Unfortunately the heat-sealed or sonic welded clamshells have not prevented the theft of the Lucas Trooper POP tabs. As reported earlier, figures are still being found with the clamshell sliced open with the POP and offer instructions missing. Fans not wanting to wind up empty handed should be looking for a one to two inch slice in the shell along the right side of the package, just to the side of the Saga Collection logo. Typically the slice is located in the crux of the first step down from the front of the clamshell, easily missed if you don't know what to look for.
In addition, some figures have been found that appear to show a new tactic is being used. I came across eight figures the other day at a local Wal*Mart, instead of cutting the bubble, some one had lifted the bottom right corner (between the bottom and side seals) to remove the POP and instructions. All eight showed some crumpling in that corned of the shell, not immediately recognizable, could easily be mistaken for shelf or shipping damage, but all the POPs had been removed. When I pointed these out to the toy manager she agreed that it looked like someone had tampered with the package, but wasn’t about to take the figures off the shelf.
So, where does this leave the honest collector? Well, obviously retailers couldn’t care less about what’s going on, they’re just as happy selling a tampered figure as they are a complete one – the money’s the same and they don’t have to hassle with returns to Hasbro. However it does appear as if Hasbro is ready to step up and come to our rescue. Rebelscum reader Jared sends the following account of what he did when he realized he’d become a victim of this scam:
I recently wrote to Hasbro in regards to the theft of UGH POP stickers,
and today I got a response back from them. I wrote:
"Hello there, recently I purchased a Vintage style Sand People/Tusken
Raider figure from a local Target store, in order to fulfill the "Ultimate
Galactic Hunt" mail-away George Lucas figure offer. This being my first
purchase of such a figure, I had no idea where to look for the proof of
purchase sticker, which was needed for the redemption. When later I
finally found a Luke Skywalker figure, which I opened and found the
enclosed documents, I was dismayed to find that someone had stolen the
proof of purchase sticker from my earlier purchased Sand People figure.
Given that these figures are so hard to find at retail, I feel like
there should be some sort of recourse for consumers like myself."
Their response was:
"Hi Jared,
Thank you for contacting Hasbro, Inc. in regards to the Galactic Hunt
Promotion. We apologize for any disappointment this may have caused.
Please be assured that we have shared your concerns with the product
team, and we will be pleased to arrange an exchange of both the figure
and their packaging for you.
To help facilitate the process, we are sending you a postage paid
mailing label to use when returning the item to us. Please note, you
must return the packaging along with the figure that were missing the
Galactic Hunt tab. All you need to do is package up your return and
place the mailing label securely on the package. Drop it off at the Post
Office window and it’ll be on its way back to us.
We are sending the mailing label to:
(Snipped)
Once the product is received at our returns facility, we will be happy
to replace the figure.
Jared, I want to assure you that all of us are dedicated to maintaining
quality products. We hope you and your family will enjoy our products
for many years to come."
Perhaps other collectors can take advantage of this offer as well.
Regards,
JaredSo there is hope after all for fans stuck with Vintage figures missing the proof of purchase tabs. While you may have to wait a bit longer, it looks like Hasbro is ready to replace your tampered figures with new ones. If you have any of these tampered figures please contact
Hasbro Customer Service for more details on how to take advantage of this offer. Good luck, and Happy Hunting!
