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Offline Rwill  
#1 Posted : 22 February 2020 12:31:22(UTC)
Rwill

United Kingdom   
Joined: 04/05/2015(UTC)
Posts: 777
Location: England, London
Not wishing to send an established thread “off topic”, I was reading about Kimballs purchase of an Insider lok without being an Insider. I have never been an insider ; my M budget is erratic and low and somewhat spontaneous. On most lok purchases I do not pre order from new items and then wait three quarters for the thing to be issued which can always be guaranteed to coincide with management thinking there is something far more important to be paid for. I am perfectly prepared to wait another year, note all the good and bad reviews and pick the moment when the reputable dealers maybe lower the price a little more before it goes out of “main stock” and also importantly I have some money in the bank account. So every now and again I see last year or the year before Insider lok that I fancied appear on the site of good reputable official M dealers at what appears to be a good price ( although with Insiders the price can sometimes be a bit of a mystery). So if I buy it, fine I do not get a certificate but do I get Marklin warranty or Insider extended warranty? If I have to send it back to M for warranty repair, do they not cry – NO NO No you are not an insider?
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Offline David Dewar  
#2 Posted : 22 February 2020 13:15:46(UTC)
David Dewar

Scotland   
Joined: 01/02/2004(UTC)
Posts: 7,332
Location: Scotland
Why pay a fee to buy a loco that you can get later for less. I have two insiders supplied at less than the insider cost and without paying for the privilege.
However some like it and it is a good money maker for Marklin and you get a magazine and stuff.
Take care I like Marklin and will defend the worlds greatest model rail manufacturer.
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Offline RayF  
#3 Posted : 22 February 2020 13:55:58(UTC)
RayF

Gibraltar   
Joined: 14/03/2005(UTC)
Posts: 15,838
Location: Gibraltar, Europe
I also have several Marklin insider locos and wagons and am not an insider member.

I used to be a member of the Marklin Club of the UK when it existed, but when it was replaced by the Insider club I decided not to become a member.

I have found that Insider models frequently turn up on eBay and are easily obtained, and I haven't really seen any other significant reason for membership, other than the magazine which I can do without.

As to the Insider warranty, there might be an issue if you are not the intended customer for that item, but I take that risk. So far I have never actually needed to have anything repaired under warranty, and I have now about 180 locos!

No doubt others draw great benefit from the Insider club, but I don't feel the need myself.
Ray
Mostly Marklin.Selection of different eras and European railways
Small C track layout, control by MS2, 100+ trains but run 4-5 at a time.
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Offline mrmarklin  
#4 Posted : 22 February 2020 19:33:50(UTC)
mrmarklin

United States   
Joined: 27/10/2004(UTC)
Posts: 890
Location: Burney, CA
Since there is not a lot of literature in English about Marklin trains, I find that the value of the magazines alone is worth it for me. One is certainly not obligated to buy the annual locomotives and related sets, although they tend to represent the current state of the art of Marklin modelling. I have skipped some of the Insider models in the past, but later sought them out. I don't know if I saved or not by delaying my purchase. The current model on offer is certainly state of the art when compared to its predecessors 3070 and 3071. All metal too! Of course big $$$$$$$.

Getting the Insider wagon is a marginal benefit for me because they are invariably Era III and I model Era II.
From the People's Republik of Kalifornia
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Offline kimballthurlow  
#5 Posted : 22 February 2020 21:05:44(UTC)
kimballthurlow

Australia   
Joined: 18/03/2007(UTC)
Posts: 6,653
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Originally Posted by: Rwill Go to Quoted Post
... So if I buy it, fine I do not get a certificate but do I get Marklin warranty or Insider extended warranty? If I have to send it back to M for warranty repair, do they not cry – NO NO No you are not an insider?


To be honest, I have never considered the intricacies of the warranty.
That said, my dealer has pretty good contact with the factory, so I rely on that fact for reassurance.

Like mrmarklin, I am an Insider member but I do not buy every Insider lok. Some do not appeal.


