25 minutes ago, Mokoshkana said:

If you are that worried about people stealing your cards, make copies of them at Kinko's (or some other copy place). I sincerely doubt that any TO is going to DQ a player for using unmodified (no cheaters allowed) printed cards with the actual model. At the right copy place you could likely make identical cards that would be indistinguishable from the originals.

I know for regional tournaments with other FFG games, they for sure do not allow proxy cards. People weren’t buying the $100 X-Wing ship just to get the Palpatine card for no reason.

1 minute ago, KalEl814 said:

I know for regional tournaments with other FFG games, they for sure do not allow proxy cards. People weren’t buying the $100 X-Wing ship just to get the Palpatine card for no reason.

I am sure you can find a friend or community member who will loan you a card, particularly if it was stolen from you.

At worlds for xwing last fall, I saw folks using swag unofficial alt arts, and didn’t see anyone asking them for proof they had the “real” one. I doubt it’ll come up unless you encounter a real pain of a person.

15 minutes ago, SoonerTed said:

This is a distraction from a sudden change of customer service policy that harms customers and local shops.

If a wookie is shipped with two left arms I have to return the whole kit to where I bought it, and hope the distributor isn't out of stock.

This is seriously ridiculous.

Sorry dude, sometimes you get dealt a bad beat. There is a solution in place to rectify your problem, although it might not be as quick as you'd like. The amount of time it will take your FLGS to get a replacement in stock is probably quicker than the amount of time it would have taken the company to ship you a free replacement.

3 minutes ago, Mokoshkana said:

Sorry dude, sometimes you get dealt a bad beat. There is a solution in place to rectify your problem, although it might not be as quick as you'd like. The amount of time it will take your FLGS to get a replacement in stock is probably quicker than the amount of time it would have taken the company to ship you a free replacement.

So the solution is to buy product, open it immediately in store to check for defects, and promptly exchange it if there is? That seems like a terrible system, and what are you supposed to do if you have a store that dosen't accept returns from opened items? Say oops, I just wasted $100 on this core aet that's missing parts? That's not an acceptable answer. Most companies these days understand that.

7 minutes ago, Mokoshkana said:

Sorry dude, sometimes you get dealt a bad beat. There is a solution in place to rectify your problem, although it might not be as quick as you'd like. The amount of time it will take your FLGS to get a replacement in stock is probably quicker than the amount of time it would have taken the company to ship you a free replacement.

My LGS typically has one of a given sku, if I’m lucky. There is no exchanging it quickly.

I’ve gotten parts from the old CS department in two days (from “we are shipping it” to “its here”, usually 1-2 days before they would ship). Under the new system, I’ll be waiting at least an extra 4-6 weeks, assuming the sku is even in stock at the distributor to be given to the LGS.

4 minutes ago, KarlVonCarstein said:

So the solution is to buy product, open it immediately in store to check for defects, and promptly exchange it if there is? That seems like a terrible system, and what are you supposed to do if you have a store that dosen't accept returns from opened items? Say oops, I just wasted $100 on this core aet that's missing parts? That's not an acceptable answer. Most companies these days understand that.

It's not technically a return.

Quote

Return to the store where you originally purchased the game with proof of purchase, and they will be able to request a replacement copy of the game from Asmodee USA or their distributor. When they receive it, you will be able to exchange your defective copy for the new one, subject to availablity and store policy. For issues unrelated to missing or damaged components, your store’s regular return/exchange policies will apply.

Your issue relates to missing/damaged components so your store's regular policy does not apply.

Edit: ASSUMING of course, the store takes the extra time to get the replacement box from Asmodee/their distributor. Still a bad policy in my opinion.

Everyone is acting like this is the end of the world. Buy direct from FFG and then you can continue dealing direct with the Customer Service. From the website FAQ:

Quote

I bought my game on the Asmodee USA, FFG, or Z-Man webstores. What do I do if it is missing a component or is damaged?

Please visit that webstore where you originally made the purchase and locate the “Contact Us” section for further assistance with your issue.

14 minutes ago, Mokoshkana said:

Sorry dude, sometimes you get dealt a bad beat. There is a solution in place to rectify your problem, although it might not be as quick as you'd like. The amount of time it will take your FLGS to get a replacement in stock is probably quicker than the amount of time it would have taken the company to ship you a free replacement.

37 minutes ago, ScummyRebel said:

I am sure you can find a friend or community member who will loan you a card, particularly if it was stolen from you.

At worlds for xwing last fall, I saw folks using swag unofficial alt arts, and didn’t see anyone asking them for proof they had the “real” one. I doubt it’ll come up unless you encounter a real pain of a person.

Yeah I don’t expect it’ll happen all the time, but the requirement to have the official content is part of the tourney regulations.

12 minutes ago, Mokoshkana said:

Everyone is acting like this is the end of the world. Buy direct from FFG and then you can continue dealing direct with the Customer Service. From the website FAQ:

There is no guarantee they will handle it the same way they have in the past though. This doesn't say "and we'll send you the part." They could require you to pay for return shipping on the box you bought before they will ship a replacement. At least with a local store, you can potentially open the replacement box that arrives, check for any missing parts, then if there are missing parts, make one complete box out of it, and still have a box to turn in.

16 minutes ago, Mokoshkana said:

Everyone is acting like this is the end of the world. Buy direct from FFG and then you can continue dealing direct with the Customer Service. From the website FAQ:

And yet, we are supposed to support our LGS? Sounds like a great way to lose our community by buying only from them.

And.... it doesn’t even guarantee the problem is solved.

