Jason was handling a lot of stuff, I hope someone enters that void.
GGG posted:I think your all missing the point. None of the Lionel or any other site "shopping cart" has anything to do with filling the order or in a timely matter. Your talking apples and oranges. I need to change the brakes in my car, I go to rock auto and put them in the cart so what? I do not get the brakes, there not ordered.
Or, I write myself a note that say, I need brakes. A shopping list. I still do not get brakes.
A shopping cart is just a convenient way to record what you need on the website your working on. Until that website is down due to problems or maintenance. I have seen plenty of that on DK as example.
So now I order them and pay. Boom done my brakes or lionel part are coming. Oh poop. I forgot to order the shim kit. To bad, go back and reorder and incur another shipping fee. Or one week later you need brakes for the other car. Another order.
MTH web site works different, you load it up like a cart and press accept. It is now in the computer. Theoretically each morning they print out what was ordered. But that goes into a stack as they work to fill orders. In the mean time I add more parts sometimes a week or more later. Then low and behold one day they get to my order and actually processes it. That means it comes off the website and onto the previously ordered site. Many times, my full order done over a week or two period is picked up all together and then it gets filled goes to shipping and then comes. So back to your shopping cart experience, where your order 4 lug nuts at rock auto and press send. Oh poop, it has 5 lug nuts I need another. Too bad, go back and order 1.
MTH, oops, well in the same day you can go back and correct your order and it would be filled at 5 not 4 and 1. May even get lucky up to a few day.
Wait a week or more and try to up the order that will reset the clock on that part. Not the order, just that part. This is the issue I have with MTH. As many times I go through parts faster then I expect. BUT NO SHOPPING CART PROCESS FIXES THAT. The only way you could correct it is a call in to Rock auto or anybody else and hope you can interrupt the process before it is processed.
The real problem is time to process and ship. IF it was down to about 2 weeks, MTH system would be far better, allowing you to correct and add to orders in a window without penalty. Unfortunately it is a one person job with occasional help. As Marty would say, "it is what it is". I keep a spread sheet color coded with order limits. I just anticipate based on the historical levels of use. When I go to a website to order something it actually gets ordered, not just put in a shopping cart. My shopping cart is on my computer. G
No George not missing the point at all. The point is it takes them forever to process an order. I place an order with Lionel and it gets processed a lot faster. MTH is a joke. I can’t even get a return phone call from Deb not a reply via email. The parts ordering for their techs is something they should be ashamed of. I don’t know what point it is we are all missing but you. I am talking about a regular order placed by a tech That takes months to be fulfilled.
I tried to update my order one time and they ended up splitting my order into to two shipments that cost close to $14 dollars on top of the $14 dollars I paid for the original order and one week apart in available parts.
very poorly run parts company.
Jeff your not hear what I am saying and are missing my point. I get they are slow. Never said they are not. Folks seem to imply if the system used was like lionels that would solve it all. All I said is no it would not. Your own example proves it. IF you place an incomplete order with lionel, it would process an ship. When you had to add the extra part that is another order with another shipping charge. What is the difference. If you don't like it stop doing MTH stuff. Or stop making incomplete orders.
It has been this way forever, so all these comments about who the service manager is, what the shopping cart looks like has nothing to do with the process of how parts work at mth and have worked for decades. Do a search, you will see it all.
So instead of whining to the air, (seems we all like to do that more now a days) figure away to work around it. I order parts in bulk then I am my own parts manager. I don't care that it takes 6 weeks to fill my order, I have 2 month of most parts in stock. When they get less then a 2 month supply I reorder.
If it is a part I don't have the customer is told there will be a wait.
I worked with Jeff and Jason, both have good and bad attributes. ASC work with Deb is different than Customers with Midge. As Marty would say, and I seem to be quoting him a lot "it is what it is".
John, your reading into Jasons, comment and all I can say is I have had different experience adjusting an order. Much of it has do to with other factors including parts availability and actual work load during the period in my mind. I have gotten parts in 2 weeks during certain times.
As far as folks alerting on this thread, really?? Why?? Sensitive group? Jeez John still calls me for info and I call him for info, talked just last week. 2 calls if I remember right, I had a question and so did he. 
