ANOVOS issues (ANOVOS ONLY discussion)

[Jagjaguwar]

Heh. So I just read the update on the order I cancelled, the Rogue One Blue Leader x-wing lid:

“With our new production schedule in place, we are anticipating a quick and clean run of these helmets.”

Wow, quick and clean! And based on the updated schedule it’ll only have taken... 2 and a half years! Amazing!

 

[darthjones]

Wow. Look at the new Kylo update on their site. I told you the outfits were not done. But I must say that it is nice they admitted to their own actions of announcing “done” before they were done. And why would someone try to coat outfit AFTER sewing it?!!

Wow.

But no delivery estimate anywhere. They are starting over.

 

[Leeway]

Wow. Look at the new Kylo update on their site. I told you the outfits were not done. But I must say that it is nice they admitted to their own actions of announcing “done” before they were done. And why would someone try to coat outfit AFTER sewing it?!!

Wow.

But no delivery estimate anywhere. They are starting over.

No, no, guys. This update is totally different. Now there's PICTURES!

The only thing this update did was to insure I'm never going to see my money again.

 

[vader45]

$1.4k for the Kylo Ren cape? Who the hell comes up with these numbers and why isnt he on meds?

 

[mikidymac]

Wow. Look at the new Kylo update on their site. I told you the outfits were not done. But I must say that it is nice they admitted to their own actions of announcing “done” before they were done. And why would someone try to coat outfit AFTER sewing it?!!

Wow.

But no delivery estimate anywhere. They are starting over.

First off I am not taking the side of Anovos as I am one of the ones waiting for my Kylo so I am even more upset after reading this.

But..... It does appear that they were telling the truth when they said they were done and it sounds like they were done and then the coating process basically ruined all of the costumes. This would fit with their previous story that they were done and should ship soon then nothing.

Secondly every Kylo costume out there that is approved was coated after it was completed. Pretty much all of the small makers of the Kylo outfit don't coat them as it has to be done by you as I assume that they wouldn't want to be the ones to mess it up. It is hard to get it to look correct.

So, yes I am pissed they are delayed again but I would be even more pissed if they sent me the parts in the first pictures that look like crap. I wish they would have just sent them uncoated and let us do it instead of another delay though.

Finally, why didn't they tell us this 4-5 months ago?

 

[JOATRASH FX]

The only thing this update did was to insure I'm never going to see my money again.

So, them actually taking a risk and being open about what has been happening, will be rewarded by more anger? Really? No offense but provided Anovos are actually telling the truth about this, and this is the reaction they get when they do so... how can they EVER win and make things right?

Maybe they simply can't in some folks' eyes, which is a damn shame. And yeah, I'm pissed at them too, because they have over $3.5K of my money and I'm waiting for no less than five rather expensive soft-goods items that I want to see delivered ASAP. We've all bitched (including me to some extent, even directly to them) about them not telling us what the actual troubles have been and now they're actually making that effort... and how do we meet that effort?

This update rings VERY true to me. (Else it's a very believable lie, haha.)

Anyone remember the HWC Pulse Rifle fiasco? Many months late (maybe even years?) and then when they finally arrived the factory had started packing them up before the glue had dried, causing almost every single copy to have a drooping barrel! And that was a $1000 item.

If you followed the Dredd facebook group, there was a collective effort to get suits made (in Pakistan I believe). That factory messed things up more times that anyone can remember and almost drove the guy responsible for the run up a tree. They shipped armor vests that were sewn upside down (!), straps that didn't work... leather where glue inside had made it stick together... the problems were endless.

The last time I had a custom suit made, the tailor (in Asia) had to remake the jacket and vest from scratch TWICE with $200-per-yard fabric! Two times before that, (with a different tailor) jackets had to be remade from scratch as well... one of them also using crazy-expensive fabric.

I had a custom 'Aragorn' leather coat made many years ago by a well-known leather place and they delivered the ugliest monstrosity I had seen in a while... AND they had even made sewing mistakes a ten-year-old shouldn't make!

