It’s time for another Vinylmation update and it seems that once again the DIsney Store have caused a real stir in the Disney community. First, let’s stay in the UK as we have discovered yet more anomalies in the running of Disney Stores in the UK. A reader has reported that although Disney do not offer Vinymation trading in the UK as a company policy the Glasgow store has taken upon itself to begin to offer exactly that. A BIG well done to the store for using their initiative and offering guests what they were seeking without having to wait for the whole company to do it first!
Next up, we want to share some Vinylmation additions over at Disneystore.co.uk. Today saw the return of the 9″ London Bus and Taxi Vinylmation. They are once again selling for £5.99 each. Cutesters have also reappeared online
But as we speak they once again say sold out next to them. As Disney have not yet taken them down from the site we wonder if there may be more on the way.
If that’s not enough, the Disney Store online is also offering free shipping to guests who are willing to part with £50 or more of their hard earned cash.
As we predicted, Furry Friends did appear online last Monday and even earlier in some stores. But not all. Last week I contacted a few stores to find out a little more about their Vinylmation stock. Most were able to help straight away but I contacted the York store and at that time sadly there was no one who could answer my question. But, they did take my number and offer to ring me back. They did exactly that and informed me that they do have Furry Friends in stock but aren’t putting them out until the release date of 13th January!!!!! Once again, I am not blaming the store as they only passed on information that was passed on to them but it demonstrates another mess up in the Disney Store’s Vinylmation communication.
Now to the big news! Since the arrival of Furry Friends in the UK and now USA there has been many, many complaints. Here are just a few for you to see:
And here are some of the quick responses from the Disney Store
The reason for all the upset? The poor quality of the new Furry Friends series. It seems that the quality is low to say the least and suddenly Disney have a bit of a battle on their hands to redeem themselves. Worst thing, this is a set that seemed to be helping to re-launch Vinylmation in the UK and if this is what people are picking up and taking home we have a very big problem indeed. Although the product is substandard by Disney’s standards it is still being sold on the UK Disney Store and in its stores but it seems to have been pulled from the US Disney store site.
If what we are led to believe is in fact true, Disney are offering people full refunds for the products on their return. But they don’t seem to be doing anything about it in the UK. What is worse, this product is supposed to be helping raise funds for Great Ormand Street Hospital and the cost of the Vinyl may have to be refunded to guests. Not only that, but that means lost funds for the charity and a huge loss for the Disney Company.
We will keep you informed if we hear more. In the mean time, make sure to add #SaveUKVinylmation to your Twitter posts.
UPDATE
We were indeed correct. The Disney Store in the US released this statement
Dear Disney Store Guests:
It is our commitment to offer high-quality merchandise and unfortunately the application of the Furry Friends Vinylmation artwork did not meet our standards. As such, we are no longer selling the product.
We have not yet decided whether or not the collection will be re-released in the future, but we are offering a full refund to any Guest who is dissatisfied with his or her Furry Friends Vinylmation purchase. If you would like to return your Furry Friends Vinylmation figure(s), please return the merchandise to the nearest Disney Store or via DisneyStore.com and we will happily provide a refund for the full amount (or we will exchange your Furry Friends figurine for a Vinylmation figurine from any other series, if available).
Disney Store is still committed to supporting ASPCA’s work and will donate $1 for each Furry Friend Vinylmation produced, for a magical donation of $60,000. We apologize to our Guests for any inconvenience.
Thank you,
My biggest nightmare. All I wanted was a decent launch in the Uk to kick off a real Vinylmation push and this is what we get… So disappointed but here’s hoping they don’t give up
Big up to Glasgow for leading the way. Always love going in there & having a rummage through the trade box, but I just wish we had the same variety as the people in the US have…
That’s great news for trading in Glasgow…hopefully other stores will follow suit as I feel this will help vinylmation grow as trading is a big part of it.
I received a lovely birthday surprise from my husband today with 2 furry friend vinylmations he purchased from Meadowhall Sheffield. I have ordered a quantity online when they went on sale on Monday but I see they are now out of stock.
I was thrilled to be lucky enough to have the cheshire cat chaser! One sad thing is that the UK stores do not have the marketing right with vinylmations. It took my husband some time to locate them in the Sheffield store and they were placed high up on shelves next to CD’s!!!
Come on Disney UK, think about the mass market for trading and swapping which overwhelmes the UK all year round. Think about how many children spend their pocket money on Pokemon, Match Attax etc etc. A huge gap in the market here for the UK customer and I wonder how long it will take Disney UK to catch up.