Happiness short lived on Menard's Morton Salt building.

Sorry to hear about all that. Contact Menards customer service. They will try to make it right. I had a similar experience last year. They tried to make it right. Good luck,

Bob

CP BOB posted:

Sorry to hear about all that. Contact Menards customer service. They will try to make it right. I had a similar experience last year. They tried to make it right. Good luck,

Bob

How do you get in touch with a live person.  Last time I was told by a recording to send snail mail or email to address the problem.  Got a good number to call?

I sent an email to customer service about a problem with my Shell gas station. They replied within 24 hours and we got the problem solved. go ahead and email them, it worked for me.

Jeff

Email sent. It is worth a try but this is getting ridiculous don't you think?    We will see what happens next.

rattler21 posted:

Jim,  If you have a place for it, don't get discourage.  I went through two MTH Premier 4-10-2s before finding the one which has been on our layout for 11 years.  Anyone can make a bad product, it is how they handle the customer that makes them a good company.   John in Lansing, ILL

John,   I understand one or 2 but the next one I get will be #3 or #4 if you count the one I tested in the store that flickered and I did not purchase. Taking the item back and refunding your money is not customer service.

I have had quality control issues with a few Menards items as well. My first was last winter and I was able to talk to a live person. The phone # was on their website. I have had my second issue just this weekend. Now I cant find the phone # anywhere. The issue you are experiencing I have seen before. I was at the Massillon Ohio Menards before Christmas and seen either 3 or 4 of their displays doing the same thing yours is doing. One of them may have been a Mortons but I do remember a Red Owl and a fire station were also showing this issue. I really wonder how long these lights will last on any of their buildings.

Sorry to hear about your bad luck with these. I went through 3 Morton salt buildings due to a different issue that is a thread here. My issue was high pitched buzzing.  Every menards building I looked at had it - to varying degrees. I couldn’t handle it!  I went to 4 different menards stores and ended up with nothing to show for it. It’s frustrating. 

There is a separate thread on here about someone that added on to the Morton salt building. It’s awesome!  I am seriously considering building my own Morton salt building. 

https://ogrforum.com/...33#77593417228632833

MONON_JIM posted:

How do you get in touch with a live person.  Last time I was told by a recording to send snail mail or email to address the problem.  Got a good number to call?

Can't beat GETHUMAN.COM:

https://gethuman.com/phone-number/Menard-Inc

I have not turned mine on yet, better get to it.

As was stated, the best thing to do is write to their customer service department. When you deal with stores, most employees know little to nothing about the train merchandise since it is mostly only a seasonal item. I doubt that any personnel knows anything about trains or related items. It seems that you will get fast reply by writing them. https://www.menards.com/main/contactUs.html    

I had ordered one of their Nose Art Box Cars and got it in early August. I did not open it up until recently as I had shoulder replacement surgery in August also. When I did, one of the wheel sets was bad. It was so bad, that someone previously had gotten this car, had tried to fix it with a toothpick, didn't work and sent it back. See above pictures. I assume it was sent back without noting the problem as the same car was then sent to me. I contacted the e-mail above and had a reply within a day. It sounds as if others who have gone this route were also pleased with the quick response. By the way, I did leave a note in the return box of the damage done to the wheel set. Hopefully no one else will receive this car unless completely repaired.

Rick

Sent an email, we will see what happens.

Menards really needs to step up their QC program.  Being realistic you can shrug off a piece of rolling that's not right but to shrug off a $99.99 Morton Salt building that doesn't function as expected is a totally different story.  I really think Menards is in over their head with these elaborate lighting schemes and animations.  The one thing I fear is that train stuff is such an infinitesimal part of their overall business they may eventually say it's not worth the trouble and drop it altogether.    Caveat Emptor!

Should not have to "beware" with a company like Menard's.  Quality control is the issue, they have to waste tons of money on models that do not work.  I do not care how cheaply the item is made, the QC problems still eat at the bottom line. Tried to call them today and got a recorded message that I need to send snail mail or email, I have done both.

MONON_JIM posted:

... When the Morton Salt girl sign lights up it flickers worse and when the girl sign is made to stay lit it is worse. I guess I will take this one back tomorrow and be finished with Menard's. I have other Menard's buildings without this problems. 

jini5 posted:

...I was at the Massillon Ohio Menards before Christmas and seen either 3 or 4 of their displays doing the same thing yours is doing. One of them may have been a Mortons but I do remember a Red Owl and a fire station were also showing this issue. I really wonder how long these lights will last on any of their buildings.

