I'd have no problem whatsoever passing on a pre-ordered product at this price-point, if it was not delivered as advertised.
David
David, I sure hope you buy directly from Lionel and not LHS. You ordered it from the store and they supplied it. They didn't make it or misrepresent it, that would be the manufacturer. How many $1000 engines do you think a small business can eat? I think it would be more appropriate to take it, then contact Lionel and send it back to them for a refund. G
Well... more accurately... "I ordered IT from the store and they supplied THAT -- not IT". 
As a small business owner myself, I would never expect my clients to take something that was not made to spec. End of discussion. How is that any different when I'm the consumer? Why should I have to buy something that wasn't made as advertised? Then take on the burden of dealing with THEIR supplier for a refund. WTF??? 
The LHS should be the entity returning the product -- or better yet, never even accept delivery of the product if it was THAT major of an issue.
I made this point on another thread just last week or so, when someone had inquired about Lionel's Backshop many years ago. There were issues with it, and the dealer I ordered it from refused delivery of the product by Lionel until they got it right. And THAT's what should have happened in that case.
Gee, if what you're suggesting is the appropriate strategy, then why the heck should I even need to place the order through the dealer in the first place??? What value is the dealer even bringing to the table at that point? Sorry, I just don't get it.
David
P.S. For the record, this is not an item I pre-ordered. And it's strictly a personal decision as to what tips the scale as a MAJOR deviation when what's delivered is not quite what's described in a catalog. Probably the most appropriate route is for Lionel to decrease the product cost to the dealer, thereby opening the door for the dealer to offer a lower price to the consumer. If the dealer can't move the product as delivered, then it goes back to Lionel with no penalty to the dealer. (But in reality, I suspect at the appropriate price-point, folks out there will buy these units if they're otherwise great locomotives.)
