A love-letter to LEGO Customer Services
Posted by Huw,
Mark, aka Markisnot, describes a recent interaction with LEGO Customer services to resolve an issue, with a little help from Brickset:
To start off, I love Lego Customer Services (LCS). They are the best group I have worked with in this area. Always friendly, understanding, helpful, and typically give you more than you ask for. They do not make you jump through hoops or go the extra mile just to get what you need. If you look closely to how Lego has adapted in their instructions and bagging of set pieces, you can see the influence that LCS has had on evolving the company's processes.
But, like many of us, they are currently working from home, and are also experiencing a high volume of calls because, it seems, many more people are building with LEGO during the pandemic.
So, I thought I would write a note on my interaction with them for a problem during this time.
The Issue
I am finally building 10224 Town Hall after purchasing it in 2014, finally having some shelf space to accommodate the set. I began simply enough, getting the bags labelled 1 and organising them around my workspace.
As I start to build, I notice something strange. I had doubles of several of the mini-fig hair pieces. Not a normal double they give you. They also did not come from the same bag, which is pretty abnormal for Lego. Strange. But I kept going, until I realised I was starting to find pieces missing.
So, this brings me to the problem I needed LCS for: While I had two of the same bag, I was missing an entire other bag. Too many pieces were missing for me to consider just finding them in my collection.
Reaching out to LCS
I immediately went to the LCS site, as I am now blocked from building. I sent an email asking if they kept an inventory of what should be included in each bag, as taking an inventory of 2733 pieces was not immediately appealing. Having done so, I received a reply saying it would take 10 days for a response. Not a problem, that is to be expected as this time.
However, they actually replied in 9 days. See, already awesome! Here is the response:
"Thanks for getting in touch with us - even though I'm sorry for the long wait as we're currently receiving a huge amount of requests.
"I'm also sorry that it seems like your missing a bag. Even though this rarely ever happens it's something that can always be the case. Unfortunately it's a little harder to get to know which parts or what bags are missing. We could of course check if you have all the bags by asking for a picture and then by that try to determine what is missing. Of course exchanging the set is also always an option but if there is a chance to replace the parts instead I think everyone would prefer that way!
"The honest best thing to do is to open all of the bags and then separate them into each individual part and then check in the instructions what is missing - as this is a lot of work before starting the build I can ensure you though that it will speed up the building process by a lot! (It's also a technique that I use when building sets) If you have further questions please let us know and we'd love to help.
"I hope you have a great day and stay safe! :)"
By no means was this not expected. The friendly demeanour in the email and personal experience was appreciated. I chuckled at the idea of exchanging the set, since it is not sold any more and the Lego stores are closed. Since I opened bags already and did not really want to burden their CS with extra work, I opted for the third choice. Inventory the complete set.
Next steps
For those that don’t know, not only does Brickset show you the inventory for any set you want, but it also includes an option to see it as a table.
If you look at the bottom of the page, there is handy summary data. This data allowed me to know that I was going to have to sort 2758 pieces, 325 different types. I exported the table into Excel, so that I could compare the site inventory to my inventory easily.
Then came the sorting. There were two goals I had in mind when coming up with a sorting plan: ease of counting, and ease of building. Since all the bags needed to be opened, it was important to consider that I would still want to build the set in the long run. A minor goal also came up, I don’t want this blocking other building while I wait for a resolution. With this in mind, I chose to use food storage containers designed for meals, since they include lids and multiple compartments, for the majority of the pieces.
While I tried having fun with some of it (building pallets out of the 1x6 plates), it soon became apparent that stacking in 10’s would be the most efficient. Following Eero Okkonen’s example, I staggered bricks in stacks to allow for easy separation and reduced space. Speciality pieces were turned 90 degrees when stacked, to allow for faster counting. While not pictured, 1x1 Bricks were turned 45 degrees in stacks of 5 to assist in counting.
Once sorted, I could then advance to comparing the totals. This is where I ran into my next snag that I did not notice when making my Excel document. I had a piece not in the Excel inventory. Revisiting Brickset, I read the important notice stating:
We do not control this inventory and cannot currently make changes to it. Use it as a guide to the contents of the set, or to find out part numbers when requesting replacements.
OK, incomplete inventory on the site, meaning my Excel doc is inaccurate. Thank you, Lego, for the inventory in the instructions! After comparing the two, I find 2 pieces in the official inventory not in the Brickset one, but all the numbers were accurate for the included pieces. Quick and easy to update.
