CatSmasher Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 Hello gents I know no one likes a negative nelly, but I've got to get this out to someone. I am new to the hobby and have jumped in head first and been having a great time so far. I really like the game and especially the lore. BUT... I have not enjoyed my interactions with GW in the least. My first trip to the store was annoying because the guy working there was very condescending about my "used" units. I can understand this because of the fact that he is running a retail store, but it seems strange to stifle the community in any regard. He insisted that I not mention to anyone that I found them used, and refused to give me advice on how to recover some bad paint jobs. I have just chalked this up to one guy being a bit of a jerk, which has been confirmed in following interactions. He has asked me not to use my Army Painter brushes while in store which is lame since I spent nearly 100$ that same day on paints and online orders. After I had asked a guy at the shop to give me a tutorial/play a game he informed me that my models were not welcome on the table because they are only supposed to host showcase games with experienced players and well painted models. My first order is 20 GH shoulder pads for the units I have that are lacking pads. I liked the idea of a bit of coherency but I was annoyed to learn that they were metal, and like someone told me on this site (after I had ordered), they were smaller than the current pads. I had to purchase a file to handle the nubs, which is fine, but I would have like a heads up from the guy that they were old pieces. That same day I got some super glue and plastic glue and when I got home, half of each bottle was evaporated, I have chosen to assume that this is how they are packaged, but for 10$ it seems a bit crazy. Today I saw on reddit that they are no longer distributing the 6th ed Rule Book, which is assumed to be a function of an upcoming update/new rule book which will be extraordinarily expensive no doubt. Anyway, I just needed to vent about what I see as crappy business practice. I will now be ordering online exclusively instead of the web terminal because my interactions at the store have been less than fun. Thanks for listening, end of rant Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290319-need-to-vent-my-hobby-experience-so-far/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffTibbetts Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 Welcome to the hobby! I mean that without irony. Honestly. Now, as to your experiences, do not take those interactions as the way the hobby will treat you. What you're experiencing sounds like it has a lot to do with it being an official GW store. Most gamers end up finding a great independent hobby shop for the community aspects and friendly advice. I won't comment on how GW stores usually are, as I don't have one around me. I CAN tell you that your Favorite Local Game Shop (FLGS) will not care what brushes you use (unless they suck), where you bought your army or the fact that it's 'used' (unless it's ugly, and then they'll just give you crap about it and tell you all sorts of great stuff about how to strip and repaint it well), or tell you not to play on their tables. It's great to have an official store around for the events and ready stock. For just about anything else, I'd say find a store that seems like it's run by a good person, and has a vigorous community. Plus, you've always got us, online. Ask us whatever you like, show off your work, or even rant. We're cool wid' it. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290319-need-to-vent-my-hobby-experience-so-far/#findComment-3668070 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilofix Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 Sorry about your store experience. My local has been pretty good and accommodating. My online experience has been pretty good too. Just last week I ordered more Terminators from Forge World and only after the next day did I realize that I had selected the wrong models (Tartaros when I had wanted Cataphractii). So I called up FW and they took the time to find and stop my order as it was on its way out, then swapped the models for the ones I wanted. That said, I have had lots of quality problems with GW / FW resin (warping, etc.). GW / FW have always replaced them when asked but it is somewhat of a hassel. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290319-need-to-vent-my-hobby-experience-so-far/#findComment-3668075 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leif Bearclaw Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 Dude, sad to hear that. It really can vary on a staffer by staffer basis, most of the one's I've dealt with over the years have been pretty good. If a new edition is coming (which I'll believe when I see it, not before), it'll probably be priced similar to the current one, £45 for the big rulebook, £30 for mini rulebook sometime later, only as extraordinarily expensive as the company norm. To play devil's advocate for a moment, it's kind of understandable why they'd phase out the old rulebook a month early, they'll be gambling the annoyance new player like yourself feel about not being able to get a rulebook will be substantially less than the rage if you drop £30/45 on a book that becomes useless within a month. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290319-need-to-vent-my-hobby-experience-so-far/#findComment-3668078 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Guard Dan Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 My best recommendation is to find a Friendly Local Gaming Store. They're behavior is better. GW exhibits some poor practices but this guy seems particularly poor. The best tactic of a GW employee is to feign ignorance. They have to act on what GW corporate tells them. This guy doesn't "know" about 7th edition. Ergo, he can still sell 6th edition with a "clean" conscious. 7th still is a rumor though. Generally, if you can return bad product like your glue. My own GW employee never has an issue with making things right with bad products. EDIT: In regards to my anecdote: GW corporate doesn't tell their employees about new releases until a week before they are released. Often times the community knows about new releases before a GW employee. Its all part of the plan. