"Companies That Are Unfairly Picked On?" Topic

Are there some companies in this hobby which get criticized more than they are due?

Yep

Awaiting the hail of criticism that this will bring, I think Games Workshop gets picked on a lot – OK, I know their prices are high and that they change the venue to boost sales but they really are the biggest kid on the block in terms of bringing new gamers to the hobby

Navwar?

definitely

Wargames Foundry, only had good experiences over 20 plus years.

To be fair, I would argue that Wargames Foundry has gotten quite a bit better over the last few years. Back when they were "GW-lite" I gave them some grief, but they managed to shake that off IMHO.

Damon.

I agree with both the firms listed above.

GW is not my cup of tea but they are hardly a mega-conglomerate preying on the planet. Pricing of a luxury good such as toy soldiers is (and should be) what the market will/can support. If they goof that up, others fill the niche. They may be dumb more often than not but hardly evil.

Navwar delivers a good product in a very timely fashion within the context of the delivery vehicle they choose. If they choose not to use the net in a way some consumers prefer, that is the companies choice and if it works for them (and it does), more power to them.

I'll add in Battlefront. FOW isn't my thing but I value the gamers it has brought into the hobby, the stores it has helped drive sales for and the models that provide non-FOW gamers with added options.

I sometimes feel there is a big is bad per se bias wherein any company not run out of a basement on alternate Tuesdays (yet still expected to offer a state of the art web store with 100% pictures of all products) is by the nature of being successful presumed to be predatory.

Well, I don't think there is any real concept of how much they are due to be criticized, so, no.

People have a right to their opinion. Most people on TMP live in places where they have a reasonable right to express that opinion. The price we pay for those rights are the responsibility to listen critically.

Honestly, I don't really pay much attention when people complain "WXYZ is too expensive!" And I'm pretty cheap. There are a lot of figures that I would like, but wouldn't like to accept the cost that goes along with ownership. I am at peace with the imbalance between my desires (desire to have something vs. desire for a lower opportunity cost). Scotch helps.

Scotch is expensive, too. And lasts much less well than metal or plastic.

no.

I agree with Navwar. A truly fine company to deal with and all you hear is crap like "if they canīt be bothered to do business online then they canīt be bothered to take my money." But in reality Tony has a faster turn around than many companies trading online.

Of course, that doesnīt stop me from fantasizing about buying Navwar out and then reeling in the dough when I go online…

GW and Wargames Foundry would be two off the top of my head.

Navwar indeed.
"Do things my way or I will hold my breath and turn blue!"

I don't think many people make up stuff about companies. Nobody wants bad service and fewer still hate to have to name and shame.

If they were doing a good job from the beginning then you wouldn't have to ask the question. But if the shoe fits… Where there is smoke there is fire, etc. etc.

G.W., Wargames Foundry and Battlefront, because they are run like commercially successful businesses.
Navwar because people expect their toys NOW!
Black Tree Designs Ltd. depending on the year, sometimes the U.S. and sometimes the U.K.,for lack of service usually prompted by one of their sales.

There's a lot of snobbishness towards Old Glory that isn't deserved.

Old Glory and Black Tree Design (at least the one in the U.S.) are both excellent companies. Their prices are great, the quality of their products are great, and their service is great. What more could one want?

Kevin

Yes, I was about to mention Old Glory. I don't know why people like to bash Russ and his company. I have found their figures are consistently good to excellent, their prices are always better than anyone else on the market, and their customer service is outstanding. They are a terrific company. On top of that, Russ and Connie are nice people. When starting a new period, I always build the base of my armies with Old Glory figures.

Buck Surdu

GW definitely. Battlefront definitely. Khurasan, but probably only by me.

I have spoken with Russ of Old Glory many times at conventions.
He is a shrewd businessman. He knows which of his ranges are very good and which …. are not. And those which are not can be counted on one hand.
I am an Old Glory fanboy and the only figures I think are a leetle bit … not the best are SOME of the ancients. My goodness but those NKE Egyptians have stimpy legs but the chariots are great.

Actually, none of them are unfairly critiqued but some people have unrealistic expectations. Buy from whoever you want to buy from and be happy with that.

"Do things my way or I will hold my breath and turn blue!"

No, I just buy elsewhere.

My recent experience with Battlefront was very poor (not based on unrealistic expectations)

Phil

Wargames Foundry

Khurasan seems to get a lot of bad press here. Especially when he goes on vacation.

I am a very satisfied customer of Navwar. On one occasion I forgot to sign the cheque- still got the goods, with a polite note re my forgetfulness. As I have a massive lead mountain I have no problem in waiting a week or so for postal service.
Old Glory in US is another great company- I needed Hanoverian and British SYW grenadiers in large quantities for my Warburg army; these figures usually make up about 10% of a pack, but I got a special order without any problem. Still haven't got round to painting them though- any recommendations for a cheap, but good, painting service in UK?

I'd echo Battlefront gets unfair criticism: Even if you don't care for Flames of War as a game, the way BF have demystified the hobby and made it accessible to people who have never played historical wargames before has got to be admired. So many companies have followed in their footsteps in providing a one-stop place to purchase rules, figures in unit sets and painting and organisation guides without having to trudge through a plethora of material, some of it contradictory. I expect with a company like that there are going to be a few poor customer experiences but I suspect they will be the exception rather than the norm.

I'll add Too Fat Lardies. Overall they get a lot of praise (and rightly so) but there is a section that just can't get over their style and are down on their products because of pun or jokey game names and terminology such as "Big Men" to indicate leaders. Personally, I can't understand why a title such as "I Ain't Been Shot Mum" can put someone off trying a game of it: It's the content, not the title that should be judged.

I wish someone would do for Napoleonics what Battlefront did for gamers new to WWII. Napoleonics just puzzles me so much I never get started.

Khurasan seems to get a lot of bad press here. Especially when he goes on vacation.

Especially when he sock puppets here.

I love the Lardies game names! Some of the best in the industry, in my opinion.

I don't think you can compare the infrequent commenting on the Lardies fascination with posterior based naming systems and suchlike with the regular vitriol meted out to some companies here

Khurasan seems to get a lot of bad press here. Especially when he goes on vacation.

Khurasan has gone out of his way to make a bad name for himself here. He's not "on vacation." He's been vacated from here.

I just did compare them, so sue me. I do think petty grumbling over names is unfair on the Lardies.

I think the Two Fat Lardies have great names for their rule sets.

Not sure if the Flag Dude rates as being unduly picked on, however my experience was zero out of ten.

I like Battlefront and GW is fine, they just changed their focus to an audience that I'm part of.
That's okay, they don't have to cater to me and my old books didn't evaporate.

WRG / Phil Barker

I agree with Navwar. A truly fine company to deal with and all you hear is crap like "if they canīt be bothered to do business online then they canīt be bothered to take my money." But in reality Tony has a faster turn around than many companies trading online.

Despite that, it is a little absurd in this day and age to read "we have no e-mail facilities and regret we are unable to take telephone orders." on their website.
I imagine turn around is rather quick as they probably don't do the business they would if they had an online store or even an email address.

But the point is that Navwar's owner is doing the level of business he is happy with….

Mike

But the point is that Navwar's owner is doing the level of business he is happy with….

He must be, and that is perfectly fine, but I think it is also perfectly fine for customers to decline doing business with a company that chooses to not meet the standard of the day, and that not doing so is a valid criticism of that company.

I feel out of touch that I've apparently never bought from Navwar.