Counting and logging went quickly from then on. The worst pieces to sort and count are tiles. Since they do not stack, there was no quick way to count them. I also did not have enough containers to sort them by colour and shape, as you can see below.
Result of the inventory: 106 pieces missing, 15 different types. Some statistics I found interesting, each small piece (like Round Plate 1x1) will have an average of 1 extra per bag (or 1.32 average overall included). Depending on how many different bags they appear in, you can have 2-3 extras.
Back to Customer Service
The online missing brick interface is very simple to use, especially if you started with the Brickset inventory. After entering the set number, it brings up all the pieces for the set. You can then search by Element ID, which lets you choose the amount up to the amount included in the set. Unfortunately, one of the needed pieces, shown below, was out of stock, but I included it in the order as the site warns CS would contact me to resolve the issue.
Once ordered, I quickly received confirmation email, which was followed by a cancellation email. I recorded the service request numbers for both times I contacted Lego, then waited for Monday 8am for their offices to open.
It took roughly 45 minutes to reach a representative at Lego. This is much higher than typical for me (while I have only called them 2 times previously, 5-10 minutes were the waits). However, it was to be expected with the teams working from home.
Having the service request numbers handy allowed this to be very simple for their representative, and greatly sped up the conversation. As I assumed, the out-of-stock piece was the culprit for cancellation, and they offered to replace it with same piece, different colour. The purist in me baulks at the idea, however this is a valid compromise and I can always order the proper colour from a 3rd party site. As per usual, the representative was very friendly and wrapped up the issue in no time at all.
So even with the additional restrictions put on their business, the increased workload added to their support team, I did not find the experience lacking. While there was an increase in the times required to complete any of the steps, it was not unreasonable. As an experimentation, I would have liked to see how the process would have altered with photographs of the bags vs. inventorying the set. But maybe next time.
Missing Pieces Delivered!
Pieces arrived within 7 days, which was a fantastic result. As a final note, the replacements that they gave me were still red brown, so the colour was not discernible from the original out of stock pieces.
Overall, the entire experience was still as positive as to be expected from Lego. While the times for many of the steps were increased due to the current restrictions that they faced, none of this was unreasonable. I was still left satisfied with their work and help. While I would not like to run into this issue again, I am still quite pleased with working through problems with Lego CS.
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66 comments on this article
Agree. The LCS is the best experience involving Customer Service I've EVER had in Germany, which is known as THE customer service desert. On phone as well as via chat or email, I really got the impression the service workers actually CARED to do a good job!
The only issue I’ve ever had was with a return to Lego, which was a nightmare. I’m sure that was because of Toll though.
Had some fantastic customer service recently when I mistakenly only ordered 1x motor for the Haunted House instead of 2. I rang Lego the next day and asked if they could add an additional one to my order and charge me, but unfortunately my original order was too far gone. Never mind though as they made a new order and waived the shipping fee. Great result!
Wish LCS would have some parts like bionicle masks etc because some of mine have broken over the years :(
(Sorry if im incorrect and they do replace them.)
Lego Customer Services will always hold a special place in my heart, last year I made the choice to build the UCS Star Destroyer from pieces I had and ordering the rest from Bricklink - I couldn't even begin to warrant paying the £650+ for the set in one go as I'm currently clearing debts I and useless at saving so thought I'd amass the pieces over time.
It took me over 4 months to get most of the pieces, but the remaining parts were either not available on Bricklink or overpriced so I ordered the remaining parts from Lego. However, once the last few parts arrived from Lego there were 2 or 3 missing so I rang Customer Services, had a lovely chat with a lady who found the missing parts on the system, ordered them for me and asked what I was building so I explained that I have a rather large Lego Star Wars collection and was desperate for the UCS Star Destroyer, adding that I knew unless I got to a point where I could genuinely afford it I would have the build but no stickers or minifigs - though I knew this when I started.
Needless to say, 2 weeks later a parcel arrived with the missing parts, and bless her, without telling me at the time she'd also put the sticker and the minifigures on the order, free of charge - proof that Lego Customer Services is up there with the best, it even brought a tear to my eyes!
I’ve always found Lego Customer Service to be great, though only had a couple of interactions with them. Even back in the 80s their ‘Service’ helpline was really good (and helped me get some of the last 12 volt train stuff when it was being retired!).
Though as I have an unopened Town Hall I need to get around to building sometime, I’m hoping that the missing bag issue isn’t widespread...
Thankyou for your story, I am not sure whether I think of it as a good or bad experience. On the one hand Lego made an error in an expensive set that you had to do all of the investigating for. It took at least 3 weeks, many emails, chats and phone calls to get mostly the parts that you should have had. They did a very good job fixing their issue considering their constraints but still. It does seem to depend "who you get" I find. I have had a mostly positive experience.
