from Malta you found out), so some variation in Germanic efficiency here!
At that moment the ship suddenly stopped rocking and swaying, the engine pitch settled down to a gentle hum. 'Hey Ford.' said Zaphod, 'that sounds good. Have you worked out the controls on this boat?' 'No,' said Ford, 'I just stopped fiddling with them.' (With thanks to Douglas Adams)

Offline Bolingbroke

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Re: Yay! I placed my first ...
« Reply #22 on: March 15, 2012, 10:56:01 »
Mmm. Who knows what goes on. It's a bit like Willy Wonka and his chocolate factory up there, isn't it?
"Company, villanous company, hath been the spoil of me."

Offline Pynedor

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Re: Yay! I placed my first ...
« Reply #23 on: March 15, 2012, 15:20:55 »
There still are a few problems it seems, even with asking about specific parts. I was told that some parts I ordered were in stock, but they did not appear in the packet. I wasn't charged for them though. :-\ Overall, I am happy that this service exists!
~Pynedor~

Offline Bolingbroke

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Re: Yay! I placed my first ...
« Reply #24 on: March 15, 2012, 20:00:20 »
But still ... some parts could really do with a re-release. For example - im thinking of just one item - the yellowish feather from the 3633 bandit. It was only used in that set. You see a lot of loose 3633's on ebay, without the feather. It's a headache to find them one. The feather from the 2628 etc sets is also quite rare, and unavailable.
"Company, villanous company, hath been the spoil of me."

Offline tahra

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Re: Yay! I placed my first ...
« Reply #25 on: March 16, 2012, 08:33:27 »
My wait is.. I gave up. With some member's help, I fulfilled most of that SEPTEMBER order in other countries' DS. Still didn't write them about that.

I think I'll cc a bunch of german playmobil emails. I'd LOVE to know why I'm treated like trash.

Offline Bolingbroke

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Re: Yay! I placed my first ...
« Reply #26 on: November 17, 2012, 10:56:46 »
I would like to give an update regarding the current situation with DS ordering in Malta. My last DS order was in Summer, and based on that experience, I doubt I will place another order, unless the local branch gets it act together and starts going about things in a more professional manner. Anyway: the order was a fairly large one, about two typed A4 pages. Now, the way it works here is that you send them the order, and after a couple of days they give you the quote ... but they only give you the quote, and only that. They don't give you a breakdown of the quote, they don't tell you what's available and what's not etc etc. The quote came to more than a thousand euro ... which I thought was obviously a mistake, and it later transpired that it was. The actual quote was 120 euro. I placed the order and after a month or so the parts were ready to pick up. I did. At the shop I checked to see what was in there and what was not (since I never was told what was available and what wasn't). Clearly, there were many items from my order that were not there, and what was there certainly did not amount to 120 euro. I told them so. After some checking, they decided to charge me 100 euro for the whole lot, which was ok by me, BUT ... i still would have liked to see a breakdown of what cost what and how it totalled 100 euro and not 120. Based on that experience, as I said, I doubt Ill place another DS order any time soon, moreso because - from what I read in this forum - things are done differently with PM in other countries. As is usual with PM Malta, following this experience, I nobody ever got back to me to explain what had happened and why it was decided first to charge me 120 euro for an order and why, all of a sudden, the price dropped to 100. Couldn't they go about this thing in a more transparent manner? If they get a price per part breakdown from Germany, can't they pass it on to the customer? Little things like that, I'm not asking for much.
"Company, villanous company, hath been the spoil of me."

Offline Rasputin

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Re: Yay! I placed my first ...
« Reply #27 on: November 17, 2012, 15:02:44 »
That sounds like an odd way to do business. It would automatically leave any customer wondering if there is something crooked going on. I know in the US you would email the list, they would respond with quote and you pay, the box arrives and it only has a packing slip with quantities of the box and what was not available. Then after the fact I would call up and ask for the real information (price sheet) and I could usually get it after a few attempts. They never really seem interested in giving it out though and they do delay/forget what seem to be on purpose. Once I get it at least I could check the whole break down of each part and compare it to its price. example
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Offline Bolingbroke

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Re: Yay! I placed my first ...
« Reply #28 on: November 17, 2012, 16:02:47 »
Odd indeed. I didn't want to say crooked cause it probably isn't - but if you were the suspicious type, yeah ... you'd think that. But as I said, things could be run in a more professional manner with PM Malta. Even the shop - the salespeople are alright, nice and helpful, but one can't help feeling that the whole thing's run like a parish xmas bazaar, rather than the salespoint of one of the most important toy manufacturers in Europe. And like I said, it's a bit annoying that they hardly, if ever, reply to feedback given. I can understand they have to cope with quite a number of inane queries from PM-ignorant soccer moms on a daily basis, but when you're a serious collector like I am, and spend quite a bit on PM products, and have some valid points to make, the least they could do is acknowledge your feedback and constructive criticism. Then again, as we're always saying ... we're collectors in spite of PM, rather than thanks to.
"Company, villanous company, hath been the spoil of me."

Offline tahra

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Re: Yay! I placed my first ...
« Reply #29 on: November 17, 2012, 16:12:53 »
Then again, as we're always saying ... we're collectors in spite of PM, rather than thanks to.

How VERY true.