Give the VIP team your feedback

Nah, I gave up on it. Since I'm in a country that LEGO doesn't currently ship to, VIP system doesn't work for me, even though I used to travel frequently to countries where there are official LEGO stores and collect/use VIP points all the time.

@sideswinger said:
"I feel like LEGO will most certainly regret this."

Probably, but I'm sure you'll be surprised how many people will probably respond without expressing their anger too much
maybe not though

I love that LEGO is offering exclusive VIP products through their new blue program rather than only offering discounts on future purchases like they did in the old red program. I hope they continue to offer exclusive products even though that means some fans will have to go without.

Just like one has come to expect from TLG, this link doesn't work.
Just like the link in the email they sent me yesterday about feedback I should give about my "latest" shopping experience (which was two months ago - and deeply unsatisfactory too!).
Small wonder my latest brick related shopping was done at BlueBrixx, not LEGO.com. Their shop software is worse than that of Chinese copycat sellers.
There's not enough room for all the hate I feel and vitriol I want to spew at them anyway. Good thing the local LEGO stores are all closed due to current Lockdown regulations or else I would go there and let them know exactly what I think of my once favorite toy brand!
What a total mess!

@Judgeguy : it would be - if one had any chance of getting those freebies. Sure, you can get lucky with an awesome downloadable print-yourself colouring sheet, but anything interesting you have less chance of getting than winning the lottery jackpot. In its current form and technical state TLG can keep their smegging "VIP" system and shove it up their...
That is all the feedback I am giving them, as soon as I get the chance, because anytime I try to use any of their features it says "oops, this shouldn't have happened, please try again later" or some other random and useless error message. Honestly, I am totally sick of it.

I have made my complaints and fully expect to receive an email from Lego that is overflowing with excuses and all that crap.

@Judgeguy said:
"Isn't VIP just free rewards for buying Lego which you would be buying anyway? You won't see me complaining about that."

While that's true, I can understand the annoyance people feel when they might opt to purchase through Lego for a GWP rather than picking elsewhere to shop.

The Pooh Bear prints annoyed me greatly. I ordered early to get one but failed as people where able to claim all 5 in 5 orders. I think they should have been GWP, much like the Ulysses item.

@ComfySofa:
You actually already have that back. Sort of. In-store rebates is the one Reward that you can have them cash in points for at the register, but the key is they need to do it _BEFORE_ they start ringing up your purchase, or they’ll have to cancel the transaction and start over (or, if there’s a lull, they might be able to cash in your points on a different register). This was not the case when they rolled out VIP Blue, but they quickly realized it was something they needed to offer as anyone without a smartphone or printer was pretty much locked out otherwise. Once points have been used to buy a rebate code, that is also accessible at the register, so if you know you’re going to make a purchase (e.g. you called ahead to have them hold a set for you), you can cash in points before going to the store (just make sure you buy the right flavor!). Finally, if the phone lines are still open, you can call them up and have them redeem points for you directly.

I returned here to say the same thing @fulcrumbop did.

My wife just tried to complete the survey but can't get to it as the VIP website is now down. This is the same error message that appeared for the first 15 minutes of the Ulysses Probe. Hopefully they're not updating the Rewards Center with the fifth coin right now...

@HOBBES said:
"And for the website as a whole, remove every freaking items that is not available any more - what use is it to keep an item on the menu with the mention 'sold out'? This of course does not apply to items marked as 'temporarily out of stock'. You don't make it any longer and you don't have any left for sale, remove it at once; done."

YES! They can leave "sold out" stuff on the site (in case someone has a direct link or something), but it should not show up in regular browsing. If something is gone forever, stop teasing us!

One of the middle questions is "Has there been a time when the VIP REWARD(s) you wanted had run out? If yes, please explain. (Optional)". Not sure whether they really do want to know, or are just wrapping a survey around this obvious question in an attempt to appease their annoyed fans.

Done!!! hopefully they listen!!!!

In my response, I basically said I want a simple system of not having to exchange points for vouchers and going back to a £1.00 = 1 point/100 points = £5.00 discount - or, seeing as it's meant to be 'VIP', even £0.50 = 1 point/100 points = £5.00 discount.

My response is likely to show my understanding of the current programme - or lack thereof.

Does not work me. Endless spinning cursor only. Another fail for the horrible shop implementation they have.

Frankly, I am at a point where I don't care anymore to give this company feedback. Two days ago I ordered three small sets for around fifty bucks and selected payment after invoice because at least one item was delayed into may. A day later I got a message, that the order has been delayed. So far so good. And yesterday they wrote, I will have to pay in advance before shipping. I spent literally thousands of Euro in this shop over the last years. Not any more. That was maybe my last order with them.

Can I just make a Downfall movie Hitler rant parody about it and send that to them?

Has anyone from Germany been able to complete (or even find) this survey? If so, what device / browser did you use?

For me it doesn't show up on any device or any browser. The link above always takes me to the VIP start page, and the survey is nowhere to be found in the entire VIP section.

