New VIP system

[Cylo]

My VIP points are all still there, but I don't see any exclusive VIP sets available in Australia. The colouring sheets seem like a waste of points too. 

Just noticed that all points expire in 18 months if you don't gain/spend any points, is this new?

Edited July 25, 2019 by Reaper

[ShaydDeGrai]

The more I think about this voucher system and the poor integration between the VIP site and the shop, the more I feel like this whole thing was designed by an undercover Amazon operative; the more barriers they put between me and redeeming my VIP rewards the less inclined I feel to amass points in the first place.  Why should I jump through hoops to generate and redeem vouchers (which, when you think about it really amounts to getting about 5% cash back (based on having paid full price at some point in the past) applied to a future purchase) when I can buy the same product for 5-10% off today (and another one at a similar discount tomorrow) with one click at Amazon?

I realize the system is new and any transition is going to be buggy, but for a "VIP Rewards" system, it really hasn't made me feel special, important or rewarded yet.

The system should be simple, fair, automatic and transparent, not an obstacle course where the website can't even manage its own cookies properly.

 

[Vindicare]

On 7/24/2019 at 8:03 AM, AFOLguy1970 said:

I had the misfortune of having my sons with me on vacation when the switchover happened.  My son had a spending budget of $20 when we found a Lego Store on our roadtrip.  He had $15 in rewards before the switchover and silly me told him he effectively now had $35 to spend if he wanted to use the rewards.  Of course he did and we brought $35 worth of stuff to the register.  That is when we got the "surprise".  First of all, their system was down, and they could not access any rewards balance.  Then, I found out about the whole voucher thing, and I think my jaw hit the floor.  We could not get Wifi in the mall, so I had to call my wife to create the $15 worth of vouchers and text them to me so they could scan the barcode.  The fact that we cannot redeem points in the store without the added hassle is mind boggling to me.  Almost in a New Coke or International House of Burgers kind of way.  

Haha, lets just hope they don’t rebrand it as VIP 2. 

20 hours ago, Reaper said:

My VIP points are all still there, but I don't see any exclusive VIP sets available in Australia. The colouring sheets seem like a waste of points too. 

Just noticed that all points expire in 18 months if you don't gain/spend any points, is this new?

Pretty sure the 18 months is new. If not, I never noticed because I always use them on January 1st. 

11 hours ago, ShaydDeGrai said:

The more I think about this voucher system and the poor integration between the VIP site and the shop, the more I feel like this whole thing was designed by an undercover Amazon operative; the more barriers they put between me and redeeming my VIP rewards the less inclined I feel to amass points in the first place.  Why should I jump through hoops to generate and redeem vouchers (which, when you think about it really amounts to getting about 5% cash back (based on having paid full price at some point in the past) applied to a future purchase) when I can buy the same product for 5-10% off today (and another one at a similar discount tomorrow) with one click at Amazon?

I realize the system is new and any transition is going to be buggy, but for a "VIP Rewards" system, it really hasn't made me feel special, important or rewarded yet.

The system should be simple, fair, automatic and transparent, not an obstacle course where the website can't even manage its own cookies properly.

 

Points wise, it’s a much better deal. $100 used to be 20,000 points, where it’s 13,000 now. Old system, buy a $99.99 set you get 99 points. New, it’s 650(at least in the States). Redeeming leaves a lot to be desired though...

[BenderBrau]

22 hours ago, Reaper said:

Just noticed that all points expire in 18 months if you don't gain/spend any points, is this new?

It is, and I think it's a better solution with the clock resetting after any activity - a purchase or redeeming. It's a shorter time period, but much simpler system than what it used to be

 

1 hour ago, Vindicare said:

Points wise, it’s a much better deal. $100 used to be 20,000 points, where it’s 13,000 now. Old system, buy a $99.99 set you get 99 points. New, it’s 650(at least in the States). Redeeming leaves a lot to be desired though...

I think you mean it was 2000 points. It's not a better deal, the points have the same value, they just multiplied them - by 6,5 in US, by 8 in UK.

[astra]

There's an interesting article on Brickset with some answers from the 'VIP Director', the responses on that article say enough about the feelings on this new VIP system...

We'll see how this new VIP system develops...

 

[jpx]

Maybe I'm the only one, but I like the new system. They should probably have waited a month deploying it, so (some of) the errors had been corrected, but that's always how it is with software. 

I really like that they are opening up to letting us purchase some of the GWP sets or other VIP-sets. I have a very limited LEGO budget, so often I miss the GWP sets because I cannot but any large sets in those few weeks a GWP is running (e.g. the space rocket in June). 

