# Gemmy doesn't have a Warranty on any of its products?



## RichTJ99 (Oct 22, 2007)

Hi,

This might be old news to you all but I was very surprised to find out that Gemmy products have no warranty.

From my conversation with customer support:

I am sorry as the items are made overseas we do not have schematics and therefore we are unable to offer tech support.* The warranty is fulfilled through the retailer and is in accordance with their return policy.
*
However it does say not to return the products to the retailer but to call the gemmy 800 number.

This might be old hat to you guys but that really doesn't give me any confidence in Gemmy (that the offer no warranty).

I bought my Gemmy Jason (which has an issue) and Witch (which also has an issue) from Walmart.

they have an easy 30 day return policy but theres no warranty from Walmart (why should they provide one as they aren't the manufacturer.

sorry for my vent.

rich


----------



## magic8697 (Feb 12, 2008)

I know it sucks my witch worked one halloween. I just got Jason I hope he lasts for a while.


----------



## RichTJ99 (Oct 22, 2007)

What sucks for me is I got mine from Walmart in september & didn't open the Factory sealed boxes until last week.

I wasn't concerned as I thought they had some sort of warranty & Gemmy is no help. 

My jason did not come with the locking pins & gemmy won't send them to me (plus he doesn't lock but that's another issue).


----------



## LT Scare (May 21, 2008)

I had the same conversation with Gemmy when my Frankenstein/monster stopped talking. FWIW, I've found that if you remove the bottom of the base, he talks and works properly again. Had the same problem and same solution with the crystral ball witch.

These things are great props, but cost too much to have a life of one Halloween or less.


----------



## Frankie's Girl (Aug 27, 2007)

I think most home haunters have a love/hate relationship with Gemmy. 

They do some really cool looking props that would be difficult to replicate on your own.

But...

They build things pretty flimsy and charge a lot of $$$ and the quality control is non-existent so you have to be careful to test stuff the second you get home so you can return the defective stuff to the store before they run out of replacements!


.


----------



## SouthernBelle (Aug 30, 2004)

Frankie's Girl said:


> I think most home haunters have a love/hate relationship with Gemmy.
> 
> They do some really cool looking props that would be difficult to replicate on your own.
> 
> ...



Yep, I agree with everything said here. And I have to add, ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS open a Gemmy product and try it out the day that you buy it or at the very least, within a couple of days. They are notorious for making "junk".


----------



## Lordgrimley.com (Jul 20, 2007)

The fact is they make CHEAP animatronics. If you want quality its out there it just costs the big bucks. I walked by one Gemmy piece and touched it and the damn thing nearly fell apart. No kiddding. On a budget they are good for the home haunter.


----------



## Lurks in the shadows (Mar 12, 2005)

Even with Gemmys reputation for lack of quality and inflated prices, people continue to buy their Chinese crap products.

Unless it is a persons first Gemmy purchase and they haven't heard of Gemmys reputation for shoddy products, I just can't muster up any sympathy.

When you discover that you have bought _yet another_ broken or failing overpriced Gemmy product, you should ask yourself, "When did it become acceptable to sell a product built so poorly that the manufacturer refuses to warranty it, and why do I keep buying them?"

Rich, don't feel sorry for your rant! You have every right to be mad! The majority of Gemmy customers do!

Instead of accepting this Chinese crap, complain. Speak with store management, tell them you will not shop there because the products they sell are junk. Send emails to Gemmy, write letters (I'm old!), call them and complain. But most importantly, stop giving them your money!

A few years ago at TransWorld, I asked a Gemmy rep about the quality problems. His answer was, "It's just a decoration."
That kind of sums up their attitude.


How is buying a product that doesn't work or falls apart, good for anyone?


----------



## magic8697 (Feb 12, 2008)

The wife wont let me buy any more animated props. My witch is dead and so is my donna the dead.


----------



## Phoenix (Sep 23, 2006)

A lot of people here in the UK complain that we don't get the same range of props that are available in the US, and I can see why.

Basically here in the UK there is no such thing as selling without warranty, everything sold must by law be 'fit for purpose', and its the duty of the retailer, importer and manufacturer in that order to ensure that it meets this requirement.

In other words, Gemmy would either be forced to get their act together and produce stuff that works, or go bankrupt!


----------



## Litenin (Sep 15, 2007)

"ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS open a Gemmy product and try it out the day that you buy it or at the very least, within a couple of days."

