Recently a number of people within my gaming group and the larger community have bought or received items from Wyrd for the new game "The Other Side".
Upon opening the boxes it is a common, almost garuanteed occurrence that at least one model within the box will be bent beyond the ability for it to be used for its intended purpose, and/or so poorly assembled that it again requires a level of repair that should not be expected in a game touted heavily as "ready to play, fully assembled miniatures".
Upon contacting Wyrd regarding a piece, bought at retail pricing of AUD $95, which had bent wheels/chassis so bad that without a large amount of work to repair is completely unusable.
A reply was received from Wyrds "customer service" department, providing a link to a thread in this forum with instructions on how to fix/repair your own models using hot and cold water, bending them and /or freezing them.
No responsibility is being taken by Wyrd addressing the issues a large number of customers around the world have with these sub par models.
I understand that the models were always going to be fully assembled PVC. But for the price point, the models should be complete, with no or very, very minimal issues. And where there ARE issues, Wyrd should be rectifying them as is expected of a company providing sub par and inferior faulty goods or services.
Within this response is the gem - "I apologize for the trouble with your warped plastic. It's not an uncommon issue with certain kinds of plastic, and thankfully there is an extremely simple fix!" -
If this is the case, Wyrd, why do you insist on using this medium, and continuing to charge such blatantly exorbitant prices for it?
In any case, these fixes are frequently temporary in nature, and should also not be the first response from a company providing the fault in the first place.
Reaper miniatures has similar issues, however these are not attempting to pass them off as premium or charging premium prices for the experience.
In Australia, consumers are protected by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. This gives consumers certain rights when it comes to purchases, and requires suppliers, distributors and manufacturers to abide by certain obligations.
A few things are required of products sold here.
<Products must be of acceptable quality, that is:
-safe, lasting, with no faults
-look acceptable
-do all the things someone would normally expect them to do.
-Acceptable quality takes into account what would normally be expected for the type of product and cost.
Products must also:
-match descriptions made by the salesperson, on packaging and labels, and in promotions or advertising
-match any demonstration model or sample you asked for
-be fit for the purpose the business told you it would be fit for and for any purpose that you made known to the business before purchasing
-meet any extra promises made about performance, condition and quality.
You can claim a remedy from the retailer if the products do not meet any one or more of the consumer guarantees, with the exception of availability of spare parts and repair facilities.
The remedies you can seek from the retailer who sold you the product include a repair, replacement, or refund and in some cases compensation for damages and loss.
The retailer can’t refuse to help you by sending you to the manufacturer or importer>
So essentially, if Wyrd is able but not willing to help. Or visa versa then consumers should go directly to the FLGS that sold the products for refund or replacement.
Essentially Wyrd is now passing the buck onto the local stores, as it's all a bit "too hard basket" for them it seems.
This is disappointing from a company known for the quality of its models.
If Wyrd is not able to change the plastic used, at the VERY least, it could review its packaging methods. Having said that, I don't think that would suffice, due to the woeful quality of this material.
This is absolutely losing Wyrd customers for ToS, and the lack of support is losing them customers in general.
What is Wyrds response to this issue?