Such a happy ending of a stressful unboxing experience, well done LCS!
I must say, though, that I have imagined that you were conversing with smiley minifigs, and, as representatives of LCS ranked higher, with bigfigs, Technic figs, and, eventually, when this issue took more of a serious route due to imminent cancelation of a missing part, all the way up to the Fabuland elephant fig sitting on the brick throne...
Oh, yes, have I mentioned that I'm crying in Eastern-European, as we don't get LCS benefits :'(
From memory I have had a few issues. Two parts, one where I had a similar colour and weight spare but a missing piece, the other a missing piece. Both arrived 5-6 days later via the Pick a replacement part section. I have had two issues where goods were damaged. Both time they sent a new set. And one missing a free item, they just said sorry they had run out. And another recently when I missed out on the free item (as I didn't know you had to type in a code) I emailed them after ordering saying such and could they add it (especially as one item was on backorder)
They replied to say no, we cant add to an existing order, we wont part ship and just order something else. (The offer was no longer on) I replied saying surely in 2020 you can add to an order that will not be completed for 4 weeks? I have already placed 3 orders and I don't know why I have to have known about a secret offer to get a free item. Nothing was said, but a few days later they shipped the item separately for free and then sent an email saying sorry they got it wrong. So overall very Good.
What a lovely story! Yours too, @westyorksnffc !
Funnily enough, I had cause to call them only yesterday (a confused Bricks & Pieces order, which I'm sure is their absolute favourite enquiry...)
Yes, it took nearly an hour to get through, but there's always LEGO to build whilst waiting!
The chap who helped me (Gavin, James, Josh; I am so bad at names...) was very patient & informative, and I'm sorry that the automated feedback system didn't work at the end of our call.
It is true that they are such helpful, positive people, though they must be having a hell of a time at the moment; I hope they read this and realise how appreciated they are.
Thank you westyorksnffc, for pointing me towards https://www.lego.com/en-gb/service/replacementparts/sale , where you can buy around 25%-50% of the bricks from a particular set (save you looking up IDs) or just enter the design IDs directly to compare against a market place price. Just a shame the most popular parts are out of stock, but will try again in the future as guessing they will be back in stock when a new set is released which includes the design ID.
I've had a few interactions over the years, many many moons ago before they were the current customer service, I wrote a letter to them explaining a piece was missing, and they sent back the piece along with 5 Lego Fireman minifigures as an apology.
Times move on and the sets are more complicated now. but only last year I was building the red technic crane and something seemed a bit off, parts were missing, and then I felt I had too many of other parts. It turned out there were 4 bag number 4's in the box, and they had included 2 of one type of bag instead of 1 of each. It begs the question why they did not number the bags from 1 - 20 rather that 4 x 4 and they had no way to tell them apart.
Anyway after I gave them the list of missing parts, they replaced them and I was left with a few spares, but it does make you wonder how often this happens. Human error likely filled the wrong bin with bag number 4's and they were then picked incorrectly.
Yes! Although there are aspects of the company I'm not entirely happy with, to be fair, LCS has always been very constructive (pun intended) towards customers.
Last year a new LEGO brand store opened in Amsterdam. I was unaware of the fact that the event would involve time slots (yes, I'm stupid) and there were only slots available many hours from when I arrived. I didn't have the time to wait, so I went back home (50km by train).
Back home, I asked LCS if there was any chance of me getting the unique Windmill gift set. They promptly sent me all the pieces needed to build one! I did not expect that, and although of course it's not the same as the actual set, I greatly appreciate the ease with which they handed me a whole bag of free bricks.
LCS is one of the best there is, and I'd guess that's because of the very long experience the company has with doing business by phone.
I once went on a long thread with LEGO exchanging multiple tips and problems and at the end of the chain I thanked the employee for her time and patience and she replied happy and thankful for that.
The only issue I’ve had with a set... I opened up a modular building a few years ago, tipping the contents out onto my desk. I noticed straight away that one of the bag number ones was missing. I called them up and they sent it out straight away. A few weeks later I found the missing bag... it had slipped down the very narrow gap at the back of the desk. Doh!!
