Hachette Partworks
reviews and complaints

I have been collecting the titanic build and an up to issue 88 that I got in November a payment was taken in December but I didn’t get the issues 89 90 91 92 and haven’t had any since I have spent over £1000 so far and want to continue with the collection to build the titanic I have tried two email address's and they were both sent back to me u delivered my subscription number is [protected] the last issues I received were on invoice [protected]

The expensive Disney collection is being sent in a plastic bag and the booklets are all damaged. 19 out of 26 issues are in a bad state.

Called the company and one young lady said I can't talk to no one as I don't have numbers to contact them. She said she didn't even know who was MD. The young lady has to go to her manager to pass anything on.

The young lady said can you send photos in so we can replace them but that doesn't fix the issue.

THIS NEXT PART IS AN EMAIL I HAVE RECEIVED FROM THE COMPANY.

Thank you for your email

I am sorry about this, unfortunately this is how our issues are packaged we only sent them in a box when there ins a binder of gift included, your feedback is appreciated, and I have forwarded this on to my manager for you as well.

Sorry for any inconvenience caused but if you did need anything else at all, please don't hesitate to contact us, and we'll do our best to help!

Kind regards

Spencer

We kindly request that you respond within two workings days from receiving this email, this will help us to provide a quick solution to your inquiry.

Customer Experience Department

Data Base Factory - Unit 4 Pullman Business Park, Ringwood BH24 1HD

THIS IS THE CONTINUED ANSWERS FROM THEM NOW SAYING IT ROYAL MAIL FAULT. ALL THEY NEED TO DO IS PUT A PIECE OF CARDBOARD TO HELP REDUCE DAMAGE. I HAVE OFFERED TO PAY FOR BETTER PACKAGING OR FOR THEM TO SEND 3 MONTHS AT A TIME SO THEN THEY WILL USE A BOX. THEY SAY CONTACT BIT YOU GET DIFFERENT ANSWERS. NO RESPONSE FROM DISTRIBUTION MANAGER.

Thank you for your patience on this.

We can only suggest that you takes this up with Royal Mail, as unfortunately we have no control over how they handle your parcels.

We are able to replace any damaged parts, but you will need to discuss the problems you are facing directly with Royal Mail.

Alternatively you could collect via a local newsagent if the deliveries are not meeting your expectations.

Please let me know if there is anything else I can do for you in the meantime.

Kind regards,

Emily

Thank you for your email.

Once again we’re sorry to hear you’re disappointed. We use this packaging in order to provide a free monthly delivery for all subscribers. We do ensure that the parts are securely packaged as this is the main focus of the collection – the magazine being secondary. Customers are under no obligation to subscribe, and issues are readily available at your local newsagents. We will take all of your feedback on board and make sure it is passed onto the warehouse and logistics team, so they can bear it in mind when choosing packaging.

Kind regards,

Emily

My response:

I have spent 3 hrs today going round different newsagents etc and they said they cannot guarantee either as have same issue with packaging and damage to magazines. They also said they agree with us that magazine is important and why bother with binders if magazine irrelevant or secondary. 2 out of the 6 i visited said they had lost customers due to state of packaging and also 4 of them said people get bored of waiting to start building it. Those customers said children don't want to wait 2 yrs to see it. They said 1 room completion at a time would of kept them buying it. They said same about stobart. The magazines in Disney are just as important as they have poster options. I don't think they will be too happy with saying magazines being secondary as all should be as important.

THE RESPONSE I RECEIVED

Thank you for your email.

We would like to reassure you that we understand your concerns and have taken them into consideration, and they have been passed to the warehouse team with regard to ensuring as little damage as possible for all customers. Given that you have been unsatisfied with the issues received, we would recommend purchasing via your local newsagents. While they will also be unable to guarantee that every issue will arrive without slight bending as this is due to the delivery, you will then be able to make a decision whether to take that copy or purchase individual issues via our e-shop.

The magazine is by no means irrelevant, and our officially licensed Disney Dolls’ House collection magazines are designed in nature to be take apart for your binder. In the meantime, we suggest placing a heavy item on top of any magazine you feel has become slightly curved in transit, as this will flatten out the pages.

Kind regards,

Emily

Once again we’re sorry to hear you’re disappointed. We use this packaging in order to provide a free monthly delivery for all subscribers. We do ensure that the parts are securely packaged as this is the main focus of the collection – the magazine being secondary. Customers are under no obligation to subscribe, and issues are readily available at your local newsagents. We will take all of your feedback on board and make sure it is passed onto the warehouse and logistics team, so they can bear it in mind when choosing packaging.

Kind regards,

Emily

Thank you for your patience on this.

We can only suggest that you takes this up with Royal Mail, as unfortunately we have no control over how they handle your parcels.

