• LUCZORAMA SHIPWRECK SCAVENGER HUNT GIVEAWAY. 4 Weeks of Fun • 1 Legendary Prize ((OcCre’s Fram Ship)) • Global Crew Welcome!
    **VIEW THREAD HERE**

WARNING: ***Buying from DeAgostini***

Donnie

Donnie

Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
Forum Moderator
Joined
Aug 21, 2011
Messages
5,440
Points
738

Location
Madison, MS
I am building the part build of the Lotus 97T - all was going well until I get this notice about a "stage" being on back order or something similar. Now, that was back at the beginning of FEBRUARY !!!!

Still no word on my part (from February)

You know - you are not supposed to say never, as saying never, you wind up doing it again. But, in this case, I am coming very close to saying I will never buy another Part Build (especially the cars) from DeAgostini again if I can just get through this nonsense of lacking parts.

They continue to send me stages --- and now -- I will now have about 30 stages in my possession, but I can not move forward until I deliver the one and only Stage #28.

Also, I went to the DeAgostini Model Space forum - and since it has been a long time since I logged in --- somehow --- I am missing my password. So, I click on the "send password" and they are supposed to email me what is on file ---- HA ---- no email either. These people are a very poor excuse for running a business !!!!

AND -- finaly --- last but not least, I go to the "Contact" link to send them another message (besides using their CHAT) - which they always give me the same answer. HA -- Crap folks, even that link to contact them is BROKEN ---

So, DeAg, I know you are not probably interested in SOS, but I also know if this thread gets enough attention, it WILL show up in a GOOGLE search with other people searching for DeAgostini and Lotus. So, maybe you all can help me out here and do some likes - dislikes - or what ever floats your boat or car in this case.
 
Donnie said:
I am building the part build of the Lotus 97T - all was going well until I get this notice about a "stage" being on back order or something similar. Now, that was back at the beginning of FEBRUARY !!!!

Still no word on my part (from February)

You know - you are not supposed to say never, as saying never, you wind up doing it again. But, in this case, I am coming very close to saying I will never buy another Part Build (especially the cars) from DeAgostini again if I can just get through this nonsense of lacking parts.

They continue to send me stages --- and now -- I will now have about 30 stages in my possession, but I can not move forward until I deliver the one and only Stage #28.

Also, I went to the DeAgostini Model Space forum - and since it has been a long time since I logged in --- somehow --- I am missing my password. So, I click on the "send password" and they are supposed to email me what is on file ---- HA ---- no email either. These people are a very poor excuse for running a business !!!!

AND -- finaly --- last but not least, I go to the "Contact" link to send them another message (besides using their CHAT) - which they always give me the same answer. HA -- Crap folks, even that link to contact them is BROKEN ---

So, DeAg, I know you are not probably interested in SOS, but I also know if this thread gets enough attention, it WILL show up in a GOOGLE search with other people searching for DeAgostini and Lotus. So, maybe you all can help me out here and do some likes - dislikes - or what ever floats your boat or car in this case.
Click to expand...
This is why I am reluctant to buy higher end kits in stages..too much can go wrong..for me, one and done! Hope you are on the mend!
 
Thanks for the heads-up. Like manning-16, I, too, prefer to avoid long, drawn out "stage' or "chapter" builds. Too many opportunities for Murphy to raise his ugly head. Miss one "stage" or "chapter" and you're pretty much over the proverbial barrel.
 
You’re absolutely right about DeAgostini kits. They send you kit sections every two to four weeks. A section could be back ordered then they send other sections and your waiting for the back order.
Also the accumulated section cost.
The individual sections are not that expensive, but total the cost and the Kit
becomes astronomical.
DeAgostini kits stay away from them!
Tim Murphy
 
Guess things have changed, 2017-2018, no problem with them. The quality of the Victory kit, however, very poor. Had to do some scratch work along with alot of costly aftermarket parts for a much better build. Sorry I didn't save & get a better kit.
 