G
GGG posted:John, your reading into Jasons, comment and all I can say is I have had different experience adjusting an order. Much of it has do to with other factors including parts availability and actual work load during the period in my mind. I have gotten parts in 2 weeks during certain times.
I'm not sure how I could "read" into Jason's comment something that isn't there. I was stated pretty clearly. From his comments, it seems clear that Deb works on the oldest orders first, and whenever you add a part, the date on the order changes. If you have any documented evidence that isn't the case, I'd love to hear it. I can only go on what my experience is and then the pretty clear comments about how the system works from someone that should know.
I honestly can't see how I could have misunderstood his comments, they were pretty clear. I hope what Jason said is wrong or a total misunderstanding on my part. It's a royal PITA be afraid all the stuff will be delayed if I add a part to an order!
I was told the same as John. Add to the order and it gets bumped to the bottom. Both Jason and their head Technician relayed this information to me within the last 6 months. I need to order smoke unit and a few other parts but cannot fathom my now 4 week old order be bumped down. This not only hurts repair time but also the retail side of sales. Who wants to deal with a company that takes months to get their stuff fixed if there is a problem. It is no secret out in the public how bad MTH service is when it comes to getting parts. 
John, I explained it. The process has much listed in our Tech book. Other parts I garnered asking questions when I first started. To answer again, In the computer it is an open order. Deb pulls a report. She is now working through those reports. If she has a print out of an order in a que, how does your change to the computer effect that paper print out on her desk? It can't, the only way it can is if she does not run a report. At that point it could reset the order stamp. Once Deb is actively processing your order it shows up on the completed side where it may sit for some time being filled, researched, sent to sound engineer for file upload, etc... What is not being filled will still reside on the open section of web. Gives you a chance to interject if you are watching it. They have taken many approaches to how to do this, with complaints for ASC all over the place. In the end, one main person (Deb) with occasional temp help during time has to process order, bill order, intake parts and put in bins, track carcasses, give credits, handle warranty doing all the same things. Then it goes to shipping for shipment.
I think Jason was stating the final button is not a purchase or submit order button like Lionel or Digi Key. If Jason is saying you can change with out penalty over a weekend, that means some printout or process is going to occurred on a routine bassis. How you then change an order can not change that printout; Right?? Deb doesn't use the computer, she works off printouts or at least they did. There was an e-mail long ago from Deb that explained much and was one of the reasons that deleting or cancelling a part required a separate e-mail to Deb, so she would not fill it if it was on a print out.
So I do think your misreading his statement.
The only other evidence I can show, is I have invoice sheets where my order placed, modified and additional order placed all showed up together, with 3 different order numbers assigned. This would be impossible if thinks where as you think Jason said. My parts orders process in 3 to 6 weeks. If she only has 10 orders to process it would be easy for her to see that two are from me and combine them. If she has a stack of 60 she doesn't have the time to do that.
I would also state, the parts folks worked for Ryan who does TP and shipping. They were not direct report to Jason. MTH nor Lionel for that matter is Amazon making a billion dollars a month. We have been through that discussion to.
I have also been told by many customer who could not get their train fixed at a LHS because parts not available, yet I know not true. Some times waited a year, before they extracted their train from the LHS and sent to me, and I fixed in a few day. I have no clue what the tech thought or what he was doing to get the part.
These things take on a life of there own.
Lionel has issues too right, longest time they refused to repair trains except warranty or recent Legacy. You have to order part for LC and Legacy, boards have to be processed and loaded by Lionel. My last lionel order was 3 weeks. Get RA, ship the board, they fixed/replaced board and shipped back. Took 3 weeks.
I can't stock board because I can't load files for the engine with Lionel. Stocking parts for lionel comes with risk because they only warranty for 30 days. I have been stuck with bad boards. That is not a problem with MTH.
Lionel may have changed too, but they have a lot of parts no longer in stock or go to a third party, etc... Yes there website for parts with pictures is better but having to order all those board separately when needed, or turn in required before order filled is not conducive to customer and LHS satisfaction either. And takes a lot of my time.
When was their last training course? Why did a tech have to produce technical documents on Legacy shared with other techs?
