WARNING re: Yowies North America. I lost $350+.

[brettnj]

I would strongly advise members to either not purchase Yowies in the US or to purchase with a credit card only and be prepared to file a dispute with your bank if you have the same absolutely horrific experience as I'm having.  If buying at all, I would first, without question, call the Yowie customer service number and ask what, if any, lot numbers are appropriately packed (And then I would not believe the information offered.).

Please do read these e-mails sent to a Yowie employee in Australia (I'll be contacting the CEO of Yowie International there next.)

Thanks.


________


Hello.

Thank you for receiving my mail.  I have, very unfortunately, had to devote many stressful hours to this situation already and am hopeful that an e-mail to you or to Wayne Loxton's office will achieve a resolution.

A friend provided me with your address when I asked her to obtain contact information for Mr. Loxton's office.  While she didn't make it clear whether I'm ultimately sending the information for you to see or to forward, I appreciate your help.

I am having a nightmarish experience with Yowie North America.  I can provide as many details as necessary, but the bottom line is that I bought a full case of Yowies from Dylan's Candy Bar, the only store in the Northeast part of the US that carries them, and did not get anything close to that for which I paid.  At the high price of $5 each (discounted 10% in my case for buying a full case), as opposed to the $3.50 charged elsewhere in the country, I spent over $350 on those figures (as well as approximately $50 getting to New York to obtain them).

The product display boxes claim that what is contained therein is a collection of 24 natural replicas and shows only photographs of animal figures.  In reality, I was later told, there are only 18 animal figures available and 6 cartoon character figures.  Further, what I found upon opening them was mostly those characters, with only 5 of the 18 animals, duplicated of course.  Upon calling Yowie North America, I was told by the representative--Jolene--that there was a distribution problem at the start of production and only a few animals were available, so the company compensated with large numbers of cartoon characters. 

After much (what I thought was needless) discussion, I was asked what I wanted, and I informed her that I only wanted that for which I paid--a random/fair distribution of 72 animal figures.  She inquired as to which I received so that she could add to that mix without duplication and ended the call by saying okay, which she clearly intended to sound as if she was going to comply with my request.

Almost a week later, I received 7 animal figures in the mail.  Extremely stressed and angry, I called again.  Ultimately Jolene said the company would send another 12 figures, which again, I found enraging.  As I keep repeating, all I am requesting is that for which I paid which, according to the box, is only natural replicas, and, a fair distribution of those.  I requested an e-mail address for the person who made the decision and Jolene seemed quite audibly afraid of providing it, and inexplicably instructed me to get it from the store from which I made the purchase.

When I protested, she actually e-mailed the person, a vice president, for permission to give me his address.  He complied while still on the phone.  She refused to give me his last name and assured me that [email protected] was the correct address.  Despite sending him an e-mail yesterday, I have not received a response.  I intend to call again today.  There is no excuse for a company putting a customer through such an ordeal over such a long period of time, when it is acknowledging it is in the wrong.

I spent over $350 and received 5 plastic animals with duplicates for that money.  The company refuses to acknowledge the false advertising involved in the packaging and acknowledges but refuses to take responsibility for the distribution problem present in the lot from which I purchased.

It is maddening that not one but two issues are at play here and the company is still unwilling to do right by a customer who put so much into patronizing it, but rather wants to toss me a few compensatory figures thinking it will silence a squeaky wheel with a baseless complaint.  I paid for 72 fairly distributed animal figures.  I am still nowhere near understanding why Yowie North America feels like it doesn't owe me that for which I paid.

The only idea I have is that the company is assuming I am using the situation to obtain complete sets, which of course I do want for Christine and her friends.  But had the two factors discussed not come into play, calculating percentages, I should well have expected to obtain multiple complete sets when buying 72 figures.  That the company is putting such extreme amounts of energy into denying me something (at virtually no cost to it) when all the principles involved support me, the consumer, not it, speaks to a shocking lack of professionalism, integrity, and decency that I never would have expected from Yowie.

At this point, I have such distrust for the individuals involved that if forced to honor my request by those to whom I am requesting help, I can't help thinking that the person involved would, despite it all being the same on the company's end, deliberately fail to offer complete sets.  While this may be unfair of me to suspect, hopefully you can understand why I see the company in so very dim a light after all that has happened.  That the company doesn't care that it is fostering this reputation is, independent of my issues, simply bad business.

Once again, I am only asking for that for which I paid.

I would appreciate the address for Mr. Loxton's office, your comments, and anything you can do.


________



Hello again.

With apologies for the second mail, I just contacted Dylan's Candy Bar and was told by an assistant buyer there that the store contacted Yowie North American several times on my behalf and was told by the representative(s?) that answered the phone that Yowie will absolutely not send me more figures because the concept of the product is to buy, not knowing what you are receiving, and trade to get those missing.

The company, once again, refused to acknowledge either the false advertising or even the admitted figure distribution problem.  This is an absolute abhorrent, sick, unacceptable in every component situation.


