HD 1701 Arrived, but there's a problem.
#1
Posted 09 October 2009 - 02:37 PM
1. The hull is "split" down the center, it's noticeable in the "neck" and "stardrive" sections through the box. What's more, there's glue (paint?) on the "orange slices" and it looks like DST botched the paint job slightly on this one. (On the upside, the packaging is pretty nice.)
2. I'm not sure if this is just my ship, or a "problem" with all of them, but the "try me" sound ("Prepare to attack, all hands; battlestations.") sounds like Kirk is talking through a tin can; it's very "echo-y" for lack of a better term.
My question is, who do I contact for a replacement/exchange? Should I contact Rick at NewForce, because I bought the ship from him? He actually responds to phone calls, (unlike DST) and the item is still sealed in the box, so I'm not sure if I should contact him or not. Should I contact DST? If so, please be SPECIFIC in how I should go about doing so; I tried to call them once, but I might as well have talked to the ship itself; customer service at DST seemed oblivious to my existence, let alone my problem, which ironically enough, was similar to the one I'm having now, but with "The Cage" variant of the 1701.
Any and all help is appreciated; I can't afford to just buy a second ship right now for the heck of it, if someone could please tell me how to exchange my defective ship, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thank you in advance for your time.
#2
Posted 09 October 2009 - 02:57 PM
#3
Posted 09 October 2009 - 03:20 PM
1. The hull is "split" down the center, it's noticeable in the "neck" and "stardrive" sections through the box. What's more, there's glue (paint?) on the "orange slices" and it looks like DST botched the paint job slightly on this one. (On the upside, the packaging is pretty nice.)
2. I'm not sure if this is just my ship, or a "problem" with all of them, but the "try me" sound ("Prepare to attack, all hands; battlestations.") sounds like Kirk is talking through a tin can; it's very "echo-y" for lack of a better term.
My question is, who do I contact for a replacement/exchange? Should I contact Rick at NewForce, because I bought the ship from him? He actually responds to phone calls, (unlike DST) and the item is still sealed in the box, so I'm not sure if I should contact him or not. Should I contact DST? If so, please be SPECIFIC in how I should go about doing so; I tried to call them once, but I might as well have talked to the ship itself; customer service at DST seemed oblivious to my existence, let alone my problem, which ironically enough, was similar to the one I'm having now, but with "The Cage" variant of the 1701.
Any and all help is appreciated; I can't afford to just buy a second ship right now for the heck of it, if someone could please tell me how to exchange my defective ship, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thank you in advance for your time.
Same problem here, but in my case the ISS is split, I do have the glue problem and quiet frankly the crappy finish problem with the HD. Personbly I am getting real sick of DST. Who can you contact there as no one so far is even responsive to a call or email.
#4
Posted 09 October 2009 - 03:27 PM
Thanks Commodore Kor'Tar; I tried to call Rick earlier but he wasn't answering the phone at NewForce, so I'll try to contact him again, soon. I figured this would be the case.
I posted a phone # for DST here awhile back; if you can dig it up, maybe you can get a hold of them, granted, they don't seem to pick up very often, but they do make good on their warranties. I'm not sick of DST, I'm just sick of the poor quality-control that they've been exercising. Granted, the Playmates "JJ-prise" made me realize just how good that "poor" quality control of DST's can be. Look at Andy/TheHSBR's review of his JJ-prise if you want to know why. (Worse quality control than DST it seems, at least in some cases.)
#5
Posted 09 October 2009 - 05:01 PM
#6
Posted 09 October 2009 - 06:26 PM
I wonder how widespread the problems with these ships are, it sounds from the few posts so far that DST used a cheap factory, maybe the same one that gave us Data with wonky legs and Nemesis Beverly with the wrong hair.
#7
Posted 09 October 2009 - 08:46 PM
#8
Posted 10 October 2009 - 06:54 AM
I think the majority of Chinese toy factories are problematic. MR had some horror stories about QC and such from the Chinese factories they used as well. That's why there were so many reports of MR products with burned out electronics. Therein lies the problem. In the 21st century, everyone is expected to buy online, sight unseen. However, in the 21st century, we are almost entirely dependent on cheap Chinese factories to produce these products we are expected to buy sight unseen.
