I am having trouble getting proper service on my Bachmann 3 truck Shay. I sent it to them for a stripped gear on the center truck and it came back just as bad. I filled out the service request in their website a week ago and still hae not heard back. I don’t want to sent it back again without their approval. Does it normally take over a week to reply to such a request?
Call them.
I have had good luck just calling them on the phone. More often than not, they just sent me the parts I needed to repair whatever I was working on.
Rotor
I’ve found that the best way to handle any problem with Bachmann is by phone.
ahhhh…did we have this same conversation back in March?..April?
I filled out their form twice still after 2 weeks no answer
Let your fingers do the walking!
For Service Inquiries
E-mail: Click on the “Service” link to be directed to our convenient service form
Telephone: 800-356-3910 (toll free; US and Canada residents only)
Orders, repair inquiries, or general inquiries may also be sent to:
Bachmann Customer Service
1400 East Erie Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19124
Fax: 215-744-4699
Bachmann’s Service Department is available from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm Eastern. The Service Department is closed between Noon and 12:45 for lunch. Customer Service for all scales can be reached at 800-356-3910. Each department has its own extension.
- Parts: Ext. 11 and 17
- Technical Support: Ext.12
- Repair Status: Ext. 13
- Customer Service Manager: Ext.18
Rotor
Still no reply from the Email service request. I phoned the service manager, Brigitte, during regular busness hours on Wednesday, and had to leave a message. No reply. I phoned again on Thursday and Friday and got the answering machine again. I also phoned the regular service desk number and got no answer.
Because of this lack of caring on Bachmanns part, I have cancelled my pre order from Micro Mark for another Bachmann loco. I do not think I will ever buy another Bachmann product.
I posted this on their message board
so far no answer
I sent a locomotive in for repair January 28th and didn’t receive it back until May 2nd. All the time I tried e-mailing with no replies and I also tried calling and leaving messages with no responses. The funny thing is, they didn’t even repair the old one, they just sent out a different locomotive. Does it take over 3 months to make that decision? I agree that their customer service is lacking.
Ed
I too had difficulties getting an email response from Bachmann, but after taking the advice of forum members a phone call was placed and I had a pleasant experience with their service department. They were polite, courteous and were very patient with my questions.
A 3-truck Shay was sent in 7 weeks ago with stripped gears and some motor issues. Yesterday, a Fed Ex truck delivered a brand new replacement locomotive that runs perfectly.
They may not be perfect, but I was impressed with the overall quality of their service.
Wayne
It appears that they do not repair these shays with stripped gears, just replace them. In my case, Litchfield Station sold me the shay after they had installes a micro Tsunami and special speaker box. Therefore Bachmann service department cannot just replace it with another. But why just send it back to me in Canada when it wasn’t repaired? They could have saved me time and postage by sending it to someone who could repair it then returning it to me.
This lack of communication is no way to run a service department! I know, I was a service manager for 8 years.
I think these fine folks might have been related to the crew for RS in Fort Worthless.(my lengthy tirade is on another thread so I won’t repeat it here) Funny you should mention stripped gears. Our Marx loco has finally, after around 60 years, found a way to be in need of repair. Who can custom make and install a gear on this thing? I don’t know. I was hoping to get a Polar Express set to run on the O guage loop, but I did still want to keep the Marx train. Oy vey!
Back to customer service. I’m calling the Little Tykes people tomorrow about the boys’ new toy. It’s missing a leg. Luckily there are supposed to be five legs and it stand ok on just four if you don’t fill the sand pit side. Oops, that’s not trains, but they do have train related toys that may need repair/parts at some time.
In PA there seems to be a serious lacking of communication skills on the part of so-called professionals in every field.
HEdward - regarding marks gear . no body makes parts for them - go to a train show or LHS and find a junk engine , buy after making sure gear is ok - take home and replace . on Bachmann shay - Bachmann will not fix if it was altered by someone else . call them order gear and take to your LHS and have them replace gear - it is an easy job . i send lots of customers to them and every one is happy with their service .
WHAT?!?! I can’t even figure out how to take this thing apart and you want me to disassemble two of them? If I had the right tools, which I don’t, I could fabricate my own gear. Just a few teeth are worn just enough to get the loco to jam after a few revolutions. There was a guy in Jersey a few years back that made his own casino tokens(I know, that’s a totally dishonest thing to do) I wish he lived nearby. His skills would have this fixed in a heartbeat. Oh well. None of my Bachmann stuff is broken yet.
YES - but the have “Lifetime Guarantee”!
To me it suggests it’s cheaper to REPLACE than fix 1. they don’t have much of a Service Dpt. 2. their units are pretty cheap 3. You may get the same problem again with an ‘exchange’ (Example: poor design).
In any case Do not sent in any repair with more than it originally came with.
From what I’ve heard, 3-4 months is normal turn around for them. I bet the broken units that get swapped out for new ones get sent back to the manufacturer for refurbishing. It’s probably more of a business decision to hold them accountable for defects than for Bach to fix the unit themselves.(I’m just guessing here)
It looks like I will have my wiring completed in the time it will take for it to return.
Andrew
Has anyone returning a defective Bachmann engine ever had the unit repaired? I have only heard of replacements being sent.
loathar:
I’m suggesting they do NO repairs, and anyone that has a 2-8-0 with too-heavy-a gauge wires lifting the lead tender truck off the rails will get more of the same.
CALL BACHMANN. Talk to their Service Manager - if they still have one. Get his name.
That would be my assumption as well.
I believe that of the units returned that the vast majority are simply destroyed. I do not believe that parts salvaging is even considered in most instances.