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So not only did my collectors edition come late, but it was damaged. After calling customer service they told me that they had to check stocks and that they would get back to me. Eleven days later, They told me that they were going to send me a new book. Ok, that is fair damaged book they send me a new one. Three more hours later, I get a call back saying that I first must ship back the old book. This means that I had to find the old box, printout a label for it, drive it to fedex, and drop it off, wait another two weeks, and then my new book would be here. After complaining about the ridiculousness of this the customer service guy gave me a hoping $15 voucher. In the USA they charge $9 to ship you a pot of paint. All a $15 gift card says is hahah we wasted a bunch of your time here is enough money to make you want to spend more money with us. On top of that the $15 voucher never even got e-mailed to me. Well no more for me I had enough I have bought my last thing from GW I requested a refund for the stupid Collectors rule book and I wont be spending any more of my money on this plastic crack. What experiences Have or would make you stop buying GW products? I wants to hear some really bad ones to make me feel better.

Space Hulk preorder did not arrive in store on day of release.

They are rubbish at preorders these days largely because of the whole blackout thing i.e. musn't let people see/hear about it until it's on sale.

Had to deal with GW Customer service about a dozen times and they've always been more than helpful. Their customer service is the one thing GW get consistently right in my experience.

25th Anniversary Space Marine Captain.

There's a long, long going thread about Finecast and this was detailed thoroughly there. Between myself and my friend we ended up getting a total of about 16 of these and to make an acceptable one I would have literally had to cut about 5 up into individual pieces. Nevermind getting an acceptable 3 (2 for him, 1 for me)!!

They claimed to have had the managers of three different sections (including Forgeworld) check the miniature and claimed it was acceptable. In addition they tried to pass some of the defects off as acceptable - known defects.

That was the final straw with them. The 'blackout' policy, killing off bits orders and now supplying sub-par limited anniversary miniatures. I feel bad for anyone at Games Day this year and how that's going to go down.

I've not bothered to buy anything from GW direct for a number of months now. If I really want something it'll be via webstores or the LGS.

Years ago, when most ordering was done over the phone and not the internet, GW Mail order used to have a table full of discount stuff (returned from stores, Overstock, old product, etc..) They didn't tell everyone about it, but if you ordered frequently enough the mail order trolls would let you know about it. I used to order on a weekly basis and purchased at least a $1000+ of product in this manner. They also used to sell me test castings months before the product would hit the stores.
One week I called and they just decided that none of this ever happened. They literally denied that they ever sold test castings, returned stock at a discount, etc... Talked to different people and got stone walled with each one.
If they just told me they discontinued that service I would have understood, but they insisted they NEVER did stuff like that, despite the fact my sales history in their computer showed otherwise.

Never one time, ever - they have been continually gak hot every time I speak to them.

A next day delivery FW Macharius Vanquisher failed to arrive the next day (had a painting tutorial to go 2 and I needed a model to take with me) they refunded me the *entire* amount, thats £130 including shipping.

Yeah, I have dealt with them several times and have found them to be really good every time. In my experience, Games Workshop have the best customer service of any company I have ever dealt with.

GW (and FW) customer service is pretty damn good, only "problem" ive ever had is that the tetra part replacements they sent me took quite a while to get cast up and arrive. The fact they sent me an entire new steel legion squad to replace a miscast on one figures head was pretty tidy though

I can't complain about my experiences with them. I've actually had pretty good luck. Most books have worn reasonably well, and only a few CS issues. They also have corrected packing/miscast errors in a way which usually means I get some free stuff. I remember getting some Chaos Mutation sprues with missing parts (annoyingly, the exact parts I wanted!) and a quick call meant they sent me the replacement parts.

As an aside, I attract bad books. I've had a ton of books arrive from various sources with binding and cutting errors. GW has been no worse than my general luck in this department, liekly slightly better.

they sent my contemptor out without sholders , had to wait 2 weeks for new ones.
and got a box of empire bits from them once {when you could} with half of what i orderd missing rang up to complain .they sent them out and included a unit of greatswords for free.
was in our flgs once and had a mistcast eldar scout and the outrider who was visiting at the time asked me to give him a hand to take some returned stock to his car down the road and then decided to fill a empty gorka morka box with random kits with damaged packageing ,

Worst I've had was Forge World ignore my email about duff shoulder pad on my contemptor, that made me a sad panda.

yeah never email gw forge world . allways ring them if your in the uk .they normaly put down the phone when there done talking to you and sort the problem then and there.

