So if I purchase a “new” LGB item from a local retailer-do I have to ship to Germany for warranty work?
Or is the warranty worthless since it is NOS?
Ralph
Ralph Berg said:Ralph,
So if I purchase a "new" LGB item from a local retailer-do I have to ship to Germany for warranty work? Or is the warranty worthless since it is NOS? Ralph
Supposedly you could ask the dealer who covers the warranty. Usually you go up the supply line - in this case LGBoA - who must have had an agreement with whoever produced the items they purchased regarding that warranty, including the duration, the extent, who is responsible for what etc. etc.
Wanna bet that any and all shipments the left EPL while under the “guidance” of the bankruptcy trustee where covered by such an agreement, same routine for what was delivered between July 2007 and Dec 31st 2007 when LGB® Märklin had LGBoA as their distributor for NA. Things like that are not left in limbo, least of all by Märklin who had “some experience” with LGBoA and Co.
Any indication, via German translation, that Marklin has established repair for their “G” gauge products —and (everyone hold on!) that service covers current LGB products and those purchased under LGB of America’s sales?
WH
Wendell,
One of the RhB Forum members ordered a V200 out of Germany, it arrived with one drive axle missing the drive gear. He made himself a drive gear, then contacted LGB® in Nürnberg. They sent him a new axle - free of charge and postage paid. Arrived twenty days after he told them of the problem. The QC sticker on the engine points to “2006”, IOW not Märklin’s problem, but they came through.
300 V200’s were produced and sold by Lehmann before the embargo. All were sold in Germany. None were imported to the USA through official channels. Märklin plans to produce the model this year as a V220. I can’t imagine who else should support the model, but Märklin.
BTW 300 was a high production number for an individual item in 2006.
Jack
Jack,
You missed the point; the engine was produced in 2006 under the Richter regime and the bankruptcy trustee’s supervision (time to look up how that works! ;)). This was long before Märklin was awarded the assets they were after (July 26th 2007; for some aka Black Thursday). In short, on LGB® Märklin’s part it is a very good customer relations move; even though they have no legal obligations regarding the screw-ups produced during the waning days of the Richter regime under Goede’s supervision.
PS this engine wasn’t imported to the USA, it was imported to Canada. BTW that RhB Forum member won’t be looking for a lot of spares, he too knows how to help himself.
The ‘good boys’ forum on the other side of the pond has informed of some QC problems ex-Hungary. Track not constructed correctly and rolling stock roadname insignia applied upside down. Certainly not a good start for the upcoming Gyor period. We might have to look to China to get the stuff built correctly.
Hans-Joerg Mueller said:I specifically said "officially" imported to the USA. I can add North America. Grey market purchases should revert to the country of purchase for support.
PS this engine wasn't imported to the USA, it was imported to Canada.
Why not provide the full OK number which includes the month of production?
Can’t wait to hear why it’s acceptable when this type of shoddy work comes from Märklin! ;););):):)
http://www.gscalemad.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=13785
John Joseph Sauer said:Marvin,
Can't wait to hear why it's acceptable when this type of shoddy work comes from Märklin! ;););):):):) http://www.gscalemad.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=13785
Don’t wait for me to say it’s acceptable, you’ll be long gone before that happens. I call it the way I see it, if it’s crap, it’s crap; doesn’t matter to me who produced it or where! Now that we have that out of the way, 
there were ooodles of occasions when I could have cross-referenced the EPL screw-ups.
Right across the board from Nürnberg to China to the famous LGBoA service, across the product line. There will always be mistakes! OTOH I found it always interesting hearing and reading about the multiple attempts at fixing things, not quite succeeding and breaking something else in the process. Guess who and where … nah, it couldn’t possibly be!?! 
Just the joy of shipping things back and forth!
There is simply no excuse for the manufacturing defects coming out of Gyor. In the case of the roadname insignia being upside down required three separate mistakes to be made. Firstly the door was incorrectly positioned in the painting/pad printing cradle. Secondly the door was assembled to the body with the assembler not noticing that the door insignia was upside down and thirdly, the completed article was manually inserted into its packaging with the packager not realising the item was incorrectly painted. Where was the QC at each production step?
I am aware that in its history, mistakes did occur at Lehmann. However, these were so rare as to become collectable items. I had a C&S flatcar, #42690, that was pad-printed with roadname and build date/weight data on one side, but blank on the other side sill. The blank side was positioned to the rear of the item when packaged, so the assembler could be forgiven in this instance. However, the flatcar went through a paint stage and an assembly stage without the employee noticing the problem.
I really do not see ex-Gyor problems becoming collectables. An inexperienced assembly line that does not know what the completed item should look like, does not bode well for the future prospects. The assembly line are employed simply as manual process workers with little to no manual skill. They are process line assembly workers. A mark of engineering excellence is when one person takes total responsibility for assembly, such as in the assembly of exotic engines for luxury sports cars. The assembler has pride in his creation. Gyor has no such pride and any job is simply a job. Future examples of production irregularites will become commonplace. Gyor now is where Bachmann China were around ten years ago. They have a lot to learn.
