Subject:
|
Re: The Official "Issues List"
|
Newsgroups:
|
lugnet.ambassadors
|
Date:
|
Mon, 30 Jul 2007 01:40:29 GMT
|
Highlighted:
|
(details)
|
Viewed:
|
9981 times
|
| |
|
|
In lugnet.ambassadors, Allister McLaren wrote:
| |
In lugnet.ambassadors, Nelson Yrizarry wrote:
| |
1) Inconsistency in the color of LEGO parts. (Production and Quality
Control) 2) Quality of molded LEGO parts. (Production and Quality Control)
|
Can’t say I’ve noticed any problems in any of my recent sets. It’s a minor
issue in my mind.
|
I agree. I would also point out that there is a well established mechanism for
reporting problem parts, and, to my knowledge and experience that whenever a
part is genuinely defective it is replaced.
| |
| |
3) Lack of set availability in certain Countries/Continents. (Global
Distribution)
|
Why should I care if they don’t want to sell certain products in certain
countries? It’s their loss.
|
Some people feel upset if the full range of LEGO products is not available to
them. You may not care, but many people do.
| |
| |
4) Poor design of certain parts, e.g. the ‘Mission to Mars’ aliens. (Design)
|
It’s unrealistic to expect a 100% strike rate from any company. The
occasional ‘useless’ part is not even a small problem. Besides, you’ll all
change your mind the first time someone uses those parts in a cool way, and
someone always does.
|
I agree. However, in my experience some people do have unrealistic expectations.
| |
| |
5) Lack of fan-desired Themes, e.g. ‘Pirates’. (Design and Marketing)
6) Lack of fan-desired Sets, e.g. ‘Minifig Packs’. (Design and Marketing)
|
Part of growing up is realising that not all your desires get fulfilled.
Non-issue.
|
Agreed. But once again, some people have expectations that are unrealistic.
| |
| |
7) Overemphasis of ‘Conflict‘, e.g. good vs. evil, in LEGO themes/sets for
playability. (Executive)
|
There’s plenty of lego you can buy that doesn’t focus on conflict. Don’t like
the conflict? Vote with your dollars. If it stops selling, they’ll stop
making it. I fail to see how merely whinging about it will supercede that.
|
Agreed. I tend to think (and I may be in the minority here) that LEGO actually
understands their business pretty well.
| |
| |
8) Increased diversification into non-System toys and products, e.g. towels,
furniture, etc. (Executive)
|
Non-issue. Don’t buy them if you don’t like them.
| |
9) Lack of female LEGO minifigs in System sets, and also female accessories,
e.g. purses. (Design)
|
Minor issue, but I do applaud every effort to broaden Lego’s target
demographic.
| |
10) Continual information leaks on upcoming LEGO sets/themes. (Corporate
Security)
|
I’m all for more leaks and early information on new releases. Others have
pretty much echoed my feelings on this.
One of the things I hoped for from the Ambassador program is to get this
early information officially, and I’m disappointed this hasn’t happened. My
main source of this disappontment is that the Ambassadors themselves seem to
have been brainwashed into thinking they’re doing it for the good of AFOLs.
|
I have taken all the usual precautions against brainwashing.
| |
It’s time the Ambassadors remembered they are firstly AFOLs, not the company
patsies they appear to have become.
|
Indeed. Although some may prefer the ALE tag to the AFOL one. Or indeed my
prefered tag ‘community member’.
| |
| |
11) Lack of Shop at Home access/delivery for certain Countries/Continents.
(Global Distribution)
|
Yeah. Everyone should have the right to pay retail or more, despite it coming
direct from the manufacturer, and still get shafted on postage.
| |
12) Lack of alternate model images on product packaging and/or packaging
inserts (Marketing)
|
Are you serious? Why should I care about the design of stuff that’s going
directly into the garbage?
| |
13) More consistent pricing of sets in certain Countries/Continents, e.g.