My main issue is with the Lego website order page. It keeps defaulting to my old addresses even though I’ve ordered at my new address 4 times. I’ve even gone in to the address book part and changed all five entries to my new address but it never saves them. It saves my credit card billing address though. I had a nightmare last month when I realised that my order had gone to an old address and had been left on the doorstep of an empty property. Luckily a neighbour had taken it in. The address is not obvious on the order page and you have to scroll up and check it. Never known this layout on any other website. A major flaw in their order system. Because we are in the current situation we all find ourselves in, I decided not to complain. Always check your delivery address!!!
Thanks for the article! I know it doesn't work as a plug for the part inventory service that Brickset offers, but I often inventory used sets I buy from EBay, and find that BrickStock is the best tool for the job (brickstock.patrickbrans.com - not my site). It pulls set inventories from BrickLink, and you can use the Remarks & Comments columns to make notes on what you find (or even enter the quantities there to keep the Quantity column the official needed part count). As a bonus, you can get real-time part values (6 month used or new average on BL) and export directly to a Wanted List.
They do a great job, and I’m sure it’s a challenging job too. Always had a positive experience over the phone. Always had a positive experience in-store too.
Just a reminder to always be polite and respectful to anyone working in the service industry, even when things go wrong. If you’ve been in retail or any service industry like I have, it’s a very difficult job, and sometimes things inevitably go wrong - we’re all still people at the end of the day. I’ve graduated to other careers since those days but I try to keep that in mind.
I'm very happy for you!
Altough I contacted the customer service on 23/05/2020 and again on 10/06/2020 (regarding the same issue). I've got an automatic e-mail that my question was well received and that they do have actual people working over there who will answer me... Sadly it is 30/06/2020 and I still got no reply from a human being at Lego. I understand the situation of Covid-19. But 38 days to reply is a long time for the 'best customer service in the world' :-). So yeah, not so happy customer here. Sorry for the rant, but it ain't all sunshine at Lego.
I have always had outstanding customer service from the teams both in the US and UK. I was building the Eclipse Dreadnought by Jorstad Designs and this required a high number of sticker sheets from the Death Star set. I rang Lego customer service, explained i was building a MOC, and asked if i could buy about 20 sticker sheets from 2 sets. The representative was genuinely interested, wanted to know what it was, the piece count and what progress i was making. Without any hesitation they then offered to send me the sticker sheets free of charge, which I couldnt quite believe! They arrived about 4 days later. You can't beat that level of customer service. @HUW, through your contacts with Lego might be nice to collate all this positive feedback and send it to one of the customer service managers
The LCS is really good, and it kinda makes me want to write a thank you email.
@Delicac said:
" @Huw, through your contacts with Lego might be nice to collate all this positive feedback and send it to one of the customer service managers"
Good idea, will do!
This is a great story, but I must say, I am not surprised at all. Every single experience I have with customer service at LEGO is above and beyond with quality, professionalism, and friendliness underpinning every conversation. They really care about their customers and fans, and I'm proud to have LEGO as a hobby.
After building the Powered Up 60197 Passenger Train, my first ever LEGO train set, I wanted to add a mail car to my train (which I eventually converted wholesale into a MOC). I contacted LEGO CS to ask where I could obtain an additional sticker sheet and additional train bogies, bases and axles. Likewise, they offered to send the parts for free — and I live in Southeast Asia!
There was a bit of a mix-up as my request went through several different CS representatives with some of them telling me that I wouldn't be receiving any complimentary parts, but I was able to get it sorted after communicating with the Twitter account and I received the parts as initially promised. I didn't get a train base so I had to buy one off BrickLink, but I got enough wheels, metal axles (this was just before the new wheels came out) and bogie plates for my mail car, and of course the additional sticker sheet I was looking for to decorate the mail car as well as my passenger and dining car MOC conversions.
@Huw: Spiffy new quotation formatting!
I agree, LCS is definitely the best. I had an issue last year with shipping, which was not LEGO.com's fault at all, but they apologized and everything and sent the entire order anew with a few extra polybags and a sticker poster. Great service!
@LegoSonicBoy said:
" @Huw : Spiffy new quotation formatting!"
Yes, someone suggested it because it was becoming hard to see who said what, particularly in that new police sets article the other day where people were quoting people who had already quoted. This new method should handle that properly.
I think there are a few teething troubles still to be sorted but I'll attend to them if and when they become apparent.
I recently had to update the shipping address on a Lego pre-order, and the LCS representative was very helpful. Always a pleasure working with them.
My very recent experience with LCS:
I ordered the Minecraft Dungeons set and it arrived in a damaged outside and damaged set box . As it is a birthday gift for my son I contacted LCS and they immediately apologized for this (as if it was under their control). They sent an express replacement and a free minecraft keychain which arrived in about 48h and labels for me to return the damaged set.
