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I bought a Shadowsword kit a while back (and being honest it was a while back - its the old SS/stormlord kit).
On opening it this week (for the first time ) there was a full sprue missing.
So I emailed Gw and got this reply.
Totally accept responsability for not having a receipt/PoP, especially with a kit as expensive as that and not checking it the first time I got it. But on the other hand, it was a fully legit purchase, Im only asking for a single sprue that was missing and my purchase history with GW is vast

Hi Ian,

I'm afraid we do not keep stock of individual parts and so can't just offer that sprue.

However, if you could give us a bit more information on what parts you need, we can keep an eye out for you if we get one in as a return or some such.

I'm sorry we can't be more help directly.

Kind regards

uk.custserv@gwplc.com

> Hi again Lisa,
>
>
>
> I've had a look for proof of purchase and unfortunately the kit was bought some time ago on an old credit card (its actually the old Shadowsword/Stormlord kit).
>
> Would it be possible to get the sprue without PoP?
>
> I can of course send on pictures of the sprues I have and whats missing (its #5 in this image https://www.games-workshop.com/en-IE/Imperial-Guard-Shadowsword?_requestid=39859 ).
>
> Alternatively I dont mind paying for the missing sprue,

> kind regards,

>
>
>

>> Thanks Lisa,
>> I'll try and get the receipts and photos rtc and send them on in due course
>> Many thanks for the quick reply!

>> On Mon, Nov 7, 2016 at 1:07 PM GMT, Games Workshop UK <uk.custserv@gwplc.com> wrote:
>>> Hello Ian,
>>>
>>> Thanks for your email and we’re sorry to hear about this issue as we strive to ensure that all of our products reach you in the best possible condition.
>>>
>>> If this was purchased from Games Workshop, you can either take product back into your local Games Workshop store, along with the proof of purchase, they will be able to sort a replacement out for you. Alternatively, if you can provide us proof of purchase (receipt, invoice, order confirmation email or line on bankstatement), photos of the damage, together with a full name, address, postcode and daytime telephone number we will be more than happy to have a replacement sent out to you.
>>>
>>> If it was an Independent Trade store simply take it back and they should be able to arrange the exchange.
>>>
>>> I hope that this has been of help.
>>>
>>> Kind regards
>>>

>

>>>> Hi there,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I bought an imperial guard Shadowsword a while back and got around to assembling it this week.
>>>>
>>>> However it is missing a sprue specifically the one containing the wheel assemblies parts L1-L8 and R1-R8.
>>>>
>>>> It is also missing parts L9-10 and R9-10.
>>>>
>>>> Would it be possible to get a copy of that sprue or those parts in particular?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> kind regards,
>>>>

Anyone else found themselves in this situation and how did you go about getting it resolved?

I would have called their willingness to try to find you the parts even though you can't show that you actually purchased the kit [direct from GW] as the very opposite of meanness.

I would have to agree with Damocles. Not only that, but there are individuals that have taken advantage of GW's awesome Customer Service, and on big kits like this too. It stinks, but it is what it is, especially without proof of purchase.

Sounds like they left the door open for you to get the sprue. A lot of credit cards have online accounts that show old transactions. You might want to check your credit card history

The purchase was made with my old credit card company (they closed down ) so cant get a record there Im afraid.
I have zero issue buying a new sprue but that dosent seem to be an option here :(

Put yourself in the position of the company. Would you just allow that explanation?

I just checked the US and UK eBay sites and there aren't even any Shadowsword bits for sale. I can dig through my bits as I may have some of the spare hull plates that are on that sprue, but I definitely don't have the track wheels. If I have the plates I'll be happy to mail them off to you as I won't need them.

I can see why GW isn't being helpful due to the lack of purchase information.

Do you have a local GW that you could bring the box and bits in and see if you could get help that way? Maybe having a GW store employee assisting will get GW customer service to mail off the missing parts.