What's not clear is if this is an "acceptable" failure rate, or whether there is a systemic design flaw that Menards can get in front of.  Jini5's observation that other buildings are behaving similarly is a key.

About two years ago, there was a flurry of OGR threads describing problems with the Menards power adapters blowing out lights in buildings.  Initial reports seemed random with many "my buildings work fine" comments.  But guided "detective" work ultimately identified a fundamental design flaw, I believe the OGR forum played a pivotal role in getting Menards to pull their power adapters from the shelves and to re-design them. This all occurred in a few months.  As I recall, some guys even got new adapters sent to them at no charge.

One avenue is to decry the level of QC or customer service.  Another is to rally the troops to provide substantive real-world data on exactly what/when/how the flickering problem presents.  There is a wealth of collective technical-engineering expertise on the OGR forum - probably more than Menards has available. 

No refunds.

stan2004 posted:

MONON_JIM posted:

... When the Morton Salt girl sign lights up it flickers worse and when the girl sign is made to stay lit it is worse. I guess I will take this one back tomorrow and be finished with Menard's. I have other Menard's buildings without this problems. 

jini5 posted:

...I was at the Massillon Ohio Menards before Christmas and seen either 3 or 4 of their displays doing the same thing yours is doing. One of them may have been a Mortons but I do remember a Red Owl and a fire station were also showing this issue. I really wonder how long these lights will last on any of their buildings.

What's not clear is if this is an "acceptable" failure rate, or whether there is a systemic design flaw that Menards can get in front of.  Jini5's observation that other buildings are behaving similarly is a key.

About two years ago, there was a flurry of OGR threads describing problems with the Menards power adapters blowing out lights in buildings.  Initial reports seemed random with many "my buildings work fine" comments.  But guided "detective" work ultimately identified a fundamental design flaw, I believe the OGR forum played a pivotal role in getting Menards to pull their power adapters from the shelves and to re-design them. This all occurred in a few months.  As I recall, some guys even got new adapters sent to them at no charge.

One avenue is to decry the level of QC or customer service.  Another is to rally the troops to provide substantive real-world data on exactly what/when/how the flickering problem presents.  There is a wealth of collective technical-engineering expertise on the OGR forum - probably more than Menards has available. 

No refunds.

I sent them an email  yesterday and called today.  I got a recording that said either fax or snail mail it, we need a written record of your complaint.  Email was not an option. So Menard's do you think that not letting complaints hit the ears of a customer service rep is wise? No human contact for a problem. Also I do not feel that I should have to troubleshoot a new product.  I do not have the time or the talent for either.

MONON_JIM posted:

 

Also I do not feel that I should have to troubleshoot a new product.  I do not have the time or the talent for either.

 

We are in agreement!  The time you spent (wasted) driving to multiple stores, buying/returning, then calling, emailing, writing, etc., then reporting here on OGR is deplorable.  You never get time back.

What I'm saying is forums like OGR can be a powerful tool to gather information in a way not possible back in the day.  While it shouldn't be this way, I believe the reality is in relatively low-volume production runs like hobby trains, manufacturers can't afford the level of QC one expects from hi-volume consumer gadgets.

stan2004 posted:

MONON_JIM posted:

 

Also I do not feel that I should have to troubleshoot a new product.  I do not have the time or the talent for either.

 

We are in agreement!  The time you spent (wasted) driving to multiple stores, buying/returning, then calling, emailing, writing, etc., then reporting here on OGR is deplorable.  You never get time back.

What I'm saying is forums like OGR can be a powerful tool to gather information in a way not possible back in the day.  While it shouldn't be this way, I believe the reality is in relatively low-volume production runs like hobby trains, manufacturers can't afford the level of QC one expects from hi-volume consumer gadgets.

 

 

Yes, I agree totally, Stan2004.  This can be a fun hobby sometimes but the fact that you can't talk to a person is really frustrating.  I have had this issue many times on the lumber side of the argument.  

stan2004 posted:  While it shouldn't be this way, I believe the reality is in relatively low-volume production runs like hobby trains, manufacturers can't afford the level of QC one expects from hi-volume consumer gadgets.

 

 

Stan I was a manufacturing manager for 30 years and the one thing I learned was "ZERO DEFECTS" if you want to stay in business. It doesn't matter what the product or how big a company is, quality trumps everything.  You can spin it any way you want but if you can't make a quality product then you shouldn't be in business.  Let me rephrase that "if you can't make a quality product you'll soon be OUT of business!!!

