Looks like they pulled the thread. Doubt if this one will last either.
Guess they did not like my contacting the PA Attorney's General office.
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I think I understand your frustration, but...
Here's what I was about to post to your prior thread before it got zapped..
Originally Posted by gunrunnerjohn:
The U28C PRR only has the decal on the front of the locomotive. This was a change in production. We do not have any decals available.
Obviously, someone forgot to tell the PRR that there was only a keystone on the nose. 
LOL! But wait, Lionel might be on to something. The added Keystones to the prototypes might have been the so-called straw that broke the camel's back and true cause of the PRR's subsequent financial and operational demise. This then led to the PRR's bankruptcy and forced merger with its lifelong business competitor, the New York Central. Lionel can not risk the potential negative financial/operational impact that the added Keystones to this model might have to Lionel's business survival. Senior management can't take the chance that adding two or three extra decals eventually might lead to a forced merger with ...not on my watch ...say it isn't so ...MTH.
Originally Posted by gunrunnerjohn:
For as responsive as Lionel has been for other issues, I'm somewhat amazed at their intractability on this issue. It would have been pretty cheap to simply solve the problem and avoid all the bad press. I don't get it...
I think it's been proven over the past five to ten years that there is very limited practical knowledge or "make it right" or accountable decision making by both the big players in O gauge. We've seen very limited owning up to a mistake. MTH has taken a number of lumps with respect to prototype fidelity, production, and spelling mistakes over the years. We've seen a few mea culpa's from Andy E., but they continue to happen. On a positive note, thankfully these companies only make high priced toys and not life saving equipment.
Originally Posted by Trainman9:
It's a different Lionel from the one run so well by Dick Maddox. In his days this issue and others would have been handled correctly from the start.
Lionel, Mike Regan and the rest of the so called "Customer Service Group" are in total denial.
Their explanation that the engines were to only have a PRR Keystone decal on the nose is at best ridiculous and at worst a total lie. They are just hiding behind their statement in the catalog that they reserve the right to make changes.
I thought better of Mike but not any more. He used to be very accommodating.
I disagree with this comment. If I remember correctly, Dick Maddox's time at Lionel was relatively short and possibly more of a transitional position as Lionel struggled with the transition after Richard Kuhn left and the rise of new financial and manufacturing pressures created by the numerous competitors at the time. Mr. Maddox had a stellar reputation in the industry and he provided Lionel much needed stability and guidance at the top. This was the time when Lionel started ceasing its remaining U.S. manufacturing.
IMO, Mike Reagan is doing a great job with what he has to work with. Mike R. has greatly improved Lionel's service center operations and also with getting Lionel products exposed through his informational and service videos. Mike R. is probably inundated with putting out these "fires". At first glance Lionel's production/quality control situation may seem like great job security for those in service. I just hope that Lionel's current managerial and operational practices do not frustrate Mike R. to the point of leaving the company.
A department head can only accomplish with the tools they are given. If the supervisor ABOVE the Lionel Service Dept. does not authorize the purchase or creation of obtaining more Keystone decals then the Service Dept. can not provide them to the customers who are upset that their $300 toy does not look like the prototype. The Service Dept. customer service staff will and should not say we can't because "so and so" in pre-production approval goofed and "so & so #2" in operations said "no" to getting more decals for customers. Cust. support takes the heat and says sorry. It would be refreshing and at least polite to hear the mea culpas from the "so & sos", but don't hold your breath. Rationalize it that due to this "cosmetic defect" you were able to get that $600 MSRP loco for less than $300 or greater than half price.
Originally Posted by Trainman9:
I have contacted the Pennsylvania Attorney's General office and they are sending me a form to file a complaint against Lionel. The person I spoke with told me that they would attempt to intervene on my behalf. Since Lionel has a distribution warehouse in PA they are subject to PA laws. I plan on including copies of my e-mail correspondence with the complaint form.
We'll see if this gets any action.
I'll keep everyone posted on the outcome from complaint filing.
Anyone else can contact their states Attorney Generals office and file a complaint as well. This is a failure of Lionel to honor their written warranty for manufacturing defects.
The bottom line on all of this is that Lionel's failure to supply the correct decals reduces the value of the product so that anyone that purchased one of these engines has suffered financial damages.
Definitely a waste of time and paper. A.G. Kane's office is among other things, busy investigating bigger fish with the PSU/Sandusky/NCAA situation and the Gov.'s attempt to have the PA Lottery managed by a U.K. company. You can fix the cosmetic defect of your engine with a $7 sheet of decals, a little soft-set, and light spray of dullcote.
Um......what?
Just be glad you didn't buy one of the "whistle steam effect" locos that was delivered without, a little harder to fix than a decal, and these locos are priced higher than other larger locos that include the effect as described.
Hey Trainman9 - Why are you making such a big issue of this? Several posters have made excellent suggestions as to how you personally can correct this situation with little effort.
Why is the world would you "contact the PA attorney's office to file a claim against Lionel..etc..etc."
Frivolous litigation is a huge problem in our country and a waste of time. It also causes prices to rise due to companies having to defend themselves. We ask 'Why have our businesses moved off-shore'? This is one of them.
If you are unhappy with your purchase - sell it and buy something else...
I personally do not think it the amount of effort involved in the fix, rather being brushed off by a company that many of us have been loyal to. Just my opinion but it seems to me that oh well I can live with it or fix it myself could be one of the reasons our hobby is in the current state we have. When we sell items on the buy sell forum or the infamous e-bay we hold each other accountable why not our manufactures? Thanks for listening, putting away my soap box now. Jim R.
Seems strange that OGR squashed the last thread on this subject. It is an issue when a manufacture gives out a lame excuse as was in this case.