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290319-need-to-vent-my-hobby-experience-so-far/#findComment-3668080 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Secretpaintgeek Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 This hobby is full of all sorts of petty little chaps but fear not because there are many cool people too. GW always has and always will be a terrible company. Cash is what matters to them and that is what they focus on and who can blame them. We all still buy tons of product from them and will continue to do so. Any company that had any care for its customers would never have put out finecast! Expect to be sending a lot of stuff back, same goes for forge world too. Quality control is non existant. They will exchange them most of the time though so its not all bad :) Enough bashing GW though. Lets get onto the good points............erm............I like 30k. Welcome to the hobby :) Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290319-need-to-vent-my-hobby-experience-so-far/#findComment-3668082 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mahoo Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 Everyone seems to have covered everything you've posted about (the staff member seems like a complete tool) One point about the glues, I did hear somewhere that the glues need the extra space in the bottles. Any that I've bought look "half full" and I did have an issue with my plastic glue when I topped a new bottle up with some of the remaining glue from another (although it may have just been from the glue/ models getting direct sunlight for too long) Try not to get discouraged. GW staff members are people and sometimes people can be . My current GW store guy is the best I've ever dealt with. To the extent that when I told him I was dropping out of the Tale of Many gamers he was running because I've been pretty poor the last few months (a competition designed to bump his sales up) he told me not to be ridiculous and to use the old models I'd already planed to re-purpose for that army before the competition. The whole "showcase mini's" for gaming is complete crap. I've never heard of that before. If you were just starting out then I'd suggest playing with the starter box stuff in store to help you get to grips rather than any weird and wonderful models you both may have brought, but not playing because your models weren't painted or painted up to a standard is crap. My GW manager gives people (friendly, joking) hassle for playing with unpainted minis, but that's just to motivate them to actually finish painting their stuff! If your GW guy and the store locals are unbearable, have a search online for an independent game store as suggested above, they're usually alot more open and flexible as they've not got a corporate monster hanging over their shoulder. Edit - If your looking to strip paint off models, Dettol works a treat! Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290319-need-to-vent-my-hobby-experience-so-far/#findComment-3668101 Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatSmasher Posted April 29, 2014 Author Share Posted April 29, 2014 Thanks for the replies gents, A lot of what you say makes sense. There are a lot of great places in the city proper, but I recently moved out to the 'burbs with much more limited options. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290319-need-to-vent-my-hobby-experience-so-far/#findComment-3668127 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slyfox1990 Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 I won't be able to add anything much that hasn't been said but I shall give my pair of pennies anyway. Store staff are a massive variable with gw, and I d honestly say it's complete pot luck with what you get. The nature of this hobby means it can attract some interesting and (as with all aspects of life) unpleasant individuals. Having said that, there is no justification for that sort of service and I'm sorry to hear you encountered it. I'm sad to say that I have personally encountered a store where your ability to play was limited to only painted (and well painted) models - the manager being an incompetent prat with little understanding of his own business. I have also come across a store with completely opposing positions on this, with a great community. Don't judge the hobby based on this though - as you can see from this number of responses, it is entirely not the norm and most people are welcoming and pleasant individuals. I think it is really important to find the niche which you want the hobby for and then aim for something to fill that. By all logic, a local store should fill that need but if they don't then a local gaming group may indeed do just that. I ve tried a places and although a local group didn't fit my needs, they were without doubt a really friendly and accommodating group. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290319-need-to-vent-my-hobby-experience-so-far/#findComment-3668140 Share on other sites More sharing options...
DobbyKroket Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 "my" gw store manager is always really friendly and it doesn't matter how you got your models, he also likes to give half information on things he isn't supposed to tell or to do things for the store with non-gw stuff. On the tables they have they usually exhibit the models from the starter sets, but if you have called beforehand you may remove these models, as they think it is more encouraging to have actual players instead of “static” models. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290319-need-to-vent-my-hobby-experience-so-far/#findComment-3668158 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Commander Scrymgeour Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 I've always been treated well by GW employees, and I've been off and on with the hobby for 19 years. It used to be a thing that you had to have your army fully painted to play in store (except on club nights) and it was a terrific incentive to paint 50 monoposed high elves. That being said, if its not company policy any more it sounds like the employee is just a douche, remember all walks of life contain them Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290319-need-to-vent-my-hobby-experience-so-far/#findComment-3668167 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Zulu Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 They do seem to be hit and miss. I'm fortunate to have a GW store with a rather lax manager, who does many things he should not be doing but nevertheless makes customers happy. The thing with some GW store managers is that, I think, they will adhere strictly to their policies, either out of fear or ignorance, or both. Not because they're naturally :cusss, but more because they do not know better. When GW employs their store managers they probably pick the guy who knows everything about the company, but little about anything else. In any case, it's not the worst type of store service to my knowledge. Have you ever been rudely kicked out of an Apple store for not having an appointment? Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290319-need-to-vent-my-hobby-experience-so-far/#findComment-3668168 Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffTibbetts Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 Thanks for the replies gents, A lot of what you say makes sense. There are a lot of great places in the city proper, but I recently moved out to the 'burbs with much more limited options. In my experience, commuting to a good shop is WELL worth the drive. I know peeps who drive almost an hour to visit one my FLGS for 40K night. Not saying everyone can do that, but it's really worth a person's time to shop around to find a place that feels right. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290319-need-to-vent-my-hobby-experience-so-far/#findComment-3668206 Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatSmasher Posted April 29, 2014 Author Share Posted April 29, 2014 I have good rapport with a game store where I regularly buy board games and Netrunner cards (nerd alert) but it so far, now that I have moved. I'm thinking of just trekking out there one night when the gf is out and spend the hours. I'm not too embarrassed to stink, and I have seriously read through the rule book like it was my job. I will check the website or call. Thanks gents, Almost done my long fangs and first GH pack, will post something when I'm done. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290319-need-to-vent-my-hobby-experience-so-far/#findComment-3668255 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rune_Priest_Rhapsody Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 To mirror everyone else, find a local shop and use the tools and tips you can glean off of the employees and your fellow gamers there. I have been to 2 different GW shops in the states, and both where also run by snobbish dregs. I understand a company promoting itself, that's common business practice. But rudeness and verbal condescension are two things that make me never return to a business (among other things I wont mention here). I would contact the GW area representative via phone if you can, and tell them of your experience. You paid money for their product and even though it was not directly, they are still making money off of your purchase(s). I will say that I too noticed an air of 'I'm better than you' at both the shop's I've been to (and will never return to) and my calls to complain could of all been in vain, yes, but damn it felt good to let GW know that they hired some bad seeds. Keep in mind through all of this that we are all gamers and are a bit awkward in one way or another, so those employees you deal with at any shop are going to be a little off, just like you and me!! I take new shop experiences with a grain of salt in my 'old' age. I don't take douchbaggery with anything but detestation however. End of Line Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290319-need-to-vent-my-hobby-experience-so-far/#findComment-3668275 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valerian Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 So, just a couple additional thoughts. First of all, welcome to The Fang; there is a lot of good support to be found within these halls for new and old players/hobbyists, alike. I've found the corporation to be quite helpful, particularly at the headquarters. Whenever you get a bad cast, a damaged or missing piece, they've always been quick to make amends, so just give them a call whenever you have trouble. Now, as to your local GW store manager, it might not make a difference, but I would seriously consider ratting him out by sending an email with the details of his treatment toward you to custserv@gwplc.com, chances are they don't actually condone that sort of behavior. It'll probably at least evoke an official apology. As others have mentioned, finding an FLGS to actually hang out and play in will be worth looking into; they are almost always far more accommodating than a GW retail shop. If you don't mind providing your city/town, I'm sure we can find someone on here to give you a recommendation, and you might even find someone willing to meet up with you for some tutorial games. While you're getting acclimated to the game, I recommend that you don't buy anything until you check in here first. Chances are, someone here can give you advice on what to avoid, where to buy from, and generally how to save your money and avoid buyer's remorse. One example of such advice can be found in this thread, initiated by Brother Ramses, which includes some excellent tips. For a good place to actually buy your GW products, look for a discount retailer online, such as http://www.thewarstore.com, rather than buying at full retail in the GW shop. Of course, eBay is also a great place to look for deals. The lads here can also make assembly (and magnetizing!) and painting recommendations, so ask about anything and everything. Regarding the old metal shoulder pads, don't worry about that at all; they may be slightly smaller than the plastic alternatives, but you'll never notice when you've gotten your army put together. Just flip through the Gallery for my Space Wolves - every single model has those shoulder pads; I think you'll agree that they look just fine. Best of luck, Valerian Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290319-need-to-vent-my-hobby-experience-so-far/#findComment-3668279 Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamaNagol Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 Games Workshop take customer service very seriously. So if you have had a bad experience at a store then you would probably do well to contact GW head office through their website and inform them of this. