Re: 25-30 Days to Fett
jlcmsu said:
He said give me a price discount or I'm gonna cancel. That's a threat in my book as far as keeping his order.
Josh, the customer said no such thing. He asked if the
FIGURE was getting a price cut because of the plastic. He never said that he wanted Sideshow to give
him a price cut.
He then asked for a response so he could make an informed decision whether or not to cancel. It is pretty clear that he wants to buy a statue made of higher-quality materials for the $350 price point, but he will pass on a plastic statue for $350.
Never did he issue a threatening ultimatum or even a veiled one at that. His e-mail was a simply query to a company of which he is a customer. I can honestly see a retailer sending SSC the same e-mail.
Think of it as being in the market for an HDTV. You're going to spend X amount of dollars for a certain quality of components. There is new information that the components in that HDTV will not be the high-quality you want. So you e-mail the company asking if the price will come down to reflect the change. If so, great you'll buy it. If not, you'll pass on that model and wait for something better.
Sorry, Josh, this customer was not rude or threatening. Sideshow's response, on the other hand, was abrupt, unsympathetic, and a little bit condescending.
And just so you don't have to point this out, I am simply stating my informed opinion using the facts and information at hand.
kodiak8658 said:
Two things of note...
One: Sideshow has alot of customers and although they try to please them, there is a percentage of about 10% of their base that will never be happy no matter how the CSR trys to please them. Also, I have personally spoken to one of the owners and their stand is they will attempt to diffuse and rectify a CS problem but if they can't...there's the door. They will sell their items to the next person on the wait list with no regrets. Pure business.
Two: I have spoken to one of the artists of the Boba Fett PF and they say it is purely a business decision to make him totally out of plastic...to keep production costs low and to avoid the shipping and returns dilema associated with shipping an overly fragile piece. So there it is. Cheaper to produce the item and built in insurance that the piece will make it to the customer undamaged. Pure business.
Looks like our collectibles baby is growing up. :emperor
For a company that apparently prides itself on being collector-oriented, this is disheartening news because it sounds as though they are becoming more like other SW licensees such as Hasbro. But this is a capitalistic society, and the almight dollar rules all in business.
But then I hope Sideshow isn't surprised if their business decisions result in reduced sales to long-time collectors because we have our own business decisions to make. We only have X amount of dollars for collectibles, and we will go elsewhere to buy something if we're not happy here.
Speaking on a personal level, I've made this decision already in terms of armored 1/6 scale figures. The body type needs significant improvement, and Sideshow is taking far too long to make troopers. So I've gone to Medicom instead to buy the Stormtrooper, and its body puts ol' Bucky to shame. I've already ordered the Fett, and I'm considering the ROTS Clone and ROTJ Vader if money allows. The scale doesn't bother me, and now there are at least two (if not four) figure sales that Sideshow has lost with me because of their business decisions affecting my decisions.
If Sideshow's opinion really is "there's the door", then I think many people will glad close it behind them on the way out.
Whatever you say...
"impressive, most impressive, but you are not a Jedi yet..." :emperor
