Hornby Reviews 120

Follow up to my previous review Hornby / corgi. Looks like the poor quality and appalling customer service virus has spread into corgi. Which they own anyway. Four crap replacement gold finger DB5 models non of which work. Lies about each one being tested before dispatch. Infact my recent replacement is the worst out of the lot. And I was assured it was tested by John Humphrey’s. I’m not an isolated case with these poor quality examples. My advise. Keep your money in your pocket.
They’ve now decided to ignore me now. Think I’ll go away. Not me. Trading standards are coming your way. And I’ll be after my refund.

Awful customer service. I checked the item would arrive in time for me to take it abroad for xmas (12 days after order), which they confirmed it would. I received confirmation from DPD it would arrive on 18th Dec. It didn't. I chased by email with Hornby and received no response. It was delivered on 20th December, once I had already left so was useless. As soon as I returned from overseas I rang to request a refund number, sat on hold for 25 minutes, gave up and followed their instructions to email. Over a week and two phone calls later I finally got a response basically saying tough luck, we only accept returns until 10th January. My initial email was sent just five days after that and despite the fact I wouldn't need a refund if they had delivered it on time as promised, they still wouldn't budge. Appalling customer service - also interesting to note that it is cheaper from nearly all the other online retailers! Over priced items in comparison to others and awful customer service.

I bought the flying Scotsman the bogey kept tucking under even on a straight test track. They have known about this since at least 2016. I sent it back to Hornby they replaced a valve in a brand new locomotive. I don’t know what that does but it did not help. My local model shops knows about the problem and is going to fix it for me. Also I have had two sets of points fall to pieces. In my opinion Hornby are a load of rubbish

My Hornby Elite had after just over 2 years service a problem with one of the selector buttons failing. I sent this item to Hornby and asked if it could be repaired and offered to pay any costs. It was returned after little over a week with both encoders replaced, updated and returned to me free of charge. It is now working perfectly. Top rate efficient, prompt and professional service. (case 026729)

I’d got a model of an Hornby Grange Class that had developed a fault and, because it were over ten years old, the repair centre @ Hornby couldn’t be arsed; after ten years that’s when you need service, what sort of attitude is that, with it also coming from China, I’ve decided to boycott everything Hornby!

Very disappointed, very misleading on delivery. there is no such thing as express. if you pay for express you receive the item 4-5 working days they to not put this on their site and your made to believe its 1-2 days. if i had known this i wouldn't have paid extra.

Hi i had a great expierience from stuart wheeler in customer care very helpful sent spare parts for my daughter shes over the moon

Edit: I've changed this review based on the customer experience I've had with them during my most recent order.

Hornby really need to sort out how they manage people's orders, and at a timely and cared manner...

I've ordered 3 times so far from them, out of all the three only ONE was dispatched promptly, rest took a roughly a whole week...

The nail in the coffin for me was when I placed an order for some Corgi models at a value of £140 on the 23rd of November, it took a ridiculous THREE WEEKS for it to arrive due to some sort of complication on their part, had to chase customer service twice to ask them what had been going on with my order.

I did eventually receive what I paid for, but I was not happy with the underwhelming experience I had, suffice to say that I will not be ordering direct from them again unless the retailers don't have any remaining stock of a specific model left etc...

Had an issue with two locos, got in touch with their customer service team and despite both being outside of the original warranty period, they agreed to have a look at them, and sent them off - to my surprise they fixed both of them and promptly sent them back at no charge. Great customer service, will be treating myself to another Hornby loco :)

I purchased a Hornby loco some years ago and, after testing it, placed it in a display cabinet. I retrieved it and retested it again recently only to find the motor no longer drove the gears. I checked various online reviews and found this was a common problem due to disintegration of the material from which the motor mount was made. I contacted Hornby to check if spares were available and they offered to repair the loco themselves - the only cost to me being that of postage to return the loco to them. I was pleased to accept their offer and the loco was returned fully functioning within just a couple of days. Although the loco had only been to test run, it was well out of warranty so, many thanks Hornby Hobbies for outstanding customer service.

Disgraceful Anti-competitive practices.

