Games Workshop’s new lifetime Warhammer miniature/product guarantee looks good on paper, but the details seem to make it kind of a stretch…
Games Workshop’s New “Lifetime” Support Guarantee is Kind of a Stretch…
We’ll be the first to say that we love the idea of getting broken or messed-up miniatures replaced with the correct ones from Games Workshop. However, you could already do that if you sent the customer support team a message with pictures. This new guarantee takes things way beyond the previous one and even promises what seems to be upgrades to your older current miniatures (or at least that’s how it reads).
Our Promise
If your miniature is faulty or missing components when you open it we will replace the miniature or component where practical.
Additionally, if you want to exchange a current range miniature that you bought directly from us (online or in store) and have proof of purchase, we’ll exchange it.
Our promise is above and beyond your statutory rights, which are unaffected. See below for details and conditions.
Exchange or Replacement
If you have purchased a product from us and it is faulty or is missing parts when you open it, we will exchange or replace the part. We’ll need your proof of purchase and proof of defect must be provided on request.
We will then confirm if you are entitled to a refund or replacement. Please contact Customer Services at uk.custserv@gwplc.com about faulty products. We’ll refund you any reasonable shipping costs of returning the item. If in doubt, contact us to check your shipping method will be covered.
Please click here to read our full returns policy in our Terms and Conditions.
Here’s the new Games Workshop guarantee that can be found on the FAQ page of their webstore. So, right off the bat, saying they will replace faulty miniatures is great, but what is lifetime? What if you bought an exclusive miniature last year and just got around to building it (don’t feel bad; we all have a few minis that have sat far too long)?
We all know FOMO is real, and products sometimes leave the store after just a couple of days. Will GW still send you a new one? Will they even have any of them sitting around? They say they will replace it where practical, so does that fall as not practical? It’s tough to say. Again, it’s the lifetime part that is confusing. To us, a lifetime is a lot longer than one edition; what about a four-year-old commemorative edition?
(This is a mini from 2021, would they replace it?)
We assume the, where practical, part really comes into play when you talk about giant kits, such as Knights; they aren’t likely to send out another full kit. Still, though, what about a miniature that has been sold out for months and months? If they don’t have any more in the store, how are you going to get them replaced? Do you have to wait months for a replacement for a faulty kit? Again, it’s not the biggest deal, but this is a pretty big guarantee, and we haven’t even gotten to the most interesting part.
Will This Guarantee Replace Your Army?
They basically say you can replace your existing kits with anything. We assume they have to be in the boxes and on sprues (but they don’t explicitly say). So, in theory, if you have some current models that GW has yet to update, you can send them your proof of purchase and exchange them to build a whole new army.
It gets even wilder because what if you have brand new Beasts of Chaos models? Theoretically, they are still current for Warhammer Old World, so can you exchange them for another army like Bretonnia?
Let’s hope they exchange at the current price and not what you bought them at. Again, this leads to some issues that aren’t really talked about. We’ll see, but it seems like the customer service reps are going to have their hands full.
While the new lifetime guarantee from Games Workshop for Warhammer purchases is certainly a step in the right direction, there are still some questions left unanswered. The idea of getting faulty miniatures replaced is great, but the “lifetime” aspect of the guarantee is somewhat ambiguous, and the practicality of replacing certain types of kits remains to be seen.
What do you think about Games Workshop’s wild new guarantee for Warhammer purchases?
About the Author: Travis Pasch
Travis Pasch
Job Title: Head Writer & Editor
Socials: @paschbass
About Travis Pasch: Travis has been a Warhammer 40k hobbyist since the 1990s, playing the game since Third Edition. Through extensive traveling, he’s seen a lot of the miniatures hobby from across the world, giving him a unique perspective on the latest gaming topics and trends.
Travis’s brother even owns a commission painting studio, where he’s picked up a lot of good advice and techniques for painting Warhammer and tabletop miniatures over the years, as well. Travis joined the Spikey Bits team in 2019 and has been the lead writer since 2020.
Currently, he’s working on converting all his 40k Adeptus Mechanicus models and becoming a true tech enjoyer, complete with both sad and happy robot noises!