You could easily find more horror stories. (So yeah, I'm not surprised that someone would try to coat the already-sewn garments afterward!)

Righting the Anovos ship, if it's even possible at this point, is not going to happen as fast as we want it to. It just isn't, no matter how hard we complain. But I think it's evident that they're trying. That doesn't mean we should let up on them- quite the opposite. The knife stays at their throat until they start shipping product for real. BUT, I don't think it's fair of us to dig the knife in deeper when they actually provide something we've been demanding, like this rather in-depth explanation. I'm just suggesting that we shouldn't punish progress, and maybe try to not view every update in the most cynical fashion, even though that's a tall order.

Finally, why didn't they tell us this 4-5 months ago?

Anovos have claimed for a couple years that they are not allowed to make certain statements without license-holder approval. That CAN often be the case. Companies can be VERY protective of their IPs, not wanting them to be seen in a 'bad light'. For example, one board game company I know does NOT allow lincensees to do kickstarters, because they are afraid that it looks like the IP is too 'weak' to get direct financing. Some companies are completely paranoid about these things. Showing off something like this, even if it somewhat casts Anovos as victims, doesn't look good for the brand. (Neither does the current situation of course, which is why I guess maybe The Mouse finally gave the OK to give us some proper answers.)

 

[darthjones]

I agree that this is a great update. I am not angry at all about it. It should have been much sooner but it is good. And it shows them running into problems that any of us might have so we can identify etc.

But I do, like they say, want a perfect product after all this time.

Note too - at this rate these will not be here for Halloween in my opinion. I think they are warming us up to this fact. And if they give us a detailed, once a month blog, I am okay with it.

If not almost constant updates then I’m gonna get pissed reaaaally fast again.

Constant.

Hear me?!

CONSTANT.

 

[Cryrid]

They had provided such information in the past though, such as in 2017 when the second delay occurred (original release was supposed to be 2016) forcing them to switch manufacturers for the first time. We knew what the problem was and we knew what they were doing about it. That was the last update which seemed to have any truth to it.

If coating is the final stage of the costume's production then I don't think it is accurate for them to report that the costume has finished production when it had yet to be coated and approved. That's celebrating when they still have the entire lap to finish. Would they say that a line of helmets had 'completed production and are expected to ship by the end of this June' if they had not yet begun to even paint and inspect them yet? They actually had two more updates repeating that the costume had completed production even after its 'final approvals' in August 2018.

So now I'm left wondering, did this coating issue occur when the costume completed production in March 2018? Or did it occur when the costume completed production in Sept 2018? Or did it occur six months ago when the costume completed production in Jan 2019? For fifteen months I was told the costume was finished, and somewhere in that lengthy period of time and misleading updates they were actually trying to to completely restart production instead.

I'm not angry at this particular update, although I'm highly disappointed that it sounds like the costume won't even manage a "TBD 2019" release seeing how they still haven't worked out how to properly coat their materials. What I am angry at is what they've been telling me since March 2018 to string me along. They needed updates with depth like this since day 1, and going forward they need to pursue them monthly rather than let another half a year go by without saying a single thing.

 

[redrdr67]

I for one am still happy they are still in business. Still patiently awaiting one helmet. I've always been, and always will try to throw positive comments to this discussion. It would also be great to hear more of some folks who have received their product. I have noticed it has been asked several times but not many replies. Maybe if positive energy is injected in this discussion, we'll actually all get our stuff.

 

[TradeCraft]

My wife has received one Anovos item, Jyn Gloves with horrible flaws and problems. Bellow is a link to my RPF Review. I am still waiting on $1k in other items. I haven't posted on the RPF in over the past 3 months, but this is how I left things with Anovos until this week.

First off, I have a very hard time commending Anovos for their first ever honest update, particularly because of its timing. Anovos is only providing updates now because of a $5M class action lawsuit that was just filed on June 3rd.

