Not allowed both September polybags in store?

[Guest TabbyBoy]

I've been lucky to get 8 VW mini campers with 8 separate UK orders with 2 more to hopefully arrive this week.  One of my 10230s did have a damaged box but, I didn't report it as they'd probably assume only a reseller/speculator would do that.  Too late now as I've now built it and it looks superb.  i think I'm under the radar still.

[Guest TabbyBoy]

What ban?  I am not banned you foolish troll. I returned a bunch of stuff that I had second thoughts on from my extensive inventory to make a point at one of my 4 local lego stores.  All 5 cards are still active, my 5 online accounts are still active, and I can walk into any of the 4 stores and buy whatever/whenever I want. 

 

Yes honestly--I did have 4 VIP cards----there is a picture not far up in the posts.  I have 5 now--actually.  I don't care about rules or laws, that has already been established---and it's not a game to me..as evidenced by the pictures of my tens of thousands of dollars in inventory found elsewhere on the site.  What happened ike--batteries low in your camera?  Where is your lavish lego inventory you keep refrencing?

The fact you have more than 1 card tells me you know you are going against TLG policy and doing something wrong. To be honest Willy when I become a grandpa I hope I have better things to do than try to pick a fight with lego staff members when clearly you are in the wrong 100%.

 

Put your toys back in the pram please, guys. ;-)

 

It's up to LEGO whether they check or enforce their policy, not us.

[Fcbarcelona101]

The fact you have more than 1 card tells me you know you are going against TLG policy and doing something wrong. To be honest Willy when I become a grandpa I hope I have better things to do than try to pick a fight with lego staff members when clearly you are in the wrong 100%.

Coming from the same guy who did this:

Thanks for the tip. I took the clearance tags off the weathertops so the price reads $59.99 instead of $50 nobody would buy it .. I will go tommorow and clean house .. I highly doubt they will be gone since people will think its $60 and just walk by

[DoNotInsertIntoMouth]

Coming from the same guy who did this:

 

Wonderfully put. I am sorry man, but you just can't have it both ways.

 

You can't break rules you choose to break and then act like other people are morally wrong. Willy seems to fully understand what he was doing, but you guys are missing the point: He wasn't mad because Lego wasn't letting him do something, he was mad because one Lego store was making up a policy (yes it is made up) to keep his son from getting two polybags. However misguided it seems, I think he knows that.

 

Whats worse is condemning others from breaking said rules, and then continuing to do it yourself.

 

 

Iketart I think you have been listening to that "popping tags" song too much.

[segreto]

Coming from the same guy who did this:

 

Burn.

 

That is pretty much breaking the rules one step away from stealing the damn things or putting a turd on a box so no one else wants it.  Anyway, what is wrong with having multiple VIP cards?  I only have 1, but was going to get one for my wife and each of my kids.  Would Lego be watching me closer or even ban me for doing this?  We are all at the same address, so it's not like I could hide that we are related or something, but having 4 cards would allow us to buy more of sets like the LE Crawler and get more catalogs (if they will ship more than 1 to the same address).  I don't really shop at the Lego Store much, but I do use the PAB wall and I would like to have my kids involved in their own memberships.  

[willy431]

I have 3 cards, my wife one, and my brother one---all under the same roof.  I assumed if Lego had an issue with my multiple accounts--they wouldn't have let me sign up multiple times.  Only difference was my email addresses.  We also get multiple catalogs, and multiple (now useless) 10% off coupons.  This comes in handy for limited purchases--while still being able to rack up points.  They do check your purchase history in store now for violation of their limits.  There are 3 ways around this----purchase without a vip card--have a friend/family purchase for you with/out a VIP card--or get multiple vip cards--which I chose.

 

The (new) manager of my closest lego store made my son choose between the 2 polybags.  I explained to him we should get both, as we can get both on the website.  I was told we could only choose one.  I didn't make a scene--as I have to pretend to be mature when in public with my 5 year old--but had a plot hatched in my mind.  To voice my displeasure with this store policy, I brought back first $300 in purchases.  The manager gave me more grief---so I decided to go back and return $2k more in merchandise.  I vote with my wallet---when my voice and letters aren't heard--the way all consumers should. 

 

The world needs followers, we can't all be leaders.

