Letter from Hasbro

[Bergamot]

I never look a gift-pony in the mouth!

It's nice that Hasbro sent you something, and it is a shame that it has the very problem of which you complained. Were the defects visible within the packaging? Perhaps the person who mailed it to you didn't notice; not everybody has the keen eye of a collector!

Thanks for sharing with us. It's good to know that Hasbro is trying to do good by their fans.

[scarletjul]

I think it's great that Hasbro took the time to send you a letter and a free pony - even if it is a flawed g3.5.  At least they tried to respond to the complaint and that shows a definite interest in their customers and customer concerns.  I appreciate the intent. 

I'm sure that hasbro has done the calculations of how much it costs to replace the ponies that people complain about, vs. how much it would cost to improve the production line.  Their cost/benefit analysis probably showed them it's not worth it.

Ponies were definitely better quality in the 80s, but a pony that cost $4.99 in 1984, would cost about $11 now, with inflation.  Also, the raw materials used to make them, and the oil to ship them around the world have gone up incredibly.  I'm not sure that people would be willing to pay $10-15 for ponies similar to the G1s in terms of quality. 

People keep saying that normal buyers (parents for kids or kids with pocket/allowance money) would not be willing to spend the extra money to warrant better quality ponies.  I sincerely disagree with this.  The basic Disney princess doll (glitter princess, not the bath one) runs $9-$10 and she seems to sell fine.  There are plenty of Barbies also in this range and I don't think Mattel is doing badly.  I don't think Hasbro would go bankrupt by producing a better quality toy (with better distribution - I can't stress that enough) for a few dollars more - especially when g4/FiM is so popular.

Of course, that's just my two cents. . . 

[Wardah]

Dolls are not the same as ponies at all. They are larger and come wearing clothes. If a Barbie and a regular MLP were the same price most parents would go with the Barbie since they feel they are getting more for their money, even if the pony was G3 sized and had symbols on both sides. Tho Barbies and Princesses are not exactly flying off the shelves, at least not in my area. The only thing that is really flying off the shelves are Monster High dolls and those are way more complex than the ponies and yet seem to suffer from flaws just as much.

[kittybethy]

Hasbroken strikes again!

[BrightSide]

Hasbro will be getting a word from me sometime fairly soon, I am sick to death of my ponies having marks or defects: it's not cheap to buy them, and it'd be fantastic if they'd take our complaints on board. :/

[BrightIdea]

Oh boy, that is ironic!  It was nice they sent you a free gift, but a dirty one, whoops!


I agree that ponies have a lot of smudges and smear marks on them. Its a little disappointing, but I still like them anyways.

[Wardah]

Unfortunately I think defects are unavoidable on mass produced playline toys these days. If you want a guarantee of a perfect toy you have to go for an expensive collectors item like urban vinyl or a Pullip or a BJD. Things that are currently out of my price range.

[Gingerbread]

Just re-read my original post and it sounds like I really moaning and ungrateful. Now I didn't ask for a free pony, but if Hasbro are offering me a freebie then I'm not going to say no! My emails to Hasbro were just expressing my disappointment in the quality of toys that I spend a lot of my money on. It's just ironic that the pony I got sent had the same flaw as what I was complaining about in the first place. I am grateful for Baby Starsong, and I am grateful my complaint was acknowledged.

[hathorcat]

Just re-read my original post and it sounds like I really moaning and ungrateful. Now I didn't ask for a free pony, but if Hasbro are offering me a freebie then I'm not going to say no! My emails to Hasbro were just expressing my disappointment in the quality of toys that I spend a lot of my money on. It's just ironic that the pony I got sent had the same flaw as what I was complaining about in the first place. I am grateful for Baby Starsong, and I am grateful my complaint was acknowledged.

 

   I dont think you sounded ungrateful Pink! I think most of us just found the giggle in the irony of the quality of the product not to mention the G3.5 flash back for a replacement of a G4 product! It just kind of summed all the "oh Hasbro we love you...but really?" comments in one fell swoop.

[Gingerbread]

Yep definitely puts the broken in Hasbroken