Mega Blocks is NOT LEGO!

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BlacktronManic
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Mega Blocks is NOT LEGO!

Post by BlacktronManic » Tue Nov 30, 2010 3:43 pm

So I thought I would bring this subject up, mainly because I want to know how most people out there tell family and friends to not buy their kids Mega Blocks thinking they are the same thing as LEGO.

The reason this subject came to my mind is simply that Christmas is around the corner and the grandparents are going to go out and buy my (and your kids) gifts, but more likely building blocks. Also, in this past year my son had two instances where he received Mega Blocks as a mistake instead of Lego.

The first instance was that last Christmas my son's great grandmother went out and bought my son what she thought and was sure was LEGO. It turns out it was Mega Blocks! Well, I have to teach my son first of all that he has to be appreciative of the gifts he receives, but also, once grandma was gone that Mega Blocks are NOT LEGO.

The second instance my son received Mega Blocks was for his birthday. A family friend called me and asked what my son would like to receive, and I indicated he either liked receiving LEGO or Thomas and Friends trains. I informed my family friend the difference between getting mixed up with Mega Blocks for LEGOs. On the day of the party my son received another box of Mega Blocks. Oh well, what to do? I can't have my son dismiss the gift again.

I was thinking of either donating the Mega Blocks to other kids or selling it off, but then I feel bad for sort of wanting to pawn off poor building blocks on to other kids.

So back to my main question. How do the rest of you out there deal with asking family and friends to not buy Mega Blocks mistaking them for LEGO for your kids?

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Re: Mega Blocks is NOT LEGO!

Post by BobaFett2 » Tue Nov 30, 2010 4:33 pm

Well, if you have an intelligent family they tend to figure it out. My family is quite intelligent, and already understands (a bunch of doctors, lawyers, etc). Anyways, just try telling them. You could also sell it back to the store if possible, but just tell them. Not rudely, or course, but in a way that they'd understand.
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Re: Mega Blocks is NOT LEGO!

Post by ncbarrett » Wed Dec 01, 2010 5:53 am

You tell them you don't want anything that doesn't say LEGO on it, so you stop getting them.
I have inoperable cancer and am unable to work. Any gifts would be appreciated. Thank you!

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Re: Mega Blocks is NOT LEGO!

Post by sadowsk1 » Wed Dec 01, 2010 6:16 am

Could you ask if they happen to have the gift receipt and say that the child was hoping for a particular set and that they were on the right track?

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Re: Mega Blocks is NOT LEGO!

Post by BlacktronManic » Wed Dec 01, 2010 1:53 pm

sadowsk1 wrote:Could you ask if they happen to have the gift receipt and say that the child was hoping for a particular set and that they were on the right track?
That might not be such a bad idea saying that to the person, and it would also help with not sounding unappreciative of the gift received.
ncbarrett wrote:You tell them you don't want anything that doesn't say LEGO on it, so you stop getting them.
I had mentioned this to my family friend, but it seems it didn't stick. They even mentioned upon giving the gift to my son "I know this isn't LEGO, but hope you like it anyways". Its a bit of a touchy subject, I think, in telling someone after receiving a gift, that it really isn't the gift one was expecting. Especially after you gave clear intentions on receiving LEGO and nothing else.

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Re: Mega Blocks is NOT LEGO!

Post by ncbarrett » Wed Dec 01, 2010 2:18 pm

BlacktronManic wrote:
sadowsk1 wrote:Could you ask if they happen to have the gift receipt and say that the child was hoping for a particular set and that they were on the right track?
That might not be such a bad idea saying that to the person, and it would also help with not sounding unappreciative of the gift received.
ncbarrett wrote:You tell them you don't want anything that doesn't say LEGO on it, so you stop getting them.
I had mentioned this to my family friend, but it seems it didn't stick. They even mentioned upon giving the gift to my son "I know this isn't LEGO, but hope you like it anyways". Its a bit of a touchy subject, I think, in telling someone after receiving a gift, that it really isn't the gift one was expecting. Especially after you gave clear intentions on receiving LEGO and nothing else.
Ask for a gift receipt would be the best avenue I'd think.
I have inoperable cancer and am unable to work. Any gifts would be appreciated. Thank you!

