Subject:
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Re: CEO-Letter // The answer
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.color
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Date:
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Wed, 9 Mar 2005 14:51:25 GMT
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Viewed:
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3029 times
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In lugnet.color, Christian Treczoks wrote:
<snip>
> As I wrote, I can understand their failure to notice the AFOLs just
> beacuse of their internal communication and information mismanagement,
> which the poved to us time and again. What I can't understand is that
> those in charge of the colour change didn't even bother to talk to their
> own Legoland builders. It is quite hard to understand how one can be
> _that_ stupid and still be in charge of something beyond cleaning the pits.
<snip>
> That is my hope, too. Communication, both internal and with the real
> world, was been the big weak point of this company. At least they
> learned that there is a problem, although the results are still to be
> seen, IMHO. Lego Direct is just a way to get more revenue, it is not
> about real communication. Community Development is something good,
> although a lot of aspects are still unclear, and as long as we customers
> feed the people from CD with information out of their company which they
> should have to know in the first place, the communication problem
> persists. Additionally, there is a lot of straightlaced procedural stuff
> that prevents proper communication[1]. We still have to see what will
> grow from that sworn-to-secrecy Ambassador unit: Which catastrophies
> will they be able to prevent?
<snip>
> I, personally, do not mix. I have a few wrong coloured elements, which
> are either in their sets on the shelf, or in a special container. I'll
> sell them off to those who want them (or, as nobody in my vincinity
> wants them, throw them in the bin) and keep the parts (in other colours)
> I need.
<snip>
> A set has two points of value for me: 1) How does it look as a model and
> 2) how useful are the parts. I'm a builder, so the second is more
> important to me than the first. I sometimes buy sets just to butcher
> them for parts. But I would not buy e.g. the bley HP or Starwars sets,
> because even if they look good during their shelf time, their "meat
> value" is practically nil.
>
> For me, a 2004+ set is either fantastic _or_ it contains noticeable
> amounts of bley. This is simply mutually exclusive. I bought the new
> speedboat (for the hull pieces), and I will buy the crane and the
> dumpster truck, but I'll have to find victims to throw the worthless
> bley pieces at, because they are mostly single use anyway.
>
> Yours, Christian
Wow! That has got to be one of the most negative posts I have ever read--
"internal communication and information mismanagement"
"charge of the colour change didn't even bother"
"how one can be _that_ stupid"
"was been the big weak point of this company"
"is not about real communication"
"communication problem persists"
"procedural stuff that prevents proper communication"
"Which catastrophies will they be able to prevent"
"I have a few wrong coloured elements"
"nobody in my vincinity wants them"
""meat value" is practically nil"
"_or_ it contains noticeable amounts of bley"
"but I'll have to find victims to throw the worthless bley pieces at"
It's tough to find a single line in the post that isn't vitriolic towards TLC.
How, exactly, has TLC proved "mismanagement ... to us time and again". I see
this case, with the non-contact with the AFOL community about the colour change,
to be not even an oversight on their part--why should the flea wag the tail of
the dog? If we don't contribute a significant amount of coin to TLC's bottom
line, whywould we be taken into consideration.
That said, first, TLC apologized--APOLOGIZED, for the oversite (I woudn't have
done it had I been CEO, but I'm not, so there you are) and secondly, TLC is
doing something that is beyond the bottom line--they actually implement things
and ideas for the AFOL. You might state that LEGO Direct is just a way for TLC
to generate revenue (and what's worong with that,anyway) but it's also a way for
FOL's to get the parts and pieces they want, without buying scores of sets for
their 'meat value'. TLC has done many things for the AFOL. Sure they know that
the AFOL community helps sell their products by our displays and shows and
such--I'm not naive, but don't you be naive thinking that the company *needs*
us. It doesn't. TLC got along just fine for decades without an organized AFOL
community.
I find that this mindset--"wrong coloured elements", "victims to throw the
worthless bley pieces at", etc. to be the worrisome issue. The new colours
aren't wrong.
Here's a concept that most of you 'bleyers' are missing--If TLC kept the old
grey and added these new colours, there wouldn't have been a peep--or there
would have--"Oooh, look what I built combining these new colours with these old
colours!"
If the new colours would have been fine had TLC continued the old colours, then
you have absolutely no point at all stating that TLC was wrong to introduce
them. Furthermore, attributing a systemic mismanagement of TLC based on this
one issue is absurd. I'll even throw Galidor in there as maybe another issue
where TLC might have misjudged the market. That said, TLC is a multinational
business and, as such, will more than likely make a few mis-steps. But that
does not show "internal communication and information mismanagement" on the
scale that you are inferring.
Bottom line--like the new colours/don't like the new colours, like the new
sets/don't like the new sets. But if you are this pissed at TLC (as the tone of
your post shows quite clearly) for changing three of their colours, then it's
time, in my mind, to take a break from this hobby.
I reiterate, would anyone be this disenfranchised at all had TLC just introduced
these three new colours and not discontinued the old ones? Of course not.
Therefore these are not 'wrong coloured elements'. They work exactly the same
with any other LEGO piece.
I do agree with what Gary posted earlier--it would be a nice gesture for TLC to
produce old or new grey pieces in bulk, such as roof elements, which would help
the building process out immensely. That said, if TLC doesn't implement this,
I'm still buying sets and the piece colour will not factor into the purchase
criteria--I knwo whatever set(s) I buy, the pieces will work as they should with
the rest of my collection.
Dave K
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Message has 3 Replies:
 | | Re: CEO-Letter // The answer
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| (...) That really is a matter of perspective. For persons who have spent years amassing large quantities of grey and dark grey, these bley pieces are incompatable with their collections. Even if an individual does come upon a large amount of bley, (...) (19 years ago, 9-Mar-05, to lugnet.color)
| | | Re: CEO-Letter // The answer
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| (...) No. I can still do better if need arises ;-) But not in this post. (...) It's the facts that are. not me. (...) You missed every single instance of mismanagement except the bley issue? The failure to keep to their core competences? The Galidor (...) (19 years ago, 9-Mar-05, to lugnet.color)
| | | Re: CEO-Letter // The answer
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| (...) Have you ever read any of Christian's posts before? :) (...) Well, I *would* agree except insofar as they've said that if they *had* known our reaction that they *wouldn't* have made the change. It says to me that in their view, the cost of (...) (19 years ago, 9-Mar-05, to lugnet.color)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: CEO-Letter // The answer
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| (...) Although TLC itself is having problems, the total financial background of the owners is quite sound. I even doubt that a switchback would drive LEGO out of business. The brand is so valuable, even _if_ TLC would go down the drain, the brand (...) (19 years ago, 9-Mar-05, to lugnet.color)
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