I am based in Norway and found the survey under Home > Get Points > Build your future gift with purchase with us - UK.
The survey is poorly developed, the questions and the possible answers not really relevant in my opinion. I doubt the results of such a survey would be useful to improve the VIP and GWP systems.

If they managed to have the site fully stocked during 2X VIP-periods I'd take them seriously regarding their VIP-program.

Two main points I made;

- Obviously, have more of the physical VIP only things, or if limited find another way to distribute them
- Let us redeem multiple VIP rewards per order; it can't be good for the environment to encourage us to split orders

I can't even find the questionnaire :) Maybe that's enough feedback already...

@Judgeguy said:
"Isn't VIP just free rewards for buying Lego which you would be buying anyway? You won't see me complaining about that."

Points are effectively a 5%, rarely 10%, discount. Which is pretty pointless (pun intended) because for anything except the big D2C sets, you can almost certainly find a better deal elsewhere at any given time.
The 'gifts' and exclusive items rarely seem worth that (quite literal) price, given issues like the (un)availability of the Ulysses Space Probe, or the mediocre quality of the commemorative coins released recently.

@Judgeguy said:
"Isn't VIP just free rewards for buying Lego which you would be buying anyway? You won't see me complaining about that."

Correct. Where the issues and annoyances rise though is when Lego does so much promoting and encouragement for the VIP system, but has so many technical and overall issues with the program.

It’s really not worth it for me, like @Rob42 said. But when Lego makes such a big deal out of the program, I think it’s fair for people to be able to express their frustrations and disappointments.

@LegoDad_itsforme_ said:
"I can't find the survey on the Canadian website either...."

I also can't find this survey anywhere on the Canadian VIP site. However, under the Get More Points section, there is a survey titled "Build your future gift with purchase with us - UK", which I thought was a little strange. It's clearly meant for the UK as the pricing in is GBP; and I did double-check that I am looking at the Canadian version of lego.com. Completing the Build your future survey did not appear to award my any more points.

My comment on the survey was that being a VIP would be more rewarding if we were able to purchase the Comic Con exclusives instead of having to pay exorbitant prices on the secondary market. Not all of us can make it to the conventions, but we would appreciate the opportunity to purchase the exclusive sets and minifigs.

I don’t think that’s asking a lot, and it would definitely make the VIP program more appealing (to me, at least).

That's peachy and awesome, a new place for the feedback to collect dust.

Just gave them some scathing feedback... To say im unimpressed was an understatement....

Glad to see Lego make a survey like this available; hopefully some action is taken as a result.

Aside from reprimanding the availability of VIP exclusives, my feedback mostly centered around how inferior the new points-to-discount system is compared to the old version. I REALLY miss the days when points could be applied (in any amount!) right there during checkout. None of this "redeeming for coupon codes" silliness.

I'm sure at least 3 of the questions on that survery were asking the same thing....

so wha points did I earn for completing it?

^ pretty much this. There was nothing wrong with the old system, and none of the bells and whistles added by the new system ever did anything for me.

Good on them for listening to their customers. Let's hope it's more than just listening and some actual good comes of it now.

I submitted a response. We will see what comes from it. I'm guessing not much will change, because that is the way of the world.

@Huw said:
"Perhaps @Shropshire will enlighten us as to why he's named himself after an entire county..."

Am I the only person to think of “The Shropshire Slasher” from the Warner Bros. cartoon ‘Deduce, You Say!’ when they saw the name Shropshire?

I got this survey (over) a week ago? Unless it's another one on the same subject.

So @Huw : is it correct to assume that this survey is only available to select VIP members from the US and UK?

I can't find comments from people outside these two countries having found or completed the survey.

And even if I change my region to UK or US, all I can see then is the "build your future gift with purchase - UK", which apparently is a different survey not relevant to this article.

I think they don't even dare to ask Germans for such feedback, as they have already gotten plenty of shitstorms to think about in recent months over here, and rightly so.

@PurpleDave said:
" @ComfySofa:
You actually already have that back. Sort of. In-store rebates is the one Reward that you can have them cash in points for at the register"

Hi Dave, thanks for taking the time to respond. To clarify, are you saying I can pop into a Lego shop to grab a cup of bricks from the wall, and ask the cashier to take it out of my points?

If so, that's exactly what I used to use my points for and was FUMING when they stopped it.

Have I been holding a grudge for so long unnecessarily? :O

Maybe the survey is another Lego regional exclusive.........

@ComfySofa:
Yes, that’s exactly what you can do. But they have to access your VIP account from a different screen, so you have to ask them to cash in points for you first, _then_ start ringing up your order, then apply the rebates you just claimed, and then pay for the remainder of your purchase.

And to be fair, they did a terrible job of letting people know about these running changes to the VIP Blue system. I found out about it because I complained to one of managers at my local LEGO Store, who informed me that they’d updated the system, and how it worked. But that’s the only Reward you can claim from a LEGO Store register, which kinda makes sense since it’s the only one you can actually use in a physical store.