With how much they probably spent on the express shipping, the return shipping for the damaged set and work to process the damaged box (bags and instructions are probably ok), I doubt they'll make any profit on this purchase.
But they know they (continue to) have a happy customer and everything is fine in the end and I just need to patiently wait for my son's birthday to come...
I also had a really good LCS experience recently. I (try to) collect at least one of each Justice League member that's available in LEGO, in their comic appearance. So of course I got a bunch of the DC CMF figs when they came out. Unfortunately, I unintentionally cut off a small edge of Huntress' cape when opening the pack. So I sent them an e-mail saying what happened, and asking if they could send me a replacement cape. I quickly got a response, in my own language even, saying the CMF's are already packed in bags when they leave the factory so they can't acquire those pieces loose. But she then told me they were going to send me a new minifigure for free, to make up for the loss. However, they could not guarantee that it would be the same fig I got, as they're of course packed in blind bags. A few days later I received a letter with a sealed DC minifigure bag, and guess who was in it... Of course it was Huntress! There's a very small chance this was just a coincidence, but my theory is that the lady contacted a LEGO store and asked the employees to feel the bags in search for a Huntress. So yeah, LEGO's service is absolutely incredible.
By the way, this is to know that the inventories that are collected from LEGO are limited to 200 of each element.
e.g.
The Tower Bridge inventory https://brickset.com/inventories/10214-1
does count only 200 https://brickset.com/parts/4516055/roof-tile-1x1x2-3-abs where there are 556 in total.
The https://brickset.com/parts/4121715/connector-peg-w-friction is also a part which appears in more than 200 in some Technic sets (e.g. 204 in the https://brickset.com/inventories/42029-1 )
And a nice feature of the Huw's table, it can be easily sorted by Qty, Colour, Design, etc
How nice to read this bright corner of the internet on a fine Tuesday morning!
For inventory management you are much better off using rebrickable (after all Brickset gets a lot of inventory data from rebrickable anyway), you can mark parts lost as you go and if you find them later just remove the lost designation.
You also have the added benefit of having a complete inventory of your collection.
I've used LCS a couple of times. Got the minifig scale Falcon a few years ago via a supermarket that had it on offer. It had clearly been stored in a cold/damp warehouse somewhere as the sticker sheet was curled up and the six circular vent stickers just peeled off the pieces. They sent a new one in days. Then earlier this year udner lockdown we bough the new modular, we were missing a 1x2 and 1x4 brick in blue, but had a pair of 1x3 left over. They shipped them out asap with an apology and a free polybag for my daughter as a thank you
Similar experience but different outcome.
I had a missing bag on a 200$ set.
I listed all the missing parts, contacted the customer support and they sent it to me.
The big difference is I got charged about 40$ for it.
Probably very dependent on the CS person.
I had one time an order from the official LEGO store marked as delivered but it wasn’t (or it was stolen on my porch).
The first CS person treated me as a liar.
The second person was sorry for it and sent me a replacement in less than few minutes of chat.
Brickstock would have helped you with exact inventory (part list and piece count), including the extra pieces. No need for exporting data from Brickset (which isn't always complete) and using Excel.
That is probably one of the worst nightmares of buying a huge Lego set. Wish they find a way to eliminate missing bag/wrong bag.
I had an issue with the motor/battery pack in the cargo train a few years back and LCS changed it, no questions asked. It is a really pleasant experience without making you feel guilty. Top marks
I had only one problem in the (not too) recent past with Mercedes Benz Arocs 3245 (set 42043). There was one faulty pneumatic part. The phone call was very swift (no covid-19 back then) and got a whole kit of pneumatic sent to me a few days later - was really impressed with speed and depth of execution! Thanks again for that. Btw 42043 is still the best Lego Technic ever - bring more of these please!!!
If Lego is really reading this, I want to bring a point that I suggested already and I am surprised (and a bit annoyed) that it has not been implemented yet. Specifically, in the "buy replacement bricks" segment, you can select parts either by set number or by part ID number. It would be truly helpful to have another option by colours. Let's say you plan on building something on a specific colour, you can then select that colour and see what Lego has available in that particular colour. I'm also sure that this would certainly create "buy on impulse" situation (which is good for Lego) because someone may see a range of parts in a given colour and decide that a few pieces would be good to have in that colour "just because" or "just in case" for future mocs. It would also help to determine which colour a moc can be built by selecting the colour which has all the required elements available. Somehow you can do that in pick-a-brick but not in "buy replacement parts" where the range of parts is significantly larger.