#9
Posted 11 October 2009 - 04:42 PM
As far as DST's QC goes, there seem to be major problems with any variation of the original 1701 that DST released; see previous comments about cheap Chinese factories for a reason as to why. However, these problems also seem to be the most severe on the original 1701 and its variants. Out of all of the ships that I've purchased from DST, these are by far the most problematic; let's review, shall we? Here's a list of every DST ship that I own, and any QC issues I've had.
NX-01: Poorly designed nacelles on the original mold, (think older Playmates ships,) but nothing severe; retooling fixes problems on future runs--NOT A FACTORY ERROR in my mind anyway, but rather, a design error.
BD NX-01: No problems.
I.S.S Enterprise NX-01: No problems.
Enterprise-A: No problems.
Enterprise-E: No problems.
BD Enterprise-E: No problems.
TWOK 1701: Abnormal amount of light bleed; supposedly a common defect, possibly a "design error" rather than a quality control error.
TOS Enterprise: Perpetual problems with the stand; ship has fallen multiple times, "orange slices" have broken off, ship has needed repair on multiple occasions.
"The Cage" Enterprise: Paint/glue smearing abound, one area of one warp nacelles is completely unpainted, and I had to Krazy Glue the sensor dish back on because it wasn't even attached to the ship when it arrived from Newforce; sadly, I bought it from Rick when he sold his display piece, (the damage wasn't visible in the window of the box) so there weren't any to exchange it for. DST really should replace this for me, but getting them to even acknowledge me is futile.
WNMHGB Enterprise: Ship was DOA, no functional electronics; purchased from Newforce with the aforementioned Enterprise from "The Cage," same situation regarding a replacement. Rick said that the electronics supposedly worked before he shipped it, so maybe something just came loose, but three sets of batteries didn't get this thing running. What's more, the "green gem" on the back wasn't secure. Both the WNMHGB and The Cage Enterprise sent me onto eBay for a replacement.
Enterprise-D: No problems except for the "missing windows," which every Enterprise-D seems to have, and DST has acknowledged, so I'm not really counting them...this time anyway. (If DST does a second run and the windows are missing, I'm counting it then.)
AGT Enterprise-D: No problems.
I.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701: No problems; sound FX are perfect and the ship has no (visible) flaws, at least not through the window of the window-box packaging.
HD 1701: See first post; split down the center, glue/paint on the "orange slice" portion of the nacelle, Kirk sounds like he's talking through a tin can into an echo chamber, and there appears to be more paint/glue mangling of the nacelles, but I can't be sure without opening the box, and I'm not going to do that on an item I want to exchange for one that's not defective.
Now in all fairness, I did find replacement WNMHGB and TC 1701's on eBay, and I did purchase a second "standard" 1701 when it was new, so it's not all TOS 1701's that I own that have a problem. But out of the eight ships that I have using some variation of this mold, four of them are defective. That's right 50%, or HALF of the ships from this mold that I have purchased are defective! I'm beginning to see why the Klingons thought that the Enterprise should be "hauled away as garbage!" DST really needs to step up the QC on these; if 10% were defective that'd be considered a high number by many, but 50%? This is ridiculous, and DST should be ashamed of themselves for letting these mistakes slip out of the Chinese factories, or at the very least, should offer refunds/replacements in an easy-to-find fashion. We shouldn't have to go questing to get a defective item replaced, plain and simple.
I should note that I have two of almost any ship from DST (I have even more of the Enterprise-E,) so if one is defective/semi-defective, I usually have a back-up to begin with. However, none of my other ships have defects that are in the "fatal flaws" category, unless you want to count the first run NX-01s, and I generally give them a pass because Playmates' ships had the same problem, and it wasn't until the 1701-A that Art Asylum realized they could improve on the design Playmates had pioneered. What's more, they retooled the NX-01 for its reissue and variations, so I don't really count the initial engine design as a "defect," so much as a design flaw that people pretty much expected.