If they're no longer selling that kit (you say it's the old version) it may well be that they can't just reach into a box and grab you a replacement bit?

running off a single old plastic sprue is going to be a major hassle, and if it's old resin they tended to run the moulds until they failed then discontinue the kits so again even if they have a master they could use (some of them get damaged and need repair which they only do after they've decided to remake a mould) its going to be a lot of work to just replace a single part

Edit: I've had similar experience with Dragon Models I was missing a couple of parts from an old kit I bought from a store that had closed down (although I did have the receipt), they said sorry they didn't have spares but would send them if they ever redid the kit.... 4 years later one of the bits showed up in the post thanks to a re-release that used that particular sprue, but i'm still waiting for the missing turret as that hasn't been reused yet

Is this the missing sprue?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Games-Workshop-Warhammer-40000-Baneblade-Bottom-Wheels-sprue-/322019766733?hash=item4af9dfb1cd:g:mLcAAOxyTd5R5dEa


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 OrlandotheTechnicoloured wrote:
If they're no longer selling that kit (you say it's the old version) it may well be that they can't just reach into a box and grab you a replacement bit?

I didn't think the'd changed the sprues, just bundled the Baneblade & Shadowsword together. Anyone know if that's right?

beast_gts wrote:
Is this the missing sprue?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Games-Workshop-Warhammer-40000-Baneblade-Bottom-Wheels-sprue-/322019766733?hash=item4af9dfb1cd:g:mLcAAOxyTd5R5dEa


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 OrlandotheTechnicoloured wrote:
If they're no longer selling that kit (you say it's the old version) it may well be that they can't just reach into a box and grab you a replacement bit?

I didn't think the'd changed the sprues, just bundled the Baneblade & Shadowsword together. Anyone know if that's right?

Ah, your eBay-fu is strong! I didn't search for Baneblade, just Shadowblade.

And yes, GW re-boxed the tanks and bundled them together. It used to be that there were two Super Heavy tank box sets: the Baneblade (with a few variants) and a Shadowsword (with a few variants). Now you get everything in one box with a price increase.

Is this the missing sprue?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Games-Workshop-Warhammer-40000-Baneblade-Bottom-Wheels-sprue-/322019766733?hash=item4af9dfb1cd:g:mLcAAOxyTd5R5dEa

Ooo, you little gem
Thanks mate.

And yes I totally get where GW is coming from without PoP. Every man and his dog would grab free stuff if they could.
I was more curious if anyone had had similar situations and how they resolved them.
Plus looking for some love

In that case maybe recontact GW with where the sprue can be had?

CS may well be have looked and missed it since the kit name changed

Yeah Im going to drop them another polite email and see if I can wangle one out of them.
Cheers for the advice peeps and thanks beastgts, thats a great backup to have (and the seller seems to have 4 of them in stock ).

I suppose if you were dishonest you could....
Buy another full kit.
Hold on to the receipt!
Complain that the sprue was not in the new purchase.
Show your pop, pics, address etc
They would send a new kit out for you.
Essentially you would end up with two bnib kits and the initial incomplete kit.
Sell one or both on ebay to pay for the missing sprue on ebay.
Or just buy a missing sprue anyway and keep all 3!

It's a little suspicious if you were to do that now though.

 Ratius wrote:

Is this the missing sprue?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Games-Workshop-Warhammer-40000-Baneblade-Bottom-Wheels-sprue-/322019766733?hash=item4af9dfb1cd:g:mLcAAOxyTd5R5dEa

Ooo, you little gem
Thanks mate.

And yes I totally get where GW is coming from without PoP. Every man and his dog would grab free stuff if they could.
I was more curious if anyone had had similar situations and how they resolved them.
Plus looking for some love

What's special about PoP? Surely if you were a lying rat you'd just buy a kit, open it, remove a sprue and say "oh look, I had one less sprue, here's my PoP!". People don't recast entire plastic sprues so it's not like you could have gotten it from a recaster.

But yeah, a lesson for the future is always make sure you open stuff when you buy it, in the case of electronics actually test it when you buy it. I've been burned by buying electronics but not installing it for a few weeks, it failed and then had to go through a long warranty process instead of just being able to swap it out immediately.

Had this issue before with a baneblade kit but luckily they were able to get ahold of the sprue for me when I had the shop owner (who I knew) I bought from vouch for me and I sent them some pictures. Best of luck to you!