Question......why is DeAgostini even sending model parts and pieces week by week? If they have the stuff then send me all of them at once.
Ha...Just went on their web site and they are warning of price increases due to tariffs. Maybe they are mad at the USA Donnie and you're being punished.:p
 
Hello Donnie,
I also make Agostini models, and I confirm that I'm also having problems with the latest shipment of the Millennium Falcon, which has been out of stock since December 24. This doesn't even include the Ford GT collection, which is almost permanently out of stock.
I also had to cancel the ISS collection because I couldn't access my accounts.
I make all types of models for all brands, including Wingnut, Agora models, Pocher, IXO model, and MFH, and I've never had these problems, even though my orders are often exported. (The problems with FEDEX are a different story!)
Good luck !
 
MisterCA said:
Question......why is DeAgostini even sending model parts and pieces week by week? If they have the stuff then send me all of them at once.
Ha...Just went on their web site and they are warning of price increases due to tariffs. Maybe they are mad at the USA Donnie and you're being punished.:p
Click to expand...
It goes like this: DeAgostini recognises that most beginning modelers do not finish their first model if it is highly complex, even if the instructions are designed to help them step by step, which is what DeAgostini instructions are. At the same time, they are tapping into that beginner lust for the huge three deck battleship most everyone wants. So, they make it possible to build that monster ship in stages, which is a marketing scheme to make the project less daunting... and it WORKS. DeAgostini gets MANY subscribers, and most do not finish the model. That's a lot of money in their pocket which would not go there if they had no option but to buy the entire model for over $1000.00, which is steep. The high cost went into the instructions, not so much into the model materials. The models thenselves are quite nice, but lack the nicely milled expensive hardwoods of the Italian and Spanish older kits. Unfortunately, their logistics and customer service is lacking. Subscribers get late shipments and replacement parts requests are met with silence. I wrote DeAgostini to see if I could purchase more full lenth gun barrels... silence...
 
I get a package that has about 6 or 7 stages in the box once a month. The stage I need was supposed to be mailed out early February 2025. No sign of any shipments.

The logic behind people giving up on a part build seems illogical as now, I have a car that is missing over half the rear-end. So, I am stuck. The only thing I can do is to tell them to stop my other shipments until I get the stage I want. This might put a strain on them to stop charging me for stages that I can not complete.

All I can say is shame on them for doing people like this. Not doing this again.
 
Sad to hear about problems with this company, but it now becomes one of those "Buyer Beware" issues, and take the risk if you dare.
 
Yeeeeaaaaah.....No!

I was briefly lured by the Shelby ... until I did the math. I just couldn't justify over $2000 for a model car kit. Granted, it's big, almost too big, but that's still a lot of money. Not to mention the fact that it helps to be able to look ahead at certain parts to determine how to do a particular customization. If you haven't yet received that section yet, you're stuck.

It reminds me of the electronics correspondence course I enrolled in during the early 70's as a teen. Signup was easy - first two "lessons" were free. Subsequent lessons $9.99 ea. After committing, I learned that each lesson consisted of about a 10 page pamphlet of course material and a few parts from a Heathkit voltmeter or oscilloscope or TV kit to assemble during the course. I also learned (after the fact) that I had unknowingly committed to being sent 5 lessons every two weeks, which amounted to $100 per month (roughly $650 today)! That's a lot of lawns to mow at $2 apiece! We weren't wealthy, so that didn't last long at all.
 
This is a web email "contact form" that I sent to DeAgostini - I will probably will not get a response as I have done this before and never heard from them:


Dear DeAgostini,

with much patience, I have been waiting for 5 months for a stage #28 for the Lotus model. This particular stage is important as the remaining of the model stages that have been sent to me are sitting in boxes as I can not proceed until Stage #28 has been completed.

I am the founder and an Administrator of a well known ship modeling forum of which we have several modelers building various DeAgostini models. They SHARE my disappointment with your company and this is certainly a bad reflection of DeAgostini models and this will also be a heavy discouragement from myself and other modelers on my website to purchase your models.

Therefore, with another attempt at patience, I am asking if your company can investigate the real reason why it is taking 5 months just to receive the products.

I am progressively close to never purchasing a part build again as this has installed a bad taste to me.

