My First FTC Amazon Order--Thank God for A to Z!

[darkbros]

Ok, so here is my first ever order of FTC Product through Amazon.
Figured I'd give this a shot, because knowing how Amazon's A to Z Policy is,
I figured this might make FTC a bit more diligent in their Quality Control,
as A to Z pretty much is if "you ain't happy, we'll make you happy at any cost".

So this will be a bit long as I'm going to have to post several pictures to get my point across on this one so please bear with me.

First, here is how the three figures shipped in "Factory Bags".
amazon.jpg
(image1)

Notice Cyborg and Cap Sivana are in what I would call "Factory Bags". Series 4 Catwoman, not so much.

Now for each individual figure, starting with Cyborg, the one I wanted the most:

(image2)
cy1.jpg
(image3)
cy2.jpg
(image4)
cy3.jpg

[darkbros]

(image 5)
cy4.jpg

(image 6)
cy5.jpg

(image 7)
cy7.jpg

(image 8)
cy6.jpg

(image 9)
cy8.jpg

So as you can see from the pictures, Cyborg is damaged on his right foot having scuffs,and his left knee has paint missing on the backside of the joints.
Not a great start for the figure I was really looking forward to. So now I have to decide if the scuffs are liveable, or worth the hassle of sending back.

Now on to Captain Sivana the second one I wanted the most....

[darkbros]

capsiv1.jpg
(image 1)

capsiv6.jpg
(image 2)

capsiv4.jpg
(image 3)

capsiv2.jpg
(image 4)

capsiv5.jpg

Captain Sivana has a big ole brown scuff mark on his head, poor paint application on the eye glasses, and lens, and the boot!
His right boot looks like it was melted while on the figure! How could no one see that through a clear plastic bag is beyond me!!

He is definitely going back, that is just embarrassing!!

Last is the Batman Series 5 Catwoman figure.
(image 5)

[darkbros]

(image1)
catw1.jpg

(Image2)
catw2.jpg

(image 3)
catw3.jpg

As you can see, aside from the notorious FTC hunch all their females suffer from, and in need of a good brushing, Catwoman actually arrived the best out of the bunch.
Face paint is intact, no scuffs, and costume and boots are ok. I planned to mover her over to a spare MAH Cheetah I had laying around, so she's definitely staying.

Amazon's A to Z claim may be my only option here. I have reached out and sent an email through Amazon to FTC, let's see what they can do, otherwise I'll file the claim.

I'm posting this so that others can know when ordering from Amazon that FTC still has quality control issues.

[ODBJBG]

Honestly, outside of the boot melt, figures look fine to me. I'd try for a replacement on that, or at least a replacement boot. FTC has plenty of issues, but these are pretty minor. You're not going to get perfect paint for figures at this price point or in this style these days unfortunately.

[darkbros]

Yeah, but cmon...Clearly through the Plastic bags you can see the defects?
I understand the scraped paint on the knees becasue it was hidden by the boot / leg cuffs,
but the obvious scuffs on the Cyborg's foot and Sivana's boot?

I've bought DC Multiverse figs at retail and they had better paint apps / non defective parts?
so if good prodcut can be found on that large of a scale......there isn't really an excuse......

[thunderbolt]

After all of FTC's issues how in the world did you expect any better? And they can do better for the price point, just ask Neca.

[darkbros]

Update: We've talked through Amazon's Seller Contact portal ( via A to Z Claim) , and FTC says they will send out a correct boot and correct foot.
Here's to hoping they check them before they pack and ship them.
::fingerscrossed:

[CrimsonGhost]

It wouldn't surprise me if literally none of the figures they have would be considered mint.

EDIT: My comment was not meant as an attack on FTC. Their figures simply aren't perfect. OGBJBG was more eloquent than I in his post. I like FTC, but they are what they are.

[ODBJBG]

Just a couple notes here. I don't want to defend FTC unfairly, or diminish your customer experience, but I also think there has to be a bit of caveat emptor at play here, especially with FTC.

If you're looking for an absolutely perfect figure out of the box every time, FTC is not the company for that. I'm not sure any toy company is that good these days, but Hasbro generally does pretty good in the mass market area, but they have plenty of detractors too. But most assuredly, FTC is not that company. If you want anything graded by the AFA, best not to think any FTC product is gonna cut the mustard. That said...

1. No one should have to get a figure with a melted boot, that's unacceptable. Scuffs, paint misalignment, etc are a bit of a different story. I do think that if you're unhappy you should be able to get a refund, but I would also suggest that you take FTC at face value. If you know going in that they don't make perfect figures, you probably shouldn't open the package and immediately give it a 10 point inspection. You should look at it going in, knowing that, there will be minor flaws. Otherwise, just don't do business with them.

