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So a way's back I made a thread about the binding in my new Chaos codex breaking a couple of day's after I purchased it, so I called GW up and the rep just said to wait 8-10 day's and a new codex will be in the mail.

Just to make sure things were documented for me they sent it as if I purchased it on the GW site but they set the cost to 0$ and BAM just got it today and it's in perfect condition, I already put it through a bit of a stress test and the binding looks good.

So yeah the prices may be bat- crazy at times but it's things like this that make up for it in my book.

Much like American Express, people b#&#ch about the fees until the number gets stolen, then they see what it bought...

I really don't see how this is 'great' customer service. They sent you a defective product, you are entitled to a replacement or refund, and the fact that they gave it to you just means they have adequate customer service. Great customer service would be fixing their quality control issues so they stop sending out garbage and making you waste time waiting on replacements.

Grow up, Peregrine, this is modern times when mass production cqn slip a defect past scrutiny.

A lot of times, a defective item needs to be returned before a replacement is issued. I have never even had to provide photographic evidence of a defect or missing piece to GW. All they ask for is an address.

Well I won't go on about QA in regards to them, we don't need an argument filled with holes showing up yet again. But, despite their faults they seem to have, time and time again you hear about their customer service being their strongest point.

 SoloFalcon1138 wrote:
Grow up, Peregrine, this is modern times when mass production cqn slip a defect past scrutiny.

Which would be a convincing argument, if there was any reason to believe that it's a rare case. Instead GW consistently puts out defective products and provides "great" customer service by replacing them. They've figured out that customer service is cheaper than quality control, while their fans praise them for doing the bare minimum to fix the problem.

A lot of times, a defective item needs to be returned before a replacement is issued. I have never even had to provide photographic evidence of a defect or missing piece to GW. All they ask for is an address.

Probably because they know they ship garbage all the time so they expect to get a lot of returns.

But, despite their faults they seem to have, time and time again you hear about their customer service being their strongest point.

Mostly because GW fans seem to have low standards. Their customer service isn't bad, but it's not really that amazing, especially when it's compensating for the inability of their "quality control" (if it even exists) to prevent defective products from being sold in the first place.

 Peregrine wrote:
I really don't see how this is 'great' customer service. They sent you a defective product, you are entitled to a replacement or refund, and the fact that they gave it to you just means they have adequate customer service. Great customer service would be fixing their quality control issues so they stop sending out garbage and making you waste time waiting on replacements.

Trust me I work in an industry that does just about everything it can to not replace or refund anything, like what SoloFalcon1138 said GW takes your word for the most part, maybe they need the defective product returned but in this case no just sent it in the mail so this is great customer service in comparison to the I see every day.

Skinless2 wrote:
Trust me I work in an industry that does just about everything it can to not replace or refund anything, like what SoloFalcon1138 said GW takes your word for the most part, maybe they need the defective product returned but in this case no just sent it in the mail so this is great customer service in comparison to the I see every day.

Trying to avoid replacing defective products is BAD customer service. The fact that GW does better than terrible doesn't mean they're great, it just means they're adequate. They might even rise to the level of good, but they lose a lot of credit over the fact that their "good" customer service is compensating for the business decision to sell defective products and provide "good" customer service to the people who complain.

 Peregrine wrote:

Skinless2 wrote:
Trust me I work in an industry that does just about everything it can to not replace or refund anything, like what SoloFalcon1138 said GW takes your word for the most part, maybe they need the defective product returned but in this case no just sent it in the mail so this is great customer service in comparison to the I see every day.

Trying to avoid replacing defective products is BAD customer service. The fact that GW does better than terrible doesn't mean they're great, it just means they're adequate. They might even rise to the level of good, but they lose a lot of credit over the fact that their "good" customer service is compensating for the business decision to sell defective products and provide "good" customer service to the people who complain.

*rubs temples* A company isn't obligated to meet your entitled standards it would be absolutely a fair handshake for a company to say "Sorry without receiving our merchandise and allowing 2-3 days for an inspection and time to call you back with out findings we simply can't just replace your product for you. We Suggest you speak to the supplier who you bought this from be it one of our stores or a local game store and ask for a re-funding purchase.

Peregrine I use to work for US bank, Quality assurance. I dealt with people on a continual basis of what was "good and bad customer service". I'll give you a secret to life "Good customer service" as you are putting it is given to people who don't expect things from their companies but provide adequate reasons, in other words a rational person who has every reason to feel they were given a bad deal. But someone who demands something that isn't contractually obligated is something no one wants to give that person and they will find ways around it or simply just deny your claim and make you go through every procedure by the book

The question most management asks regardless of working US bank, Adt or any business for that matter when the customer wants to be resolved is "How are they acting?" maturity and formalitiy goes a long way in getting good customer Service like the OP stated. I personally am glad to hear that too because more than likely we will need to submit to these style of Codexes in the future and this could turn ugly fast if they didn't have a way to dispute quality of the product without jumping through the typical hoops and ladders.

