MR Helmet Update

[MRCUSTOMERCARE]

Dear Master Replicas Customer:

We would like to provide you with an update on the following Star Wars and Disney Helmets:
• Shock Troop Helmet
• Clonetrooper Helmet
• Special Ops Helmet
• Rocketeer Helmet.

As you may know, Master Replicas placed all helmets on shipping hold in order to fully inspect them for potential quality issues reported on some units. After discussing the situation with our manufacturing partner, we agreed on an unbiased evaluation of the products by an independent, third party testing agency.

Next week, each helmet will be carefully inspected to ensure that only units meeting Master ReplicasÂ’ quality standards will be approved to be shipped out to our customers.

Thank you for your continued patience and understanding. Master Replicas is dedicated to providing quality products that we are proud to stand behind. We will be providing you with an update in a few weeks based on the results of the inspection and the next steps.

Sincerely,

The Master Replicas Team

 

[JP05]

Jeesh. Good thing I read this forum. Would it be too much to ask to get an email from MR? I think its really poor customer service that they posted here and did not email their actual customers.

Or am I the only customer who did not get an email?

 

[Cookiee Monsta]

Your just now getting around to inspecting them?? Wouldn't it of been better to of inspected them before they shipped out to customers, then you wouldn't of had this PR problem in the first palce.

MR should've spent the extra 20-35 cents per helmet, in what ever 3rd world country that made them, to get the helmets done properly the first time around.Thats what you get when you penny pinch to save $$, it comes back to bite you in the ass.

I'm glad I cancelled my helmet order when all this bad news about helmet problems started to arise.Have you seen how much MR charges to send helmets to New Zealand, would cost a prity penny to have each of my Clone helmets shipped back & forth across the pacific trying to sort the probelms out.So I pulled the pin before those probelms arose.

 

[RedTwoX]

I understand that you can not sell Limited Edition units which fail quality control as it will affect the edition size. However, what of the plain, white Clone helmets? I'm not affraid of sand paper and spray paint, and I'd love to pick up a discounted "quality control reject". Have you folks gotten that far through the planning process? What will be the fait of these helmets?

 

[MRCUSTOMERCARE]

We are going to be sending an email out to everyone on Monday. This is actually the email that is going out. I just thought I would give everyone the heads up it is coming and what it is going to say. Everyone who ordered a helmet from us plus our retailers who purchased the helmets will be getting the emails.

Originally posted by MRCUSTOMERCARE@Mar 10 2006, 09:08 PM
Dear Master Replicas Customer:

We would like to provide you with an update on the following Star Wars and Disney Helmets:
• Shock Troop Helmet
• Clonetrooper Helmet
• Special Ops Helmet
• Rocketeer Helmet.

As you may know, Master Replicas placed all helmets on shipping hold in order to fully inspect them for potential quality issues reported on some units.  After discussing the situation with our manufacturing partner, we agreed on an unbiased evaluation of the products by an independent, third party testing agency.

Next week, each helmet will be carefully inspected to ensure that only units meeting  Master Replicas’ quality standards will be approved to be shipped out to our customers.

Thank you for your continued patience and understanding.  Master Replicas is dedicated to providing quality products that we are proud to stand behind. We will be providing you with an update in a few weeks based on the results of the inspection and the next steps.

Sincerely,

The Master Replicas Team

[snapback]1203155[/snapback]​

 

[MRCUSTOMERCARE]

HI Cougar,

We do actually inspect them before they leave the factory. Sometimes things can happen in shipping due to temperature, humidity, etc. There can be dozens or factors that affected the helmets before we got them here in the states but after they were inspected at our vendors factories. We are looking into what happened and are trying to keep everyone updated.

We do sincerely apologize for the delay and working on rectifying the situation as quickly as possible.

Originally posted by Cougar@Mar 10 2006, 10:16 PM
Your just now getting around to inspecting them?? Wouldn't it of been better to of inspected them before they shipped out to customers, then you wouldn't of had this PR problem in the first palce.

MR should've spent the extra 20-35 cents in what ever 3rd world country, to get the helmets done properly the first time around.Thats what you get when you penny pinch to save $$, it comes back to bite you in the ass.

I'm glad I cancelled my helmet order when all this bad news about helmet problems started to arise.

[snapback]1203202[/snapback]​

 

[CTF]

Ah, the RPF... You'll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. And yes, I'm kidding guys.

Don't take it to heart, MR. I'll still buy your lids.

 

[rocketeer25]

Guys,

Give Amy (or whoever it is behind the MR mask) a break. She didn't have to come here and post any information...

I know some of you are frustrated with the quality control issues we've seen from MR lately... I'm right there with you. But that doesn't give you the right to abuse Amy or any other MR employee that goes out of their way to share information with us.

It's not like Amy was in charge of making or packaging the helmets... she's just trying to do her job. And while I think we would all like more updates, I don't think we'll get them if we continue to harass Amy or anyone else from MR that might be inclined to give them to us.

Thanks for the update MR. Here's hoping that the quality control measures that you've put in place will fix the problems you've been having. :thumbsup

Lonnie

 

[JP05]

Originally posted by rocketeer25@Mar 10 2006, 10:36 PM
Guys,

Give Amy (or whoever it is behind the MR mask) a break.  She didn't have to come here and post any information...

I know some of you are frustrated with the quality control issues we've seen from MR lately... I'm right there with you.  But that doesn't give you the right to abuse Amy or any other MR employee that goes out of their way to share information with us.

It's not like Amy was in charge of making or packaging the helmets... she's just trying to do her job.  And while I think we would all like more updates, I don't think we'll get them if we continue to harass Amy or anyone else from MR that might be inclined to give them to us.