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290319-need-to-vent-my-hobby-experience-so-far/#findComment-3668585 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cate Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 I have nothing else to say but welcome to the Fang and hopefully your continuing hobby experience will be better. If you are lucky maybe someone on this board lives near you and can recommend a good FLGS in your area. /C Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290319-need-to-vent-my-hobby-experience-so-far/#findComment-3668963 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rune Priest Jbickb Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 Welcome to the fang. Sorry to hear that manager sux. I recommend roaming these halls for information and buying models on ebay. This community is awesome and ebaying is easy on your wallet as long as you don't go over board with it. Welcome to our halls, pull up a stool and grab an ale, no such douchebaggery it tolerated here. ;) Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290319-need-to-vent-my-hobby-experience-so-far/#findComment-3669078 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fytharin Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 I agree with everything being said here. First and foremost welcome to the fang brother! I keep my questions and ask them here because like jb said, attitudes like that aren't tolerated here. Ebay is perfectly fine and your wallet will thank you again and again for it so don't worry. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290319-need-to-vent-my-hobby-experience-so-far/#findComment-3669686 Share on other sites More sharing options...
greendestiny Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 I think that there is a Grey Hunter shoulder pad on the plastic tac marine sprue. I may have some extra's kicking around if you want them. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290319-need-to-vent-my-hobby-experience-so-far/#findComment-3671651 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasper_Hawser Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 Sorry bout your experience Catmasher. Strangely enough, I had an opposite experience in Melbourne, Australia. Meaning the official Games Workshop had a great and wonderful atmosphere even though I was only visiting, just wanted to chill out there without buying anything yet. The guy was so friendly and we ended up talking a lot, not necessarily about W40K, in the end I decided to buy a detailed Space Marine Librarian to convert as a Rune Priest later. But when I went to a gaming store which sold a lot of boardgames and miniatures, including W40K, the staff was not friendly or interactive, though not actually unfriendly. When I browsed through the Horus heresy novels, reading a few pages here and there trying to decide which to buy, they flat out told me they didn't like me browsing through the books like that. golly gee, it wasn't like I was going to read the whole book in the store. Anyway, in life, there will always be idiots and you have to accept they exist, ignore them and don't be like them. That GW staff attitude deserves a nice and lengthy written comment about his bad conduct all the way to Nottingham HQ. Similarly, even in FLGS, there will be idiots who are just there to make themselves feel important. Just ignore them and don't play with them. Sometimes you meet the bad egg but the rest of the guys are decent. It's up to you to find out. Believe in yourself, and welcome to the Fang! Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290319-need-to-vent-my-hobby-experience-so-far/#findComment-3672252 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vash113 Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 Sorry to hear about your experience, that kind of thing can happen with any store, GW or FLGS, it just depends. In general I'm not that fond of stores as the need to push product often interferes with the player environment, it's much better to find a few people who also game and get together in peoples basements or dining rooms and play through an evening with beer and pizza. As for removing old paint jobs I find extra strength Simple Green works pretty well, it's not as fast as other methods but it does absolutely zero damage to plastic models and only extended exposure to pewter does any damage (in this case making it a bit more brittle but never enough to be a serious problem in my experience). Downside is depending on the primer and paints used it can take several weeks of soaking to get good results and even then it's not entirely easy to get ALL the paint off of plastic models, though this is a problem with any method. As it is a relatively painstaking and tedious process to hand strip models I tend to do it over a length of time so have at times left models soaking in simple green for months with no ill effects and it makes stripping all the easier when I eventually get around to it. In any case using this method I've stripped more than a hundred Eldar and nearly two hundred Astartes models plus tanks, it takes time, but it works. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290319-need-to-vent-my-hobby-experience-so-far/#findComment-3673008 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spacefrisian Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 About the glue, cant be said enough times regardless. Never get the GW glue, over expansiv and not working as well as many other brands. For plastic i use Revell glue, this melts the plastic pieces making it alot stronger, a bottle of Revell glue also contains twice as much as GW glue for half the price. For super glue i get 3 tubes of super glue for 0.39 euro cents.does the same as the more expansiv glues out there. I get it from some sort of market store (not sure what to name it) called "action". Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290319-need-to-vent-my-hobby-experience-so-far/#findComment-3673580 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forté Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 Things have changed since I worked there years ago. Best way to get people into it is basic intro games. Not display games played by beards (not Long Fangs. Beards are those gamers who come up with the nastiest lists but leave all the flavour behind). As others have mentioned though, your local independent store will be much better. Likely cheaper too and will stock other brands. Which is fantastic because GW brushes are only fit for base coats or other messy stuff. And don't get me started on the current paints. Welcome to the hobby and leave any credit cards at home. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/290319-need-to-vent-my-hobby-experience-so-far/#findComment-3674530 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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