Kimball
HO Scale - Märklin (ep II-III and VI, C Track, digital) - 2 rail HO (Queensland Australia, UK, USA) - 3 rail OO (English Hornby Dublo) - old clockwork O gauge - Live Steam 90mm (3.1/2 inch) gauge.
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Offline JohnjeanB  
#6 Posted : 22 February 2020 22:08:43(UTC)
JohnjeanB

France   
Joined: 04/02/2011(UTC)
Posts: 3,083
Location: Paris, France
Hi
I would agree with most that was written above until I changed for the German version. Same price but the Insider magazine in German is twice as big as the French and probably the English version. It is indeed much more interesting (and forces me to improve my German language)
So yes it is a bit expensive
Yes it arrives late (3 weeks to 1 month typically, when I live only 550 km away from the main Märklin branch)
Yes sometimes you may find Insider models without subscription (but sometimes they are sold out)
Yes you have a free good wagon and a free copy of the catalog and 2 DVDs and a 5€ coupon on your birthday valid at Märklin shop.
When you like Märklin, you like Märklin Sorry.
Cheers
Jean
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Offline thing fish  
#7 Posted : 23 February 2020 09:03:04(UTC)
thing fish

Turkey   
Joined: 25/01/2020(UTC)
Posts: 207
Location: istanbul
Hi all,

I'm not and insider, and will probably stay that way.

I don't know how much it is to become a club member but, most of us probably have more than 10 locos each and countless numbers of rolling stock. Now, if Marklin is after customer loyalty, they should consider rewarding their loyal customers maybe through a programme like rewarding point certificates to locos and cars and if you collect enough credit you get to receive insider membership.

Still better, they can put a QR code on each item produced and owners can register their items through the net, and when they reach to a point they automatically become insiders.

My two cents ...

C.
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Offline kiwiAlan  
#8 Posted : 24 February 2020 04:34:31(UTC)
kiwiAlan

United Kingdom   
Joined: 23/07/2014(UTC)
Posts: 8,082
Location: ENGLAND, Didcot
Originally Posted by: kimballthurlow Go to Quoted Post
Originally Posted by: Rwill Go to Quoted Post
... So if I buy it, fine I do not get a certificate but do I get Marklin warranty or Insider extended warranty? If I have to send it back to M for warranty repair, do they not cry – NO NO No you are not an insider?


To be honest, I have never considered the intricacies of the warranty.
That said, my dealer has pretty good contact with the factory, so I rely on that fact for reassurance.

Like mrmarklin, I am an Insider member but I do not buy every Insider lok. Some do not appeal.


Kimball


I have once had to claim a warranty repair, for the 798 railbus with bicycle trailer. I believe this was the first item available with an msd/3 decoder, and I believe the software was not fully sorted, from the number of people who had decoders stop working in a manner similar to mine. I didn't need to provide proof of Insider membership, but it did need a copy of the invoice from my dealer (which he provided as it went back through him). That is the only item needed to claim the warranty repair.

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Offline dickinsonj  
#9 Posted : 01 March 2020 15:45:35(UTC)
dickinsonj

United States   
Joined: 05/12/2008(UTC)
Posts: 1,676
Location: Crozet, Virginia
Originally Posted by: kiwiAlan Go to Quoted Post

I have once had to claim a warranty repair, for the 798 railbus with bicycle trailer. I believe this was the first item available with an msd/3 decoder, and I believe the software was not fully sorted, from the number of people who had decoders stop working in a manner similar to mine. I didn't need to provide proof of Insider membership, but it did need a copy of the invoice from my dealer (which he provided as it went back through him). That is the only item needed to claim the warranty repair.

Same for me Alan - my railbus with bicycle trailer only worked for a few hours before the decoder died. I returned it to the dealer I bought it from, he checked it out (because I am probably an idiot) and then he sent it to Märklin when he could not fix it. They said that the decoder was fried when the PCB somehow developed a dead short, and both were replaced under warranty. But just like you I didn't need to prove my Insider status, just a copy of the receipt from the purchase. Of course this model was less than two weeks old, let alone two years but if you have a receipt and the item has a longer warranty that should be all you need.

One lesson that I did learn was that even "free" warranty work is not free. Between my cost to ship it to Canada and his charge to ship it back to me I had about 40% of the original cost of the model in my "free" repair.
Regards,
Jim

I have almost all Märklin and mostly HO, although I do have a small number of Z gauge trains!
So many trains and so little time.
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