I have attended the "chat" on your site, with very little cooperation from your staff as to the purpose of this terrible delays with only short answers with no solutions.

My only resolution is considering stopping payment on the rest of the stages until Stage #28 has been successfully shipped.

Kindly / sincere regards
Donald B. Driskell
 
Donnie said:
This is a web email "contact form" that I sent to DeAgostini - I will probably will not get a response as I have done this before and never heard from them:


Dear DeAgostini,

with much patience, I have been waiting for 5 months for a stage #28 for the Lotus model. This particular stage is important as the remaining of the model stages that have been sent to me are sitting in boxes as I can not proceed until Stage #28 has been completed.

I am the founder and an Administrator of a well known ship modeling forum of which we have several modelers building various DeAgostini models. They SHARE my disappointment with your company and this is certainly a bad reflection of DeAgostini models and this will also be a heavy discouragement from myself and other modelers on my website to purchase your models.

Therefore, with another attempt at patience, I am asking if your company can investigate the real reason why it is taking 5 months just to receive the products.

I am progressively close to never purchasing a part build again as this has installed a bad taste to me.

I have attended the "chat" on your site, with very little cooperation from your staff as to the purpose of this terrible delays with only short answers with no solutions.

My only resolution is considering stopping payment on the rest of the stages until Stage #28 has been successfully shipped.

Kindly / sincere regards
Donald B. Driskell
Click to expand...

I am waiting to see what response, if any, you receive from them as I was tempted to purchase their newest offering of the Red Bull Formula 1 RB19 model.

My initial experience was less than what I expected it to be.

I received an email from them advising me that the 1st shipment was being sent. My concern was that the address indicated in the email did not have my apartment number.

I used their chat several times and as I was getting, what seemed, AI answers but never really addressing my concern of the missing apartment number. Likewise email correspondence with them was useless to resolve my concern.

To my surprise the parcel arrived and it had the apartment number included in the address.

Couldn’t they have told me that when I contacted them?

Depending the outcome of your letter I will definitely cancel my subscription and avoid disappointments along the way.
 
To be honest, I have never considered building a model that was sent in stages. I’m much too impatient for that! I want the whole kit so I can build as many steps as I want at a time. In my case, that’s usually 1 or more steps a day. And the logistics of getting every shipment without any issues seems daunting at best!
When I purchased my Lotus 72 kit from Pocher, I built it in 3 months. At one point I realized a part was missing, I reached out to the US Pocher representative and they had the part in my hand within a week, during which time I started building other areas of the kit because I wanted to keep making progress on it. In the case of the Lotus 72, that was possible. I had all the rest of the parts and instructions, so I skipped ahead to areas that the missing part did not effect.
That said, I can certainly understand your frustration with this experience and I would advise you to get an entire kit in the future.
And manufacturers with bad support will soon have a bad reputation and lose customers.
I hope you get the stage you need. Best of luck.
 
DeAgostini responded:::


Hygerta (Support)
13 Jun 2025, 18:40 CEST
Hi Donald,

Thank you for contacting DeAgostini Collectibles

Thank you for reaching out, and please accept our sincerest apologies for the prolonged delay you’ve experienced.

We fully understand how frustrating it must be to wait over five months for a critical component, especially when it halts your ability to progress with the build.

After investigating your account, we can confirm that Stage 28 is scheduled to be included in your next package; order ob90465409-00008. However, we must inform you that this package is currently out of stock, which is the reason for the continued delay. We are actively working with our supply team to resolve this issue and expedite the replenishment of this item.

Please be assured that your feedback has been escalated and taken seriously.

While we work to resolve the stock issue, we kindly ask for your continued patience a little longer. We are committed to ensuring your model is completed and that your experience with DeAgostini reflects the standard of quality and service we strive to provide.

If you have any other questions, please let us know.

Kind regards,

DeAgostini Collectibles
Hygerta
Customer Service Representative
 
Good to hear they responded.

Now to see how much longer you have to wait.

When I needed additional wood from OcCre, I emailed them per instructions, and never heard back, but three weeks later the package with wood showed up.

Can't really complain, but a heads up of "Your request has been worked" or something like that would have been nice.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top