I am sorry, but some tech just don't try to understand the process or the restraints and constraints of the business and process. They just want to complain. Once I realized how it was working and that it was never going to be improved fully I figured out how to work it. I built my own parts list, built my own common motor list, have my own useage tracking method and I try to stay ahead. I gave much of it to Jason, and my common motor list was suppose to be used to refine things, but I am sure bigger issue came along.
All the techs that are too lazy to load a sf themselves (remember Jason asked techs to stop doing this) because it has to go to the sound engineer for load or put in ZZ order that have to be researched even for items on there common parts list provided by MTH all slow down the system for others. Frankly I am sure there are Tech that place orders for 3 or 4 things and then repeat every few days. That is a lot of extra work then one large order. Bill, process and ship once, versus the same person billing, processing, shipping 3 times. MTH is a one person show per say.
This all really started when I said a new web site and a shopping cart is not the solution to this. Unfortunately the real solution is not in the budget. G
This discussion outlines why so many people are NOT buying trains! The quality of the current product is terrible and the companies importing them fall in the same category. What ever became of putting the customer first?
Gunny
GGG posted:John, I explained it. The process has much listed in our Tech book. Other parts I garnered asking questions when I first started.
You explained your understanding. Unfortunately, until we here from someone actually involved in the process, I'll believe what I've been told. As far as the book, it doesn't really match the current process.
GGG posted:So I do think your misreading his statement.
I know what I read, and it's hard to make the statement say anything other than what it does. I also know what I've experienced.
My final word. We'll agree to disagree on this topic.
Gunny, I do not think that your opinion is grounded in fact. I have 26 locos with DCS, which includes 4 made by Weaver and one by Lionel in 1953, plus a goodly number of older locos. I have had no quality issues with any of them, nor have my grandchildren who regularly beat on them. The above discussion is about obtaining parts. With thousands of products in operation, some many years old there will be requirements for some parts. Given the many different products MTH has produced since 1990, it is not feasible to keep every part of every model in stock.
I have locos dating back to before WWII, which were given to meNEW in 1941, and many dating from the years since. Looking back, I see no diminishment in quality. Those old pre-1955 engines had their share of problems.
RJR posted:Gunny, I do not think that your opinion is grounded in fact. I have 26 locos with DCS, which includes 4 made by Weaver and one by Lionel in 1953, plus a goodly number of older locos. I have had no quality issues with any of them, nor have my grandchildren who regularly beat on them. The above discussion is about obtaining parts. With thousands of products in operation, some many years old there will be requirements for some parts. Given the many different products MTH has produced since 1990, it is not feasible to keep every part of every model in stock.
With all due respect, you missed the whole point! I suggest reading again if you thought I was commenting about parts availability, because that has nothing to do with this discussion. Nowhere did I mention I was upset about a part that was not available.
Jason was great. This is not good.
GGG posted:Jeff your not hear what I am saying and are missing my point. I get they are slow. Never said they are not. Folks seem to imply if the system used was like lionels that would solve it all. All I said is no it would not. Your own example proves it. IF you place an incomplete order with lionel, it would process an ship. When you had to add the extra part that is another order with another shipping charge. What is the difference. If you don't like it stop doing MTH stuff. Or stop making incomplete orders.
It has been this way forever, so all these comments about who the service manager is, what the shopping cart looks like has nothing to do with the process of how parts work at mth and have worked for decades. Do a search, you will see it all.
So instead of whining to the air, (seems we all like to do that more now a days) figure away to work around it. I order parts in bulk then I am my own parts manager. I don't care that it takes 6 weeks to fill my order, I have 2 month of most parts in stock. When they get less then a 2 month supply I reorder.
If it is a part I don't have the customer is told there will be a wait.
I worked with Jeff and Jason, both have good and bad attributes. ASC work with Deb is different than Customers with Midge. As Marty would say, and I seem to be quoting him a lot "it is what it is".
John, your reading into Jasons, comment and all I can say is I have had different experience adjusting an order. Much of it has do to with other factors including parts availability and actual work load during the period in my mind. I have gotten parts in 2 weeks during certain times.