Great LCS stories! Just to add one more, I recently had a few hundred piece Bricks & Pieces order go missing, not delivered. LCS resubmitted my order no questions asked and I ultimately did receive it. That was my one and only LCS experience and it couldn't have been better.
I noticed that in the US B&P orders are shipped without tracking number, which makes tracking down shipping issues rather impossible. I suppose LEGO does this to reduce shipping costs for both themselves and customers? They charge a flat $2.95 for B&P orders but I would gladly pay a bit more to have tracking information. LEGO must factor into the equation the cost of replacing lost shipments as a rare occurrence.
@HOBBES I agree with the color suggestion. That is a feature of the Pick a Brick service but I never use that thanks to limited part selection. What LEGO does need to do is incorporate some of the data/search tech that they picked up with the Bricklink acquisition. I'm curious the timeline for integration of Bricklink with Bricks & Pieces because the B&P user experience is poor for multiple reasons.
LCS is fantastic. I've contacted them with a couple of issues, either my fault or theirs/TLG, and their solution has always been above expectation. Everyone is most helpful, friendly and proactive.
Same goes for the store personnel.
Thumbs up for everyone!
Glad to know I'm not the only one to use food containers for storing bricks from in-process builds!
@HOBBES said:
"... Btw 42043 is still the best Lego Technic ever - bring more of these please!!!
...
... It would be truly helpful to have another option by colours. ..."
Your suggestions are excellent.
I have enjoyed reading many of the other stories and experiences with LCS, both good and bad. Also, there were great tips for other sites to pull inventories from (will need to remember if it occurs again).
When I look at the changes in how Lego has packaged sets and consider the amount/diversity of sets/pieces involved, the LCS has a daunting task to content with (ignoring the global scale). If you track the changes in their packaging and instructions, I am sure you can see the influence that LCS has on their system. As I continue to build old and new sets, I have found several changes in the way that Lego does things. It would be very interesting to see why they made change x to solve issue y; and the statistics on the consumer concerns around how often y occurred.
But, since I don't have time to research, it continues to be a fun thought experiment :)
I've had a few interactions with LCS and they have all been very positive and very well handled. The best two was regarding missing parts from the Technic Mack Anthem set from two different stages, it was my first experience with missing pieces and accidentally ordered from the USA site first, then put the order in the the AU site, then thought I'd better call as I only needed one and had stuffed up. Not only did they LCS rep say not to worry just let them both go through, but gave me a 100 VIP points. On the second missing piece I just sent in an email highlighting a possible quality control issue with the set as I was about 200 sets back into Lego without a problem and suddenly had 2 missing pieces from the same set. I didn't expect a response so was stunned to not on get a response, but another 400 VIP points for my trouble. Talk about dedication to customer satisfaction.
The second big LCS interaction came from a cancelled order I had placed online, it was placed specifically to take advantage of a GWP at Christmas before last. The person I spoke to was so nice about it, explaining the stock issue which was frustrating but couldn't be helped and actually put through a separate order for the GWP with free shipping so I didn't miss out.
The other times I've called was for placing orders and all went well with very friendly staff. Missing pieces have been ordered online a few times (even waiting on one now to arrive) and have never had any push back, though it's only been 4-5 times in three years back that it's happened.
While Lego is very expensive as a hobby, it's nice to know that when something does go wrong, they go above and beyond to fix it, which is a lot in today's world of customer service - or lack there of!
I told them already many times, there really isn't any other company this size that comes even close to their splendid CS. How can you not love them. :-)
From past experience yes! Their Customer Service is top notch!
Had missing figs (usually from Target, people lifting them and sealing up boxes, they take back every return), missing parts (rare but it happens) and never a problem, remedied right away.
I even had some very late part orders and they gave me double the amount (sent another order and said to keep the very late order) plus on top of that credit for the same amount.
Top notch, top notch!
Anytime I have ever visited one of the Lego Stores, if they didn't have an item I wanted in stock, they always gave me a Free Shipping code to use on their site. Granted, many sets I ordered already would get the free shipping, but the cards helped for the rare time I was under the threshold.
While I admit LCS are generally trying their best to fix the mistakes of the other departments of TLG, the sad thing is that ever since they switched to DPD as their postal service I had to make use of the LCS services for EVERY damned LEGO.com order I made as honestly not one of them was carried out satisfactorily like the DHL delivered order of former times.
