Hot Wheels Collectors Parcels

Today was mail day from my USA shipping address, containing three different parcels from the Hot Wheels Collectors store.

The first parcel was something I was very reluctant to release from the shipping address due to the cost of getting the item to New Zealand and because I simply did not want to receive the item. Back in December I received my in stock Hot Wheels Rewards item and rather than receiving the Series 7 Gremlin Grinder as I had ordered, I received a 40th Anniversary Custom Otto - a very nice car, but just something I did not need another one off seeing as I already had two.

On receiving the incorrect item, I sent HWC an email letting them know that they had made the mistake but due to the cost of postage I would not return the item in order to try and get the correct car and was just giving them a heads up. 4 days later I was confused by a new order in my order history for a 40th Anniversary Custom Otto. I emailed the club and asked them what the order was for and then urgently emailed when the order shipped and a live tracking number was entered into the FexEx system. Emails sadly went un-answered and my attempts to contact the club through their phone number were not successful ...

Thankfully several days later I received a phone call from Mattel apologising for not getting in contact. I received information that sadly my first informational email was mis-read and they did actually ship out another 40th Anniversary Custom Otto by mistake. After discussing the limitations that my USA shipping address has for returning unwanted parcels, I was told that the Custom Otto did not need to be returned and that a correct order for the Series 7 Gremlin Grinder would be placed.

So, arriving eventually in New Zealand was my fourth 40th Anniversary Custom Otto that sadly cost me quite a lot of money to have shipped. Currently hoping that other collectors in New Zealand may be interested in purchasing, but if not ... opening time?

Inside the second parcel was an item that came out of no-where, the 2015 Holiday Car - it was very quickly added to the website a few weeks before Christmas and shipped immediately. Unlike the last Holiday Car in 2013, this one was free of issues and looks fantastic.

The third parcel was a back ordered item, in the form of the Gulf branded 67 Camaro and was a car that I was really looking forward to getting considering it was supposed to be part of the 2014 club year and it was looking like it would be held over until the 2016 membership year. As collectors started receiving their Camaro's in the USA, it became clear that there had been a manufacturing issue as many of the cars had paint chips and paint flaws along with damaged card backs and separating blisters. While I hoped that mine would arrive without damage, that was sadly not the case - the better of the two had major chipping damage to the front of the car as well as damage to the roof, and the blister is starting to separate from the card. The second one which was already pre sold to another collector has the same issues along with a damaged card corner when it was stuffed into the protecto-pak and the protecto-pak has also been damaged.

It makes me wonder, if these cars were ok enough to pass quality control, then how bad must the cars be that don't pass quality control. This issue has also reconfirmed my decision not to renew my RLC membership for 2016.