I test every one of my Gemmy junk as soon as I get home. My problems tend to occur well after I have the unit home, i.e. during Halloween night.

That's what frustrates me. And the typical Gemmy answer is that they can't help you.


----------



## The Joker (Sep 8, 2008)

Lurks in the shadows said:


> Unless it is a persons first Gemmy purchase and they haven't heard of Gemmys reputation for shoddy products, I just can't muster up any sympathy.


I agree Lurks. How does that saying go... Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, and I'll beat the snot out of you. However, this.....



Litenin said:


> I test every one of my Gemmy junk as soon as I get home. My problems tend to occur well after I have the unit home, i.e. during Halloween night.


is something that happens too often with them. It works fine until you've had it for a while, and then conks out. That's when I sympathize with my fellow haunters. I learned my lesson with the original Gemmy Cauldron Witch. I didn't buy one from Lowes this year after all the trouble I had with the one I got from Sams Club two years ago. I bought it over a month early and it worked fine right out of the box. Then 15 minutes before my party, she conked out... *B*TCH!!*


----------



## ChrisW (Sep 19, 2006)

Well, Our Gemmy witch w/ cauldron made it through our party Saturday, about 7 hours continuously with no problems. Ditto our Halloween monster, Edwardian butler and moanin' mummy. 
As I've mentioned before Gemmy has a 30 day warranty. When we had problems with our first Halloween monster I reported it immediately. I had to wait for a replacement, but they wre good for it, and when there were problems with the second they sent a third. Not high quality assembly, and very brittle plastic, but they have been ok for me.


----------



## Glockink (Jul 7, 2008)

My witch ****ted out after 10 minutes of a test run. No lights, no "fog".


----------



## Don of the Dead (Jan 20, 2005)

I bought all of my Gemmy (save Jason) pre-broken for cheap. Leatherface had a broken arm, donna the Dead works sometimes, and Zombie won't shuffle. It's cool mine stay up all year long


----------



## Alucard888888 (Aug 10, 2008)

The only Gemmy prop i have that has broken on me was my Jason, the motor in his arm was really weak and stopped swinging his Machete, Now i'm scared about the lives of my other props!


BTW Gemmy is a company of cheap bast**** who lie to my by telling me they will replace my Jason. (They said they would get back to me next Halloween because they had to locate a new unit. BS!)

(Still waiting for a reply)


----------



## cinders (Oct 12, 2003)

I purchased my Cauldron Witch through the direct Amazon site and waited many months to receive it. When it came I opened it right away and discovered there were problems so I packed it back up and e-mailed Gemmy. I have to say that I had great customer service from them. First they responded with a possible way to fix the problem and when that didn't work I e-mailed back that I wanted a replacement or refund. They responded quickly and sent a refund for the full amount plus the shipping, and I didn't have to send the witch back. She works somewhat, but does not move her hips. Still looks good--for free. I wouldn't buy another large animated prop though. I'll just stick to the small items.


----------



## bozz (Sep 22, 2006)

I've seen 3 Jason's in 3 different stores...all broken, no arm movement and selling for $ 99 , never been a big fan of him or the movies but his face and eye's looks pretty creepy and his detail and arm swing is nice when it works.Never did care for his sound box as well. Now the love for the witch I don't get, that god awefull laugh would drive me nuts after 5 minutes. Again her detail is excellent and she looks very nice and colorful.Oh I was at Spirit store the other day and the Gothic bride is on sale for $ 99 and she looks very good. Well my Gifted (from my pastor last year) Dead Eye Drake Pirate Skelly has worked well with plenty of hours log on him, 2 partys, 1 Halloween and a few get togethers with kids playing with him over and over. Guess I'm lucky here, his arm gear still grinds a little but thats only when I move the switch. I f I plug him in only he's fine. I would love to have Hannibal Lector for free....ha, and I am willing to pay $ 99 for him broken.....lol.


----------



## Eyegore (Aug 23, 2008)

Does anyone want to start a petition for Gemmy to enforce a quality assurance check and 30 day warranty? I'll sign it!


----------



## Lurks in the shadows (Mar 12, 2005)

A petition would only work if Gemmy cared about quality. They know they make crap, and they know they're making a lot of money selling it.

Besides, Gemmy doesn't have time to read a petition, they're too busy counting U.S. dollars.


----------



## Dalloween (Jun 25, 2006)

Actually, I haven't had any problems with Gemmy's stuff... FIT Co (Straight from the Grave) is a totally different situation. Now, their stuff should be labeled disposable.