Just to be clear, are you talking about the flickering white light under the building? It was hard to see in the video. I love the neon sign!

One of the other buildings had a switch for lighting effects, such as flickering. I doubt this one does but worth a check. 

That flickering wouldn't bother me. If it did, I would rewire that light to a circuit independent from the neon sign control board. I suspect the controller for the sign is interfering with the light. If the light was powered by an isolated power supply, I doubt that would happen. It could be an easy fix, but I don't have one so can't say.

George

The white lights all flicker all the time, it is worse when the sign goes off.  Not going to fix it, should be good out of the box.  Oh by the way, I took the last one back I purchased today for a refund.  Just for the heck of it I went to the display and sure enough, the one I took back was on the shelf.  How do I know? I marked the box.  Heard nothing from Menard's customer service, I think I am finished will all facets of Menard's. Terrible customer service, the absolute worst of any company I deal or have dealt with.

MONON_JIM posted:

 Oh by the way, I took the last one back I purchased today for a refund.  Just for the heck of it I went to the display and sure enough, the one I took back was on the shelf.  How do I know? I marked the box.  

 

That was a perfect setup on your part. I too have returned inoperable train related items to Menards. The latest was a Lemax Carnival Ride. Inoperable right out of the box. Bought online and returned to local store. The return clerk didn't open the box or question my reason for return. They didn't mark the item "defective". They merely turned around and placed it in a cart with lots of other return items like floor tile, curtain rods etc..  I'll bet the item was returned to the shelf for some unsuspecting buyer to buy, tote home and then subsequently have to return it.

Now that process needs to be handled by Menards customer service. Are you listening "Menards Mark"?

Mark (the other one)

After getting several Menards products for Christmas and birthday presents for the last few years, this year I received a broken product. My wife was very frustrated trying to contact a live person. She was eventually issued a refund, but has vowed to never order from them again. 

The product did not come from the warehouse, but it was shipped from another store. I called the store directly after learning Menards does not have a customer service 800 number. The stored tried to get a replacement from another store, but sent the wrong product. They issued a refund and apologized. The manager was very nice and I know tried to remedy the situation. A customer service phone number and a live person would have solved this. I will miss getting Menards items for presents, but I will give them another shot. 

Bob

Anyone notice that Mark the Menards man has been absent through this topic?

How about calling him so he knows he needs to be here?    @Menards

I think this topic really blows things way out of proportion. Sure, 4 or 5 guys here on the forum have had an unfortunate experience with quality issues and customer service. I don't see this as a big deal, since probably a thousand or more of each item have been sold with no problems.  Any big company selling anything is going to have a lemon slip through. Any company with a customer service dept. is going to have an unhappy customer now and then.

i just don't see a problem here. I am sure Menards is doing the best they can, and, their goal is " no unhappy customers". But, this is the real world and stuff happens. Heck, we are only talking about toys here, not artificial hearts or $60,000 pickups.

Jeff

mowingman posted:

I think this topic really blows things way out of proportion. Sure, 4 or 5 guys here on the forum have had an unfortunate experience with quality issues and customer service. I don't see this as a big deal, since probably a thousand or more of each item have been sold with no problems.  Any big company selling anything is going to have a lemon slip through. Any company with a customer service dept. is going to have an unhappy customer now and then.

i just don't see a problem here. I am sure Menards is doing the best they can, and, their goal is " no unhappy customers". But, this is the real world and stuff happens. Heck, we are only talking about toys here, not artificial hearts or $60,000 pickups.

Jeff

mowingman, you are not the one who spent the hours driving to 3 different stores and to my own store several times.  Blown out of proportion?  I guess it is an unreasonable assumption that you would get a product that worked right out of the box, shame on me for having such expectations.   You wouldn't have that attitude if it were happening to you.  Then to have them restock the defective item is just dishonest. 

Not really. At my age I try to keep stuff like this from aggravating me. In fact, I received a damaged building from Menards right before Christmas. I worked through the no number problem, then sent them an email. Received a reply with a shipping label, sent it back, got a new one a week later. Ok, it took me about 2 weeks total to get a good one, no sweat. I was confident with a little time that Menards would get me fixed up, and they did.

Jeff

MONON_JIM posted:

  Oh by the way, I took the last one back I purchased today for a refund.  Just for the heck of it I went to the display and sure enough, the one I took back was on the shelf.  How do I know? I marked the box.  