We are able to replace any damaged parts, but you will need to discuss the problems you are facing directly with Royal Mail.

Alternatively you could collect via a local newsagent if the deliveries are not meeting your expectations.

Please let me know if there is anything else I can do for you in the meantime.

Kind regards,

Emily

Thank you for your email

I am sorry about this, unfortunately this is how our issues are packaged we only sent them in a box when there ins a binder of gift included, your feedback is appreciated, and I have forwarded this on to my manager for you as well.

Sorry for any inconvenience caused but if you did need anything else at all, please don't hesitate to contact us, and we'll do our best to help!

Kind regards

Spencer

I HAVE NOW BEEN TOLD BASICALLY AFTER NUMEROUS PARTS TO GO BUY IT AT A SHOP AND IF I CANT FIND ANY THAT ARE NOT DAMAGED THEN BUY FROM THEIR SHOP.

I PAY FOR EXTRA FREEBIES SO I WILL LOOSE OUT AS CANT HAVE THOSE AND ALSO BINDERS ETC SOME BITS ARE FREE IF START FROM #1.

ONE RESPONSE TOLD ME TO IRON THEM.

Subscribed to this magazine back in 2020 but apparently they were not released until late 2021. Deliveries were problematic at first and then non-existent once we moved home. Wrote to Hachette via email and instructed them to cancel, received a response confirming the cancellation, which i snapshotted for my records.

Fast forward a few months, Hachette write asking for money for subscriptions i havent received. I contact them explaining the cancellation earlier in 2022. They apologize and confirm the cancellation and even offer a refund (Which i didnt request). However the refund was not to be, next person to email me says they cannot authorise refund, they ask for copy of the refund email, i send them the screenshot of their own email and apparently thats not enough.

These guys are a total waste of space.

I ordered a book from Hachette Partworks. The website stated I would only need to pay the £2.99 for the postage for my first book. I made a payment of £2.99 on 9th May.

Today (27 June), Hachette Partworks have taken £12.99 from my bank account. I did not receive any emails stating there will be a £12.99 charge for the first book which is supposed to be free.

I have checked my bank account and cannot see a direct debit on the account so I do not know how the payment has been taken out from my account.

I request Hachette Partworks to please refund me the £12.99 as I did not place any order and I do not want any further books.

I ordered one book on 13th April.. I was charged 5 times. I'm owed a refund of £49.96. I've been waiting for 4 weeks but all I get are identical e-mails and promises. Give me back my fifty quid please... And apparently because my complaint is short its "Unlikely to be resolved" according to the information at the end of this complaint form so ill just add a few more words. And give me back my fifty quid.

I have been trying to get the outstanding parts of the Classic Routemaster for a long time. Since CNA in South Africa stopped selling your issues we battled to get the issues from you. This was about two years ago when Covid 19 started. I did pay Hachette for a couple of issues but did not receive it for months on end, but my payment went through. I was getting worried that this was a scam and I stopped my payments and tried to get hold of you. It took months before any reply and the I received some of the issues which I had already paid for. I contacted you and mentioned which ones I did not receive but still to today did not receive at least one or more issues which I paid for. Now I contacted you again to try and get these oustanding issues they tell me that that cannot help me at all with the outstanding issues and any future issues. This means that I must chuck this bus in the dustbin and loose more than R10,000 already paid for this bus. No one is willing to help me. Is the company not prepared to help all the customers in the same position as me, and I am convinced that there are many more. This is not service. I would like to send you the e mails and replies I got from [protected]@hachette-service.com by e mail.

hello my sub scription number is [protected] I am still awaiting the parts for the Spitfire and they don't seem to be coming to me I wish to complain as

I have been awaiting quite along time please can you provide me an explanation

why there is such a long delay the parts come out monthly so i am looking forward to completing my MK1 spitfire

kind regards Michael Machell

In September last year, I took out a subscription for the Build the Hogwarts Express, but already had a subscription to build the Spitfire. When I got confirmation of my new subscription, my finances changed, forcing me to put one of them on hold. I decided it would be the spitfire. I received an email telling me my first issues for the hogwarts express would be arriving within 28 days. This never happened. I tried asking customer services where these issues was but got nothing, until a couple of weeks ago, where I was told, this will not be issued as yet, ( & may never be issued). I asked for my subscription to the Build the Spitfire to be restarted from where I left it, (issue 4), & was told I could only restart from issue 27, & hope that issues 4-26 will be available. I did say that this is not acceptable, as I would be wasting money on trying to build something that could not be finished. I was told to purchase issues 4-26 in one go, (which is something I can not afford to do, due to my finances), & restart my subscription from issue 27. This has put me off ever build any more models, & feel this is a disgraceful way to treat customers who spend thousands of pounds on the models. I have experienced this from other companies in the past. I have mental health issues, & building models was my way of staying calm. This has caused me a great deal of stress, & am considering taking this much further.