Whoever made the decision to bad hattons from receiving preorders so you can force them out of business, and force customers to your site at inflated prices should be fired. I have ( and I suggest everyone else ) raised a complaint with UK Trading Standards under anti-competition law and monopoly of product. I sold my shares, which was a good idea as this mess hornby made for themselves has affected their price. You have lost my custom for ever unless you publicly apologise and fire the idiot, be it Simon Koehler or whoever is responsible for this.

I have some train sets in storage that I still reminisce over from time to time.

Beautiful trains that keep you entertained for years to come.

I am disgusted to learn of the reprehensible treatment of online suppliers of Hornby products. I consider this to be nothing more than anti competitive restraint of trade simply to bolster profits. As a resident of A

ustralia i have limited access to retail shops and have been buying from and receiving excellent service from AJM Railways and now i find you have concocted a plan to force this most excellent supplier out of business. this repulsive behavior and the subsequent poor treatment of customers has no place in a decent society.
To date I have thirty of your locomotives most supplied by AJM, as you have made it difficult for this fine company and their customers not to mention your high handed treatment as regards items on order I have no choice but to cease collecting hornby products and trust enough people follow suit to make you rethink your reptillian business practice.
Disappointed Ex Hornby Buyer

Hornby is messing about other suppliers so that they can pretend to let you pre-order direct which I have done in the past only to be told months later when it didn't turn up that it had gone out of stock (on a pre-order?????).

Once bitten dont go back.

Sadly now a terrible service, however is responsible for this level service should be thinking of moving on - please

When I got a hornby train for Christmas it was excellent and I had so much fun with it

Lima è diventata di Hornby, e sappiate che fa schifo. Ho fatto la grande stronzat* di comprare un treno lima a 100€ per le recensioni. Questo ha un difetto e emette strani rumori, contatto l'assistenza, dopo dico che non ho intenzione di spendere un centesimo per poterlo riparare poiché io non c'entro e non rispondono più. Basta che lasciano un manuale che dicono che è in garanzia 5 anni, ma dico io fallite proprio, ladri bastard*.

Hornby are a greedy unscrupulous company.

They are cutting preorder numbers to shops in order to supply later placed orders of items sold direct to the general public to maximise profits.

This is an underhand, deceitful practice. Thus I will not buy from Hornby ever again.

I am very disappointed by Hornby’s lack of customer service. I wanted to join the collector’s club and did so online, the money was immediately taken from my bank. The order and “free” gift have never arrived, I have tried to phone but phone lines, if open at all are always busy. I have sent emails via the website but just get automated reply. A glimmer of hope came yesterday when I received notification that my parcel would be delivered today via DPD and a time slot would be notified. No timeslot so I tracked the parcel only to be told that DPD don’t have it. I grew up with Hornby products and have used them a lot, however on this showing, won’t be again. They don’t care so why would I shop with them.

Hornby sell very good detailed models to railway hobbyists and offer good choice of goods from Steam locomotives to BR / post privatization Diesel and electric locomotives (mostly UK models) along with supporting coaches, wagons and trackside models like houses, station boxes, bridges.

When items do arrive in stock Hornby dispatch straight away with good P&P rates and fast delivery - received most of items by DPD - next day delivery.

My only grumble on Hornby and fellow model manufacture companies like Bachmann, Hattons, etc is that the price of these detailed models keep going up and is getting beyond more and more people looking into buying a new train set and build up a minimum set of locos, coaches, etc.

Updated 14/10/2017 Grumble is with locomotives on average now over £150 to get a detailed loco and this is even non-digital and now prices for other items like coaches, wagons, etc becoming very expensive and pricing me and other hobbyists out of market; applies to other stockist / manufacturers like Bachmann.

Please can all model companies keep this in mind and keep costs down / controlled - otherwise there will be less sales being made and pricing hobbyists out of the market.

Shocking way to treat customers
Despite after spending hours on the Hornby website to order the new GBRf Class 66, Captain Tom Moore, I managed to secure an order to find out 4 1/2 months later actually no I cannot have one and Hornby cancelled the order due to problem with payment!!
I spoke to their customer service and said that no way was there a problem with payment for this order and that was actually incorrect, to then be told that if I had not received my order by now then it would just be cancelled.
They did not even have the curtesy to email me to say its cancelled, I just got told a load of mixed up stories from them on why my order been cancelled
No wonder again why another company is in trouble when they treat their customers like this