2. Comparisons to Mattel are absurd. FTC isn't even 1/100th the size of the world's largest toy manufacturer. And even though you personally haven't had issues with Mattel's DC line, I'm here to tell you that you're the exception, not the rule. Their DC lines have been plagued with wrong parts, bad paint jobs, exploding crotches, etc for years. Even their expensive "premium" collector lines like MOTUC and the Matty DC figures were plagued with issues. So not only should Mattel be held to a higher standard, they also don't pass the test.

3. Comparisons to NECA are better, although NECA is still a much larger company. But NECA in many ways is a outlier in terms of pricing, as no toy company offers the level of detail and sculpting that NECA does, at their price point. NECA is cheaper per value than any other toy company in the game. That said NECA is notoriously bad for QC. The fact that NECA was mentioned here as a company with great QC shows a real lack of knowledge of their product base. NECA has tons of QC issues, from bad paint to tons of breakage issues. Admiringly, their Mego stuff is pretty top notch, but overall NECA is a company known for generally bad QC. They do stand by their product really well though, no complaints there.

4. I'm not defending FTC. They really burned me up a year or so ago when they sent me a Joker with a completely malformed head. And despite photographs and a detailed description, they really gave me the run around on replacing the head. They did eventually replace it, but not before making me feel like a criminal. I know they USED to have a very good return policy, but I suspect their own shoddy product issues and people taking advantage of them, made them less likely to fix an issue, which is a shame. It's caused me to send them considerably less of my business. I still buy some stuff, but not as much as I would or used to.

But when buying from FTC you've really got to be aware that no figure will be perfect and if it is, that is the exception, not the rule. Their QC has improved leaps and bounds in recent years, but it's still not going to be a top quality product. You either accept that, or you don't, but if you already know this, you can't go into it with any other preconceived notions.

That's like knowing that the neighbor's dog is vicious, but sticking your hand through the fence anyway and then acting shocked when it bites you.

[darkbros]

I think your missing the point of my whole entire post.

I summed it simply at the beginning, and will re-iterate here:

[quote]Ok, so here is my first ever order of FTC Product through Amazon.
Figured I'd give this a shot, because knowing how Amazon's A to Z Policy is,
I figured this might make FTC a bit more diligent in their Quality Control,
as A to Z pretty much is if "you ain't happy, we'll make you happy at any cost".[/quote]

A quick forum search would show you I'm no stranger to FTC's bad QC through their own website.
In fact next to say Teemu and PGWynne, I probably got 3rd place as "FTC's bad experience customer".


My point for this was, again, to see if Amazon, who has a pretty strict A to Z policy on sellers, enforcing them to
make the customer " happy at any cost" would force FTC to once and for all, take a hard look at their QC issues.

Certainly, I would like to think if they are in the business of making money off their product, that the have / or will someday
learn the lesson that the way to make more money on your product isn't by raising the price point on the product
( which they have), saying the product is limited / retired only to have the product mysteriously turn up again in a different form
(3 packs, two packs, four or five packs, etc) but by simply fixing the QC issues which are driving people away from the product,
more so than the other crap you think will make you money.

I have now learned that FTC is, for whatever reason, hellbent on just selling product, no matter if their sales continue to slump, because that is all they care about.
Grabbing cash.

If Amazon can't bring them to task, to fix the issues, who can?
I mean, I know I'm not the only one who has ordered their product off of Amazon, and I know that their has to be other buyers
who have had similar / worse issues with their product then me...

Trust me, I knew going in that I had 30% chance of getting my order right, and a 30/70 ratio of getting a correct figure vs a problem figure.
Tell the truth, I'm actually surprised they aren't worse off then they were...the last figure I ordered directly from them, was broken in so many places, and then
when I requested a replacement, the replacement was broken as well. So I've given up on ordering figures through their website directly,
thus my experiment with trying Amazon, knowing their A to Z policy enforcement.

At this point, the only figures I've gotten that have been Correct ( I use correct, because there is no MINT with FTC) have been through ebay sellers
who actually take the time to get right figures to sell. That seems to be the only way to get their product in the best shape: let someone else
force the QC on them and get it right, and then wait until they decide to sell their figures.

[thunderbolt]

I was looking more at pricepoint and value of the same scale lines comparing NECA to FTC, The Christmas Story figures beat them by two bucks, come with heads in scale, better bodies, and ACESSORRIES!! And of the 4 that I own, no issues at all.

[Boywonder0]

Just a couple notes here. I don't want to defend FTC unfairly, or diminish your customer experience, but I also think there has to be a bit of caveat emptor at play here, especially with FTC.

If you're looking for an absolutely perfect figure out of the box every time, FTC is not the company for that. I'm not sure any toy company is that good these days, but Hasbro generally does pretty good in the mass market area, but they have plenty of detractors too. But most assuredly, FTC is not that company. If you want anything graded by the AFA, best not to think any FTC product is gonna cut the mustard. That said...

