Take this for what it's worth and nothing more.

I was told by a member of the HWC staff that they are working on a fix to prevent any further miscommunications (such as that of the A-OK issue) during the sale, and a way to give us more detailed and accurate descriptions going forward as well.

They also said once they have this cleared with all team members it will be officially announced to the boards. Just thought with all the negative feelings, this might give a slight glint of something positive. Maybe.

I won't reveal who it was that said what I posted, as I do not want them to get in trouble if they were not supposed to say anything, but it was not Ryan. And I hope they can convince their superiors to listen. I trust this person's intent and Ryan might also share it, but I have no trust in who they answer to. There's still someone at the master control, and they have the pass/fail switch that tells the HWC staff what they are allowed to do.

Like I said, take it for what it's worth. If (and I do mean if) it is implemented, it only means that we will be better informed prior to sale, not necessarily that the products will improve.

If I had a dollar for everytime I heard that. Seriously.

Basically, we here at the RLC are a lot like the family dog. No matter what happens, we keep trusting and coming back for more. I would be overjoyed should communication and honesty and quality return to the RLC via the people that run the store. I keep hoping and waiting. But unlike that eternally-faithful & trusting family dog, I pretty much know what we're in for.

Woof!

Originally posted by eggman90:
Thanks for the tip, I look forward to clearer communications. We are all so deaf from the silence it would sound like golden trumpets at this point.

What John said!

Originally posted by eggman90:
Thanks for the tip, I look forward to clearer communications. We are all so deaf from the silence it would sound like golden trumpets at this point.

Hot Wheels: The most with-it metal cars On The Road!

Note: The following thread was silently yanked by the RLC site admin.

armataz  RLC™# 1903

In recent years there've been some serious issues stacking up and the Red Line Club™ has been suffering from that, either as a direct result of the issues, or indirectly as a result of the feelings caused by them. In light of the boiling point being reached, I think it's well past time we let Mattel know exactly what our concerns are, and how we can work together in a way that might help resolve them.

So, if Hot Wheels™ decided to start moving back to its original standards for the Club, what would you like returned first?

The free flow of communication between Hot Wheels™ staff and the membership regarding the Club; the quality levels of its products (chroming, bearing TBS, text, etc.); or maybe something else?

scaremall  RLC™# 45032

It might be a case of which came first, the chicken or the egg? What I am trying to say is that if communication was solid and free flowing, when issues arise, we might tolerate them better. On the other hand, if quality were at 100% (I know nobody's perfect), then there would be no need for clear concise verbiage from "them".

iupat46  RLC™# 30946

What would I like returned first? All the money I spent on subpar products.

36ford  RLC™# 16448

All of the issues you list are real. Because certain members of the club have been feeling left out, frustrated etc, it appears that a lot of tempers have flared up. That's to be expected, unfortunately. The latest action will only alienate people more. We have been asking for these issues to be addressed for some time now. To ask at this time which one needs to be addressed first, is perhaps a bit hopeful on your part that there is a real concern about what is making people feel a certain way and a real wanting to correct it.

Okay, I'll bite. The first thing that needs to be addressed is better and improved communication with the members over concerns raised.

notsopersonal  RLC™# 22844

To get back on track, my ideas are:

1. It does not bother me that some things are kept secret. Such as it's fun to try and guess what the HWC cars are going to be, even what the sELECTIONs catetgories are going to be. But, when things go wrong, we hear a deafening silence. When something happens, talk to us. We know you may not have an answer right away, but at least acknowledge that we exist.

2. In advance, before you sell us the memberships, tell us what you are going to provide in the way of car features. Tell us the standards. IE: chrome base, polished base, moving parts, spectraflame paint, whatever it's gonna be. That way we can make a reasonable decision ahead of time if the club is what we want. Don't let us find out when the car is delivered that things have changed.

3. Clear accurate communication. Nothing more nothing less. If you print it, then that should be written in stone.

4. Quality product, no goofs, no slip-ups. Deliver what you say you have. If you can't deliver top-notch highest-quality adult cars, then you are in the wrong business.

5. Remember that while we may not agree as to what casting to produce, features on the cars, kind of paint, wheels, etc, we still expect to receive a variety of top notch cars of the highest quality.

MauserBob  RLC™# 35562

I'd like to agree with the communication angle.

I think almost everyone would like to see the glaring quality issues addressed, but as has been previously stated, no one is perfect. Things happen and issues will arise from time to time (hopefully less often than has been the case lately) which would, in my humble opinion, be more tolerable if the communication from "them" to "us" were improved upon significantly. I believe the near-total silence on the part of HWC™ staffers on recent hot-topic issues has gone a long way towards fanning (if not exactly fueling) the flames of discontent around here.

Improve the quality, frequency, and promptness of communication from the HWC to the members when problems arise and then we'll see how things go as far as cooler heads prevailing. I'm betting that morale would go up, as would sales.

Rex Monaco  RLC™# 7209

Communication!

When Mattel makes a mistake, they should acknowledge it ASAP.

If they plan to rectify the issue, then they should give people a hint that some sort of rectification is in the works.

The admins should spend a few minutes in here every day reading the posts and answering peoples concerns before these issues get out of hand and become bigger issues.

surfsidemel  RLC™# 40403

I think that better communication between HWC/RLC administrators and members is crucial. The lack or communication/response to recent issues is at the forefront of cynicism on the boards recently.