----------



## ZombieRaider (May 18, 2008)

So far I've had good luck with the mummy,butler,crystal ball,old 4 foot $40 pirate before the new cool one-wish I could buy 20 more of these....No problems yet but when they quit working, I'll put my own motors in them...That's what we do right???....I think for the money, your getting what you pay for....Cheap Chinese electronics at their best....At least you still have a cool prop you don't have to build from scratch.....I knew when I was buying these that the "guts" were little cheap electric motors-not servos and I wouldn't find a programable controller inside but rather a small pcb with cheap wiring you don't dare touch too hard or would break off from the pcb...It is what it is....ZR


----------



## Frankie's Girl (Aug 27, 2007)

Just chiming in again:

I forgot to mention I have two large Gemmy props: Donna and a mummy guy that has light-up moving eyes and a few different moans/singing (Boris).

Had both of them for 2 years, they both work fine, even after being stored in a attic in the Texas heat. 

Even if they broke, I'd still be happy with them, since I got them buy-one-get-one-50% off, so I ended up paying about $70 each, and as a static prop, they'd still be marginally worth that.

.


----------



## Lordgrimley.com (Jul 20, 2007)

FITCO from what I heard went belly up earlier this year. Can't confirm the rumor but based on the business they were losing due to faulty product I can understand. Gemmy might be next if they don't get their act together.


----------



## CraigInPA (Sep 11, 2007)

I learned the hard way that everything that Gemmy sells is "as-is". 

When I purchased, as a leftover after Halloween item, the singing pirate, I did so because the box clearly stated that it had a microphone input. When I took the thing out of the box months later, no microphone input. 

Ok, no big deal, right? Just take it back... Wal-mart would not accept the return because it was a clearance item. 

Gemmy told me that they wouldn't help me, either, even though the box clearly stated the microphone input. The woman on the phone actually had the gall to tell me that mine must have been "early production", as if that actually helped the situation! Requests for schematics were denied: "We don't have any". They told me, basically, I was stuck with it. It does work otherwise, but no microphone input means it's a static prop for me.

Craig


----------



## LT Scare (May 21, 2008)

Bought the singing / dancing pirate for my parents about 4 years ago at Walmart. It came with everything and everything still works on it today.

Bought the life size skel in the cage (heavy) two years ago, Ebay new. It came with everything and everything still works on it today - really well.

Bought Dr. Shivers last year at a local store for $100 because his head would not turn. Floor Demo, they told me fell over. All else works and still works today - except the non-turning head. It came with everything.

Bought the Monster last year after Halloween - ebay new in the box. Worked great when I got it. Opened this year and worked 10 minutes and lost his voice. I opened the base, played with it and all worked again. 

Bought a used witch with crystal ball and she had no voice, no lighted eyes, and no moving mouth when she arrived - also no transformer. They gave me a refund and told me to just keep her for parts. I've played with her and gotten some sound but the head is not cooperating at all.

Bought the smoking cauldron witch this year new. Everything is working great.

Bought Hannibal when Spirit put him on sale + I applied the 20% coupon. Great prop. Works great so far.

All of these - except the monster - are great LOOKING props. They're action is really slick, but if they break, they still look pretty good and store in less space that a statue type of prop and set up is fast. Sure I'll get pissed if/when they stop working. And, I do wish Gemmy would provide some support like schematics and parts. But right now I like them.

BTW, I've modded the Monster into Frankenstein with neck bolts and a new head topper. Next year I might re-dress him in a Frankenstein suit.


----------



## ChrisW (Sep 19, 2006)

LT Scare and Franky's Girl, you've pretty much voiced my sentiments. I've got 3 Halloween monsters (I've told this story before), Witch with cauldron, Edwardian Butler (in the red velvet coat with turning head, working eyes and mouth) and moaning female mummy. Wind took one of the monsters and mummy when I was setting up our garage. Both lost their heads. I re-drilled, glued and soldered them back together. I think they look good, and so far action and sound are fine. I'm hoping to buy a store display Dr. Shivers Nov. 1st for a good price. The head effects don't work, I figure if I poke around a bit I might have some luck.
Plus I've never paid full price for any of them - that helps.
BTW, Gemmy's big money maker are the airblowns. When I was visiting Dallas/Ft. Worth last year I tried to get in their offices. No luck, but I did see that the president of the company drives a lamborghini. No, I don't think they are any financial straits...