And the extra step in getting a voucher is in my opinion a very small sacrifice to get a better system. Maybe its just me, but taking out your phone 2 minutes before going to the register and clicking a few buttons is easy for me (though I have not yet tried it, I only have 807 points :) ). 

But I have tried the new VIP card on my phone, and that's really great! No need to look in my wallet for that VIP card, and I use my phone to pay anyways, so its very convenient. 

[Vindicare]

10 hours ago, jpx said:

Maybe I'm the only one, but I like the new system. They should probably have waited a month deploying it, so (some of) the errors had been corrected, but that's always how it is with software. 

I really like that they are opening up to letting us purchase some of the GWP sets or other VIP-sets. I have a very limited LEGO budget, so often I miss the GWP sets because I cannot but any large sets in those few weeks a GWP is running (e.g. the space rocket in June). 

And the extra step in getting a voucher is in my opinion a very small sacrifice to get a better system. Maybe its just me, but taking out your phone 2 minutes before going to the register and clicking a few buttons is easy for me (though I have not yet tried it, I only have 807 points :) ). 

But I have tried the new VIP card on my phone, and that's really great! No need to look in my wallet for that VIP card, and I use my phone to pay anyways, so its very convenient. 

Overall I don’t mind it either. I especially like the GWP offerings. I also missed out on the Rocket Ride. 

My only possible complaint is going to be the vouchers(broken record incoming). I save my points throughout the year & dump them all into the Modular on January 1st. As of right now I have $140 in VIP. I’d have to get four vouchers instead of just telling the cashier to use my points. I imagine it won’t be terrible, but definitely a bigger headache than it needed to be. 

I read on that Brickset article that it sounds like we can still do that in store redemption...so my fussing may be for naught. 

Edited August 8, 2019 by Vindicare

[AFOLguy1970]

22 minutes ago, Vindicare said:

Overall I don’t mind it either. I especially like the GWP offerings. I also missed out on the Rocket Ride. 

My only possible complaint is going to be the vouchers(broken record incoming). I save my points throughout the year & dump them all into the Modular on January 1st. As of right now I have $140 in VIP. I’d have to get four vouchers instead of just telling the cashier to use my points. I imagine it won’t be terrible, but definitely a bigger headache than it needed to be. 

I read on that Brickset article that it sounds like we can still do that in store redemption...so my fussing may be for naught. 

Getting vouchers in the mall on your phone could be an issue if the mall has spotty or even no Wifi.  Definitely a much more difficult process than merely having them deduct points at the register.  

I was perusing through the reward opportunities the other day and noticed that for the bargain total of 100 points, you could enter a sweepstakes to win a trip to Legoland.  Yeah, good luck with that  

[Vindicare]

5 hours ago, AFOLguy1970 said:

Getting vouchers in the mall on your phone could be an issue if the mall has spotty or even no Wifi.  Definitely a much more difficult process than merely having them deduct points at the register.  

I was perusing through the reward opportunities the other day and noticed that for the bargain total of 100 points, you could enter a sweepstakes to win a trip to Legoland.  Yeah, good luck with that  

At least that part wouldn’t be a problem for me, I’d just get it all done the night before. But for the impulse buys, it’ll pretty much kill those I imagine. I definitely know the mall I do go to doesn’t have WiFi. 

[jpx]

7 hours ago, AFOLguy1970 said:

Getting vouchers in the mall on your phone could be an issue if the mall has spotty or even no Wifi.  Definitely a much more difficult process than merely having them deduct points at the register.  

I never thought that could be an issue, here we have 3G or 4G everywhere, so I don't even think the LEGO Store has a public wifi. (And if they do, its probably slower anyway). 

[AFOLguy1970]

On 8/9/2019 at 12:25 AM, Vindicare said:

At least that part wouldn’t be a problem for me, I’d just get it all done the night before. But for the impulse buys, it’ll pretty much kill those I imagine. I definitely know the mall I do go to doesn’t have WiFi. 

Only thing I would recommend to you and anyone in this case is if you know exactly what you are going to use that voucher for, call the store to make sure they have the item(s) and ask them to hold them for you until you can get there.  If you show up with the voucher and the items are out of stock, the voucher has a limited time to be redeemed.  I think someone said Lego upped it to 60 days once they realized this situation was possible.  That means you would have to return to the Lego store yet again or purchase other items if you could not go back within the time frame.  