While I admit LCS are generally trying their best to fix the mistakes of the other departments of TLG, the sad thing is that ever since they switched to DPD as their postal service I had to make use of the LCS services for EVERY damned Shop at Home order I made as honestly not one of them was carried out satisfactorily like the DHL delivered order of former times. Every parcel arrived so damaged that I had to return it and get a new one (which then funnily was sent via DHL Express).
@miies:
I've got a copy of the set from the grand opening of my local store, and it's not quite the same thing as a retail set. It doesn't come in printed, sealed packaging. It comes in a clear bag that's got a flap with a bit of adhesive along the edge, so you can actually "open" the set and reseal it. These were all hand-packed in the Enfield model shop. I imagine European models involve a similar process in Billund. The instructions, I believe, were just printed on a standard sheet of printer paper.
@meesajarjar72:
Have you tried _deleting_ the extra addresses? I know I did that some years ago for Paypal because I got sick of always having to pick the address I was using. Of course, another simple option is to just pay via Paypal and have them ship to the address attached to your Paypal account.
@mr_Fikou:
The replacement minifig most likely came from a shipping warehouse, not a store. But that doesn't mean they couldn't attach a note to the order asking if it would be possible to pick a Huntress minifig. If they could find an employee who's skilled at palping the packets, it would take a bit longer than just grabbing one at random, but it's definitely doable. There are also people who have produced charts telling you the pack order of a sealed case, which is a lot faster but less reliable (they sometimes change the order, plus you're still always relying on someone getting the count right). It might be a while before I'm back in business, but on LUG days my fingers are always in high demand.
I’ve had a mixed bag experience with them.
The main bad one was yes they do make you jump through hoops. I had the CUUSOO back to the future set with the misspelled printed panel. I called and asked for the replacement. They asked for proof that I actually ones the set. I have the receipt IN MY account from shop at home...but that wasn’t good enough for them. They asked for the number on the back of the instructions. So I gave that to them. They then said that number was wrong and that I didn’t own the set. Needless to say they never gave me that part, even though I do in fact own the set.
I haven’t contacted them since. I figure every mistake I get won’t be rectified so I gave up caring. I also buy a lot less than I used to since every piece seems to break in a small amount of time.
Early last year, when it was learned that TLG was "correcting" the bomber pilot for 75188 Resistance Bomber, I wanted at least one (I have two copies of the set.) So I went to LEGO.com and "live chatted" with someone there. I would happily have paid for the figure, but they sent me two heads and two helmets. The person apologized that they were temporarily out of the torso, but did I want the legs? I told them the heads and helmets would be just fine. They sent them to me free, and didn't ask for any proof that I actually had the sets. I got them in a week or so... then a few days after that, I got two more of each! Everything on the packing slip was identical to the first, so I guess it simply got duplicated somehow. I figured it wasn't worth the effort- for me or for TLG to try to return the extras, so I traded them to a local Bricksetter who I knew was into StarWars LEGO... for some sand yellow pieces for a train MOC I still haven't started. LCS rocks!
I had to call once for a missing door on a firetruck (I don't remember which set). When I called to get the situation rectified I gave them the part description and part number to make sure there would be no problem. I few days later I received 4 doors, 2 lefts and 2 rights, just to make sure there were no problems. It was a little bit of overkill, but I appreciated that extra effort! Top notch LEGO!!!
I have had a mindstorms EV3 with a broken port. I emailed them and they replied very politely and quickly sent me a replacement. The only problem was that when asking me for the address, I assumed that they were doing local mail, so I didn't put my country. They unfortunately did not catch that mistake and sent it out. I believe it was returned back to the office and only after 2 weeks of waiting, I checked my sent mail and discovered the problem. I now have to request for them to re-send the returned package. Don't make the same mistake again!
As with any business, there are always issues that arise. That said, LCS has always helped resolve the problem with the very best of demeanors. I just wish companies such as Microsoft, Apple, etc. would follow LCS's lead; however, customer satisfaction just isn't the priority for them like it is for TLG.
Keep up the great work, LEGO!
Thank you very much for the great post.
I also had a few intercourses with LEGO Customer Service and I need to admit that they are one of the bests.
Although, I have mixed feelings about the whole idea of Customer Service - for when you need them, it is always infused with frustration. (I am working in this area as well.)
I know most of us are AFOLs and TFOLs here and we know various "workarounds" right off the bat, also focusing on grand sets which are more exposed to packaging mistakes. But imagine a scenario, when this is would be a Christmas present for a young girl or boy, whose parents saved up for 2 months to be able to purchase a major set...