Peregrine you are mixing quality control with customer service.

Good to Great customer service - Fixing issues with service and or product without interrogation. Going above the scripted responses to solve a problem.

Adequate customer service - Getting a real person not a machine. Getting defective items replaced but having to send photo proof or sending the defective item back. Person is polite over the phone.

Bad to Terrible customer service - Getting scripted voice machines. Rude or short tempered people. Doing everything humanly possible to avoid refunding / replacing defective items.

As a comparison:
GWS has Good Customer Service but bad quality control. Forge World has Great Customer Service and reasonable quality control. Microsoft has terrible customer service but good quality control.

Amazon Kindle is the best CS I've ever seen. You break it, accident or no, and you will have a new kindle if not the day after then the day after that. A replacement is shipped first class as soon as you ring, then you send the broken one back to be salvaged.

GW customer service is fine, but they should probably ship express delivery for replacements.

 Zande4 wrote:
Peregrine you are mixing quality control with customer service.

Microsoft has terrible customer service but good quality control.

, almost chocked on my beer when I read that!

 Big Mek Wurrzog wrote:
*rubs temples* A company isn't obligated to meet your entitled standards it would be absolutely a fair handshake for a company to say "Sorry without receiving our merchandise and allowing 2-3 days for an inspection and time to call you back with out findings we simply can't just replace your product for you. We Suggest you speak to the supplier who you bought this from be it one of our stores or a local game store and ask for a re-funding purchase.

UK/EU law may be different to US law. Broadly speaking, you're wrong.

So take the bad one to kinkos or office depot, rebind it, and ebay the replacement.

Snapshot wrote:

 Zande4 wrote:
Peregrine you are mixing quality control with customer service.

Microsoft has terrible customer service but good quality control.

, almost chocked on my beer when I read that!

Good quality *control*, not good *quality*.

 Baragash wrote:

 Big Mek Wurrzog wrote:
*rubs temples* A company isn't obligated to meet your entitled standards it would be absolutely a fair handshake for a company to say "Sorry without receiving our merchandise and allowing 2-3 days for an inspection and time to call you back with out findings we simply can't just replace your product for you. We Suggest you speak to the supplier who you bought this from be it one of our stores or a local game store and ask for a re-funding purchase.

UK/EU law may be different to US law. Broadly speaking, you're wrong.

In the US they can laugh at you for buying something of theirs and say "Sucks to be you kid" they reason we normally won't is pretty simple. An angry custom will turn into a Peregrine here and spout angry rhetoric about their products or services even if it is true it isn't wanted. GW literally in the states could pass the buck to stores or FLGS without a single care in the world if they wanted to... but they won't because if you are mad about your plastic men you won't continue to buy or support them.

Very simple business strategy, probably isn't conclusive meaning I haven't touched ALL the reasons why it's just better to give them what they want in the first place but the point is no company HAS to give you a damn thing so if you expect something then you are approaching the problem with an idea of "entitlement"

In Ireland (And I presume most of the EU) the laws heavily favor the consumer in terms of refunds and product replacement if it falls below the expected standard. A company in the EU IS obligated to meet their customers standards, as far as you get what you pay for.

GW do have a very fair and understanding customer service team who seem more than happy to replace models based solely on their customers word. Typical of Dakka to turn a simple pro GW thread into some form of argument on some trivial matter.

I like GW's customer service. They sent me an extra Strike Cruiser just because the first one was a week past their website's arrival-by-this-date time.

They gave my an entire battle company when they jacked up my order for 2 months straight.

 Peregrine wrote:
I really don't see how this is 'great' customer service. They sent you a defective product, you are entitled to a replacement or refund, and the fact that they gave it to you just means they have adequate customer service. Great customer service would be fixing their quality control issues so they stop sending out garbage and making you waste time waiting on replacements.

They handled the issue probably removed most of their profit margin and still made the customer happy no questions asked that is the definition of great customer service. If you don't know this you have never been retail management and had to deal with making an unhappy person happy.

 Peregrine wrote:
I really don't see how this is 'great' customer service. They sent you a defective product, you are entitled to a replacement or refund, and the fact that they gave it to you just means they have adequate customer service. Great customer service would be fixing their quality control issues so they stop sending out garbage and making you waste time waiting on replacements.

Here's a better example. I bought a Skaven army box last year and I was shorted a Warp lightning cannon. I called them up and they sent me a replacement via Priority shipping. It arrived and It was a screaming bell kit. I called them up again they told me to keep the Screaming bell kit and they sent me 2 Warp Lightning cannon as an apology. I'm sorry but that's damn good customer service.

 Peregrine wrote:
Great customer service would be fixing their quality control issues so they stop sending out garbage and making you waste time waiting on replacements.