I just feel like I keep getting burned on variations of the original Enterprise. I don't know what it is with this mold, or if it's in a separate factory than DST's other ships, but whatever it is, it needs to be looked into by DST. If DST wants my defective ships as proof of this problem, and they're willing to replace them, all they have to do is let me know where to send them.
knightone: It's not really the "Chinese factories" that are the problem per se, so much as it is the American Companies who seem to be spineless when dealing with them. Japan and other nations also use Chinese factories. The difference is that Japan demands that the Chinese factories build their items to Japanese standards and when they don't, Japan sends the stuff back to the Chinese and tells them to "do it again, and do it correctly this time," to oversimplify things. (Japan also changes over to Taiwanese factories every so often to prove that they can take their business elsewhere.) Australia uses Chinese factories, except they limit what China can export to their country. There was one incident where an Australian company ordered a certain number of socks and the Chinese made about ten times more than were ordered, because they thought that they Australians would want them. The Australians refused anything beyond their initial order, and denied the Chinese ships carrying the extra socks entrance to port. Eventually the Chinese got the message and left.
What I don't understand is why (most) American companies don't behave the way the Australians and the Japanese in the above examples do. When something is defective, send it back and demand it be done correctly at the factory's expense--not the expense of the company that ordered the merchandise. When a factory does a poor job of manufacturing a product, we should take our business elsewhere. Companies could also audit their factories more frequently and preferably in the form of "surprise inspections" if possible, to be sure factories aren't breaking any laws. It's easy to blame the Chinese factories, and they are to blame for a good deal of the problems noted in this thread, but the company that shipped the defective merchandise, in this case, DST, also has to take some responsibility for the problem, and not expect the consumer to do all of the legwork. I commend DST for their response to the Enterprise-D's, but that's one ship, the HD 1701 and other 1701 variants are another problem entirely. Are Chinese factories to blame? Yes, but American companies share in the blame equally for not enforcing their standards.
Vulcanfanatic: Going to a physical store doesn't seem to make much of a difference. I still have to go through torn, bashed, ripped, dented, dinged, or otherwised damaged merchandise, and often have just as much trouble, if not more, finding an item that's in a C8 package. The Playmates 1701 from the new movie is a great example of this. When it comes to action figures, some of the ones I want can only be found in physical stores, which means cherry-picking through the myriad of pegs and hoping the stock boy didn't just throw the figures onto them. Some sites offer a packaging guarantee, (EE comes to mind,) but in truth, I have just as much of a chance of finding an item in poor condition on a shelf as I do of having it damaged upon arrival at my doorstep. I used to prefer shopping in brick and mortar stores before everything turned into Wal-Mart clones, which really takes the fun out of toy shopping at B&M stores. K.B. Toys is out of business, so I can't go there, and my local TRU is off of a highway at an odd angle that makes access incredibly difficult. One literally must risk life and limb to get into and out of their parking lot. This problem could be fixed if they put back the traffic light that they took out ages ago, but as of right now, I'm not really in the mood to risk my life for the chance of finding a new toy.
I've purchased plenty of items online that arrived in perfect condition ranging from computers to toys, to 3-ring binders. There's nothing wrong with online shopping as long as the company manufacturing the merchandise has a decent level of quality control. Sadly, DST seems to lack this. As far as boxes being damaged goes, maybe companies like DST should begin shipping a few hundred units with some padding around them to prevent damage--sure it'd cost more, but these could be sold for shops aimed directly at collectors. EE could offer their current "Mint Condition Guarantee" of C8 or better, as well as a "C10 guarantee" on selected items that were handled with this level of care. I think this would be something worth potentially trying out.
#10
Posted 11 October 2009 - 08:25 PM
#11
Posted 11 October 2009 - 09:34 PM
I agree! Rick has always replied quickly to any inquiry I've sent him via email .
#12
Posted 12 October 2009 - 12:52 PM
1. The hull is "split" down the center, it's noticeable in the "neck" and "stardrive" sections through the box. What's more, there's glue (paint?) on the "orange slices" and it looks like DST botched the paint job slightly on this one. (On the upside, the packaging is pretty nice.)
2. I'm not sure if this is just my ship, or a "problem" with all of them, but the "try me" sound ("Prepare to attack, all hands; battlestations.") sounds like Kirk is talking through a tin can; it's very "echo-y" for lack of a better term.
My question is, who do I contact for a replacement/exchange? Should I contact Rick at NewForce, because I bought the ship from him? He actually responds to phone calls, (unlike DST) and the item is still sealed in the box, so I'm not sure if I should contact him or not. Should I contact DST? If so, please be SPECIFIC in how I should go about doing so; I tried to call them once, but I might as well have talked to the ship itself; customer service at DST seemed oblivious to my existence, let alone my problem, which ironically enough, was similar to the one I'm having now, but with "The Cage" variant of the 1701.