Currently, I am waiting for the new Ducati motorcycle, that I have purchased right after it got available online to gift it to my girlfriend (I wanted to get it as fast as possible for her). It turned out that LEGO ran out of stock and I need to wait 1.5 months to get it delivered. BTW the set got available a few days later in my local stores. LEGO support advised to get it locally and make them aware so they can cancel the online purchase. Although, this is a pretty good solution offered, things still did not go according to the plans.
Some time after building the Lego Mini Cooper I read that new windscreen elements had been produced, that fitted better than the originals. As they weren't yet listed on the Lego site I contacted LCS, hoping to buy them direct. No problem they said, they'll be with you in a few days, no charge. Nice!
@Szabob said:
"Thank you very much for the great post.
I also had a few intercourses with LEGO Customer Service and I need to admit that they are one of the bests."
I know you like me are not a native speaker of English, nevertheless I guess this comment of yours gave quite a few native speakers a chuckle.
;-)
@AustinPowers said:
"While I admit LCS are generally trying their best to fix the mistakes of the other departments of TLG, the sad thing is that ever since they switched to DPD as their postal service I had to make use of the LCS services for EVERY damned Shop at Home order I made as honestly not one of them was carried out satisfactorily like the DHL delivered order of former times. Every parcel arrived so damaged that I had to return it and get a new one (which then funnily was sent via DHL Express). "
Interesting. LEGO stopped shipping to DHL "Packstationen" a few years ago which was annoying to me. But at least they still ship via DHL to my home (Frankfurt area).
I’ve also used inventory tables to check for completeness, but I usually eafe an html file with images of each brick so it’s easier to identify them at one glance.
@PurpleDave said:
" @miies:
I've got a copy of the set from the grand opening of my local store, and it's not quite the same thing as a retail set. It doesn't come in printed, sealed packaging. It comes in a clear bag that's got a flap with a bit of adhesive along the edge, so you can actually "open" the set and reseal it. These were all hand-packed in the Enfield model shop. I imagine European models involve a similar process in Billund. The instructions, I believe, were just printed on a standard sheet of printer paper."
That's good to know! I guess then there's not much difference between the actual handed out sets and the bag I received. Thanks for the info!
I remember the only major problem I had with a set, was the Architectural Buckingham Palace set. I ordered it from Lego and it arrived with a bag missing. After trying to order the missing parts, I had to phone up lego and explain the problem. They asked me to send it back, emailed me a franked return label, and sent a new, complete set.
I also had to cancel an order one time because of delayed back order when I found it elsewhere. They enquired when I phone up to do so if the shop was genuine. After I assured them that it was, they cancelled the order.
Although I paid slightly more, the set arrived within a few days.
@AustinPowers said:
"While I admit LCS are generally trying their best to fix the mistakes of the other departments of TLG, the sad thing is that ever since they switched to DPD as their postal service I had to make use of the LCS services for EVERY damned Shop at Home order I made as honestly not one of them was carried out satisfactorily like the DHL delivered order of former times. Every parcel arrived so damaged that I had to return it and get a new one (which then funnily was sent via DHL Express). "
Agreed. I had a package underneath the car with rainy weather (slanted driveway), package in shed with no note (found it after three days) and severely damaged package...
I’ve always had excellent help any time I’ve called them. Sadly,I have to call a lot, because I order online a lot and still there are a lot of issues with how boxes are packed for shipping. I can accept some of the smaller stuff getting a few dings but on expensive sets I want the stuff to be packaged more carefully and quality packaging that I can save/preserve. Premium costs paid on the website are going to create that kind of expectation I think it’s reasonable.
But I always behave politely and receive nothing but kindness and quality service. They’ll reach back on secondary purchases too, if something is missing on an item I didn’t even buy directly from them. They stand by their products I don’t know of many companies that do that.
@Huw said:
" @LegoSonicBoy said:
" @Huw : Spiffy new quotation formatting!"
Yes, someone suggested it because it was becoming hard to see who said what, particularly in that new police sets article the other day where people were quoting people who had already quoted. This new method should handle that properly.
I think there are a few teething troubles still to be sorted but I'll attend to them if and when they become apparent.
"
Being that I just learned about href and anchor tags in my html class today, I absolutely love the way this is formatted. :D
On topic, I've had to call Lego a to replace a missing part a couple different times, and they always have been extremely friendly and speedy. I also remember back in my Lego Universe MMO days, the customer service reps for that were also very friendly, and would tend to phrase their ticket responses in a roleplay fashion whenever possible. I wish more CS departments would follow Lego's example!
@miies:
Nope. Not like the minifig packs. Especially the ones that had front print that was exclusive to the minifig packs.