Although communciation is critical, delivering a consistent, high-quality product, as advertised, would eliminate some of the urgent need for communication. As members of this club, we have high expectations from Mattel, whether in part or whole based on price of product and previous quality, it is up to Mattel to determine whether of not they intend to deliver high-quality, premium product for the high price we pay to be members and to purchase the products they are selling.

If Mattel were honest and openly stated that due to costs, profits, or whatnot that they had no choice but to eliminate some of the features that made the HWC/RLC cars stand out as premium products, than all involved could make more informed choices.

armataz  RLC™# 1903

I was told in a PM by one of the HWC™ staff members that they are working on this. Here's what I was told.

We have a solution in the works that will address your concerns. That will be made public as soon as we clear it with all the team members involved.

We are learning from this error and are making adjustments to not only prevent this from happening again, but to give you a better presentation of the product specs for the future.

I believe the intent of the person that told me this, and it might be Ryan's intent also. But good intentions only go so far, if they lack the power or authority to carry them out.

I don't know why they have to clear it with all members of the team, unless there's someone higher up resisting the idea.

Maybe some work needs to be done on internal communications at Mattel. Or maybe it's just office politics getting in their way. Doesn't really matter; it's hurting the club, and also hurting Mattel's reputation every time misinformation or an inaccuracy is given. It reflects on Mattel and causes mistrust and ill will. Silence only allows those negative feelings to fester.

So Ryan (or someone above him) should be addressing these problems and letting us know what they are doing about them when these problems arise, to help calm the boards when stuff like this happens.

Someone should also be reading the advance copies of the ads and comparing them to the actual product to see if they match prior to posting, and do a running correction to the ad. This, too, will help prevent (or at least calm) pursuant issues.

nomad200  RLC™# 4518

I see two things that have gone wrong with this years club.

1. Communication— We got off to a horrible start with HWC Ryan. His idea of only addressing questions in his "Questions for Ryan" thread my have seemed like a good idea for someone from the outside, but the pulse of these issues are felt in the compilation of all the threads and posts on the boards. By not surfing the boards and addressing issues as they were happening, he has allowed small sparks to turn into raging fires. This lack of attention has been one of the major contributing factors to the recent "smack-downs" on this board. Things were getting out of hand but it would help if the Admins/Mods realized that it is a two–way street. Again, communication is everything.

2. Like most companies, Mattel is driven by profit margins. I think that someone inside is pushing the cost–cutting side of things as a way to increase profits. This works great in the short term but ends up costing you in loss of customers over time. This strategy ONLY works if the person making these choices is long gone (promoted) when the proverbial chickens come home to roost. Mattel needs to realize that everyone who is here came to this website for a quality product. Like in Field of Dreams, "If you build it, they will come". So will profits.

surfsidemel  RLC™# 40403

What's amazing about the recent occurrences in the Club and on the Boards is that, with all of the questions and criticisms and lack of communication from the administrators, posts from HWC.com™ Administrators like the following:

I know there are a lot of concerns lately, and one thing you can believe — we're always reading these boards and seeing what you have to say, positive or negative.

I've always said that it's awesome that you guys bring so much passion to this hobby — as long as that is there, it is obviously alive and well. All I'm asking is that everyone try to maintain courtesy, consideration and respectfulness when making posts and stating opinions. This can be done, and when it is done, it makes for a much richer experience here than ever. We have had some topics go this way — rather than the Board Wars way — recently, and people were really digging the exchange and debate. It's not about belittling or crushing the opposing viewpoint, but sharing alternate ways of looking at any one thing. We can agree to disagree; there is no need or reason, and certainly no benefit, in turning an opposing side into a complete enemy. This would be a good lesson for ALL in this country today to learn.

If they are surfing the boards and following the posts, why can't they respond to some of the many issues regarding quality, truth in advertising, and the direction of the Club that have been affecting many on these boards lately?

Just wondering why the big lack of response if they really are aware of the issues.

MauserBob  RLC™# 35562

As are many of us, Mel.

The quality issue is indeed a big problem and one that should definitely be addressed... but that's where communication becomes the bigger issue in my humble opinion. It often takes weeks to get any kind of response at all from the Club powers-that-be once something hits the fan... for the frequency of the occurences and the money we're spending, I don't think I'm alone in saying that that is unacceptable. It's the same for the "false" advertising... call it what you want... bait-n-switch, bad proofreading, going to press without the facts, plain-old mistakes at the factory... it's all a result of someone somewhere not coming forth and speaking up when they should.

I honestly believe that would go a long way towards building member trust and smoothing over some rough edges around here. At least we'd get fair warning when something goes wrong... and I for one would be willing to cut that Staffer much more slack for being a stand-up guy in the first place. Pie-in-the-sky maybe, and it wouldn't fix the outright shoddy quality of some products, but timely and improved communication would have to be a better state of affairs than what we have now. That's why I went with communication as the first improvement I'd like to see around here.

sugarlandexpress  RLC™# 1480

I must be missing something here — how is telling the truth such a major strategic shift that they have to "clear it with all the team members involved"? This is not a complicated concept, folks.

bbussey  RLC™# 348

Communication is ABSOLUTELY the most important aspect that has been lacking here. If the intent of the admins was articulated, then we the members would know the true situation and act accordingly.

Everything else is secondary to that, because they have the right to run their company the way they see fit — whether we agree with their production decisions or not. But they have a fiduciary responsibility to communicate their intentions to the membership at the beginning of and throughout the year so that people can make informed decisions on whether or not to renew their memberships and purchase the products.