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Re: Mega Blocks is NOT LEGO!

Post by BlacktronManic » Wed Dec 01, 2010 2:41 pm

ncbarrett wrote:
Ask for a gift receipt would be the best avenue I'd think.

I will definitely have to this time around as I really don't want anymore Megablocks showing up, and I know my son doesn't even touch it at all, so he definitely doesn't like them either, and that's without me saying anything directly to influence him.

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Re: Mega Blocks is NOT LEGO!

Post by Mantisking » Thu Dec 02, 2010 9:38 am

BlacktronManic wrote:I had mentioned this to my family friend, but it seems it didn't stick. They even mentioned upon giving the gift to my son "I know this isn't LEGO, but hope you like it anyways".
That's a crappy excuse. If someone has said "I'd like {blank}", either get it for them or give them cash or a gift certificate so they can get it themselves.

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Re: Mega Blocks is NOT LEGO!

Post by sadowsk1 » Thu Dec 02, 2010 9:50 am

I suppose if they spent the same amount on Megablok that would have bought the set a child wanted for Lego that wouldn't make sense unless where they tried to buy it didn't have it in stock. I would say they might have been a little lazy on that one...It's kind of funny that a person would give you something that you didn't ask for and not automatically give you a gift receipt, I thought that was just common courtesy.

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Re: Mega Blocks is NOT LEGO!

Post by Transformers2 » Sat Dec 04, 2010 10:15 am

Agree with what you said. Mega Bloks is not Lego. Shame how they're placed next to the Lego aisle causing confusion for people. Mega Bloks is copying Lego so much. I was just at TRU the other day and they had a display case for halo wars! But it does look pretty cool from there. :P

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Re: Mega Blocks is NOT LEGO!

Post by legitimatealex » Sat Dec 04, 2010 5:06 pm

BlacktronManic wrote: I had mentioned this to my family friend, but it seems it didn't stick. They even mentioned upon giving the gift to my son "I know this isn't LEGO, but hope you like it anyways". Its a bit of a touchy subject, I think, in telling someone after receiving a gift, that it really isn't the gift one was expecting. Especially after you gave clear intentions on receiving LEGO and nothing else.
Ugh this can be applied to so many other situations...Giving someone a gift they specifically didn't want is like a big middle finger sometimes.
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Re: Mega Blocks is NOT LEGO!

Post by vynsane » Sun Dec 05, 2010 12:04 pm

Transformers2 wrote:Agree with what you said. Mega Bloks is not Lego. Shame how they're placed next to the Lego aisle causing confusion for people.
It's one part free enterprise and one part taxonomy - you don't go into Home Depot expecting only one brand of reciprocating saw, and you don't expect the DeWalt recip saws to be next to the lumber and the Ryobi ones to be next to the plumbing... yet Milwaukee invented the thing in the first place! You'll find all three (and many more brands) all next to one-another in the tool section, under the sign for reciprocating saws. Such is the case with LEGO and its competitors.

Personally, I like my Rigid recip saw because it's orange and has a flame pattern on the side. The Milwaukee teal just doesn't appeal to me... and the Mil hasn't been all-metal in a long time anyway, so the quality is close enough.
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Re: Mega Blocks is NOT LEGO!

Post by slimninj4 » Mon Dec 06, 2010 2:37 pm

Complaining about a gift! :-( thats really not cool.

To some LEGO is like KLEENEX. a block is a block. tissue is a tissue.

Just hope you get a gift receipt or cash.
Its bricks. Your son will like to play it im sure no matter what. I could give my son two bricks and he would not care if one was MB or one lego.

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Re: Mega Blocks is NOT LEGO!

Post by lukeskywalker » Mon Dec 06, 2010 4:28 pm

My bro and I ask for specific sets so if we don't get the ones we want, we usually get something close.

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Re: Mega Blocks is NOT LEGO!

Post by sadowsk1 » Mon Dec 06, 2010 6:38 pm

slimninj4 wrote:Complaining about a gift! :-( thats really not cool.

To some LEGO is like KLEENEX. a block is a block. tissue is a tissue.

Just hope you get a gift receipt or cash.
Its bricks. Your son will like to play it im sure no matter what. I could give my son two bricks and he would not care if one was MB or one lego.
I agree with your opinion.

