I have seen a couple posts where people have returned their loco’s to bachmann cause they didnt run the way they were suppose too. I have one that dont tun good that I would like to return to have worked on, and would like feedback from those who have sent theirs in on how it went.
Thanks.
had to send two loco’s in during the summer, repairs were quick and the staff was very friendly.
I have never done it personally, but other club members have sent locomotives to Bachmann within the past year, with the following results. In each case, Bachmann telephoned the individuals and asked if the substitutions were acceptable.
A Standard Line SD model with hundreds of hours of run time, decorated for Conrail, was sent back for repair. Bachmann no longer had that model in stock and could not repair it, so they sent a replacement Spectrum SD DCC On-Board model decorated for Northern Pacific.
A 4-8-2 Heavy Mountain steam engine was sent back for repair. They no longer had that model in stock so they sent a Spectrum 2-10-2 with DCC Sound-On-Board as a replacement.
A member pulled a wire loose from the plug between the tender and back of his steam engine on a Spectrum 4-6-2. Bachmann no longer had that model in stock and could not repair it, so they sent him a 2-8-0 with DCC Sound-On-Board as a replacement.
In all 3 cases, the people received a better, more expensive model than what they had sent in for repair.
Before you send anything back, go to Bachmann’s web site and read their return/repair policy. There is a return fee involved, the amount depending on the model being sent back.
There is no fee for newly purchased locos with proof of purchase.
As the owner of a very large Bachmann Spectrum steam fleet, I have returned a few locos to Bachmann over the years. Depending on how busy they are, turn around time can vary, but they will make it good and their staff is very friendly and helpfull.
Sheldon
I returned one over the years, it was a Spectrum, turnaround was quick, total time was 2 weeks from mailbox to mailbox.
As Sheldon said, there is no return fee. There is a fee for repairs, most recently $25, if the loco is more than one year old.
Bachmann’s warranty is a lifetime warranty, and they honor it without question.
However, everything that cacole said is accurate. The biggest issue is that in the event that the loco cannot be repaired, Bachmann will replace it with a loco of similar quality. This means that most often the exchanged loco will not be the same road name or the same wheel configuration.
Back in the 2004-2008 time frame, I returned two locos to Bachmann for repair, and the repair was done.
However, during the 2009-2012 time frame, I returned two more locos to Bachmann for repair, and I was told that parts were no longer available, so an exchange was made.
Rich
I returned a loco once they sent a brand new. Replacement.
True, if they don’t have the exact item, and yours acnnot be repaired, they will offer you several choices of equal or greater products.
But they will do their best - one loco I returned was an unlettered USRA 2-6-6-2. It could not be repaired, they were sold out of unlettered versions. They sent me a C&O version of the same loco - AND - the unlettered boiler shell and tender shell from my original loco for me to swap out.
With the nature of the batch production of these models, and without a complete parts and service chain of supply, it really is the luck of the draw as to if they will have an exact replacement for your loco.
Example - they made their USRA Heavy Mountain for nearly a decade, and they replaced one for me 5 or 6 years ago, no problem, but people who bought them at the end of that long production run found that the popular roadnames were sold out and warranty replacement locos simply did not exist.
They have improved their parts supply somewhat, but most locos with serious problems are simply replaced - not repaired.
It is still
I’ve sent one back a few years ago. As stated, the foks there are helpful and friendly, and they will take care of you . I did have an issue though with the replacement as I received a different loco, but no one ever called or checked to see if this was acceptable or what, if any, road names they had might work for me.
I sent in an AT&SF 4-8-4 Northern with drivers out of quarter. I received, about a month to month and a half later, a SP 4-8-4 GS2 (or is it GS4?), anyway, the War Baby one. I wasn’t really in a position at the time to send it back or work with them as I was getting ready for overseas deployment, so I let it go.
Now I have a nice SP loco, and lot’s of AT&SF heavyweights and cabooses, with nothing to pull them, sooo… sometimes the AT&SF on my layout is overbooked, or loco short because of WW2 movement or something, and the SP loco pulls AT&SF trains[:-^]
BTW, with an additional 5 1/2 ounces of weight added under the shell, it pulls rather nice now![8D]
Duane
Bachmann once lost one of my return orders. But I had the tracking number and it showed they received it, so they sent me a new one.
My 2-6-6-2 and 4-8-2 mountain failed. The drive line was slipping. (Yes I lubed and oiled once a year.) There seems to be a design problem with the gearbox failing over time.
One was to their George Washington train set which was a very limited edition. They sent me a whole new loco engine, and gave me back my original tender and engine shell for the George. So I was extremely grateful.
Don’t get me wrong, I think Bachmann offers incredible value for the money. But you have to be aware you will eventually have to deal with thier service department eventually if you run them on a regular basis.
Bachmann is still my favorite. In my collection I have
2 4-8-2 J2 Heavy Mountain Classes
3 0-6-0T tank steamers
4 2-8-0 Connies
3 2-6-6-2 H4/H5 Class
1 Shay
That’s 13 of my 30 steam engines. (Nearly half my collection from 5 different manufacturers)
Thanks everyone for the input. It helps.