________


With further apologies, as I continue to address this, I made two attempts to reach Jolene at Yowie North America today so that I could inquire as to why I did not receive an e-mail from the vice president who gave her his address so that I could send said contact.  So far neither call was returned.

The woman who took the second call immediately acknowledged knowing who I was by telling me that Jolene already had my first message, and when she started asking me the basic questions required for message taking, I overheard her say to her coworker (who obviously knew my name and situation as well and I assume asked why she was indulging me, as if a directive not to had been issue), I'm just being polite.  She denied making the comment when I informed her that I heard her do so.  The extent of the lack of professionalism here, and the cowardice of those actually making the decisions, is astonishing.

And I failed to mention that when the buyers at point of purchase Dylan's Candy Bar could not get Yowie North America to help, the employees there rallied to try to get me animal figures from samples or ones that had been opened in-store, and found, so tellingly, that it only had the same five animal figures that I already had.

Thank you.

[Roselaar]

Wow, that's surely distressing... :-/

[SBell]

Well, with service and attitudes like that, this revised line may not last long--meaning that the few animals you actually got may become worth a whole lot more as collectables soon! That's me, mister bright side!

Still, why would they think the cartoon figures are worthy of replacing what people want? I highly doubt that kids are clamoring for those.

[docronnie]

What a distressing experience...  Well I have mine too and they still continue to do so, as long as you buy abroad or online. Been doing it since pre-internet days. You'll get over it and charge it to experience.

[tyrantqueen]

What a distressing experience...  Well I have mine too and they still continue to do so, as long as you buy abroad or online. Been doing it since pre-internet days. You'll get over it and charge it to experience.

Can't speak for everyone else, but I personally never forget a single seller who has scammed me. If I can use that memory to warn other people against being scammed, it's useful. Thankfully such instances have been rare.

[docronnie]

What a distressing experience...  Well I have mine too and they still continue to do so, as long as you buy abroad or online. Been doing it since pre-internet days. You'll get over it and charge it to experience.

Can't speak for everyone else, but I personally never forget a single seller who has scammed me. If I can use that memory to warn other people against being scammed, it's useful. Thankfully such instances have been rare.

In my case, I have never been scammed yet. I always get my money back thru card disputes and PayPal disputes. But the distress was always there. And you're right, they are rare.

[Hynerpeton]

I got some yowies. Some from here i think and ebay. Never had a problem.

[brettnj]

I actually got an e-mail to the office of the CEO of Yowie International in Australia.  I'll let you know what happens.

[brettnj]

I got some yowies. Some from here i think and ebay. Never had a problem.

Not at all what's being discussed here.

[SBell]

I got some yowies. Some from here i think and ebay. Never had a problem.

The ones he's talking about are from a new series of releases in the US.

[brettnj]

Not to come off all kinds of crazed with anger and frustration (which, well yeah, I am...) but I'm citing false advertising and an acknowledged distribution problem at the manufacturer level, and the company's refusal to take responsibility for either.

My point has nothing to do with rebuying figures.

[Hynerpeton]

I know your upset. Buy no need to be rude about it. take your frustration on something other then forum members.

[stargatedalek]

thats also not whats going on here...

[brettnj]

I know your upset. Buy no need to be rude about it. take your frustration on something other then forum members.

Predino...

I had no intention of being rude (My apologies if you took it that way.) and don't want this the thread to decay into a debate over proper posting etiquette.

But yes, under current circumstances I am a little impatient with people missing the point of things--and particularly disagreeing with me without acknowledging or understanding what it is they're opposing--especially when I put such effort into being clear.

But no worries and again, sorry if you took the comment in a manner in which it was not intended.

thats also not whats going on here...

And thanks, SD.  Understanding is key to neutralizing my frustration level at the moment...

[Hynerpeton]

Thank you

[brettnj]

Not that I believe for a second that the folks at Yowie don't understand the situation.  They just don't want to take responsibility for it...

[Hynerpeton]

Not that I believe for a second that the folks at Yowie don't understand the situation.  They just don't want to take responsibility for it...

I wish i could get the other pre Dino ones. But cant find any.

[SBell]

Not that I believe for a second that the folks at Yowie don't understand the situation.  They just don't want to take responsibility for it...

I wish i could get the other pre Dino ones. But cant find any.

Perhaps you should keep this line of thinking in a separate, appropriate thread? This thread is specific to a complaint about the current, re-started Yowies line; nothing to do with the original lines and their availability.

[EmperorDinobot]

How distressing. Sorry this happened to you.



Distressing. What a word.

[Hynerpeton]

Not that I believe for a second that the folks at Yowie don't understand the situation.  They just don't want to take responsibility for it...

I wish i could get the other pre Dino ones. But cant find any.

Perhaps you should keep this line of thinking in a separate, appropriate thread? This thread is specific to a complaint about the current, re-started Yowies line; nothing to do with the original lines and their availability.

I made a new topic.