Any and all help is appreciated; I can't afford to just buy a second ship right now for the heck of it, if someone could please tell me how to exchange my defective ship, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thank you in advance for your time.
Alex, here is the main phone number for DST:
(410) 560-7100
If you call, let us know what they say. I will (hopefully) be able to call tomorrow.
#13
Posted 13 October 2009 - 06:40 AM
Sallah
#14
Posted 13 October 2009 - 12:28 PM
#15
Posted 13 October 2009 - 05:06 PM
I e-mailed Rick today; he told me to contact DST at customerservice@diamondselecttoys.com because they warranty their products. I just sent DST an e-mail and will keep everyone posted. If I don't hear from them within a week, I'm going to contact Rick again, since he asked for me to keep him posted as well.
Thanks for digging up that phone number again Zodou; that'll be my next step if DST doesn't reply to my e-mail. I really do NOT want to plunk down more money on another one of these ships just because DST sold defective merchandise.
I think the next question that we should all ask DSTChuck on AskDST is if they're taking any steps to improve their quality control over their merchandise. Maybe if someone like Chuck sees that this is going on, DST will do something about it, after all, they offered a solution to the Enterprise-D's missing windows. I hate to admit it, but contacting DSTChuck might be what I do as a last resort if e-mail and phone attempts to DST fail.
Don't get me wrong Zodou, my overall experience with DST has been far better than it was with Playmates, it just seems to be this one mold that produces constant problems. I've yet to see a deformed Enterprise-E (I know some people have,) or to hear the problematic sound FX on the Enterprise-D (again, DST has acknowledged those,) or to see any other ship have such severe quality control problems. Sure the light-bleed on the TWOK ship is horrendous, but its consistent, and therefore was obviously something DST didn't think we'd see as a problem the way that we did. I'm hoping that the reissue fixes this though.
As far as DST customer support goes, well it's certainly not one of their strong points to put it politely. I will keep everyone here apprised of the situation in any case though, and Zodou, if you get your ship replaced, do share how you did it with us--it'd be very helpful.
#16
Posted 13 October 2009 - 05:07 PM
So good luck on these problems.
#17
Posted 13 October 2009 - 05:58 PM
Thanks for digging up that phone number again Zodou; that'll be my next step if DST doesn't reply to my e-mail. I really do NOT want to plunk down more money on another one of these ships just because DST sold defective merchandise.
I think the next question that we should all ask DSTChuck on AskDST is if they're taking any steps to improve their quality control over their merchandise. Maybe if someone like Chuck sees that this is going on, DST will do something about it, after all, they offered a solution to the Enterprise-D's missing windows. I hate to admit it, but contacting DSTChuck might be what I do as a last resort if e-mail and phone attempts to DST fail.
Don't get me wrong Zodou, my overall experience with DST has been far better than it was with Playmates, it just seems to be this one mold that produces constant problems. I've yet to see a deformed Enterprise-E (I know some people have,) or to hear the problematic sound FX on the Enterprise-D (again, DST has acknowledged those,) or to see any other ship have such severe quality control problems. Sure the light-bleed on the TWOK ship is horrendous, but its consistent, and therefore was obviously something DST didn't think we'd see as a problem the way that we did. I'm hoping that the reissue fixes this though.
As far as DST customer support goes, well it's certainly not one of their strong points to put it politely. I will keep everyone here apprised of the situation in any case though, and Zodou, if you get your ship replaced, do share how you did it with us--it'd be very helpful.
Alex, I wish you the best of luck. DST told me that they don't offer replacments to customers; only retailers like Newforce. If the guy at Newforce is telling you to talk to DST then, we're getting the runaround. I don't think I'll be getting a replacement, not because I don't want one, not because I haven't tried. But because DST is getting cheap and whatever warranty they may have had in the past it would seem that now, is non-existent.
Caveat emptor
"Let the buyer beware"
#18
Posted 13 October 2009 - 06:03 PM
Sallah
I'm doing one for mine and will have it up soon. Mine would seem to have less problems.
#19
Posted 13 October 2009 - 06:17 PM
#20
Posted 14 October 2009 - 02:49 PM
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