Hi all,
Last week I was super excited to get the chance to visit Toy Hunters store in Hong Kong. Being a noob collector, I really had no idea what to expect other from what I'd learned from fellow collector's reviews and info.
Upon arrival, I was delighted to see that they had a Hot Toys Iron Man 3 Igor (MMS215) available for a great price ($HK 3280, approx $US 423), so I grabbed that big boy. I also picked up the Hot Toys Iron Man 3 Mk XLII (MMS197DC) for $HK 1980 - approx $US 255. Finally, my wife, bless her, persuaded me to buy one of several Predator figures on display. I chose the Predator 2 Elder Predator, for around 1350 $HK, approx $US175.
The staff there were helpful, if not overly friendly, and one of the guys opened up each one of the boxes for a cursory inspection prior to me leaving. Obviously, one can only see that all the parts are accounted for with no obvious damage. The Predator figure was removed from the outer sleeve only, so I could only confirm that all parts were present.
So, buzzing like a child on Christmas morning, I returned to my hotel, arriving about two hours later.
Predator was the first guy I opened up. As soon as I took him out of the box I saw that his right leg was hanging loosely in the netting covering his body. At first I thought that it has just popped out of the joint, but on closer inspection it appeared to have snapped cleaned off at the joint. This one had either slipped through the QC department, or deliberately put back in the box in the hope that someone wouldn't notice. Anyway, at least I hadn't left Hong Kong and returned home to Bangkok before discovering the defect. No drama, another trip to Toy Hunters would quickly sort it out, I thought. Both Igor and Iron Man Mk42 were both in perfect condition, I must add.
I returned to Toy Hunters with broken Predator in hand after only two and a half hours, I guess. I found the guy who dealt with me earlier and showed him the problem. He told me that, "actually", Toy Hunters doesn't accept returns, and that this item has no warranty. I countered that I was only here a couple of hours ago, when I spent a considerable amount of money on a, clearly, defective product which must be exchanged for a new one. He relented, but told me that he could do this only once. In that case, I said, I will exchange for something else, something slightly more robust. I chose the Iron Man Iron Patriot (MMS195DC), and forked out the extra 600 $HK for the little guy. The assistant, again, mentioned that he would not accept any further returns if the figure turned out to be damaged in any way, so it was up to me to accept this policy or not. Take it or leave it, basically. I told the guy that if I wasn't allowed to inspect the product closely in the store, how can I be sure that this one wasn't also defective. "Take it or leave it", he said. Wow! Tough sales policy! I had come a long way for these figures, so I took the chance and away I went.
Fortunately, all was groovy with the Iron Patriot, and I returned home happy. But, I was left feeling disappointed that Toy Hunters feel they have to do business this way. I understand that due to the quite delicate nature of some of these figures they have to protect themselves from customers returning a figure whenever something breaks, due to careless handling or shipping, but in cases like mine, I feel there should have been no argument.
So, all ended well and my collection has three new awesome additions. I probably won't buy anything from Toy Hunters again, too risky in my opinion. There are dozens of stores in Hong Kong. I'm sure there are many that would appreciate my custom.
Anyway, I thought I'd share my experience with my fellow Freaks. Has anyone out there had a similar scare with a dealer? I'd be keen to know if this is standard practice.
Cheerio for now.
Last week I was super excited to get the chance to visit Toy Hunters store in Hong Kong. Being a noob collector, I really had no idea what to expect other from what I'd learned from fellow collector's reviews and info.
Upon arrival, I was delighted to see that they had a Hot Toys Iron Man 3 Igor (MMS215) available for a great price ($HK 3280, approx $US 423), so I grabbed that big boy. I also picked up the Hot Toys Iron Man 3 Mk XLII (MMS197DC) for $HK 1980 - approx $US 255. Finally, my wife, bless her, persuaded me to buy one of several Predator figures on display. I chose the Predator 2 Elder Predator, for around 1350 $HK, approx $US175.
The staff there were helpful, if not overly friendly, and one of the guys opened up each one of the boxes for a cursory inspection prior to me leaving. Obviously, one can only see that all the parts are accounted for with no obvious damage. The Predator figure was removed from the outer sleeve only, so I could only confirm that all parts were present.
So, buzzing like a child on Christmas morning, I returned to my hotel, arriving about two hours later.
Predator was the first guy I opened up. As soon as I took him out of the box I saw that his right leg was hanging loosely in the netting covering his body. At first I thought that it has just popped out of the joint, but on closer inspection it appeared to have snapped cleaned off at the joint. This one had either slipped through the QC department, or deliberately put back in the box in the hope that someone wouldn't notice. Anyway, at least I hadn't left Hong Kong and returned home to Bangkok before discovering the defect. No drama, another trip to Toy Hunters would quickly sort it out, I thought. Both Igor and Iron Man Mk42 were both in perfect condition, I must add.
I returned to Toy Hunters with broken Predator in hand after only two and a half hours, I guess. I found the guy who dealt with me earlier and showed him the problem. He told me that, "actually", Toy Hunters doesn't accept returns, and that this item has no warranty. I countered that I was only here a couple of hours ago, when I spent a considerable amount of money on a, clearly, defective product which must be exchanged for a new one. He relented, but told me that he could do this only once. In that case, I said, I will exchange for something else, something slightly more robust. I chose the Iron Man Iron Patriot (MMS195DC), and forked out the extra 600 $HK for the little guy. The assistant, again, mentioned that he would not accept any further returns if the figure turned out to be damaged in any way, so it was up to me to accept this policy or not. Take it or leave it, basically. I told the guy that if I wasn't allowed to inspect the product closely in the store, how can I be sure that this one wasn't also defective. "Take it or leave it", he said. Wow! Tough sales policy! I had come a long way for these figures, so I took the chance and away I went.
Fortunately, all was groovy with the Iron Patriot, and I returned home happy. But, I was left feeling disappointed that Toy Hunters feel they have to do business this way. I understand that due to the quite delicate nature of some of these figures they have to protect themselves from customers returning a figure whenever something breaks, due to careless handling or shipping, but in cases like mine, I feel there should have been no argument.
So, all ended well and my collection has three new awesome additions. I probably won't buy anything from Toy Hunters again, too risky in my opinion. There are dozens of stores in Hong Kong. I'm sure there are many that would appreciate my custom.
Anyway, I thought I'd share my experience with my fellow Freaks. Has anyone out there had a similar scare with a dealer? I'd be keen to know if this is standard practice.
Cheerio for now.