In September 2020, I took out my subscription to the above build, & was given a subscriber number & told via email that I would b receiving my first issues within 28 days. Up until now, I have not received any parts. But have now been informed by customer services that this build has not yet been released, & may never be released. I enjoy my model building as it helps me cope with life due to mental health problems along with other health issues. I have tried to find out what is going on, yet it appears I am being given false information. I was building the Spitfire, but had to suspend my subscription due to finance problems, & have asked for my subscription to resume from issue 4, I am informed I can only resume from issue 27., which would mean not having issues 4-26. I feel this is a bad way to treat customers, as I have had problems in the past, where I have got halfway through a build, then no more issues sent out. I want these issues dealing with ASAP, as I am getting really stressed out & is putting me off ever building another model. I deem this as discrimination ASL have already mentioned I have mental health issues. Building these models helps me stay calm.

I subscribed to the above series. I paid for each and every issue on debit order. They failed to deliver 9 parts in the series. I lodged this complaint with them on 18 Sept 2019. I had to follow up with them on numerous occasions to get a response, and eventually I was told that some of the issues had been dispatched - they did not arrive. I then followed up again - after much to-ing and fro-ing this is the response I received:
"Thank you for your email.
I am very sorry about this.
Unfortunately, we do not run this collection anymore, so we will be unable to send out any issues or refund for this. We do not have this collection or accounts on our system also.
Please accept my apologies again for any inconvenience caused by this.
If there is anything else we can do at the moment please let me know.
Kind regards
Ellie"
Does this company really think it's okay to take money out of your bank account, not deliver, lie about saying they have sent you stuff and then change their minds, and not at least refund my money?
This is actually theft... apart from the fact I now have an incomplete series...

I have sent this email to them 3 times and not received a reply.

they have now stopped sending me copies and stopped taking money but i want to return two issues for a refund
Hello There,

subscription number [protected]

i am sorry to say that i am not very happy with the customer service i have received and today was the final straw.

I have been subscribing to the ultimate marvel novel collection since the beginning
i stayed with you when the total increased from 100 to 150 and then again to 200
however at 200 i decided due to a significant change in my financial situation to stop collecting
i phoned after issues 198 and 199 arrived and explained that i wanted to stop after issue 200
the lady on phone took my details and said that was fine.

when issue 200 arrived with issue 201 i gave you some leeway and thought well they are sent out in twos
then on friday issues 202 and 203 arrived with money being taken for my account. I was not pleased so this morning phoned through and spoke to a gentleman who told me he would stop the account and gave me the address to send back issues 202 and 203 for a refund

then came the final straw i have gone to the postoffice to drop it off only to be informed that i need a label from you to be able to send it back

i am now wondering if i will ever be able to stop this collection and that my financial situation is being made more difficult by you

i look forward to your response

Nic Hoskins

Hello, this morining i used the live chat to try and finally get some answers to why issue 26 of build the terminator hasnt been released as it was due 21/8/19...the staff member called lee was unhelpful, rude, and felt the need to lie directly to me claiming it is available to purchase directly from hatchette dispite the web site clearly stating OUT OF STOCK... Nobody at hatchette seems to have answers unless they are pre scripted..
There is no need for staff to be rude to customers who just want a simple answer to a simple question...

Cancelled my subscription in January 2019 and have received no further issues, no letters or confirmation of cancellation and then I receive a letter in August 2019 threatening further action because I owe them £39.96. Tried contacting customer services and get no sense from them requesting details of the last issues received, no understanding that as this was 7 months ago I have no idea!

Mr K Ryder,
39 Main Avenue,
Shaws Trailer Park,
Harrogate,
HG2 7NL

31st August 2018

Hachette Partworks Ltd
PO Box 77
Jarrow
NE32 3YH

Subscription Number:

I am a little concerned about the continuity of the model Routemaster that I have subscribed to receive from you, so far, I have received, 1 to 16 and 21 to 24, but cannot continue building the model because issues 17 to 20 have not yet been sent could you please explain the problems and the expected delivery of the issues concerned.
I have used your customer service line but the explanation was very vague, as this is a costly model I don't want to be left with an incomplete and expensive nonentity.

Yours Sincerely

Kieth Ryder

I am very very angry,
Tell me why have this company taken money out of my account. Fair enough they've put it back now. But want to know how they've gotten hold of my bank account details.
What is this? Who are they? It's very dodgy to know my details and then take money out. I have no idea who they are, the name didn't ring any bells and the amount means nothing to me, I don't understand.
Email me back now please. Am taking this further if you don't reply with an explanination.

[protected]@outlook.com