With the help of Stacy Barninger at Disney/Lucasfilm Liscensing, I actually received a call on Saturday, March 30th from Charlie at Anovos and we talked for almost an hour. He said he was in charge of update emails (taking over for Reggie Scott in 2018) and that he was working all weekend and was talking to me on the phone instead of spending that time typing up an update. I reminded him that the last shipping update was 8 months earlier in August 2018, and that it was unfair to blame the delay on the time spent on a single phone call 8 months later. Most of the call was me explaining the leather and stitching manufacturing errors in the Jyn Gloves, and how to improve the quality coming from their suppliers in future runs. The rest of the call was discussing how I thought buyers would be more understanding if Anovos actually sent honest and regular updates about delays. Within just a few days of this phone call he sent the wave of apology emails on April 5th, 7th, and 10th. Then on April 11, they updated their return policy to say they will never issue a refund for pre-orders, saying that "All Sales Were Final on Pre-Order Purchases". He sent me an email to expect delivery updates within a week, but that was 3 months ago. I emailed him 5 days ago, and called him yesterday about the status of update emails, and shockingly, the massive update list was sent this morning.

Here is the detailed RPF thread I created describing the manufacturing problems of the Anovos Jyn Gloves.

Anovos Jyn Erso Gloves Received, Horrible Quality! PHOTOS

I just wanted to share photos of the gloves my wife received so people know what they can expect to receive, if Anovos ever ship what you order at all. The main selling point of Anovos is supposedly screen accuracy, and the main excuse for the excessive delays has been matching the screen used...

www.therpf.com

 

[mluder]

Anovos have claimed for a couple years that they are not allowed to make certain statements without license-holder approval. That CAN often be the case. Companies can be VERY protective of their IPs, not wanting them to be seen in a 'bad light'. For example, one board game company I know does NOT allow lincensees to do kickstarters, because they are afraid that it looks like the IP is too 'weak' to get direct financing. Some companies are completely paranoid about these things. Showing off something like this, even if it somewhat casts Anovos as victims, doesn't look good for the brand. (Neither does the current situation of course, which is why I guess maybe The Mouse finally gave the OK to give us some proper answers.)

You're right... The way they handled it up until now was a much better way to represent the licensees. Do you really think Lucasfilm, etc. would prefer the backlash of 3 years of silence and in some cases outright misrepresentation over a manufacturer being open with their customers and details the hard work and disappointments that went into the production? If so, why is Lucasfilm OK with it now? This level of communication would have went a long way to saving face. That's why people are not breathing a sign of relief. I almost think it's worse for them to say all of this now because it makes them look terrible in terms of customer care. "Oh we have known all along the trouble with producing this ensemble, but we don't care enough about you to tell you. Instead we'll say nothing,,, for years..."

It would have been so simple but I have to believe they simply did not know how to admit things were not going to plan... That's ego right there. Not a good performance model. I only hope that this is a sign of things to come - open communication.

Cheers
Steve

 

[darthjones]

They had provided such information in the past though, such as in 2017 when the second delay occurred (original release was supposed to be 2016) forcing them to switch manufacturers for the first time. We knew what the problem was and we knew what they were doing about it. That was the last update which seemed to have any truth to it.

If coating is the final stage of the costume's production then I don't think it is accurate for them to report that the costume has finished production when it had yet to be coated and approved. That's celebrating when they still have the entire lap to finish. Would they say that a line of helmets had 'completed production and are expected to ship by the end of this June' if they had not yet begun to even paint and inspect them yet? They actually had two more updates repeating that the costume had completed production even after its 'final approvals' in August 2018.

So now I'm left wondering, did this coating issue occur when the costume completed production in March 2018? Or did it occur when the costume completed production in Sept 2018? Or did it occur six months ago when the costume completed production in Jan 2019? For fifteen months I was told the costume was finished, and somewhere in that lengthy period of time and misleading updates they were actually trying to to completely restart production instead.

I'm not angry at this particular update, although I'm highly disappointed that it sounds like the costume won't even manage a "TBD 2019" release seeing how they still haven't worked out how to properly coat their materials. What I am angry at is what they've been telling me since March 2018 to string me along. They needed updates with depth like this since day 1, and going forward they need to pursue them monthly rather than let another half a year go by without saying a single thing.