Not sending out defective product is actually an example of good quality control and production procedures, not customer service.

Please try to understand the difference between various business practices and programs before you comment on them.

<--- 15 years of manufacturing experience.

 Big Mek Wurrzog wrote:

 Baragash wrote:

 Big Mek Wurrzog wrote:
*rubs temples* A company isn't obligated to meet your entitled standards it would be absolutely a fair handshake for a company to say "Sorry without receiving our merchandise and allowing 2-3 days for an inspection and time to call you back with out findings we simply can't just replace your product for you. We Suggest you speak to the supplier who you bought this from be it one of our stores or a local game store and ask for a re-funding purchase.

UK/EU law may be different to US law. Broadly speaking, you're wrong.

In the US they can laugh at you for buying something of theirs and say "Sucks to be you kid" they reason we normally won't is pretty simple. An angry custom will turn into a Peregrine here and spout angry rhetoric about their products or services even if it is true it isn't wanted. GW literally in the states could pass the buck to stores or FLGS without a single care in the world if they wanted to... but they won't because if you are mad about your plastic men you won't continue to buy or support them.

Very simple business strategy, probably isn't conclusive meaning I haven't touched ALL the reasons why it's just better to give them what they want in the first place but the point is no company HAS to give you a damn thing so if you expect something then you are approaching the problem with an idea of "entitlement"

What he says is very true. We have no law guaranteeing a refund in the US. This is done solely on good favor to customers because a happy customer = Money in your pocket.

GW customer service = boss!

prices in my opinion meh, double what they should be, but ah well..

Another great example that happened to me that I just remembered.

Bought a Tau Devilfish off ebay, turns out it was missing an entire spure. I started a dispute with the seller for misrepresenting the item and int he process I called GW Direct Sales to confirm the package contents of the Devilfish box, direct sales just opted to send me a new devilfish.

Now to me that is tops, I bought a out of box devilfish from a random seller on ebay and GW replaced the product free of charge. Most companies would have hung the phone up on you if you didn't purchase from them or someone who is retailing their products.

I guess I'm the only one with a bad experience. I had a damaged kit in my CSM preorder and requested just the replacement parts. I was told it would be here in 7-10 days so I called on the 10th day and was told it would be there in 7-10 more because they "don't let them pull stuff from the warehouse" and did not ship it until 5 days after I called. I wrote them an email to tell them I thought that it was unacceptable and got a "sorry, but be sure to call if there is anything else wrong" email. I've never called them for anything before because until recently I always bought from a FLGS or discount mail order. Figures that my order from GW directly is damaged and I catch bull when I call them on it. Now I see why I never win anything... I'm just unlucky as hell!

I have yet to receive the parts so who knows what they will do but I don't care about free stuff I just wanted to finish the kit I bought almost 3 weeks ago!

My buddy had the tail of his Carnifex missing.

They didn't send him a new sprue with the missing piece. They sent him a whole new Carnifex.

I've dealt with GW and their customer service twice. The first time was a bit of a hassle but the held up their part in fixing the mistake..

The first time a Local GW asked to put my newly painted Warhound Titan on Display. A few days after I loan it to the store I return just to buy more models and it's not in the window anymore. I talked to the manager about it and he walked me to the back and the legs had melted. Long story short. The window heated the case. Contacted GW about it and they replaced it.

The second time was my 6th Ed rulebook. A lot of the page with printed on multiple times. I contacted GW about that and within the week I got a replacement.


I have to say GW has always fixed any problem i've had with them.. except the rising prices.

 BladeWalker wrote:
I guess I'm the only one with a bad experience. I had a damaged kit in my CSM preorder and requested just the replacement parts. I was told it would be here in 7-10 days so I called on the 10th day and was told it would be there in 7-10 more because they "don't let them pull stuff from the warehouse" and did not ship it until 5 days after I called. I wrote them an email to tell them I thought that it was unacceptable and got a "sorry, but be sure to call if there is anything else wrong" email. I've never called them for anything before because until recently I always bought from a FLGS or discount mail order. Figures that my order from GW directly is damaged and I catch bull when I call them on it. Now I see why I never win anything... I'm just unlucky as hell!

I have yet to receive the parts so who knows what they will do but I don't care about free stuff I just wanted to finish the kit I bought almost 3 weeks ago!

Quoting myself to update the story, got the replacement sprue today in a bubble mailer so the same exact parts were broken in transit. Called them and they are doing it all over again in a box this time...

I would rather have just had my money back at this point, even if I had to send back what I have that isn't broken. Never buying direct again if GW at all.

THose saying this is required in the EU / UK are just wrong - they can stiull require you to send them the goods in to show they are damaged, and within 6 months the soales of goods act requires them to show it was you that caused the issue, but outside of that they can ask for proof

Sending new goods out, based solely on a phonecall, is so far above legally required minima it is silly.