I can't believe I actually read this entire post. OP, just wants to rant. Worst part he states he's been warned about how toxic message boards are, yet fuels the fire that makes it that way. You sent and email from the shitter at work to TFsource, and expect a response before you wiped your ass?? Then you call Hasbro ($100 says it was Hasbro Toy Shop he called) Which is actually just a distributor them selves. Thinks he got a rep that has the directory to all authorized and unauthorized retailers, then deems TFSource untrustworthy? I'm sorry, but I don't normally feed into this shit, but please lock this thread and GTFO!


Wait there's more..... If you called Hasbro, Hasbro Toy Shop, or Walmart, you had the time to go through their ungodly call tree and wait times, fuel up this shit storm in this post, but couldn't call TFSource who's only call tree is an answering machine that picks up when they are closed??? Again GTFO!

 

I love how people who politely and respectfully state that they have had good experiences with TFSource customer service are some how ass kissers and thus their point is invalid.

  OMG I needed that. awesome post  

 

Even if the OP was a bit impatient, the responses here are insanely hostile.

 

Authorized dealers get their shipments directly from Hasbro, so if you have any defects in a toy you buy from them, it's covered under Hasbro's warranty.

 

What is Hasbro's "warranty" exactly? I've purchased plenty of products from them, but have never received or seen any sort of warranty information.

As a business, Hasbro offers to replace products, but as stated, they don't promise the same item. That doesn't sound like any sort of warranty. Anywhere you shop for your Transformers, you're better off trying to return and/or exchange the product with the retailer you purchased it from, authorized or not.

 

Yatta yatta angry rant, blah blah angry troll reply.

Dudes. Chill.

Before today I had no idea there was such a thing as an authorized/unauthorized dealer. I get so much stuff from 3rd and 5th parties that the whole idea seems too hot to handle and too cold to hold.

After having dealt with so many dealers there are always unavoidable issues...all of them factory errors for me, mind you... but I've corresponded, followed up, always courteous, and to date all transactions were resolved amicably.

Tfsource, BBTS, Amoktime, HLJ, capturedprey, Robotkingdom, HTS, Toysrus, Walmart, Target, A3U, TFdirect, Aces, Amazon, TFL, the dreaded ebay; all these and more I've used to acquire my plastic crack, knowing full well they are not immune to factory errors. You wouldn't want any of those guys calling you saying what a crappy job you're doing at your job when it's not even your fault.

-Kronatron.

 

List of authorized retailers
Hasbro Shop | Hasbro Store | Hasbro
Return Policy
https://www.hasbro.com/en-us/ecom/return-policy

It says hasbro toys shop but the returns link on the bottom of the "where to buy" page also links to the same return page.

And this explains why the United States considers that a warranty.

Warranties

 

Why wouldn't you want to call them? Would you not call your cable provider? Cell phone provider? Insurance provider? You can e-mail them too, but sometimes calling can be faster. To each their own. I don't know why you're so hostile against those who have had good experiences with Kurt and Diane. I've never had any problems with them because I chose to exercise patience in waiting for their response each and every time I've contacted them for any issues. The last one? Well that was a doozy! I ordered MP-22 from them. It got stolen right from my front porch! I e-mailed them, provided a police report number and everything. That shipment they sent to me contained what are now RARE TF KREOS that I will never be able to get again. And do you know what they did for me? They sent me a FREE MP-22 to replace the one that was stolen from my front porch. And, at absolutely no charge to me!

How many retailers would go out of their way to do that for you? If TF Source was so evil, vile, disgusting, untrustworthy, deserving of being burned at the stake or whatever.....then why would they go out of their way like that to make things right for little ol me? For positive word of mouth? Ok. But even one bad word of mouth is 10x more effective than one good word of mouth. Take that for what you will.

 

What if OP got Trypticon as a gift & is unable to track down where point of sale originated... would Hasbro replace a defective toy under such circumstances where a consumer can't provide proof if their product is came from an authorized merchant...?

 

The responses I have read were wondering why the OP didn't give TFS a few days to respond to an email sent over the weekend. They were also sharing their own experiences with TFS, be they positive or negative.
Nobody was kissing anyone's ass, as you so bluntly claim.

Fact of the matter is, not all experiences with retailers will be satisfactory. Things won't always be resolved the way the consumer wants it to.

By no means am I saying TFS haven't had issues, they have. However, so have BBTS, HLJ, AE, NY and every other online retailer. Does it suck? Hell yes, but unfortunately, it's part of the ebb and flow of the industry.

 

I am a former supporter of TFsource, and made 95% of my purchases through them from 2012-2013. My return in 2016 had me deal with their changes in a way that I will not buy from them as long as it is not vintage and/or graded. This is the nicest way I can say this. As for the customer service, you will receive your best results by phone. Emailing them is often a mixed result, and one of their employees gave me a response that resulted in me making this mutual (as discussed with the CSR) decision. But in regards to being "untrustworthy"... You never had to deal with Sony the way I had to during their PS3 days. THAT was the worst.