 

I do what is best for me.  Lego is free to make their policy, and I am free to make my own policy.  My policy is to buy whatever I want in a public store.  If my commerce is thwarted, the dollars will find a way around the blockage and towards the goods--they always do.  I just hope legos don't go the way of the liquor in the 20s, and drugs today.  Although I guess ebay and craigslist is the street corner/speakeasy of today.  People are "unpolicy-ly" buying multiple copies of the 41999 against all standard lego policy on the secondary market. 

 

Who cares.

[segreto]

It's funny how a store's policy can get confused with the law or even ethics.  If they let you buy something, you did nothing wrong.  Isn't that funny...they let you buy something.  I know why they have a limit on purchases, and it makes sense for the company to have that kind of policy, but they let you buy something.  Since the cards are in your family's names, I think you did the right thing and did not break the rules.  Now, if they do take away your VIP, then you broke their policy.  But it is only a policy.  I wonder how quickly that same policy would change if their sales started to tank.  Would they be so aggressive about letting you buy their products then?   I bet if your local stores started to report a 50% loss for 2 quarters, they would send you a new VIP card for every member of your family plus one (That is if they ever did take away the VIP cards).

 

TLG was right and Willie was right.  The store manager was wrong on many levels: accusing someone of being a re-seller (even if he is one), telling Willie his VIP will be yanked (unless this is a corporate suit masquerading as a manager), and denying a kid a Lego (unless he could show him on the register how it will not allow him to give 2).  I have nothing against 40-year-old Lego managers.  After I retire from teaching, I might pursue that myself.  But I do think he was an arrogant bastard for confronting a customer with a child like that.  Had I been there, I would have called their corporate and complained about the manager and his treatment of a customer.  Willie complained with his dollars.  Good for him. 

[Guest TabbyBoy]

Unfortunately these "jobsworths" share our atmosphere.  I always try to stay on the side of the law and any written legally-binding policy however, if there's a legal loophole, my fat butt will squeeze through it somehow!  Yes, I'm guilty of multiple 41999 orders but wouldn't you all be given the chance?

[Quacs]

 

The (new) manager of my closest lego store made my son choose between the 2 polybags.  I explained to him we should get both, as we can get both on the website.  I was told we could only choose one.  I didn't make a scene--as I have to pretend to be mature when in public with my 5 year old--but had a plot hatched in my mind.  To voice my displeasure with this store policy, I brought back first $300 in purchases.  The manager gave me more grief---so I decided to go back and return $2k more in merchandise.  I vote with my wallet---when my voice and letters aren't heard--the way all consumers should. 

 

 

Willy, that's exactly how you should have handled the situation.  Good for you.  Hopefully this jerk of a manager learns from this.

 

While you may be tempting fate, a complaint to TLC's Customer Service would hit him from both ends. 

[gregpj]

The (new) manager of my closest lego store made my son choose between the 2 polybags.  I explained to him we should get both, as we can get both on the website.  I was told we could only choose one.  I didn't make a scene--as I have to pretend to be mature when in public with my 5 year old--but had a plot hatched in my mind.  To voice my displeasure with this store policy, I brought back first $300 in purchases.  The manager gave me more grief---so I decided to go back and return $2k more in merchandise.  I vote with my wallet---when my voice and letters aren't heard--the way all consumers should.

 

I'd have probably made a scene in front of my five year old and then tried to justify to him that sometimes you have to stand up for your rights, so good on you. I also 100% agree with what you did... whether you've skirted the rules for your purchasing isn't the point here. The manager sounds like a big baby and deserved it. It doesn't seem like you ranted or called him names but instead voted with your wallet.

 

Personally I don't have more than 1 VIP card... To me it's not worth the effort. But if Lego lets you do it, then all the power to you. Their VIP database needs some work if changing your email address is all it takes. What they ought to have is a VIP points balance per household, then you could have multiple accounts linked to the same balance and you could police "limit X per household" or "limit 1 per person in a household" type rules.

[krayzie]

TLG was right and Willie was right.  The store manager was wrong on many levels: accusing someone of being a re-seller (even if he is one), telling Willie his VIP will be yanked (unless this is a corporate suit masquerading as a manager), and denying a kid a Lego (unless he could show him on the register how it will not allow him to give 2).  I have nothing against 40-year-old Lego managers.  After I retire from teaching, I might pursue that myself.  But I do think he was an arrogant bastard for confronting a customer with a child like that.  Had I been there, I would have called their corporate and complained about the manager and his treatment of a customer.  Willie complained with his dollars.  Good for him. 