Big time. Huge. Saying they were finished while restarting is definitely a lie. And a stupid one. No one smart, or at all kind, or at all respectful of their customer, does this.

Again, today’s update was good but way overdue. And it all but states that it will not be here in 2019 for use of any kind.

 

[Inquisitor Peregrinus]

Yeah, one of the things I'm hoping comes out of the lawsuit -- and those this applies to, please talk to ThePawn to see if it can be added to the arbitration -- would be those who have received sub-par goods like the Jyn gloves or non-quilted Kylo coat or cracking Phasma helmets to have them replaced with better product.

 

[Leeway]

So, them actually taking a risk and being open about what has been happening, will be rewarded by more anger? Really? No offense but provided Anovos are actually telling the truth about this, and this is the reaction they get when they do so... how can they EVER win and make things right?

Maybe they simply can't in some folks' eyes, which is a damn shame. And yeah, I'm pissed at them too, because they have over $3.5K of my money and I'm waiting for no less than five rather expensive soft-goods items that I want to see delivered ASAP. We've all bitched (including me to some extent, even directly to them) about them not telling us what the actual troubles have been and now they're actually making that effort... and how do we meet that effort?

This update rings VERY true to me. (Else it's a very believable lie, haha.)

Anyone remember the HWC Pulse Rifle fiasco? Many months late (maybe even years?) and then when they finally arrived the factory had started packing them up before the glue had dried, causing almost every single copy to have a drooping barrel! And that was a $1000 item.

If you followed the Dredd facebook group, there was a collective effort to get suits made (in Pakistan I believe). That factory messed things up more times that anyone can remember and almost drove the guy responsible for the run up a tree. They shipped armor vests that were sewn upside down (!), straps that didn't work... leather where glue inside had made it stick together... the problems were endless.

The last time I had a custom suit made, the tailor (in Asia) had to remake the jacket and vest from scratch TWICE with $200-per-yard fabric! Two times before that, (with a different tailor) jackets had to be remade from scratch as well... one of them also using crazy-expensive fabric.

I had a custom 'Aragorn' leather coat made many years ago by a well-known leather place and they delivered the ugliest monstrosity I had seen in a while... AND they had even made sewing mistakes a ten-year-old shouldn't make!

You could easily find more horror stories. (So yeah, I'm not surprised that someone would try to coat the already-sewn garments afterward!)

Righting the Anovos ship, if it's even possible at this point, is not going to happen as fast as we want it to. It just isn't, no matter how hard we complain. But I think it's evident that they're trying. That doesn't mean we should let up on them- quite the opposite. The knife stays at their throat until they start shipping product for real. BUT, I don't think it's fair of us to dig the knife in deeper when they actually provide something we've been demanding, like this rather in-depth explanation. I'm just suggesting that we shouldn't punish progress, and maybe try to not view every update in the most cynical fashion, even though that's a tall order.


Anovos have claimed for a couple years that they are not allowed to make certain statements without license-holder approval. That CAN often be the case. Companies can be VERY protective of their IPs, not wanting them to be seen in a 'bad light'. For example, one board game company I know does NOT allow lincensees to do kickstarters, because they are afraid that it looks like the IP is too 'weak' to get direct financing. Some companies are completely paranoid about these things. Showing off something like this, even if it somewhat casts Anovos as victims, doesn't look good for the brand. (Neither does the current situation of course, which is why I guess maybe The Mouse finally gave the OK to give us some proper answers.)

You answered your own question. They can win by making things right. This is an update. They've given updates before. Each one has proven to be false.
The facts are that I (along with many others) have over 4 grand invested in products that are coming up on 4 years of non-delivery. I work with Disney as a licensor every day so I know that there are clauses that keeps them silent on internal problems. But until we start getting actual returns on our investment, I consider this and every other update to be just words.

 

[BTTUK]

So, them actually taking a risk and being open about what has been happening, will be rewarded by more anger? Really? No offense but provided Anovos are actually telling the truth about this, and this is the reaction they get when they do so... how can they EVER win and make things right?