Europe and Asia. (Executive)
|
I would love to buy lego at the same price as they do in the US. Get right on
that one, and good luck, you’re gonna need it.
|
I think, as a general principle, most people would like cheaper LEGO.
| |
So, out of that whole list, it’s really only point nine that I think is
really worth puruing at length, but thanks for bringing them out in the open.
| |
These issues, regarding LEGO products and services worldwide, should come as
no surprise to anyone, as they have been brought to the Ambassadors’
attention repeatly over the past few months/years. We are working with TLG
to have these items addressed and answered, as an ongoing effort of 2-way
communication.
We are confident that you, the LEGO fans, will have more issues for us to
add to this list. Please feel free to post them in this newsgroup.
|
I’m not a train fan, but I think it is incredibly ignorant to forget the 9v
train issue off that list. It’s raised far more passion in the community than
any of the so-called ‘issues’ on the list, and to have it forgotten about
completely is totally hilarious to me.
My big ‘issue’? I’m glad you asked.
My main issue is with the ambassador program itself, and the veil of secrecy
that surrounds it. Far from it being a ‘two-way communication’ between fans
and the company, it seems more and more to me like it has become a buffer
between fans and the company. Regular fans are annoying to the company, so
they’ve hand picked a bunch of the more visible ones, put them under an NDA,
and then any interaction between ‘fans’ and the company can be strictly
controlled by the company.
I strongly encourage the ambassadors to stop all this erring on the side of
caution. I’m not asking for trade secrets to be divulged, but surely things
like fan involvement in set design, advance info on upcoming themes etc can
be announced without destroying the company.
I realise you’ve probably been cowed by the legalese, but dwell on this - for
whose benefit are you in the program? The company’s or the fan’s? I would
hope it’s the latter, but it appears more and more like it’s the former, and
that’s too bad.
|
I’m certainly not cowed by the legalese. I am certainly not keeping any secrets
that I am not required to by the NDA that I’ve signed with LEGO.
For whose benefit I am in the program? Well, I don’t think I can distinguish
between the community’s benefit and the company’s. It’s a mutual benefit thing.
If the company does well, so, I think does the community. And similarly, if the
community grows, then there is a benefit to the company.
| |
1 I wouldn’t mind seeing a copy of the NDA as well. Surely that’s not a
secret too?
|
My reading of it, and my legal advice on it is that the NDA could be considered
covered by the NDA. I don’t believe that there is anything in there which
shouldn’t be shared, but it is not currently in my power to do.
Cheers
Richie Dulin
Community Member who happens to be a LEGO Ambassador
|
|
Message has 2 Replies:
 | | Re: The Official "Issues List"
|
| (...) As someone living in such a country, I must confirm this. I am here talking about Norway which, ironically enough, is one of Denmark's first neighbours and which, for many years now, hasn't been on S@H's list. Needless to say that the (...) (17 years ago, 30-Jul-07, to lugnet.ambassadors, FTX)
| | | Re: The Official "Issues List"
|
| Can this "Issues" list be a poll? I'd like a list of checkboxes for all that affect me or some way to select my Top Five. 1 and 2: Color quality and Mold quality are critical. I promoted Lego over other brands by word of mouth because of quality. I (...) (17 years ago, 3-Aug-07, to lugnet.ambassadors, FTX)
|
Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: The Official "Issues List"
|
| (...) Can't say I've noticed any problems in any of my recent sets. It's a minor issue in my mind. (...) Why should I care if they don't want to sell certain products in certain countries? It's their loss. (...) It's unrealistic to expect a 100% (...) (17 years ago, 29-Jul-07, to lugnet.ambassadors, FTX)
|
87 Messages in This Thread:
  
- Entire Thread on One Page:
- Nested:
All | Brief | Compact | Dots
Linear:
All | Brief | Compact
This Message and its Replies on One Page:
- Nested:
All | Brief | Compact | Dots
Linear:
All | Brief | Compact
|
|
|
|