Willy already said that the guy showed him on the computer that it only allowed one polybag per transaction.

 

The manager was wrong in the way he handled the situation but Willy isn't exactly an innocent party. The whole thing never would have happened if Willy did not have a "return plan" in place for when they asked him about the free polybag. He knew that he was most likely going to be asked to return it but he still purposely left it in his car so that he could walk back into the store with even more crap to return just to prove a point... You can't blame the store employees for how corporate programmed the POS system.

[lowillsw]

 

Honestly 4 VIP cards willy???? I think Willy did not play by the rules and acted so carelessly and the ban was well deserved.

 

How is that against policy to have 4 VIP cards? TLG want each person in the family to have their onw card and are happy to have the accounts linked.

[DoNotInsertIntoMouth]

Willy already said that the guy showed him on the computer that it only allowed one polybag per transaction.

 

The manager was wrong in the way he handled the situation but Willy isn't exactly an innocent party. The whole thing never would have happened if Willy did not have a "return plan" in place for when they asked him about the free polybag. He knew that he was most likely going to be asked to return it but he still purposely left it in his car so that he could walk back into the store with even more crap to return just to prove a point... You can't blame the store employees for how corporate programmed the POS system.

 

They usually dont ring them up. Mine never has, ever.

[segreto]

Willy already said that the guy showed him on the computer that it only allowed one polybag per transaction.

 

The manager was wrong in the way he handled the situation but Willy isn't exactly an innocent party. The whole thing never would have happened if Willy did not have a "return plan" in place for when they asked him about the free polybag. He knew that he was most likely going to be asked to return it but he still purposely left it in his car so that he could walk back into the store with even more crap to return just to prove a point... You can't blame the store employees for how corporate programmed the POS system.

 That's why I had my (parenthesis); I just worded it incorrectly.   Anyway, Willie is my Lego Store Hero.  If he had just returned a few hundred in sets, no big deal.  But buy returning the amount that he did, that will be a big blip on the daily receipts for the manager to explain.  And, if he explains it correctly, some comptroller at Lego will see a possible effect of pushing back on re-sellers.  If anything, the store manager should be asking himself how he could have handled that differently.  WIllie's return might have zeroed out the entire day of sales for that store.  At the very least, it made a dent and a poor display of professionalism at a Lego showroom.  

 

Look at the possible systemic effects for Lego because of this:  

1. Willie, his family, and every person in that store now has a bad experience to remember at a Lego Store.  I am 100% sure that the employees are mandated to make every customer 100% happy in the showroom of toys.  (Sure, there are exceptions, but this was not one of them.)  

2. The manager made a decisive rift between the Lego Corporation and a type of customer.  In no possible sense of the word profits  would any company seek to have a rift between itself and any type of customer.  Never going to happen.  They might try to control certain aspects of customer relationships and allowances, but dividing themselves from any customer base is ridiculous. 

3. Statistical probability of  damage to franchise name and reputation.  Say this were to happen:  I am an English teacher in a poor neighborhood and I use Lego bricks in my classroom.  If I were to walk into a Lego Store and have the same encounter as Willie, I would be a news story.  "Teacher of poor students denied Lego building sets for his students"  However someone wanted to spin that story, Lego is a fracking monster.  Lego knows this, they have teams of people working on customer relations and writing manuals on how to handle these things.  Lucky for that manager Willie was not a priest buying Lego sets for Christmas gifts at the orphanage.  

[Spartikis]

I have 3 cards, my wife one, and my brother one---all under the same roof.  I assumed if Lego had an issue with my multiple accounts--they wouldn't have let me sign up multiple times.  Only difference was my email addresses.  We also get multiple catalogs, and multiple (now useless) 10% off coupons.  This comes in handy for limited purchases--while still being able to rack up points.  They do check your purchase history in store now for violation of their limits.  There are 3 ways around this----purchase without a vip card--have a friend/family purchase for you with/out a VIP card--or get multiple vip cards--which I chose.

 

The (new) manager of my closest lego store made my son choose between the 2 polybags.  I explained to him we should get both, as we can get both on the website.  I was told we could only choose one.  I didn't make a scene--as I have to pretend to be mature when in public with my 5 year old--but had a plot hatched in my mind.  To voice my displeasure with this store policy, I brought back first $300 in purchases.  The manager gave me more grief---so I decided to go back and return $2k more in merchandise.  I vote with my wallet---when my voice and letters aren't heard--the way all consumers should. 