Just now, ScummyRebel said:

And yet, we are supposed to support our LGS? Sounds like a great way to lose our community by buying only from them.

And.... it doesn’t even guarantee the problem is solved.

Reminds me of the special release poster stuff from the initial offer I think? Order from your FLGS, but if you order from us instead, get some free art posters that we aren't sending to stores!

3 minutes ago, Caimheul1313 said:

Reminds me of the special release poster stuff from the initial offer I think? Order from your FLGS, but if you order from us instead, get some free art posters that we aren't sending to stores!

Remember when Asmodee stepped on the necks of online retailers and shut out distributors to "support FLGS"?

This is all news to me seeing as I just got replacement parts for my B1 droids last week.

1 minute ago, flightmaster101 said:

This is all news to me seeing as I just got replacement parts for my B1 droids last week.

The policy changed yesterday.

28 minutes ago, Caimheul1313 said:

Reminds me of the special release poster stuff from the initial offer I think? Order from your FLGS, but if you order from us instead, get some free art posters that we aren't sending to stores!

X-wing 2.0 did that as well: order from us and get this promotional damage deck you can’t get with anyone else!

1 minute ago, ScummyRebel said:

X-wing 2.0 did that as well: order from us and get this promotional damage deck you can’t get with anyone else!

Huh, both articles now claim local retailers were also supposed to be able to provide the extra items... w e i r d. Regardless, with all the random delays, MM shipping products early, and not to mention FFG shipping product early to webstore buyers, it's not like they've been doing a hugely great job supporting the FLGS.

4 hours ago, Caimheul1313 said:

Something to keep in mind: Asmodee is the one cancelling the parts replacement support for all product they distribute. I have no idea how much say anyone at FFG has anymore since the "merger." The Song of Ice and Fire miniatures game is similarly impacted since Asmodee handles North American distribution, despite CMON being the manufacturer (which is an independent company).

Secondly: Asmodee is itself owned by a French private investment firm (I think called PAI Partners). These kind of firms are frequently concerned with pumping up the "value" of the companies they own, and then reselling them for profit. Cutting the Interactive, RPG, and Customer Support, along with any product lines that "underperform" or have a lower return on investment (board game expansions for instance, which I think was previously announced?) are all moves to lower costs and maximize profits. This says to me that their current owner is starting to consider offloading Asmodee... Time will tell.

I heard this rumor about 6 months ago. So I think what you're saying has weight

7 minutes ago, Tirion said:

I heard this rumor about 6 months ago. So I think what you're saying has weight

Anyone with press contacts? This is something that needs to be broadcast far and wide through media.

It is rather unbelievable that they would not announce this in advance. My local store didn't know about the policy!

The local store's distributor said if the distributor is out of stock, the customer is just out of luck.

1 minute ago, SoonerTed said:

Anyone with press contacts? This is something that needs to be broadcast far and wide through media.

It is rather unbelievable that they would not announce this in advance. My local a tire didn't know about the policy!

The local store's distributor said if the distributor is out of stock, the customer is just out of luck.

I mean it is kind of their mo to give no info or incorrect info when they give it.

It's one thing to say "after date X, things will change" then the onus is on the customer to to get things in before the deadline.

This is not what FFG and Asmodee have done.

26 minutes ago, ScummyRebel said:

X-wing 2.0 did that as well: order from us and get this promotional damage deck you can’t get with anyone else!

My LGS was able to get these but FFG/Asmodee/Alliance charged them for the decks so anyone that pre-ordered through the store got to pay extra for the decks. 😕

55 minutes ago, Caimheul1313 said:

Reminds me of the special release poster stuff from the initial offer I think? Order from your FLGS, but if you order from us instead, get some free art posters that we aren't sending to stores!

I have been able to get various pre-order only stuff, like the above damage deck for X-wing and the deluxe rulebook for Twilight Imperium by pre-ordering through my LGS, but Alliance/Asmodee/FFG don't always make that obvious and as I stated above, pass the charge for the item on to the store.

Maybe my LGS owner is just doing it wrong? Can't really say.

3 minutes ago, SoonerTed said:

It's one thing to say "after date X, things will change" then the onus is on the customer to to get things in before the deadline.

This is not what FFG and Asmodee have done.

Yeah, but that isn't the standard operating procedure for FFG/Asmodee. This way, people who haven't filed yet are out of luck. If they had announced it ahead of time, they would have gotten a bunch of last minute requests as people quickly check the boxes they have in storage for later.

3 minutes ago, NeonWolf said:

My LGS was able to get these but FFG/Asmodee/Alliance charged them for the decks so anyone that pre-ordered through the store got to pay extra for the decks. 😕

I have been able to get various pre-order only stuff, like the above damage deck for X-wing and the deluxe rulebook for Twilight Imperium by pre-ordering through my LGS, but Alliance/Asmodee/FFG don't always make that obvious and as I stated above, pass the charge for the item on to the store.

Maybe my LGS owner is just doing it wrong? Can't really say.

My local FLGS wasn't able to get the stuff, or didn't due to the increased cost to the customer, hard to say why.

20 minutes ago, Caimheul1313 said:

Yeah, but that isn't the standard operating procedure for FFG/Asmodee. This way, people who haven't filed yet are out of luck. If they had announced it ahead of time, they would have gotten a bunch of last minute requests as people quickly check the boxes they have in storage for later.

My local FLGS wasn't able to get the stuff, or didn't due to the increased cost to the customer, hard to say why.

It should be SOP to be honest and forthright about upcoming changes to policies, rather than surprising customers and partners with something like this.