GGG made a good point. It is tricky business. The consumer, the dealer and the manufacturer all act on good faith based on the information available when a product is pre-ordered. I expect the engine to have the features advertised, the dealer expects me to make the purchase, and the manufacturer expects to ship x units to the dealer. When one of the parties does not live up to their end of the bargain someone will inevitably get burned. I do not know how the arrangement between Lionel and the dealer is structured, but it seems the dealer has the greatest potential for getting burned.
I agreed to purchase the product advertised in the catalog at the price set by the dealer. The product Lionel delivered to the dealer is simply not that product. As a consumer, I feel I have the right to refuse to purchase the engine.
I purchased the 4-12-2 a few months ago. The manual features pre-production photographs of the engine and tender illustrating the upgrades from the older TMCC version (volume knob, whistle smoke fluid port, etc). I would imagine (hope) Lionel took those photos before they advertised the engine in the catalog. I am curious how the R & D/product development folks communicate with the marketing department. At what point in the development of this Berkshire engine was the whistle steam feature removed?
Why couldn't the decision to remove the whistle steam feature have been communicated to dealers and consumers before the consumer brings home their new toy only to find it does not have the whistle steam feature? Lionel is trying to use the tools of our information age (facebook, blog, Mike's videos on you tube), and for the most part they are doing a very good job of reaching out to us. It is just unfortunate that this one slipped through the crack. Unless Lionel reduces the MSRP, I will let this engine slip by too.