 

The world needs followers, we can't all be leaders.

 

I do what is best for me.  Lego is free to make their policy, and I am free to make my own policy.  My policy is to buy whatever I want in a public store.  If my commerce is thwarted, the dollars will find a way around the blockage and towards the goods--they always do.  I just hope legos don't go the way of the liquor in the 20s, and drugs today.  Although I guess ebay and craigslist is the street corner/speakeasy of today.  People are "unpolicy-ly" buying multiple copies of the 41999 against all standard lego policy on the secondary market. 

 

Who cares.

Usually the best way to get attention and change things is with money. If im not happy with a product or service i return it and let them know ill buy a competitors product or at least for a different retailer.

[Quacs]

 That's why I had my (parenthesis); I just worded it incorrectly.   Anyway, Willie is my Lego Store Hero.  If he had just returned a few hundred in sets, no big deal.  But buy returning the amount that he did, that will be a big blip on the daily receipts for the manager to explain.  And, if he explains it correctly, some comptroller at Lego will see a possible effect of pushing back on re-sellers.  If anything, the store manager should be asking himself how he could have handled that differently.  WIllie's return might have zeroed out the entire day of sales for that store.  At the very least, it made a dent and a poor display of professionalism at a Lego showroom.  

 

Look at the possible systemic effects for Lego because of this:  

1. Willie, his family, and every person in that store now has a bad experience to remember at a Lego Store.  I am 100% sure that the employees are mandated to make every customer 100% happy in the showroom of toys.  (Sure, there are exceptions, but this was not one of them.)  

2. The manager made a decisive rift between the Lego Corporation and a type of customer.  In no possible sense of the word profits  would any company seek to have a rift between itself and any type of customer.  Never going to happen.  They might try to control certain aspects of customer relationships and allowances, but dividing themselves from any customer base is ridiculous. 

3. Statistical probability of  damage to franchise name and reputation.  Say this were to happen:  I am an English teacher in a poor neighborhood and I use Lego bricks in my classroom.  If I were to walk into a Lego Store and have the same encounter as Willie, I would be a news story.  "Teacher of poor students denied Lego building sets for his students"  However someone wanted to spin that story, Lego is a fracking monster.  Lego knows this, they have teams of people working on customer relations and writing manuals on how to handle these things.  Lucky for that manager Willie was not a priest buying Lego sets for Christmas gifts at the orphanage.  

 

To piggyback on this, I think the most important part of this episode (and what I hope TLC really takes to heart) is that it highlighted the inconsistency in TLC's polybag policy.  If I were ponytail guy, I have would been on the phone with corporate in a nanosecond after Willy returned all those sets screaming that the S@H polybag policy was undercutting his sales, creating ill-will, and causing a good customer to return loads of merchandise.  To me, it's the inconsistency between the two policies that is such a headscratcher.  If they want to limit PBs to one per order, fine - just make it consistent across all Lego retail outlets.

[willy431]

Odd that some of you say the polys aren't scanned.  I've been going to lego stores---all 4 of my local stores--for 2 years now---and every single time--they have scanned the poly.  Only one they didn't was the hero factory brain pack. I of course believe you--just find it odd.  I have been given 2 free polys in the past--when qualified.  Such as just last month---free friends poly, and free galaxy squad for spending $50 or more and any friends purchase---they didn't make us choose.

 

This may go hand in hand with the new rule that you must return any free promo poly, if you return part of your order on that receipt.  Even though you didn't want it--they gave it to you for free.  They have never asked for their posters back---not yet.

[lowillsw]

The 2 occasions that I got both polys this month, they put 1 onto the POS and 1 was just notched on their daily sheet. The staff knows it's their system so they just override it manually. When they forgot in the past they would just write in on my receipt and notch their daily sheet.

The thing with pulling off the clearance sticker is unethical anyway you put it. If it's another bargain hunter, he/she would just scan the box and wouldve bought it anyways. I just dont understand how that would deter anyone.