emails if there seen {they get loads of "relese mor spaze marrinnnes robot bears !" emails everyday} ,are put on the duty list for the next day,

So, let me get this straight, Fed Ex damaged your collector's edition and GW offered to replace it and included a $15 voucher for inconveniencing you. How is that bad customer service on GW's part? They needed your damaged book to make a claim with Fed Ex to cover the damage done by their handlers, it isn't any fault of GW's that you didn't hang on to the box (and possibly return shipping label) that a damaged item came in. It's also possible that GW was wanting to make sure that you weren't a person who was just trying to scam a second ce book out of them, considering the stories of GW cs just replacing things no questions asked. This is a pretty big dollar item that was only available in limited quantities, can't really blame them for covering their bases here, and the fact that you are throwing a tantrum about never buying from the company again, when they went out of their way to replace your order and throw in an extra incentive to work with them, is just sad. Simply contact them to get your voucher when it didn't arrive and be thankful they didn't just say, well, it sucks your book is damaged now feth off, we're busy. This came across like good customer service to an ungrateful customer to me, and will probably just decrease morale in a department at GW that deals with jerks all the time. Nice work making a wage-worker at GW feel bad because you had wait.

Worst experience I had involved trying to buy War of the Ring and assorted miniatures on the release day.

Me and a friend popped in, inquired about WotR and was shown the already badly dog eared story copy. After asking if I could have a thumb through, I took the book to the couch this particular GW has (presumably so the adults can sit and use the facilities as a free care/activity centre).

As I was thumbing through the book I happened to recieve a text message from my partner. I started to respond to it. I recieved a hefty nudge in the ribs from my friend, who pointed to a group of lovely teens running up to the store manager and every staff member, loudly claiming I was taking pictures of the rules. I thought nothing of it, obvious misunderstanding.

I had held the book for probably all of 2 minutes at this point when the manager came over and requested the book back. Again, not an issue, plenty of people looking at the new rules that day and it was on my buy list anyway.

So I pick up my copy of the book and enough miniatures to get me more than started, and I got given the old "We don't serve your kind here" line, to a few high pitched titters. Turns out they thought I was stealing their intellectual property. Despite numerous offers to let them look through my photos (which I never use my phone for) and attempts to explain the situation I was simply stonewalled, and told to put the products back.

Put me off GW and their games since then really. Irrational response I know. I still occasionally go in and ogle the pretty display pieces, but I'm dead on the inside to the sales rhetoric.

Speaking as one of the guys that deals with this kind of call a lot, you have no idea how frustrating it is to deal with a complaint like yours and be expected to sort it out with no questions asked, and just the word of the customer that what they're saying is true.

It's always the case that "you send me my replacement an I'll get the original back to you. What do you mean it didn't arrive? Oh well, not my problem!"

Company loses product and money, spends more on caring for their customer, only to have gak thrown in their face for trying to cover their backs. Company raises prices to cater for this kind of constant gak storm, then a minority of people repeatedly try it on to get free stuff using the same scenario, which ends up with more price hikes.

The only critique that I can offer GW in this scenario is that I may have arranged for the courier to collect the goods from your place, to minimise inconvenience. That way you're happy in that you've not laid out time and travel cost getting to fedex, they're happy as they know the goods are fully trackable, and you're eventually happy when you get your replacement book through the door.

I've always found the customer service itself to be grand, my only rage moment was when I found that they're not including the mini in this years GW ticket price, and didn't say that when I bought the ticket.

Incidentally, if you're not going to use that voucher, can I have it? It could pay for the mini that I need to buy at Games Day haha!

Honestly, if you deal with a company enough times..you'll have a "bad" experience...what makes the difference with GW is that they care and TRY to at least give you the best customer service possible. They are generous and understanding and NEVER tell you to shove it. You are paying $50 for plastic, they get this and make sure you get the plastic you want.

You can make your point without getting rude, post edited - MT11

It's been with Forge World, whom have repeatedly failed to respond to my multiple attempts at email communication to replace or even address a seriously defective item. I eventually got so frustrated by their lack of response I gave up.

Cave_Dweller wrote:It's been with Forge World, whom have repeatedly failed to respond to my multiple attempts at email communication to replace or even address a seriously defective item. I eventually got so frustrated by their lack of response I gave up.

Call them?

lord marcus wrote:

Cave_Dweller wrote:It's been with Forge World, whom have repeatedly failed to respond to my multiple attempts at email communication to replace or even address a seriously defective item. I eventually got so frustrated by their lack of response I gave up.