Thanks for the update MR.  Here's hoping that the quality control measures that you've put in place will fix the problems you've been having.  :thumbsup

Lonnie

[snapback]1203226[/snapback]​

Give who a break? Who is harrasing who? What are you talking about? I don't see anything bad posted. One opinion on product, but thats it. You are right that they don't have to post here. But they did. And I think my post was a vaild post that expressed a vaild concern. My concerns were answered. They also posted the same thing at Rebelscum. My point still stands that I should be getting an email. They said I would on Monday. I will wait and see. I think you need to tone down the claims of harrasement though.

 

[The Mantis]

Steve has every right to his post and many more like it....money was exchanged....a product was promised. Excuses upon excuses were made. If MR was a vendor for the company you owned you would have fired them.

But we cannot fire them, instead we can have our money refunded, as I did yesterday, and CHOOSE to spend our money elsewhere.

This is not an attack on AMY but business is business.

 

[CTF]

I know this isn't true for everyone here (some would've brought through dealers), but MR doesn't charge you until the product ships? Isn't that right?

 

[elwood49]

So, the e-mail goes out next week, meaning Monday, and the inspection takes place the next week after that?

I guess I won't see my Shock and Spec. Ops until April, which is actually fine with me. I wonder when my Vader SE will ship?

 

[Goldenrod]

I think i'm going with a refund as well for my Special Ops. I just cannot wait a year for a product ship. Its just unprofessional management in my opinion.
BTW i never heard anything about a replacement case for my MR Jango blasters. They for some reason beyond me do not reply to emails.????

 

[Cenobyte]

So has anyone here actually PAID or have been billed from MR yet for their helmets?

(Not a distributor or reseller, but physically MR)

 

[CTF]

So has anyone here actually PAID or have been billed from MR yet for their helmets?
(Not a distributor or reseller, but physically MR)

Exactly.

 

[hansicle]

I don't want to step on toes and make excuses for anyone, but I think the problem here is trying to make this transaction "cost effective" , in this instance, the helmets were to be inspected by the overseas manufacturer before sending out. The helmets were then shipped to the vendors for distribution. Doing this reduced the extra cost of shipping the product to an MR facility for additional inspection, and then the cost of shipping the product to the vendors.

If the helmets were inspected properly, and the defects happened during shipping, then that's one thing, but if the the manufacturer is not doing their job, allowing defective merchandise to pass just to keep up with demand and prevent loss because of shotty workmanship.. that's another.

By having a third party inspect the merchandise, they can better evaluate the situation, and determine if the product is being inspected properly, the product is being made to standards, no "questionable" product is being "passed" and shipped. If everything is being done properly, and the damage is happening during shipping, a new method for shipping needs to be determined, or a change in shipping service needs to be made.

If the do find that it's the fault of the manufacturer, and they are passing crap, then the manufacturer will have to take the loss and make up for the orders that were defective.

If the shipping company mishandeled the merchandise and created a situation, where the merchandise could have been damaged, then they may have to take a loss.

Having an independant third party look into this will help determine the best action to take in order to resolve this issue.... unfortunately, all of this will take time in order to do it correctly. I'm sure MR has a lot riding on these products, and they had expectations for their merchandise that isn't being met. They need to determine a cause for these issues in order to determine the best course of action to resolve them.

 

[Star Wars Helmets]

After such a delay its unfortunate that all thatÂ’s sent out is another holding email

In some respects I may be considered one of the “lucky” ones since I received all my three helmets (Star Corps, Shock and Special Ops) however the finish on the latter two was disappointing and I’m still missing a plaque. Tbh I didn’t consider the idea of sending the helmets back realistic, given the geography of my situation so it’s a shame MR hasn’t thought of doing anything to appease those who’ve felt buggered about.

Cheers

Jez

 

[PantheraGem]

MR may not actually charge you until the item ships, but.... for eight months that was still roughly $960 I had set aside for my Vader helmet that I couldn't do anything else with.

I still want the MR down the line but I worry how this is going to turn out. Couldn't they just cancel all the unfulfilled orders and simply say "sorry" in case it proves to be too expensive to re-make, or repair all of the damaged helmets?

Who are these third party inspectors anyway? They should have hired some people from the RPF.

 

[rocketeer25]

This is not an attack on AMY but business is business.

:lol Sorry, I know you didn't mean it that way, but it sounded like you just put a hit out on Amy. You don't live in New Jersey, do you?

The RPF strives to be licensee-friendly. That doesn't mean that you have to put up with poor customer service. It doesn't mean that you have to buy everything that MR is selling (product or "tales"). But when a representative of MR, or any other licensee, joins the board, they need to be treated like any other member... with decency and respect.

Amy has personally helped many of our members resolve problems with MR. Problems they may still have been facing if it hadn't been for Amy's presence on the board.

If you don't like MR for whatever reason, don't buy their product. And like I said before... I know the frustration level out there is pretty high. Still, there is a right way and a wrong way to get your point across.

I do appreciate the tone of the last couple of posts... they reflect disappointment with MR's recent product/decisions, but they do it respectfully. :thumbsup

I've pulled a couple of OT posts out of this thread. I hope we can leave it open for a continued dialogue with MR, if they haven't already given up hope on us. :unsure

Who are these third party inspectors anyway? They should have hired some people from the RPF. 

Now that would be a great job..

 

[Gordon Gekko]

=PnatheraGem,Mar 11 2006, 05:08 AM

Who are these third party inspectors anyway? They should have hired some people from the RPF.

With the perfection nuts on here those things would never ship.