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Re: Mega Blocks is NOT LEGO!

Post by legitimatealex » Mon Dec 06, 2010 7:17 pm

sadowsk1 wrote:
slimninj4 wrote:Complaining about a gift! :-( thats really not cool.

To some LEGO is like KLEENEX. a block is a block. tissue is a tissue.

Just hope you get a gift receipt or cash.
Its bricks. Your son will like to play it im sure no matter what. I could give my son two bricks and he would not care if one was MB or one lego.
I agree with your opinion.
Alright, it's not cool to complain about getting a gift, but specifying a specific brand for your gift does matter, especially when it was (hate to use the word again) especially specified.

I know some people don't get the difference and just think it is brand loyalty but it goes beyond that. It's a quality that we're used to and a background that we trust.

Man I come off like a paid shill for LEGO sometimes. (LEGO, please pay me).
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Re: Mega Blocks is NOT LEGO!

Post by vynsane » Mon Dec 06, 2010 7:36 pm

I could see being upset after specifying a certain set that was desired and getting something else entirely (be it a MB set or another LEGO set even), but something as vague as "he likes playing with LEGO" kinda opens you up for clone/competitor brands being purchased in their stead. I was very specific when I was a kid, went through the catalogs and picked out exactly what I wanted and wrote it all out, down to the set number.
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Re: Mega Blocks is NOT LEGO!

Post by SpaceNinjaDino » Tue Dec 07, 2010 1:08 pm

I'm thankful that I never had the displeasure of receiving a MegaBlocks set.
All LEGO sets have the logo on the package. Maybe make a flyer/letter that has the logo printed in full color and describe that only official LEGO sets have quality that will last a lifetime and for their kids' kids.

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It's unfortunate that the gold pieces in the Pharaoh's Quest are MegaBlock quality! This is probably covered elsewhere, but I usually don't read reviews. I'm convinced that these pieces are outsourced to the MegaBlock factories. LEGO should stop this practice immediately. This is nothing like the subpar quality of the CMF parts. Those parts are not too bad IMHO, but the Pharaoh's Quest pieces should be recalled and an apology should be released. I get more upset thinking about it and that trend needs to stop.

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Re: Mega Blocks is NOT LEGO!

Post by vynsane » Tue Dec 07, 2010 2:03 pm

SpaceNinjaDino wrote:Warning:
It's unfortunate that the gold pieces in the Pharaoh's Quest are MegaBlock quality! This is probably covered elsewhere, but I usually don't read reviews. I'm convinced that these pieces are outsourced to the MegaBlock factories. LEGO should stop this practice immediately. This is nothing like the subpar quality of the CMF parts. Those parts are not too bad IMHO, but the Pharaoh's Quest pieces should be recalled and an apology should be released. I get more upset thinking about it and that trend needs to stop.
What exactly is the issue you're having with them? They look to me like any other pearl gold pieces, like those in the Prince of Persia sets, the most recent Hogwart's Express, or the Emerald Night...
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Re: Mega Blocks is NOT LEGO!

Post by BobaFett2 » Tue Dec 07, 2010 3:58 pm

SpaceNinjaDino wrote:I'm thankful that I never had the displeasure of receiving a MegaBlocks set.
All LEGO sets have the logo on the package. Maybe make a flyer/letter that has the logo printed in full color and describe that only official LEGO sets have quality that will last a lifetime and for their kids' kids.

Warning:
It's unfortunate that the gold pieces in the Pharaoh's Quest are MegaBlock quality! This is probably covered elsewhere, but I usually don't read reviews. I'm convinced that these pieces are outsourced to the MegaBlock factories. LEGO should stop this practice immediately. This is nothing like the subpar quality of the CMF parts. Those parts are not too bad IMHO, but the Pharaoh's Quest pieces should be recalled and an apology should be released. I get more upset thinking about it and that trend needs to stop.
I don't see much difference in them from any other gold ones-I have three Pharaoh's Quest sets, none of the gold is soft and malleable, except in the Atlantis Tridents (and sadly, probably in the golden NINJAGO weapons when they are released). Are you referring to how the colors have some black "swirled" into them?
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