Maybe they simply can't in some folks' eyes, which is a damn shame. And yeah, I'm pissed at them too, because they have over $3.5K of my money and I'm waiting for no less than five rather expensive soft-goods items that I want to see delivered ASAP. We've all bitched (including me to some extent, even directly to them) about them not telling us what the actual troubles have been and now they're actually making that effort... and how do we meet that effort?

This update rings VERY true to me. (Else it's a very believable lie, haha.)

Anyone remember the HWC Pulse Rifle fiasco? Many months late (maybe even years?) and then when they finally arrived the factory had started packing them up before the glue had dried, causing almost every single copy to have a drooping barrel! And that was a $1000 item.

If you followed the Dredd facebook group, there was a collective effort to get suits made (in Pakistan I believe). That factory messed things up more times that anyone can remember and almost drove the guy responsible for the run up a tree. They shipped armor vests that were sewn upside down (!), straps that didn't work... leather where glue inside had made it stick together... the problems were endless.

The last time I had a custom suit made, the tailor (in Asia) had to remake the jacket and vest from scratch TWICE with $200-per-yard fabric! Two times before that, (with a different tailor) jackets had to be remade from scratch as well... one of them also using crazy-expensive fabric.

I had a custom 'Aragorn' leather coat made many years ago by a well-known leather place and they delivered the ugliest monstrosity I had seen in a while... AND they had even made sewing mistakes a ten-year-old shouldn't make!

You could easily find more horror stories. (So yeah, I'm not surprised that someone would try to coat the already-sewn garments afterward!)

Righting the Anovos ship, if it's even possible at this point, is not going to happen as fast as we want it to. It just isn't, no matter how hard we complain. But I think it's evident that they're trying. That doesn't mean we should let up on them- quite the opposite. The knife stays at their throat until they start shipping product for real. BUT, I don't think it's fair of us to dig the knife in deeper when they actually provide something we've been demanding, like this rather in-depth explanation. I'm just suggesting that we shouldn't punish progress, and maybe try to not view every update in the most cynical fashion, even though that's a tall order.


Anovos have claimed for a couple years that they are not allowed to make certain statements without license-holder approval. That CAN often be the case. Companies can be VERY protective of their IPs, not wanting them to be seen in a 'bad light'. For example, one board game company I know does NOT allow lincensees to do kickstarters, because they are afraid that it looks like the IP is too 'weak' to get direct financing. Some companies are completely paranoid about these things. Showing off something like this, even if it somewhat casts Anovos as victims, doesn't look good for the brand. (Neither does the current situation of course, which is why I guess maybe The Mouse finally gave the OK to give us some proper answers.)

They lied and obfuscated for years, and now when they are under threat of litigation and had customers contact the owner of the licence about them, they suddenly start being open and honest.... Yeah i'm not going to suddenly forgive them for lying to me for years.

When someone is forced to be truthful after so long, then their trustworthiness isn't worth the pixels this update is typed on.

 

[the Pawn]

Yeah, one of the things I'm hoping comes out of the lawsuit -- and those this applies to, please talk to ThePawn to see if it can be added to the arbitration -- would be those who have received sub-par goods like the Jyn gloves or non-quilted Kylo coat or cracking Phasma helmets to have them replaced with better product.

I received the same sub quality product on the gloves. Others have posted that thief recently re-released Star Trek items are sub par too.

This is an issue we will bring up in the lawsuit.

 

[the Pawn]

Class Action Lawsuit Update

All Defendants were served between June 10-11, 2019.

If you have not sent in your invoices and want to be included in the list of customers sent to ANOVOS/Disney/CBS then please do so ASAP.

Currently there is approximately 100 customers around the world on the list.

 

[Dynamic1]

Because several were wanting to confirm....FO spy straight from Batuu ....

 

[Apollo]

Wow! What does that tell you!

Because several were wanting to confirm....FO spy straight from Batuu ....View attachment 1031127View attachment 1031128View attachment 1031129View attachment 1031130View attachment 1031131

 

[Halliwax]

Can this be bought in the store and put in your hands? Or is this a buy in the store and wait in the mail?