 

To quote myself from your other " Bad Luck With Menards Salt Building" Thread":

 "This O guage stuff is not Menards  'bread and butter",  and what hasn't sold is soon to be on its way to a back storage room and crushed or broken over the summer."

"This may be why your having so much trouble getting one that works. There were probably plenty that worked a month ago, now your picking through defctive ones people returned over the holidays."

Jeff, that was my experience also. I wrote customer service that is listed on their website concerning the damaged box car they sent. I got a reply within three business days. I bought the item at the beginning of August, but did not open it for several months because of surgery. They e-mailed me a mailing label and I sent the item back. I do think that they are usually very spot on in the corporate office. I cannot speak for individual stores and am sorry that Jim has had one problem after another.

Rick

RickO posted:

MONON_JIM posted:

  Oh by the way, I took the last one back I purchased today for a refund.  Just for the heck of it I went to the display and sure enough, the one I took back was on the shelf.  How do I know? I marked the box.  

 

To quote myself from your other " Bad Luck With Menards Salt Building" Thread":

 "This O guage stuff is not Menards  'bread and butter",  and what hasn't sold is soon to be on its way to a back storage room and crushed or broken over the summer."

"This may be why your having so much trouble getting one that works. There were probably plenty that worked a month ago, now your picking through defctive ones people returned over the holidays."

That is the exact reason I marked all of ones I took back.  Interesting the way different companies handle customer service.

mowingman posted:

Not really. At my age I try to keep stuff like this from aggravating me. In fact, I received a damaged building from Menards right before Christmas. I worked through the no number problem, then sent them an email. Received a reply with a shipping label, sent it back, got a new one a week later. Ok, it took me about 2 weeks total to get a good one, no sweat. I was confident with a little time that Menards would get me fixed up, and they did.

Jeff

So far that has not been the case for me.  I called again today to talk to  customer service and was informed no I can't, this time by a real person but she gave me the fax number.  Now we will see what happens. 

I am not sure if you are trying to tackle your problem with the local store, but Mark the Menard's Guy has always said to contact the the General Offices either through e-mail or snail mail at Menard's Guest Services, 5101 Menard Drive, Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54703. That is how most of us have gotten any problem resolved and usually satisfactorily. Most threads about customer survivor laud Menard's responses to get things right. You may not get that same satisfaction at stores since they no little of this seasonal merchandise. And, you may have gone this route and have not seen any results. I am really surprised that you have not heard back from the central office if that is who you sent your e-mail to. And just in case, here is the e-mail to reach those offices: https://www.menards.com/main/contactUs.html

Rick

Ranger Rick posted:

I am not sure if you are trying to tackle your problem with the local store, but Mark the Menard's Guy has always said to contact the the General Offices either through e-mail or snail mail at Menard's Guest Services, 5101 Menard Drive, Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54703. That is how most of us have gotten any problem resolved and usually satisfactorily. Most threads about customer survivor laud Menard's responses to get things right. You may not get that same satisfaction at stores since they no little of this seasonal merchandise. And, you may have gone this route and have not seen any results. I am really surprised that you have not heard back from the central office if that is who you sent your e-mail to.

Rick

Rick, I am going through corporate.  No one at the store has any knowledge about the products or a solution so I always go straight to corporate. Sent email, snail mail and today a fax.  We will see what happens.

Hope it gets resolved.

Its a cool building, Im sure they all do that flickering to some extent as they are not what I would call "high end" products. Id buy a DC buck converter to run the leds and run the sign of the internal controller and get on with my life. I have a few of the buildings and I like em but I just don't have the time to drive all over heck and back when I can just fix it for like $3 and an hour of my time

Matt Makens posted:

Its a cool building, Im sure they all do that flickering to some extent as they are not what I would call "high end" products. Id buy a DC buck converter to run the leds and run the sign of the internal controller and get on with my life. I have a few of the buildings and I like em but I just don't have the time to drive all over heck and back when I can just fix it for like $3 and an hour of my time

Matt, I should not have to be repairing something that I bought new, if I wanted to build a kit I would have bought one. By the way not one of my other buildings do it at all and neither do my friends.

Ranger Rick posted:

Hope it gets resolved.

 

Sooner or later it will, one way or another. 

This may have been covered, but which power adapter are you using?

George S posted:

This may have been covered, but which power adapter are you using?

It was covered but I am using the one they sell.

I emailed Menards about the issues I had with this building and I just got this response.  I will refrain from adding any color.

Well, that's a real shame and I appreciate your letting us know.