Subject:
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Re: Chrome Knights now at LEGO Shop At Home
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.lego.direct
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Date:
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Sat, 14 Oct 2000 19:35:39 GMT
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Highlighted:
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(details)
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1380 times
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I'll take the bait...
In lugnet.lego.direct, Larry Pieniazek writes:
> I wonder if the people who were slamming you for not posting a "we're working
> on it" immediately when they first asked for these sets
Yes, I wanted to be kept informed in exactly the manner you describe. The
fact that many meetings may have been held to accomplish this maneuver on the
part of TLC would suggests a bloated management structure to me and little
else. I can't for the life of me see why Brad cannot adopt a more
conversational style here, and just keep us better informed. To announce that
they would try to see what they could do as regards these sets seems like a
very small thing to me. Brad could even have warned of possible failure in
advance, AND actual failure would have been surprising but not the end of the
world. Still, I would have been glad for the open lines of communication and
that efforts were being made to help some of us obtain these previously Europe
only sets.
As it stands, Brad has adopted a "TLC's Emissary" approach to communicating to
us here on Lugnet. Fine. Just make no mistake that it is perceived as little
more than free advertising by me and anyone else with enough grey matter to
rub together and create a spark of electricity.
> Heck, I wonder if they'll even order what they were whining for?
Actually, no -- not from S@H. Too little too late. In the broader sense -- I
have already done so in advance of this notice by purchasing the sets from
abroad. I found another means of obtaining the sets for around S@H prices, so
whereas I am not too miffed at this late breaking news I can still see where
others still might be. Forewarning of things in the works might have
forestalled some poorly timed purchases from European dealers and eBay. I
myself would have preferred to purchase from Lego Direct/S@H if they had had
their act together, but they SO did not! [And this is not to in ANY way malign
my German connection who remains aces with me!]
Now, after so little a thing as the availability of these sets in the U.S.
others are suggesting extra purchases and so forth. Why should I care if Lego
Direct or S@H is a success or not? What do they do for me that I should buy
extra sets or generate good word of mouth advertising for them? I see the
relationship as largely one-sided and highly impersonal. Company to consumer.
What's more, Lego Direct/S@H is so poorly organized that it is without a doubt
that many of their European sales on these castle HTO sets was on the back of
American interest in the sets -- basically, AFOLs in Germany covering for a
gap created by TLC itself.
And am I mistaken, or do I actually see diminishing availability of parts
packs being replaced by more parts packs with less variety? There is no
actual bulk and there are few rarer items being made available to the average
builder. I hope to be surprised by the full unveiling of Lego Direct, but I
am not exactly holding my breath...
> Ignore them. Ignore them all. Ignore the rude, and ignore the clueless.
Hmmm, you mean this isn't already TLC's policy? News to me...
And since I don't understand what you mean by "clueless," did you mean
delusional libertarians who want to be buried with all of their Ayn Rand
novels laying on top of them? Or was it something else you were trying to
reference? Sorry, but blind loyalty to a myopic economic/political agenda
doesn't seem very intellectually dynamic to me.
> but who is actually in touch with reality and knows that it takes time
> and that every positive step has to show positive returns in order to take the
> next one)
Are you kidding? If I waited for results every time I did a thing I would
need to be VERY long-lived indeed to accomplish anything at all! Your model
may be more important if you are a very small company with few assets -- TLC
has assets to burn (and indeed, they do blow a lot of $$$ on products for
which I see no market). So please, spare us the weak business models -- TLC
is one of the largest toy companies on earth. I think they could have
afforded a mistake concerning HTO sets with impunity.
I, for one, am tired of the one-sided conversation. I am tired of asking for
things only to feel that my requests are as meaningful a thing as trying to
build sandcastles from dry sand. Lego is a diversion, not my whole life. I
am tired of the "***-kissing" attitude some of you think is necessary when
communicating with this business, TLC. I don't know who TLC thought it was
responding to when it decided to make these HTO sets available in the U.S., I
am certainly amongst a desiring audience. But I figure in the end they either
thought it was good business or they did not -- it had little to do with my,
or anyone else's, asking for these sets. If they try to frame it otherwise, I
have become suspicious of it being little more than an attempt at good PR.
This is how I see it.
-- Richard (Lego Curmudgeon)
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Message has 2 Replies:
 | | Re: Chrome Knights now at LEGO Shop At Home
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| (...) I'm not sure if I have enough grey matter - but I do agree. (...) Yep, it would be better if cutting out the middle man meant low prices - but it does not. Further to that, at times I find the service here (UK/Europe) pretty poor. (...) Ditto (...) (24 years ago, 17-Oct-00, to lugnet.lego.direct)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: Chrome Knights now at LEGO Shop At Home
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| (...) <snip> Way to go Brad. I wonder if the people who were slamming you for not posting a "we're working on it" immediately when they first asked for these sets (who probably then would have slammed you for not giving all the details on your (...) (24 years ago, 13-Oct-00, to lugnet.lego.direct)
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