R30090 A sudden shift in contents: Booth Carriage

[What About The Bee]

I check the status of my pre-orders periodically, so as to keep informed and be aware.

Today, I checked and note that R30090 has been updated. This was the set to include the 1st Class Curtain Carriage illustrated in Henry Booth's 1830 book.

The update is to delete the Booth Curtain Carriage, and replace it with a 1st Glass/Yellow Carriage. Not only that, but the named carriages Traveller and Huskisson are also deleted. I had previously confirmed with Hornby Customer Care that those two particular carriages would be present.

I have carefully reviewed each image presented in the revised listing. You either get the carriages included in R3809 (Times, Experience and Despatch) or R3810 (Globe, Renown and Wellington). That is, Hornby have clearly used old stock images and what will be provided is completely uncertain. Hornby simply presents both sets of images without further specification as to content of R30090.

I had previously canceled R40371, Huskisson and two blue 3rd carriages, upon Hornby written confirmation that Huskisson would be in R30090. Do I re-issue that pre-order?

I will certainly be writing to Hornby Customer Care. Probably will also be canceling my pre-order for R30090.

You may recall discussions re customer reliance on images and how the only way to be sure was to get confirmation via Customer Care. Roger that. So I did. Worthless. If I wasn't paying attention, I may not have noticed this gross substitution, well after written confirmation of contents.

I will update this post when I receive update from Hornby

Bee

[LTSR_NSE]

Getting confirmation/reassurance sounds an excellent idea - it might be worth requesting it from Simon Kohler (include your original correspondence with customer care).

I don’t think the incredibly vague replacement pictures & description are necessarily proof of contents being radically changed. Another equally plausible speculation could be, the design of the new-tooled carriage has required modifications during development. The original ‘artwork’ could therefore have been removed to prevent accusations that final design differs from initial concept.

[What About The Bee]

Hi LT&SR_NSE

I am hopeful that you are correct. That this is some web page shuffle while Hornby corrects a detail. Fingers crossed.

The Booth 1st Curtain Carriage was my entire reason for that train pack. The Huskisson 1st Yellow carriage was a nice bonus. The other two components (Rocket & Traveller) were mostly irrelevant and were likely destined for modification. I really wanted that Booth Carriage!

The email to Customer Care is away. Nothing like a curmudgeon with a keyboard 😉. If I do not hear back within a few weeks, I will bother Simon. I think it best to follow correct procedure here. Customer Care first.

As to artwork? Not only do I record prices, changes, schedule updates, etc; I also capture any artwork. Top, the Booth Carriage from the web page before change. Bottom, the Booth Carriage at Model Rail Scotland.

Bee

[96RAF]

Hornby advised.

[What About The Bee]

Thank you 96RAF. Appreciated!

Bee

[What About The Bee]

I have received an incredibly prompt response from Hornby Customer Care. I requested clarification on Friday, it is now Monday. Bing!

Anyway, here is the answer

~~~

Hi there,

Thank you for your email,

I have spoke to my colleagues in the development team, and they have confirmed the following -

QUESTION (1) : Is the Booth Carriage now formally deleted? It was last seen at Model Rail Scotland, in the Hornby area.  

Our model is based on the information we had at the time. The model will not be deleted.

QUESTION (2) : Which 1st Yellow/Glass carriages are included in R30090

The Traveller & Huskinsson carriages are included in this set

~~~~~~

@LT&SR_NSE, You were exactly correct. I read the line "model based on information we had at the time" to mean a major update is coming to the Booth model, just as you suspected. I will never argue against fidelity.

@96RAF, If you deem it worthy, please do pass on to Hornby the strangeness of the method of announcing better artwork for a model. Changing the images in R30090 to images of other models just resulted in customer confusion (me). Perhaps a better method may be in order!

Now that this tempest in a teapot is over, thank you lads, for talking me off the ledge!

Bee

[Andy-354198]

I also noticed this change on the website, so I emailed Customer Care.

This is the response I got

Hello Andy,

Thank you for your email, specification do change from time to time on all of our products.

Kind Regards

Glen Richardson

Technical Services

[What About The Bee]

Hello Andy 👋

Welcome to the forum!

In my view, the answer you received is most uninformative. It does not say what you do get in R30090.

You could trust the answer I received. It was explicit. The 1st Yellow Glass carriages we will receive are named, to wit Traveller and Huskisson. The Booth 1st Curtain Carriage seems to be getting an artwork change, per Hornby. But it is "not deleted", per Hornby.

Why Hornby decided to show the artwork for R3809 and R3810, combined no less, is beyond my pay grade. 6 named 1st Yellow Glass Carriage are illustrated, you get none of those names. I was polite, but explained my consternation to them after I received my response. The web illustration change simply creates confusion and agitation. Other methods exist for indicating an artwork change to a proposed model. The method selected was less than ideal.

If you find the answer I received reliable, then you are all set. If you are less than satisfied with the answer you received, then follow up with Hornby. I certainly will not tell you what to do, but I am also quite certain about what I would do, having received the answer you did.

Bee

[What About The Bee]

There has been a change in the cosmos.

Hornby has finally updated the imagery on this. It appears as it should have from day 1 of the change.

It will be amusing to see Hornby attempt to meet Autumn 2023 delivery!

Bee

Mods: I have noticed if I submit an image, I get the approval message, not the "visiting from US message" which logs me out.

[What About The Bee]

Why in the world would Hornby do something so chaotic.

The original artwork is restored. Precisely the same artwork displayed during range launch.

A quick review. Original artwork removed, substituted by non-representative artwork. Written communication from Hornby trying to explain it. Substituted by "image coming soon" artwork. Substituted again with the original artwork. 

Bee