As far as folks alerting on this thread, really?? Why?? Sensitive group? Jeez John still calls me for info and I call him for info, talked just last week. 2 calls if I remember right, I had a question and so did he.
I see my order has finally processed from January. I ordered a motor for a Railking challenger an eccentric valve guide for a mountain m1a a smoke unit for an HO GS4 and a five pack of smoke unit motors. All listed as available. The only thing processed was the five pack smoke unit motors.
Going to quit complaining. It is what it is. I said more than I should have.
gunny posted:This discussion outlines why so many people are NOT buying trains! The quality of the current product is terrible and the companies importing them fall in the same category. What ever became of putting the customer first?
Gunny
Gunny, concur. While I haven't had any issues with trains (yet, I only own two locos and rolling stock), I've had an ABSOLUTE MISERABLE time with Lionel Fastrack switches and power supplies.
Brand new GW-180, lasted 15 minutes, burned up.
5 of 6 brand new FASTRACK Switches (3x O36, 2x O48) malfunctioned (derail trains, auto derailer wired backwards, points don't sit flush, points with excessive mold casting left on them(never filed off), lanterns don't stay on, lanterns indexed incorrectly (the actual gear/pinon underneath), switch motors jammed, etc etc). I returned one of the switches I couldn't fix myself, hooked it up tonight, the auto-derailer is wired backwards, AGAIN, and the points aren't even close (two-to-three sixteenths) off the rail they're supposed to sit flush on. Train goes flying off the switch, every time. This is total s%&@ quality control. Makes me want to throw up...completely unsatisfactory.
As a consumer, I have had many more quality control and parts availability problems with Lionel than MTH. The one problem we had with an MTH steam loco tether, being in the Columbia area I dropped the locomotive off on a Friday morning and it was repaired and ready by Monday. It was Christmas time, they could see my son was upset that it didn't work, and they turned it around pronto. On another occasion, a Lionel HHP locomotive that was also a Christmas present (part of the set from 10 or so years ago) sat broken for months due to unavailability of a board from Lionel. That was just a complete fail. Most recently, Lionel did not have in stock traction tires for a conventional classic hudson. That is basic stuff they should have. Jeff Kane did so problem solved. Thank goodness for the many knowledgeable and reputable members we have here as resources, including the two gentlemen mixing it up above. Maybe you both should try some half caf coffee!😀
I have had my full of Lionel QC, parts availability, and wait time issues, based on these and a number of other bad experiences. Yet there must be magic in those orange boxes as guys will continue to line up to buy the stuff with sky high prices and, judging from this forum, a significant out of the box problem rate. They will give kudos for having final quality control done at their time and expense and complement parts availability. I guess this is the business model used by Audi as well on their customers. At least they get a loaner car. LOL. The funny thing is that the Lionel stuff from the 90s and the early 2000s was and remains bullet proof. They should figure out what they were doing them and repeat it. We owned nothing from MTH before 2013.
Has anyone heard of a replacement for Jason yet?
Also we lost Dean from Lionel.
Chuck
No replacement that I know of, and apparently a bunch of the other folks at MTH are sitting the virus situation out, so I don't expect any action from them in the near future.
Thanks John, hop all is well with you!
I suspect Jason likely was as frustrated with the situation at MTH as many of the people posting are. Unfortunately MTH and Lionel kind of fall into the category of "Craft Businesses", in the sense that they are relatively low volume businesses targeting a fairly small, affluent market, and these kind of markets have never been known particularly for quality or quality of customer service for that matter, especially since there isn't really competition there, too small a business. One of the ironies of 'hand made craftmanship' and the like is that products produced that way aren't generally all that great on quality, and customer service is usually pretty crappy, too, because they are small businesses. Given the lack of competition, there is no incentive to create better customer service, it doesn't change customer experience, those who want to buy the products will, because there aren't alternatives. Note that doesn't mean that small companies are all poor customer service, small companies with competition generally use service to gain customers for examplem but if there is no financial inducement there isn't much reason to change things.
All we can do is hope that going forward things get better, with the current situation it isn't going to happen soon.
It’s a shame we lost both Jason and Dean. Both good guys. Hope they enjoy their new jobs.