[Vindicare]

4 hours ago, AFOLguy1970 said:

Only thing I would recommend to you and anyone in this case is if you know exactly what you are going to use that voucher for, call the store to make sure they have the item(s) and ask them to hold them for you until you can get there.  If you show up with the voucher and the items are out of stock, the voucher has a limited time to be redeemed.  I think someone said Lego upped it to 60 days once they realized this situation was possible.  That means you would have to return to the Lego store yet again or purchase other items if you could not go back within the time frame.  

I have that covered as well. Always a day one purchase for Modulars & I show up an hour before the store opens.  It’s just the slight headache of having to get the multiple vouchers whereas I just had to say “yes” when wanting to use my points. I’m sure I’m making too big a deal out of having to get vouchers...but I’m not big on change....

[BenderBrau]

Well, for someone like me - visiting Lego store two, maybe three times a year, mostly buying online during double points / GWP and almost always sure of what to get, the new system is not really that different, it just moves the choice to redeem the points to before I browse the sets. But I do understand why it would be a hassle for casual or impulse buyers. Yesterday I had trouble getting any service, I had to ask Lego employee which local wi-fi is the best. I redeemed the points the day before just in case, but logging to my account on the phone in the store definitely wouldn't be that easy.

[knotian]

It also impacts the store by causing more on line purchases than impulse.

[astra]

I do agree that having the VIP card in the Wallet on my phone is a positive thing, but that could have been accomplished with the old system as well I think. 

Furthermore, I've contacted Lego last week to give my opinion about this system. The reply that I got was more or less the same as what can be read in the Brickset post, but there was something that surprised me; the reply stated that if you want to use VIP points for an in-store purchase in another country, anóther step has to be added, because first your points need to be converted to the country you're in, then a voucher has to be made and after that you can use it. 

Also, they are aware of these issues, but the bottom line in the e-mail was "deal with it. It is here to stay."

[kasmca]

Has anyone actually use a voucher in store and can share their experience?

I would like to be able to redeem the voucher while in line to pay for my item but the FAQ says "VIP coupon codes will generally be issued automatically within 24 hours following your rewards redemption".  You can't do this if the coupons are not instantaneous.  

You also can't redeem the vouchers a day ahead just in case they don't have the item in stock when you go.  I recall showing up on day 1 of the release of a new CMF series just to find out that the Lego store didn't get their shipment.

Does anyone have experience on the delay to receive your redemption  vouchers?

[Hive]

How does the "VIP card on your phone" thing work? I can't seem to find info on it...

[ShaydDeGrai]

On August 8, 2019 at 7:20 PM, AFOLguy1970 said:

Getting vouchers in the mall on your phone could be an issue if the mall has spotty or even no Wifi.  Definitely a much more difficult process than merely having them deduct points at the register.  

A college friend of mine works for a company that makes special conductive paint with copper and aluminum dust in it, specifically to screw with cell signals (once properly installed and grounded, it creates a weak Faraday Cage).  Their biggest customers are Malls and large box stores looking to cut down on customers using their phones to compare prices with Amazon (and other vendors, presumably).  It's still a small, regional market, but he says that their business has been growing a lot in the past five years as more and more malls struggle to compete against on-line sales.  The malls want to block the cell service and control the wi-fi (where they can use "parental controls" to blacklist competing online vendor sites).

I wonder if TLG has considered factors like this, or are they just assuming everyone has 4G or better all the time?

[ArturFer]

Good morning.

In Spain, and in my case, it is very strange. I am talking about the problem what I am having with Legoshop.

2 times I have tried to buy a set with the discounts for VIP members and, it doesn't work right. I am losing the VIP codes-rewards for the discount, because of, suddenly appears the message on their web "there is a unexpected problem" (and my credit card is ok!). Therefore, the System of LEgoshop website considers that I have spent the reward, when in truth I have not spent it.

I have not spent money, and they have not received it... But the system understands that I have spent the reward. Why do they tell me that there is an unexpected problem after I have given them my card information?

 

[jpx]

On 8/14/2019 at 6:51 PM, Hive said:

How does the "VIP card on your phone" thing work? I can't seem to find info on it...