Call them?

If their email service is already that much of a fail, why should I have to spend more money in the form of an international call to get a replacement?

Screw em, is what I say.

I was at the maryland Battlebunker and the red shirt told me i couldnt buy RL for my ork Rockit buggies. Verbatim he said "orks dont get RL on their buggies." REALLY. since when dummy. That was when a space marine player piped up and said that they did. "Really" responded the red gak. he then went on to search for the bitz (this took place when you could still buy extra bits from the stores and since the maryland battlebunker is a headquarters store you would think they would have some good stock) and proceeds to tell me they dont have any. Fail.

Never had a problem with GW and FW customer service. Bought some of the Tartaros terminators, shoulders were messed up. They sent me complete replacments.

I called for miscast and only got the part that was miscast(ed?) then a whole new box....

MY LIFE SUCKS

I phoned them then sent pics via email to show how bad they were. ( top shoulder pad section on all sprue's was miscast and almost see through )

Cave_Dweller wrote:

lord marcus wrote:

Cave_Dweller wrote:It's been with Forge World, whom have repeatedly failed to respond to my multiple attempts at email communication to replace or even address a seriously defective item. I eventually got so frustrated by their lack of response I gave up.

Call them?

If their email service is already that much of a fail, why should I have to spend more money in the form of an international call to get a replacement?

Screw em, is what I say.

Yeah, screw them and the fact that they've taken your money and given you a defective product, that'll show em!!

For feths sake, just get your arse out of your hand and use your newly free appendage to pick up the phone and call them. Their auto reply email even states that they get more traffic than they can handle and if you haven't heard back within a couple of days then give them a call.

For the many things you can fault GW and FW for, after sales service is not one of them, and if you are going to insist on being a diva then you are doing nobody a disservice but yourself.

Cave_Dweller wrote:If their email service is already that much of a fail, why should I have to spend more money in the form of an international call to get a replacement?

Because that's how it works in the real world. It's just one of the costs of purchasing from overseas. Speaking to someone on the phone will often get you instant results, where emails can be shunted around and missed, or never received in the first place thanks to filters.

If you speak to them, and point out that several emails have gone unanswered and you're now out the cost of a phone call, many companies will make it up to you.

^ yup -

As much as I rag on certain business decisions and policies, customer service, at least in regards to online ordering and service from GW and FW both is pretty impeccable in my experience. Although I wish emailing was more effective, calling is indeed pretty much guaranteed to take care of just about anything, and they will go the extra mile if you express you have been put out.

In my experience.

But it also seems to be the general experience of those who comment on the matter in my time in the forums as well, pretty consistent.

Their in store service however is a little more hit or miss from what I gather -

I've called them twice for missing parts, and both times they severely disappointed me by over-fulfilling my expectations.

Please, people, much like in real life, keep the unrequited hate to yourselves.

I may not exactly be GW's biggest fan, but my one experience with their customer service has actually been quite stellar. I wanted the Necron rules that had been printed in White Dwarf when they were introduced in 3rd edition, but the White Dwarf was out of print by the time I saw the models in my FLGS.

I actually typed up a letter and sent it via mail, asking which White Dwarf it was in and if I could buy it from them directly.
They never did tell me if I could buy it from them or not, because they photocopied the rules right out of the White Dwarf and mailed them to me.

So techncally that's my worst experience with GW customer service. It's also my best. Because it's the only one. But clearly, it was actually an extremely good experience.

insaniak wrote:

Cave_Dweller wrote:If their email service is already that much of a fail, why should I have to spend more money in the form of an international call to get a replacement?

Because that's how it works in the real world. It's just one of the costs of purchasing from overseas. Speaking to someone on the phone will often get you instant results, where emails can be shunted around and missed, or never received in the first place thanks to filters.

If you speak to them, and point out that several emails have gone unanswered and you're now out the cost of a phone call, many companies will make it up to you.

The irony is I've had absolutely zero problems dealing with other 3rd party, overseas companies for bits and models, some of which were questionable, and superior customer service from a guy operating out of his garage than the 'professional' Forge World. They are overrated.

As for replacing the item, it's been nearly a year now, they'd probably tell me to piss off.

Well the way I look at it, you wait long enough and make a big enough of a fuss, it'll go your way (customer service wise anyways)

thats how I got 2 free pairs of headphones from bestbuy :3