As many of those who tried to get hold of the Ulysses Probe Miniset via the LEGO® VIP Reward Centre today will have found, the launch was a massive disaster. A combination of technical issues and extremely limited stock availability has meant many fans missed out on this special item. As I’ve stated on Twitter, I’d advise anyone who had issues to provide feedback to Customer Services via LEGO.com. The more they get, the more likely these same issues won’t occur in the future. A short statement has also been provided by the LEGO Group Customer Service team via the Ambassador Network:
“We’re very sorry about your experience with our current VIP promo. We do our best to make sure items like this one are available to as many LEGO® fans as possible, and we know how disappointing it can be when you can’t get the LEGO set that you want. Listening to our fans helps us get better, so thanks for letting us know we got it wrong this time. We’re taking a very close look to see what wasn’t quite right, and I’ve shared your comments with the correct team so we can do better in the future.“
14th April 2021
Having spent 30 mins on the phone to lego today about the debacle of the issue of this VIP event , the press release means not a jot, this is yet another poor example of a disorganised marketing dept.
Having seen the plethora of sets now on ebay it again leaves me wondering why i bother with the vip side of lego as i have now missed out on most if not all the latest releases , some of us do work for a living and cannot spend 24/7 on line , now to see non collectors making a fast profit .
Not good enough Lego and for one , i will now look elsewhere to spend my cash and im done with the vip as i see NO benefit what so ever, just let the ebay scalpers have the items
15th April 2021
I totally agree. The Marketing Team really don’t seem to get it right that often. And, like you, I’m sick of these “special promotions” ending up on eBay for exaggerated prices. And, it’s not just the U.K., it seems to be a planet-wide issue!
I think the fact that one can collect points and earn discounts is a good idea. But, when promotions like these go pear-shaped it becomes very frustrating and does nothing but causes anguish!
15th April 2021
The website failed twice during the payment process just after 09:00. On the third attempt it finally went through. I’ve now been charged twice for a single order.
15th April 2021
I’ve now decided that I’m done with the VIP Program now, the Ulysses should only have been available to VIP’s who purchased the Shuttle, as it was made to go with that set, its not hard is it to work out how many VIP purchased the Shuttle send them a special code to redeem their points with and ensure enough kits are made to satisfy supply. They would have probably had more people spend £169.99 on the shuttle then which makes more commercial sense surely. As a result now some of LEGO’s most loyal supporters are turning to the likes of Amazon and Zavvi for better value sets, some even at 40-50% of RRP. The VIP Program has left most people feeling anything but VIP’s, I’m done with Lego online, save myself a lot of money each month and shelf space in my house, So Long Lego VIP, I’d like to say its been fun but it really Hasn’t
15th April 2021
Lego’s response is as poor as the actual event. The whole release, including “what wasn’t quite right”, is a typically bland corporate response to serious and entirely justified criticism. The whole VIP programme has been a major backward step in how Lego deals with genuine repeat loyal customers. Any sensible loyalty scheme would reward those people most who spend the most with a company, otherwise where’s the incentive, as most of your correspondents have pointed out. Stewart’s suggestion that the Ulysses should have been tied to the shuttle release is entirely sensible, and Lego has demonstrated the capacity to do that in the past. As things stand, the VIP programme is not only commercially naive, it’s adding little value, and much irritation, to genuine Lego fans. For a company which places such store in its values and brand this simply isn’t good enough.