1. No one should have to get a figure with a melted boot, that's unacceptable. Scuffs, paint misalignment, etc are a bit of a different story. I do think that if you're unhappy you should be able to get a refund, but I would also suggest that you take FTC at face value. If you know going in that they don't make perfect figures, you probably shouldn't open the package and immediately give it a 10 point inspection. You should look at it going in, knowing that, there will be minor flaws. Otherwise, just don't do business with them.

2. Comparisons to Mattel are absurd. FTC isn't even 1/100th the size of the world's largest toy manufacturer. And even though you personally haven't had issues with Mattel's DC line, I'm here to tell you that you're the exception, not the rule. Their DC lines have been plagued with wrong parts, bad paint jobs, exploding crotches, etc for years. Even their expensive "premium" collector lines like MOTUC and the Matty DC figures were plagued with issues. So not only should Mattel be held to a higher standard, they also don't pass the test.

3. Comparisons to NECA are better, although NECA is still a much larger company. But NECA in many ways is a outlier in terms of pricing, as no toy company offers the level of detail and sculpting that NECA does, at their price point. NECA is cheaper per value than any other toy company in the game. That said NECA is notoriously bad for QC. The fact that NECA was mentioned here as a company with great QC shows a real lack of knowledge of their product base. NECA has tons of QC issues, from bad paint to tons of breakage issues. Admiringly, their Mego stuff is pretty top notch, but overall NECA is a company known for generally bad QC. They do stand by their product really well though, no complaints there.

4. I'm not defending FTC. They really burned me up a year or so ago when they sent me a Joker with a completely malformed head. And despite photographs and a detailed description, they really gave me the run around on replacing the head. They did eventually replace it, but not before making me feel like a criminal. I know they USED to have a very good return policy, but I suspect their own shoddy product issues and people taking advantage of them, made them less likely to fix an issue, which is a shame. It's caused me to send them considerably less of my business. I still buy some stuff, but not as much as I would or used to.

But when buying from FTC you've really got to be aware that no figure will be perfect and if it is, that is the exception, not the rule. Their QC has improved leaps and bounds in recent years, but it's still not going to be a top quality product. You either accept that, or you don't, but if you already know this, you can't go into it with any other preconceived notions.

That's like knowing that the neighbor's dog is vicious, but sticking your hand through the fence anyway and then acting shocked when it bites you.

^^^^^^I'm with you in EVERYTHING you stated. I can't understand why if people don't like something they try to convince others to not like it either. And they would type these testaments and essays to try to make you think like them... It is much simpler to vote with your wallet. That's all you have to do...

Another common mistake is that many folks compare NECA to FTC... NECA are not MEGO Like. NECA certainly puts out great head sculpts but those are useless if you have any type of Mego or Mego Like bodies (Type S, Dr. Mego, FTC). Furthermore not a single NECA figure has removable shoes and/or boots... In my book, if you can't plug a Mego head in a Mego or Mego Like body and if you can't remove its accessories giving you customizing flexibility and fun; it is not Mego Like. Thank God that the licenses they have are not interesting at all...

Last but not least I don't expect to get a Hot Toys quality head sculpt in an FTC figure just like I didn't expect it in a Mego figure. Mego's weren't Hot Toys but had a charm to them that has all of us grown ups here discussing our favorite toy so many years after. So if you want Hot Toys quality then pay their prices. By the way, many Hot Toys collectors also complaint about defects in Hot Toys figures and the cheapest of these figures may cost over $200. So FTC defects compared to that is cream cheese. But once again, nobody is forcing you to buy FTC so don't do.^^^^^^

[PNGwynne]

^^^^^^I'm with you in EVERYTHING you stated. I can't understand why if people don't like something they try to convince others to not like it either. And they would type these testaments and essays to try to make you think like them... It is much simpler to vote with your wallet. That's all you have to do...

Sorry, but I don't think that is the intent of this thread. It's a sharing of info regarding both a product and a service--which is appropriate here. I think you're being reductive and dismissive. One could just as easily ignore FTC threads as FTC products .

Sorry to come on strong, but every FTC purchase is a QC crapshoot. IMO they're their own worst enemy but I still make prudent purchases. I don't compare FTC to anything except FTC and original Mego, which I think is entirely appropriate considering their market and mission.

[TRDouble]

I have considered ordering FTC figures through Amazon for the return policy due to the QC track record of some of my FTC product. When ordering directly from FTC, I'm not thrilled when they tell you they will send you replacement parts... with your NEXT order! And then place the onus on you to remind them when ordering.

That said, I'd like pristine quality figures too from EVERY company that I purchase from, which is mostly a Hasbro Marvel Legends or Mattel DC Universe figure every once in a while, but the only thing from the figures in this order that would drive me nuts is the melted boot. I probably won't even see Cyborg's foot on the shelf.

And it's always a crapshoot when you order figure online, albeit, with FTC it's more like a 50/50-shoot. I've only ordered one bagged figure (Superboy) and it was a mess. FTC did take care of that one without waiting for me to place a second order though.