@CCC said:
" @Huw said:
"Perhaps @Shropshire will enlighten us as to why he's named himself after an entire county..."

Whenever I see their name, I assume they smell like something between blue cheese and a fidget pie."

Not sure i'd want to spend long inside your mind ;).. I imagine most people would just assume I live in Shropshire.

@HOBBES said:
"And for the website as a whole, remove every freaking items that is not available any more - what use is it to keep an item on the menu with the mention 'sold out'? This of course does not apply to items marked as 'temporarily out of stock'. You don't make it any longer and you don't have any left for sale, remove it at once; done."

Just wondering, does "temporarily out of stock" actually mean it will be returning? According to this site the UCS Millennium Falcon is discontinued but on the Lego Canada site it only says "temporarily out of stock."

@PurpleDave said:
" @ComfySofa:
Yes, that’s exactly what you can do.

And to be fair, they did a terrible job of letting people know about these running changes to the VIP Blue system."

BRILLIANT! Thanks again Dave :)

I agree, bad work in telling people it was possible. I'd basically given up using points, which took a lot of the shine off of buying at a Lego shop. Cashing in points at the pick-a-brick wall was the only reason for me to pay RRP at Lego shops, so they would have definitely had more purchases from me if they'd have let me know it was reinstated as an option.

It's baffling to me that they train cashiers to ask if you're a VIP, but not to ask you if you'd like to redeem any of your points, especially as it was a function removed and then reinstated by popular demand. Perhaps they prefer us to spend our points downloading colouring sheets....

@Judgeguy said:
"Isn't VIP just free rewards for buying Lego which you would be buying anyway? You won't see me complaining about that."

The point is, Lego.com and Lego stores are competing for your money. I buy most of my Lego at Target because I get an automatic 5% off for using their store card, so I am already saving money, more than the rewards program. However, I do want exclusives which are only available online/Lego store. If they want me to spend my other money with them, then they need to add an incentive. Having a rewards program that is clunky and then dangling carrots that can never be had, is just a poor customer experience. They need to do a better job.

@Shropshire said:
"I imagine most people would just assume I live in Shropshire."
Going by some comments I have read about me here, it appears quite a few people here actually think I am Austin Powers.

Which is kind of groovy, Baby, yeah.
But no.

@brandobond:
Availability status has seven different statuses that I know of:

1. Coming Soon - hasn't been released yet, but street date is close enough that they've added it to their site.
2. Preorder - very rarely do they let you buy stuff before it releases, but you have to wait until the actual release date for product to ship.
3. Add to Bag - currently available if you want to purchase one.
4. Backordered - more is on the way, and they'll let people buy them to be shipped when they arrive.
5. Temporarily Out of Stock - Currently sold out, not available for backorder, but resupply is probable.
6. Sold Out - Probably not coming back.
7. Retired - Definitely not coming back, unless they rerelease it under a different set number.

75192 shows Out of Stock on the thumbnail, Temporarily Out of Stock on the product page, In Stock when I check my local LEGO Store, and will probably be replenished at some point. It's entirely possible they have received a fresh shipment and are just parking them until the May 4th promotions kick off, which is also when most retiring SW sets get clearance markdowns. If it comes back this weekend at full price, I'd expect it to be around for at least another year. But I already got my copy on VIP launch day, so if it's something you really want, don't rely on my gut instinct to tell you how long you can delay making a purchase. Put in for a restock notification from LEGO.com, so you'll get an e-mail when they add more to the website, and try to make sure you've got the money sitting around to make a purchase when it does come back.

Feedback given.
With both barrels.

@PurpleDave
Thanks for the info. Just got the UCS falcon along with the cantina and a few of the newly released sets. Now to sell my first edition 10179 so I can cover all my recent spending!

@brandobond:
Yup, I did notice that the Cantina showed up as Available in my wish list, but there'll be plenty of time to buy that one later. I placed a second order this afternoon, which trimmed my 2020 SW wish list to two of the helmets and the Cantina. I've already got a few things picked out from the 2021 lineup to buy next May 4th weekend (or week, maybe, since it'll land on a Wednesday in 2022).

After as series of emails to Lego regarding the issues with VIP this is the response I have received after many back and forth emails:

Dear xxxx

Thanks for getting in touch with us.

I've read through your messages to find the questions you had asked.

As agents we are not allowed to answer this kind of questions directly.

I can just tell you that the LEGO® Group is facing a problem with its promotions. They're getting every time more successful, and the increased demand is one of the causes of the inconveniences (like the website collapse, for example).

As for the number of items available, the VIP promotions promoted by the LEGO Group are called so because all VIP can have access to them, but that doesn't mean that we have prepared one item for each VIP program member. We're still talking of special items, and exclusivity/limited number is what make them special, among other things.

I don't know if the items will be produced again, I doubt so, but I know for sure that the company's trying to find solution to the delicate issue of the promo items sold at a very high price on the internet by other parties.

I really hope we'll be able to manage the promotions better in the future, and that you'll be able to get some, or all of them :)