Basically it just displays the barcode from the 'classic' VIP card on the phone (in case of an iPhone, inside the Wallet app). I have added it to my Wallet app, after logging into the VIP page, selecting the upper left menu, and there is an item called "Add VIP-card to Mobile wallet" (My translation from danish - "Tilføj VIP-kort til Mobil Tegnebog")

[Hive]

9 hours ago, jpx said:

Basically it just displays the barcode from the 'classic' VIP card on the phone (in case of an iPhone, inside the Wallet app). I have added it to my Wallet app, after logging into the VIP page, selecting the upper left menu, and there is an item called "Add VIP-card to Mobile wallet" (My translation from danish - "Tilføj VIP-kort til Mobil Tegnebog")

Thanks, found it. :)

[Jon22]

Apart from the hassle of getting the voucher beforehand, my complaint about the new system is somewhat self-centered: under the old system I made most of my purchases in Canada, where sets usually work out a little more expensive than in the US even after taking into account the exchange rate. But I didn't mind, because I had a plan to redeem the points in the US where they'd be worth more, which would balance things out a bit. This was really possible--it would have been even more advantageous to redeem points on sets purchased in Euros, but then I'd be faced with having to get them back home to Canada, whereas US purchases can be driven across the border when I'm down there for whatever reason.

Now this little avenue of mitigating our higher prices in Canada has been closed down before I ever had the chance to cash in my Canadian-accrued points in a US Lego store. No doubt if you do the math, we end up getting screwed again in Canada under the new system's exchange rates.

[anothergol]

On 7/17/2019 at 9:45 AM, BrickG said:

I'm a small business owner and let me tell you, making things the same price across regions is basically impossible for multiple economic reasons almost always due to the local laws of a said country. I bet they're in a position where they cannot reasonably make the prices the same without taking a big hit due to shipping/taxes/market size/whatever. So you can't really fault them there IMO. There are very real and self-imposed (by the countries, not by LEGO) reasons the prices vary wildly and that extends to VIP rewards which could be subject to the same laws.

That's BS, because the Lego shop is online. Thus the only thing that differs, is the country's VAT, but it doesn't differ that much between european countries. It's pretty much around 20% everywhere in Europe, give or take a few % which does not reflect the existing price differences.

You may say that Lego has to pay his employees, and the charges here are very different between countries, but again it's an online shop, I'm pretty sure that the Lego shop doesn't require employees in every country, just support in a couple of languages. Being in Belgium, if I call Lego I end up speaking to French support (which is fine). And I'm pretty sure that Lego only has one basic office for the whole Benelux, like many companies do.
Sure, Lego must have offices in major countries, for distribution, but it's not linked to the Lego shop, other than the fact, *and it's most likely the real reason* that they don't want to compete with local stores. This is also why Lego can't lower the prices, they have to sell at "market" price, because that's how things work, stores won't buy from you if you're selling yourself at lower than market price (or why would they buy?).

BUT this is 2019, European borders are far away now, and they pretty much don't exist since everyone buys on the internet. It doesn't matter if Lego doesn't wanna compete with local resellers, because Amazon does (with the help of Lego). So yes, Lego could TOTALLY make european prices uniform, and not hurt resellers more than Amazon already does. It's how it's gonna end up, anyway, they're just lagging behind. And local stores will disappear just like Toys R Us. It's just on its way.
 

That's also why the Lego shop focuses on gifts & exclusives, it's the only thing they can do without being in competition with/pissing off resellers. But again, Amazon.. the time local resellers can make that much money for the only reason that they know all other local shops are gonna sell at street price as well, are gone.
And I don't think there's anything related to "laws", only business, and Lego does what every company does, but times are changing.

 

 

Edited August 17, 2019 by anothergol

[MAB]

On 8/17/2019 at 5:17 AM, anothergol said:

Being in Belgium, if I call Lego I end up speaking to French support (which is fine). And I'm pretty sure that Lego only has one basic office for the whole Benelux, like many companies do.
 

I think they are based in the UK too. There is a direct dial number that is a UK one and if you phone it, they speak French to start with.

On 8/17/2019 at 5:17 AM, anothergol said:

BUT this is 2019, European borders are far away now, and they pretty much don't exist since everyone buys on the internet. It doesn't matter if Lego doesn't wanna compete with local resellers, because Amazon does (with the help of Lego). So yes, Lego could TOTALLY make european prices uniform, and not hurt resellers more than Amazon already does. It's how it's gonna end up, anyway, they're just lagging behind. And local stores will disappear just like Toys R Us. It's just on its way.

I can think of one border that is not that far away now!

LEGO could make prices uniform, but there are other hidden costs such as transportation, documentation in different languages and so on. Plus any EU citizen has the right to purchase from another EU country as if they were in that country if they arrange the transportation and so on.

[Hive]

Disappointed that they haven't allowed us to exchange points for more past GWP sets/polybags yet. The VIP set was great, and I'm sure the big Batman set was great for those 11 people who managed to get it before it was sold out as well... but let's see something new now, especially since they haven't had either in stock for a while anyway. All their posters, colouring sheets and background images are worthless prizes to me.