Tray

Thanks everyone, I feel better knowing I'm not alone. Cheers also for the bricklink recommendation, except I'm not an expert builder so we planned to start with the standard sets and just expand a little from them. Even before your replies, I too had a suspicion that they simply didn't want to honour the sale and that "system error" was just a convenient excuse. Quite a poor way of doing business, enticing customers into a queue for items they don't intend to produce. If it were a real "system error", many good brands cop the loss and live up to their commitments. An example I have in mind was a reputable international airline that had to honour underpriced tickets in their booking system. It just hurts more as a toy company. It's one thing telling the wife our washing machine isn't gonna arrive, it's another telling a child the much awaited toys have been cancelled.

I'm not an active internet community member, but have played with LEGO since I was a child 20 years ago (exactly 1995 when I got my first set), and continue to do so today for myself and as gifts for children around me. Like most fans, I'm willing to pay a premium for LEGO because it's associated with quality and wholesome fun. It's cliche, but the LEGO promise of "only the best is good enough" has remained important to me through the years. However, yesterday I got an email saying that my 1st Jan order has been cancelled. I know this affected many others, and I try to be understanding. If they had sent the email a few days after my order, saying it was a mistake and they're out of stock, I can understand and accept. More importantly, I would also have a chance to make my purchases elsewhere. However, the 3 Castle sets I ordered, all remained available on their website for 2+ more weeks (it only became "sold out" last week). I know LEGO cannot produce every single set indefinitely, and they have production schedules to keep. But to say that an order they ALREADY ACCEPTED cannot be fulfilled, is like saying they've ran out of bricks. Since they own the factories, this can only happen if LEGO closes down. It seems to me that they simply decided not to honour the sale, and most importantly fail its own promise. Its promise of "only the best is good enough" and its promise of "will ship within 30 days". Why does this anger me so much? Because as a toy company, it should understand that such "promises" to children are special. I promised my nephew that if he stayed with his grandmother (my mother) over the summer, we can build a big custom Castle together. As an uncle, I can't even begin to break this promise to him, but the toy manufacturer LEGO itself has done this to us. Disappointment doesn't even begin to describe this experience, which is why I'm taking the effort to "rant" and also to see what others are feeling about this. Also just to clarify, my disappointment is not so much about not getting the sets (although that is disappointing), but in how this issue was handled and the fact that it could even happen - a large toy company failing to honour its direct orders en mass.