Hornby Advice - based on bad information

[BritInVanCA]

Feel free to take this as a vent and move on. Thank you for the cathartic opportunity.

I received notice that one of the few Hornby stockist in Canada was going to stop carrying their products because of lack of support from Hornby.

When I reached out to customer service to ask what my options were they directed me to the local stockists listed on the Hornby website. One shut down last year and the other say they never stocked Hornby. They also suggested Hornby USA who do not ship outside the US and have a grand total of 4 "novelty" locomotives which luckily I would never want as 3 of them are out of stock.

Not entirely customer services fault I know but they should know their offerings better and the information on the website should be accurate.

Canada support was never great and always relied on a few dedicated retailers but now Hornby seems to be pulling out completely and the US doesn't look much better!

[What About The Bee]

Hi BritInVanCA

American here, in the USA.

I feel your anguish. The models I want are not in the HornbyUSA store. No LMR or other Era 1 morsel? Yeah, no thanks.

So I do not bother, even though the Hornby UK webpages seem determined to send me back here.

There is one basic solution. Peruse the UK pages and pay for it to be shipped here. I know, I know. Its expensive. Not as rich as the lads in Australia pay, but it is steep.

Is Hornby correct to not sell UK models here? I've seen any number of Hornby models on eBay, product location in North America. Surely you have too. So there is an interest. Is it enough to satisfy Hornby? They may not think so.

Bee

[96RAF]

Hornby Towers is aware of the Canada trading situation as it was posted on another site recently.

[BritInVanCA]

@96RAF

Is it because we won’t take your cheese anymore? Thanks for replying to a rant.

My personal view is if Hornby could get their “North American” site together there would be a great market here. I know the BRNMA would be grateful

[96RAF]

@brit

I have had Canadian cheese - red and white - and they definitely did not taste like cheese, more like rubber and soap. Yet you reject our good stuff.

The only decent things we brought back from Goose Bay was Tang (orange juice crystals made from battery acid), and excellent blast frozen fish and King Ted cigars and nice coffee and bbq sauces and .. .

North Americas - HH are on the case but it is likely to be contractual twixt retailers and others involved, thus outwith anything us mortals can do about it.

[HornbyinNC]

About ten years ago, Hornby America had good stock of UK products. Trouble was, it was cheaper to buy from UK retailers, such as Hatton’s, due to the VAT deduction. The Hornby USA prices were essentially catalogue list, plus the exchange rate. Hatton’s and the like were 30%, or more less costly for the same models.

Eventually, the surplus stock was sold off on eBay, of all places, at very reasonable cost. I picked up a number of hugely discounted bargains at that time.

Sadly, they have attempted, but never realised the potential of the Rivarossi brand here and as for the core UK ex-pats, as me, it remains more feasible to buy from UK sellers, including directly from Hornby. Sadly, Hatton’s might be gone, but there are others to fill the void.

[BritInVanCA]

@96Raf

i would have agreed with you about the cheese 30 years ago but a lot has changed if you stay away from the supermarket generics. Wildly off topic i know but I have to defend my adopted country