----------



## magic8697 (Feb 12, 2008)

When you asked for a refund did they make you send them a receipt. The reason I ask is my grandmother got me a hannibal and the mask broke on it somehow. It was broke right out of the box and was brand new.


----------



## kentucky halloween fan (Sep 22, 2010)

gemmy doesn't care whether the GENERAL public is satisfied,
they don't EVEN consider us their customers, they think
walmart, target, and other retailers are THEIR customers
and all they have to do is put the products on the shelves,
forget about standing behind those products or offering any
support if the products fail or you need replacement parts,
gemmy won't help.


----------



## Shockwave199 (Jan 18, 2007)

This is an old thread bumped I see, but timely. I know I'm not alone when I say it's always a nail biter hoping these props work. I bought one in December 09 and never opened it until last week. It's the guardian of the grave [not a gemmy] and wouldn't you know, half the stuff was missing. No wire harness for a fogger and no hose and metal nose to hook up to a fogger. The prop still worked regadless, but no fog could ever be used without those pieces. Nine months ago I bought the thing from buycostumes, mind you. I called them not expecting much, but they said they'd send the missing parts. COOL. Next day they called and said they'd just send out a whole new prop, send mine back free of charge. Got the new one, all is well. Very good support for an old order. Kudos to them for sure. Best thing to do is always unbox, assemble, and run a prop to make sure all is well. Most places will fully support returns and such for a minimum of two weeks- lots of times longer. Good luck prop buyers!

Dan


----------



## LT Scare (May 21, 2008)

Update:

Two Halloweens later ... and a third on the horizon....




LT Scare said:


> Bought the singing / dancing pirate for my parents about 4 years ago at Walmart. It came with everything and everything still works on it today. Still working great
> 
> Bought the life size skel in the cage (heavy) two years ago, Ebay new. It came with everything and everything still works on it today - really well. Still working great
> 
> ...


In 2009 I added Vampiress. She worked great


----------



## Glockink (Jul 7, 2008)

Every Gemmy product I have bought broke in one way or another....so NO MORE GEMMY for me.


----------



## TheEighthPlague (Jun 4, 2009)

They're _almost _a great company...


----------



## just_Tim (Sep 3, 2009)

What really sucks is they make so much of the halloween stuff that almost any animated prop you buy it seems is made by them.Today I bought a small animated pumpkin from Lowes made by them and of course the battery door did not open the screw was stuck so tight in it,I had to break the door off of it,I kept it because I still like it,but I agree with you on Gemmys quality so much of their products are made horrible.When you pay 250 bucks for an item, you should not !!!! have to worry about if its all in the box or broken.Its ashame because they make some cool looking stuff and EVERY YEAR loll I say im not going to buy their items and I dh well hope someday they put a little more care into making them ='/


----------



## jdubbya (Oct 4, 2003)

I've never owned any of their stuff, and don't give it a second look in the stores. Seen way to many of them broken or malfunctioning with just minimal use. Buyer beware!


----------



## ZombieRaider (May 18, 2008)

jdubbya said:


> I've never owned any of their stuff, and don't give it a second look in the stores. Seen way to many of them broken or malfunctioning with just minimal use. Buyer beware!



That's why I never bought Spooky Town stuff but I have to wonder if it's just that cheap or people constantly touching,grabbing,etc....ZR


----------



## Eyegore (Aug 23, 2008)

We needs to send Gemmy somekind of organized, well-adressed letter and petition; in an effort to get Gemmy to offer better tech suport and quality control checks. If they won't offer a warranty, they should at the very least take more effort in checking their product for errors.


----------



## FarmerChad (Oct 21, 2008)

Ahh.. good ol' gemmy. Seems like every year, the story is the same. Some unsuspecting consumer, eager to get their hands on an item that is normally out of their price range, buys it, then eats it! 

I have only bought a couple of gemmy products... ever. I bought 2 fog machines, both worked 1 time. Honest to Pete. Plugged'm in, they worked. Then, they didn't work. Needless to say, Wal-mart wasn't real pleased to see those items come back. 

I agree that their big money makers are inflatables. But don't worry, the qc in the inflatable dept. is about as good as the rest. I used to constantly read posts over on one of the christmas forums (no longer visit) about how often the fans in the inflatables would go out. One particular inflatable would constantly fog up, then the motor would stop, the solution by gemmy? I think they told the consumer (forum poster) to use the inflatable indoors!!!!!! WTF..  Thats just what I want in my living room. 

Eventually, something will have to change. I agree, its too much money for something that is basically disposable.


----------

