Airfix Flying Hours Program

So, if that person only attached 20 or fewer tokens, then he would have had a free kit? He could have broken the tokens into two or more different passports and received at least two kits?

Here in the US, MPC used to rebox Airfix kits and those included "Golden Opportunity" tokens. Send in a certain number and get a free kit. More tokens, bigger kit. This came out about the time Return of the Jedi first came out because the ROTJ kits had Golden Opportunity tokens on the box side.

I have personally redeemed flying hours tokens from Airfix. Their system used to be that you paid 1.25GBP to contribute towards postage for each order. This was changed in the past year to 1.25GBP per kit, with no more than 20 tokens to be redeemed at one time, using the "flying hours passport". Of course, you had to redeem some tokens in order to get a flying hours passport, if you hadn't renewed club membership since the time that this new rule had been placed. The Flying Hours program is, of course, quite a valuable part of Airfix Club Membership, which used to include a "Forum" area on their website that appeared to be identical to the one from which the FSM fora are based. The Airfix site Forum closed without notice on April 22 of this year, with management citing the reason as "requiring too much work" or words to that effect.

One upshot of that particular episode was the creation of an "Unofficial Airfix Forum" at http://gregers.7.forumer.com Of course, while this ostensibly represents no work for Airfix (even though they monitor the site, apparently), they have no control over the content of the posts, so commonsense would dictate that it may be better for the company to retain or reinstate their sanctioned Forum.

Personally, I find that the particular interpretation of "token" to be equivalent to "tokens to the value of 1 flying hour" is novel, to be polite about it.

Brews, I will assume by your location and the fact that New Zealand is clearly marked on the passport that you are the person being "wronged". That being said I will attempt to be gentler than I feel like being.

Let's examine token, but we will substitute "dollar" for token. I would be quite silly to send in 20 "bills" of varying denominations totalling $44 dollars when $20 was requested.

Now, let's examine "the customer is always right". This can be either a means of going broke quickly, or a way to rip off your customer if he insists that his transmission needs to be replaced when one of his tires have gone flat. This is an "americanism" that was coined at Marshall Fields and exported to the UK by one Harry Gordon Selfridge (an ex-Marshall Field employee), and was originally expressed as "never argue with the customer in front of other customers", a far more sensible approach. I have been in sales and customer service related business for 30 years and have had many occasions when the customer was a complete idiot! Somehow people have began to think "The Customer Is Always Right" is in fact a right, like freedom of speech or something.

You have certainly sent in 20 items. I (and apparently Airfix) see it as 44 tokens. Some of the items are worth 2 tokens, some 4, etc. with the total value of the 20 items being 44.

If I was Airfix I would have sent you one kit and kept the 24 other tokens. Airfix chose not to do this, but rather sent back the tokens (against their own rules) along with a shining example of how bad the education system of the UK has become. The way the "relationship with the customer is being improved" is that they have sent back all the tokens, at their own expense, hoping that you resubmit two entries, each with the correct amount of tokens, and receive two free kits instead of only one.

Now let's examine "How to Resolve Conflict and Complaints With a Business". I feel the creation of a web page that is written to embarrass both a company and it's employee, while attempting to hide your own identity is in poor taste. I wonder how you would feel Airfix made a web page exposing how you didn't understand the value of each token? Have a nice day.

Thank you for the above, Mr Grigg. I feel glad that you've pointed out the "customer is always right" thing, because like you, it is difficult when on the other side of the fence!

However you feel I may have tried to hide my identity, I can assure you that I only did as much as I did to prevent any more spam or junk snail mail than I get already. I have not tried to hide any substantial facts. Also, as there is nothing on the Humbrol letterhead that can't be found in the public domain, I didn't feel as if I was victimising anyone there. If I'm wrong, then please accept my public apology.

As to the redemption of flying hours, it's not that 20FH gives you one kit, but that 5FH = a series 1 or 2 kit, 10FH = Series 3 or 4, and 15FH = Series 5 or 6, but that's neither here nor there. Even if I am totally correct with regards to the difference between tokens and the value of tokens, however, I agree with you that it might not be the best way to resolve a conflict. But, I did ask for opinions, and I assure you that I value them all, so thanks again!

Cheerio,

Bruce

Bruce,

Thank you for taking my comments in the spirit they were offered!. It can be truly daunting to have to deal with a company sometimes, especially one that is so far away from your own country!

I will agree that the company used confusing terminology when they choose to use both "tokens" and "flying hours" as meaning the same thing. In light of the clarification you provided I can certainly see that one could make the assumption that 20 tokens could easily end up being 200 flying hours. I will also agree that the letter was about as poorly written as one could make it and claim English as their written language. It was a truly atrocious example of poor grammar and spelling! I trust that you will resubmit the flying hours you have to claim the kits you so obviously deserve.

I wasn't specifying the company's information which as you say is public information, but the young lady's name. At least I assume she's young, given the example of her writing skills. No matter, it would not be to I that you would need to apologize to!

I thank you for listening to my opinion and attaching a value to it, I have a million of them!

I couldn't access the thread without registering for that forum, something I didn't want to do.