I had a similar issue recently. Back when the Bretonnians were squatted, I dug out an IoB set and noticed an issue with it. I didn't call it in because IoB is out of print, but fast forward to last week when I dug out my DE (thanks to the fun threads in GW Background) and found an issue with a box I bought back when the DE redign was brand new.

I called it in and the service guy sounded a bit skeptical. He seemed more convinced when I sent a picture of the batch number showing the kit was made in the USA. (I guess they haven't been for a while now?) Then I decided it wouldn't hurt to ask about the IoB thing. No luck there. It sounded so hokey it made me even feel a bit shady. I always feel slightly sleazy asking for replacement kits, even though the product I bought is defective and the prices are premium.

What's special about PoP? Surely if you were a lying rat you'd just buy a kit, open it, remove a sprue and say "oh look, I had one less sprue, here's my PoP!". People don't recast entire plastic sprues so it's not like you could have gotten it from a recaster.

But yeah, a lesson for the future is always make sure you open stuff when you buy it, in the case of electronics actually test it when you buy it. I've been burned by buying electronics but not installing it for a few weeks, it failed and then had to go through a long warranty process instead of just being able to swap it out immediately.

Yes thats true to be fair.

Best of luck to you!

Thanks!

I'll always support GW's customer service very strongly. Just the other day I got a Burning of Prospero as a present, but it had somehow missed the building instructions. I emailed them and told them I didn't have proof of purchase due to being a present and the person I was dealing with got the instructions scanned into a pdf file and emailed them across within a day. Their customer service really is second to none.

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:
I'll always support GW's customer service very strongly. Just the other day I got a Burning of Prospero as a present, but it had somehow missed the building instructions. I emailed them and told them I didn't have proof of purchase due to being a present and the person I was dealing with got the instructions scanned into a pdf file and emailed them across within a day. Their customer service really is second to none.

I can assure you they already had the pdf file before you asked them.

AllSeeingSkink wrote:

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:
I'll always support GW's customer service very strongly. Just the other day I got a Burning of Prospero as a present, but it had somehow missed the building instructions. I emailed them and told them I didn't have proof of purchase due to being a present and the person I was dealing with got the instructions scanned into a pdf file and emailed them across within a day. Their customer service really is second to none.

I can assure you they already had the pdf file before you asked them.

Doesn't matter if they did or didn't. The point is that they could quite easily have told me to sod off without proof of purchase and they sorted it within the day. As a customer, I can only support that.

I got a sprue replaced from a year-old indie store purchase of DW:OK. They asked for proof of purchase so I emailed a pic of the receipt to GW. They sent me a replacement sprue and no need to go through original store. Ultimately, GW is the manufacturer so it's right to go to them. Play properly and they will bend over backwards to help (though in this case they snipped off the Patriarch to send me as little as possible to replace the malformed part, hah).

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:

AllSeeingSkink wrote:

 Inquisitor Gideon wrote:
I'll always support GW's customer service very strongly. Just the other day I got a Burning of Prospero as a present, but it had somehow missed the building instructions. I emailed them and told them I didn't have proof of purchase due to being a present and the person I was dealing with got the instructions scanned into a pdf file and emailed them across within a day. Their customer service really is second to none.

I can assure you they already had the pdf file before you asked them.

Doesn't matter if they did or didn't. The point is that they could quite easily have told me to sod off without proof of purchase and they sorted it within the day. As a customer, I can only support that.

I know a lot of people love GW customer support, but doing what is easy or what is required by law hardly impresses me all that much. It's nice that they do it promptly I guess.

There was absolutely no reason for them to say no to you or hassle you for PoP because it costs them nothing to email you the pdf, it'd be more hassle for them to ask for PoP wasting time on the phone with you or in excessive email communications and they don't benefit anything from denying you the kit instructions.

Plastic sprues are something that actually costs them money. Even finecast it probably doesn't cost them much to pump out a few replacements for people, but plastic sprues are a much bigger hassle so they're instead going to look for a way out of it like asking for PoP when the only source for GW models is GW so the only benefit to asking for PoP is if they think there's a bunch of resellers who are removing sprues and then on-selling the products.

 curran12 wrote:
Put yourself in the position of the company. Would you just allow that explanation?

