Athearn parts not available

No, it didn't. What's our point? Where did I say the letter said that?

Paul

I need to get a couple more packages of caboose ladders, but expect I never will. Once they make the inevitable swiytch to RTR product from China (it's starting already), parts availablity will become zero/nada/nil.nothing. Don;t believe me? Try to get parts from LifeLike or Bachmann,

Don

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You didn't directly but your implication was clear enough to warrant the reply.

Dave

Won't be incompatible for long.

Dave

Amen to the voice of reason! You'd be amazed at how many small parts I get from them a couple of times a week. They also have two separate warehouses (west and Midwest).

Dave

You folks read way to much into everything. The fax was very likely sent from his sales rep or someone in product support. Certainly not likely anyone who could offer a detailed report in a fax on problems encountered. You are reading the "condensed format" that likely has been hashed over three or four times. Ever do the game where you relate a short story and keep passing it along. Usually bears no resemblance to the original.

Dave

No I do not. I have a couple of pages of Athearn Blue box kits in the production cycle. Horizon and Athern have every intention to continue these. Now the Ready to Roll Athearn built up from blue box kits in China is a big so what. These are assembled in China. The components as I understand it come from Athearn. Intermountain does the same. Kits are asembled offshore. Horizon products have always had excellent parts support. I have at worst had two week delays. Usually it's 4 days to receive items. In the case of a defective item they will ship replacement parts immediately if in stock at no additional charge to the shop. If not they then cannibalize kits on hand, third choice is to wait while they acquire more. I've never done this from the consumer side but supposedly they wil work with the end user of their products as well. Overall absolutely excellent product support system.

Dave Jacksonville, FL

The fax that I quoted verbatim came from a sales rep, not from an executive with Horizon. I offered it to this group as an interesting, in my opinion, piece of information. Read into it what you will.

The implication in the letter/fax was rather clear also.

Paul

That will probably be a good thing. THen they can stop whining about those expensive trips to the warehouse.

Paul

What makes you think it was drafted by an MBA?

MBA jokes are as common as Blonde jokes. "MBA" stands young, dumb, clueless, pompous type who shows up at a business and "reinvents" the place overnight. Didn't you see the fedex commercial.

This is actually a smart move on the part of Athearn and Intermountain. (Also MDC and Red Caboose, I believe.) It sounds inefficient, but allows them to maintain strict control over the most important part, the molds.

Peter King in NY

Wasn't that Monica Bush?

Because it showed the expected lack of common sense that most MBA's exhibit. Marty Hall

SHE extinctted the dinosaurs!? Why that lousy, not good, soaking it up with her dress, ...

Dear sirs, I don't know; an even smarter move would be to design the stuff to be profitably assembled here. I know some people would say it can't be done, but though that's a common thing to say about anything it never gets anybody anywhere. I think it can. You design stuff right and you can slam it together without thinking about it.

Cordially yours, Gerard P.

"Gerard Pawlowski" wrote . You design stuff right and you

Thats precisely what they do in China but at U$0.60 per hour.

Werris