Hans-Joerg Mueller said:John Joseph Sauer said:Marvin,
Can't wait to hear why it's acceptable when this type of shoddy work comes from Märklin! ;););):):):) http://www.gscalemad.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=13785Don’t wait for me to say it’s acceptable, you’ll be long gone before that happens. I call it the way I see it, if it’s crap, it’s crap; doesn’t matter to me who produced it or where! Now that we have that out of the way,
Right across the board from Nürnberg to China to the famous LGBoA service, across the product line. There will always be mistakes! OTOH I found it always interesting hearing and reading about the multiple attempts at fixing things, not quite succeeding and breaking something else in the process. Guess who and where … nah, it couldn’t possibly be!?!
STOP THE PRESSES- MARKLIN MADE A MISTAKE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!
Marvin,
There’s an interesting discussion about “societal disintegration” going on this forum, you could check it out, probably would relieve your anxiety syndrome.
Oh yeah:
STOP THE PRESSES - LGB®MÄRKLIN WILL BE EVEN BUSIER.
APART FROM FIXING THEIR OWN MISTAKES, THEY - BY CURRENT INDICATIONS - ARE ALSO FIXING EPL LEGACY MISTAKES BY PROVIDING FREE OF CHARGE REPLACEMENT PARTS FOR DEFECTIVE ITEMS THAT FALL INTO THE WANING DAYS OF [b]ERNST PAUL LEHMANN PATENTWERK oHG[/b] PRODUCTION (AFTER DECLARING THEMSELVES INSOLVENT IN SEPT 2006).
Hans-Joerg Mueller said:
Marvin,There’s an interesting discussion about “societal disintegration” going on this forum, you could check it out, probably would relieve your anxiety syndrome.
Oh yeah:
STOP THE PRESSES - LGB®MÄRKLIN WILL BE EVEN BUSIER.
APART FROM FIXING THEIR OWN MISTAKES, THEY - BY CURRENT INDICATIONS - ARE ALSO FIXING EPL LEGACY MISTAKES BY PROVIDING FREE OF CHARGE REPLACEMENT PARTS FOR DEFECTIVE ITEMS THAT FALL INTO THE WANING DAYS OF [b]ERNST PAUL LEHMANN PATENTWERK oHG[/b] PRODUCTION (AFTER DECLARING THEMSELVES INSOLVENT IN SEPT 2006).
You buy the farm you inherit the maintenence!
I guess those “legacy” locos that were finished after Marklin took over are bound to have a few problems (judging from the pics of thier other attempts at producing LGB products) so It’s good they are prepared to fix them.
Marvin,
Well even if you don’t buy the whole farm, you may still get saddled with a pile of manure in the odd corner. 
At least they don’t have the additional problems that Schöntag encountered, the “transitional expert advice” ended with Schöntag’s EPL GmbH filing for insolvency. :lol:
John Joseph Sauer said:Hey John, Maerklin is living up to Their product line, in Europe repair service and new items are available. For the US market LGBoa is sole responsible, because they are the only ones which can import and sell anything with the name LGB on it. In the end, it is LGBoa/Silvergate which prevents any parts or LGB items coming to the USA. As long LGBoa is not sold, we will sit on a dry well, and if you take a wild guess why LGBoa is not sold as of today, you surly will find the right answer. As long LGBoa is not sold, the prices for large scale in the USA will increase, and everyone of us has to pay the price. if someone is playing games, for sure it is not Maerklin, count on it Maerklin would love to serve the huge US market, but LGBoa/Silvergate is preventing that. In the last public letter LGBoa said that they have to "refer all customer inquiries to Maerklin". well i guess that is how LGBoa would like to handle any issues, but it does not mean that Maerklin is in agreement. If someone should live up to any obligations, it should be the owner of LGBoa, changing the name will not solve any problems.
Don't recall anyone asking for pity- espacially from your highness- the Great Guru of Eveything Model Railroading. Just stating a fact- It's time for Maerklin to step up to the plate and take responsibility for THIER product line.
think global regards Rigi
Hey Pius,
Marvin (in his many guises) realizes that, but he’s been truly “engrained”; so the gap is huge between realization and acceptance. It’s a common condition with fundamentalists.
I believe if Maerklin wanted the distribution rights in North America they could make an offer for them (if they had the money).
I would guess we will eventually see the products in North America. Branded Rail1 and distributed by Walther’s.
And it will be expensive.
Ralph
John Joseph Sauer said:Ahhhhhh or they could start legal action spending a bundle to get that infamous LGBoA "transfer" voided. But since they're not as crazy as some other foxes, they just let things simmer and await what other actions will be coming down the pike. The German wheels of justice turn very slowly, but they turn! ;) :) ;)
I believe if Maerklin wanted the distribution rights in North America they could make an offer for them (if they had the money).