Depends on where you are, obviously, as retail laws vary from country to country... but down here, yes, I would absolutely expect the company to accept that explanation.

Australian retail law doesn't require proof of purchase where an item is sold not fit for purpose. A model kit missing a sprue is not fit for purchase.

Hmmm interesting. Did some research on Irish law (obviously UK might be different). Seems PoP applies thusly

Receipts

There is no obligation on the shop to give you a receipt for the goods you buy. However, you should always ask for one. Receipts are an important and easy way to prove you bought a product in a particular store.

Even if you lose your receipt, your consumer rights still apply when returning faulty goods. All you need is proof of purchase, which doesn’t necessarily need to be a receipt.

Proof of purchase could be:

A credit or debit card statement
An invoice
A cheque book stub
If the product is own-brand and has clearly come from the retailer in question this may be accepted as proof of purchase

Find out more about your rights when returning goods if things go wrong.

But being honest, I'd prefer not to go into legal areas, I'll keep trying the polite route

Own brand serves to identify the retailer by the product.
You can buy GW products from a number of different places, but you can only buy Big Macs at McDonalds.

In the UK, it's the retailer who's legally responsible for dealing with unfit or damaged goods. If you buy a GW kit (or something for Malifaux, Infinity, etc) from Wayland or whoever - online or at a physical store, that's who you're supposed to go to.

Most miniatures companies are also retailers, and even for those purchase not made from them directly, they're usually happy to arrange replacement parts directly, but there's no obligation for them to do so (personally, if I buy from a physical shop, I check the purchase there and then so I can get a replacement immediately if possible; I also get them to order replacements if that's quicker than my contacting the manufacturer directly).

Rackham, IIRC, used to insist you dealt with your retailer, and wouldn't send missing parts directly.

Proof of purchase is all that's required in the UK too, but since it's nigh impossible to prove that (and the onus is on the purchaser here) without a receipt, it's usually easiest to keep it.

Persistence sometimes works. I had an issue with something I bought online (not from GW), it was a special offer that was supposed to come with another item thrown in free. But I didn't get the free stuff. They said that they couldn't help me because I hadn't applied the offer properly (or something I did wrong when ordering). I just kept writing to them, twice a day, saying I had bought it on the basis of that offer, and I would like them to honour the offer. They were adamant that I wasn't entitled to it, and they wouldn't. However, about a month later, I got an email, out of the blue, from a different customer service person, saying they were very sorry and my stuff was in the post. I figured that I had just sent them such a large volume of mail, that I kind of got lucky and eventually someone willing to accommodate me, had somehow come across one of my emails (weeks later) and sorted it out.

The moral of the story: if at first you don't succeed, send two emails a day, and see if you can't get a different response.

 AndrewGPaul wrote:
In the UK, it's the retailer who's legally responsible for dealing with unfit or damaged goods. If you buy a GW kit (or something for Malifaux, Infinity, etc) from Wayland or whoever - online or at a physical store, that's who you're supposed to go to.

Most miniatures companies are also retailers, and even for those purchase not made from them directly, they're usually happy to arrange replacement parts directly, but there's no obligation for them to do so (personally, if I buy from a physical shop, I check the purchase there and then so I can get a replacement immediately if possible; I also get them to order replacements if that's quicker than my contacting the manufacturer directly).

Rackham, IIRC, used to insist you dealt with your retailer, and wouldn't send missing parts directly.

Proof of purchase is all that's required in the UK too, but since it's nigh impossible to prove that (and the onus is on the purchaser here) without a receipt, it's usually easiest to keep it.

To be honest it just sounds like a run around to me. I can understand where it would be better for companies that don't want to deal with the general public at all for practicality reasons, but for GW it doesn't really make sense to deny someone a replacement if they don't have PoP.

The only reason I can think is if they suspect a retailer of intentionally removing sprues, resealing the box and selling it knowing GW will replace the part for the customer.

Final update. GW were unrelenting as is their right so I grabbed the sprue from ebay (thanks beastgts!) and it arrived yesterday.
So thoughts for the day:
Always check your kit the moment you receive/purchase it
Always keep your PoP in some form
Always post your problem for help/ideas

The Emperor protects.