Also, authorized dealers are not going to give you the red carpet treatment. They might have an answer to your issues, but it does not mean they will have the chance to fix it. A percentage of those who are collectors will cite this as well, while others will not care if it means that the "unauthorized" store that buys their products in bulk will have the best deal. Which is why I, personally, am willing to pay a "premium" if it helps me feel that the piece will be "Asperger syndrome friendly". And even then, I have a few stories on that not happening.  

It was toxic for me in 2016. To the point I started to believe that when it came to English speaking fandoms, this franchise had it the worst. And hearing how it is now being seen as such has me feel bad for the members here that want it to stop, but have no clue on how to do so. Which is why I pretty much returned with no figures in my collection, and the hopes of finding a friendlier fansite.

If I can offer some popcorn while suggesting this, behaviors like his should have been a good reason for there to be a forum dedicated to these businesses. Easy to moderate, quickest to help resolve these issues, and can include phone numbers when emailing them does not work. And it might be helpful to new collectors, or even returning ones that are unaware of changes made to their previous favorite stores.

Plus, a percentage of anti-TFsource people tend to either be uncooperative, hostile, or pro-BBTS folks.

 

Oh boy, Entertainment Earth is on that list...wow, seriously, if you think TFsource is bad, just skip EE.

 

Hate to break it to you, but Hasbro wouldn't do anything even if TFsource was an "authorized" dealer. All buyers complaints are handled at the store/retailer you purchased from. The most hasbro would do for you is off an exchange for an "equally priced product."

Also, I don't believe BBTS is an "authorized" Hasbro dealer anymore either. (EDIT: Looks like they still are)

I don't use TFsource anymore myself, just because they typically are the last to get things in, but I've never had a problem with them. When it came to any customer service issues, I'd just use the form on their website (not a direct email) and it would be responded to in a couple of days.

 

That just seems like a return policy to me. A warranty tends to make better promises than standard return policies, though not all do. I mean that's great that the United States government has such a broad interpretation, but that doesn't mean it makes any sense.

 

Too many snowflakes taking differing opinions from faceless nobodies too seriously.

Enjoy your toys. Do what's best for you regards issues. If you think a place is toxic then leave.

All common sense.

 

Of course their authorized, they'd have to be in order to get exclusive products.

Quite frankly I've never done business with TFSource nor do I intend to, simply because I prefer to sticking with tried and true e-tailers I've done business with in the past and had no issues with. That being said, common sense is a commodity rarely employed when nerdrage is in full effect. I've been guilty of some stupid decisions myself under it's effects. I would strongly suggest a good soothing bubble bath or dip in a hot tub with maybe some comfort food to mellow out before taking necessary steps to rectify any consumer issues that may develop due to nerdrage Quality Control caused problems in future.

 

These threads need to stop. Period. I've been shopping from TFSource for nearly 5 years and have had nothing but positive experiences each time. It's not that hard to call them or use their Contact Us form on their website if you have issues. I've done it quite a few times and usually get replies within 2-3 days. If you're expecting instant replies, maybe they aren't for you. But issues like this take some patience, something more and more people seem to be lacking these days. Also, if it was missing a part out of the box, then Hasbro should replace it regardless of whom you bought it from. Just keep calling back and try to get someone else willing to help if the first rep won't. Don't be afraid to ask to speak to a manager either. They would rather replace a $2 part than risk losing a customer. It's how businesses work.

Protip: You are way more likely to get a quicker and more favorable response if you are courteous in your messages. Writing them in anger and demanding assistance likely won't get you very far. Remember that they are people too.

 

Funny, the authorized sellers are shops that are or have released exclusives before. Obviously, unAuthorized does not mean they are bad sellers .... just that they are regular resellers with no special treatment from hasbro. But I am sure hasbro is happy to have unAuthorized Sellers.

I had a problem with botcon set before once and Tf source Fixed it, it was in 2014. Don t know if their customer support evolved since.

 

It's not "nerdrage" to expect a $150 product to come unbroken and with all of its parts. Just because it's not TFsource's fault doesn't mean Hasbro didn't fuck up.

 

It's a shame you didn't have luck getting a response from TFSource -- yeah they can be a little slow at responding but they've ALWAYS taken care of an issue once they got around to my email. Granted, if I don't hear from them in a few days after getting the automated response, I usually follow up using the case number as a reference.

Regarding them being an unauthorized dealer -- I suppose that kind of makes sense. They probably work through some other distributor that deals as a middle-man between them and Hasbro rather than working with Hasbro directly (like Walmart, Target, TRU, etc) since they just can't hit those sorts of orders. It's good to know that Hasbro doesn't consider them an "authorized dealer" though so I guess I won't be contact them looking for support on official releases.