[kvasir]

Went to my Lego store today and was only given the clone trooper. I asked if I get the camper as well and one cashier said no, one or the other, while another staff said yes I get both. I mentioned I would get both if purchasing online so I was given the camper as well "this time". Apparently the order to give one or the other and not both came from the manager. Anyone else had this problem? Or is it just them sticking it to us canadians again lol *insert complaints and moans and groans about canadian prices*

Yep this also happened to a customer at the cashier next to me at the Calgary store. I felt sorry for them.

Couple years ago I remember the cashier SUGGESTED that I break up my purchase so I could get TWO polybags. Time has changed. This past weekend I couldn't even get more than two Christmas promo on separate visits hours apart from different cashier clerk. They must be showing up on my VIP card.

[Diabolos80]

Holy thread resurrection, Batman!

Look for teenage employees. Honey Badger don't give a sh*t.

[kvasir]

Holy thread resurrection, Batman!

Look for teenage employees. Honey Badger don't give a sh*t.

I have mixed feelings towards teenage employees. They go by the book sometimes and lacks common sense customer service approach.

The LEGO store employees at my location seem to be all trained to ask: "Who's getting all the LEGO?" when you check out. Last month I felt honest and I "outed" myself as a reseller to a younger employee, who then promptly alerted the manager who then refused sale to me. (which was when I first learned about the unwritten no-resale policy). I was turning away to leave. Then the manager retracted and said he'll sell one of each keychain. I was so pissed, I walked right out without the 75$+ worth of discounted keychain and didn't get my VW camper poly.

[MartinP]

I have mixed feelings towards teenage employees. They go by the book sometimes and lacks common sense customer service approach.

The LEGO store employees at my location seem to be all trained to ask: "Who's getting all the LEGO?" when you check out. Last month I felt honest and I "outed" myself as a reseller to a younger employee, who then promptly alerted the manager who then refused sale to me. (which was when I first learned about the unwritten no-resale policy). I was turning away to leave. Then the manager retracted and sale he'll sell one of each keychain. I was so pissed, I walked right out without the 75$+ worth of discounted keychain and didn't get my VW camper poly.

My local lego store never asks what the Lego sets are for. If they did, I would say that they are for my family.

[kvasir]

This may go hand in hand with the new rule that you must return any free promo poly, if you return part of your order on that receipt.  Even though you didn't want it--they gave it to you for free.  They have never asked for their posters back---not yet.

I find that rule reasonable, though and wouldn't expect anything otherwise. Else people would be buying and returning things just to keep the freebie.

This is not recent. I remember that with the silver C3PO poly awhile ago. I actually forgot to bring the poly for the return and they subtracted off 4.99 or whatever it was from the return credit.

Mind you, that is a great way to "buy" a promo freebie by itself.

[DoNotInsertIntoMouth]

I have mixed feelings towards teenage employees. They go by the book sometimes and lacks common sense customer service approach.

The LEGO store employees at my location seem to be all trained to ask: "Who's getting all the LEGO?" when you check out. Last month I felt honest and I "outed" myself as a reseller to a younger employee, who then promptly alerted the manager who then refused sale to me. (which was when I first learned about the unwritten no-resale policy). I was turning away to leave. Then the manager retracted and said he'll sell one of each keychain. I was so pissed, I walked right out without the 75$+ worth of discounted keychain and didn't get my VW camper poly.

 

Lol I have had this problem. usually I don't lie, but sort of deceive. I usually say "I am a really big collector and I have a big entended family with a lot of children with Birthdays". None of that is not true.

 

Most of my damage is done online. I am smart in store - I use different employees when I can, don't make myself too memorable, go right after I have cut my hair (without long hair I look totally different), etc. Maybe paranoid, but everytime they seem to think I am a new customer. Lol

[kvasir]

Lol I have had this problem. usually I don't lie, but sort of deceive. I usually say "I am a really big collector and I have a big entended family with a lot of children with Birthdays". None of that is not true.

 

Most of my damage is done online. I am smart in store - I use different employees when I can, don't make myself too memorable, go right after I have cut my hair (without long hair I look totally different), etc. Maybe paranoid, but everytime they seem to think I am a new customer. Lol

After that keychain incident I sometimes want to reply "It's really none of your f*ckin business." But being an ADULT-FOL I have decorum to keep.

I am now spreading my purchases online and instore to maximise on promo freebies. I tried going back to the store three times in one day this past weekend but only successfully got two xmas promo from two different cashiers. The third one must've recognised me or saw it on my VIP card. *shrugs*