Vat due was £19.38 for the Captains Set + £13.50 handling fee

With stupidly high 'extra' charges to pay how can the UK economy be in such a mess? :huh:I was tempted to get the chief pilots set but its going to cost me £100+ in shipping and charges. Too expensive for now.

Hi guys, sorry to but in on the UK delivery issue but I am still waiting for my delivery to Spain.Ordered on the 7th December and get this from USPS. At least it is in Spain somewhere. Out of Foreign Customs, December 20, 2010, 9:05 am, SPAIN Into Foreign Customs, December 18, 2010, 8:24 pm, SPAIN Arrived Abroad, December 18, 2010, 8:24 pm, SPAIN International Dispatch, December 16, 2010, 5:48 am, ISC CHICAGO IL (USPS) Arrival Electronic Shipping Info Received, December 14, 2010 I am now concerned about the image quality issue. I have had nothing but stirling service from PMDG previously and they were at great pains to explain to us in an earlier thread that the reason for the high cost of these products was due to the connection with Boeing and the printing. I will be very disapointed if I receive photo copied pages and not originals. It will be interesting to find out from other recipients whether they have got image issues with the manuals too. Gary

20-12-2010 19:39 National Hub Received and processed 20-12-2010 13:08 International Hub Forwarded for UK processing 20-12-2010 13:06 International Hub Received in destination country 10-12-2010 00:07 Delivery Agent - CHICAGO Forwarded for export 07-12-2010 16:19 Delivery Agent - UNITED STATES AMERICA Collected from customer Looks like mine skipped Customs..... :)

Really guys, i thought that was because of the bad weather in North Europe, but i can see that the manuals arrived in UK, NED and Spain yet...My set is somewhere in the world... (just a bit nervous, but i hope to recive them before the 2011, as Christmas is almost gone...)International Dispatch, December 13, 2010, 12:00 am, ISC CHICAGO IL (USPS)ArrivalProcessed through Sort Facility, December 10, 2010, 11:56 pm, MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55413Electronic Shipping Info Received, December 10, 2010No news from the 13th of December....and the italian postal service tell that the package is not yet in Italy...Cheers

Here is my tracking to give an idea of variation in UK delivery schedule:Date Time Location Tracking Event20-12-2010 13:28 International Hub Awaiting Customs clearance20-12-2010 13:11 International Hub Received in destination country10-12-2010 00:57 Delivery Agent - CHICAGO Forwarded for export09-12-2010 23:50 Delivery Agent - CHICAGO Forwarded for export07-12-2010 16:19 Delivery Agent - UNITED STATES AMERICA Collected from customer

Here I was, sat here reading this thread and the doorbell went! They are here!! No mention of any customs fees from either the delivery guy or the PF website. Guess I got lucky? Hope I don't get a surprise further down the line! I did notice that it said 'photocopies' on the customs slip. Sadly, it looks as though the FCOM (Vol 1&2) are photocopies. The black background to some of the diagrams is a little poor imho. However, the text is ok quality and is ledgable. The QRH is very good quality and looks as though it has been printed and not photocopied. Was it worth the $60 upgrade to colour? Probably not in hindsight, but it does look damned good! Everything else is spot on! I've only scanned through a few of them, so this is all based on first impressions. It's just a shame the FCOM hasn't been properly printed. How are others' FCOMS looking? Chris, which ones do you have issues with? Think it was the FCOM too?Will try and post some images later, however I'm suffering from flu, so I'll see how it goes...

Parcel Force braved the UK snow and ice to deliver my set to me this morning. The box was badly damaged with one side ripped off completely and stuck back on with sticky tape.....I managed a quick peek inside to estimate damage before my wife snatched the box away saying “Not Before Christmas!” The little I did manage to see looked to be ok. It may have been an irritated person in the customs cell that could not be bothered to open the box in a nice fashion.After all that worrying about the import tax and duty I think I am one of the lucky ones that got away with it. Chris, I would keep an eye on this forum to find out if you were the only one to be charged and if you were you could always try to get some of it back.I didn’t get a chance to check manual quality before I was put in a half nelson, I will report back after the 25th. Boy it’s going to be a long few days.Justin P

Hi Ed,All the images that have a black block background in the Captain's manual set has this issue except the QRH, which was colour upgraded. I have an image that I sent to PMDG with the QRH on one side (nice solid black) and a VOL1 image on the other (similar to an ultrasound baby scan) - the difference in quality is very clear as the VOL1 (which is representative of all B/W images) looks like #1 there was not enough ink, #2 the page were not dry properly before the next page was applied on top rubbing off the ink, or #3 due to excessive demand they just photocopied an original to meet deadlines, #4 dirty print heads. All 4 in my opinion are not acceptable for £250.I have emailed Ryan with images and finally managed to send in a support ticket (Friday and Sunday), although I realise we're closing in on the holiday season, I still have not had any response. Uuummm.I suggest, if you have the same issue then send in an image as this is obviously not a one off case and if the printers are cutting corners PMDG should know about it and the printers should rectify the problem. PMDG should find out ASAP as it's their name on the product and it doesn't look good to have such poor quality. I have a long list of all the affected pages.I work in the visual arts with printers all the time, if I had my work represented like this the printers would lose the contract faster than a blink.

Here is how my USPS to Scotland progressed:Ordered 07/12/10Processed 14/12/10Collected from customer 14/12/10Forwarded for export (Chicago) 15/12/10Received in Internal Hub UK 17/12/10Forwarded for UK processing 20/12/10Received and processed at UK National Hub 20/12/10Received at Glasgow Central Depot 0548 21/12/10Loaded onto vehicle 0926 21/12/10Delivered 1400 21/12/10 by a postman with a Santa hat on. Total Price £269.78I spoke to Parcelforce yesterday and I was informed there were no charges to pay, which would tie in with the fact they delivered the box to me without asking for any, but it may be that a little envelope arrives in the next few weeks asking for charges to be paid. This has happened in the past, we'll see.Comments:The dispatch note states insurance coverage as limited to $100 - those who prefer the belts and braces approach may wish to seek additional coverage.Postage and fees are given as $76.36 - I'm sure I paid $85.15. It may be that I am incorrect, or that additional fees like tax brings the former up to the latter. Or it may be that someone is pocketing the difference, if so, well done he/her - I'm honestly not bothered.Print quality is only affected in two areas, both of which are in FCOM Volume 1. The first is the 'Areas of Responsibility' diagrams and the second is the banners within which the chapter and section is given. There is a definite loss of black throughout the black section of these diagrams and there is also a patchy quality to them, made very obvious when compared with the sharp and patch-free diagrams of FCOM Volume 2. The banners in FCOM Volume 2 also show that ink must have been running low when FCOM Volume 1 was being printed. Does it make the diagrams and banners unreadable or unuseable? Absolutely not, but I mention it just so that PMDG can brief Jetpubs staff on initial quality impressions. Looking through all the material, when I think how little I paid for the set I am over the moon, and I hope that everyone else feels likewise. It would be easy for me to demand perfection and go through the hassle of getting absolutely pristine quality, but I won't for the following reasons - I haven't paid the fortunes that airlines pay so I don't expect the same quality, and because the small print issues do not affect my ability to extract all the information from the pages. I'll qualify what I have just written by saying that, of course, if people have experienced dramatic losses of ink that borders on the amateurish then PMDG should be contacted.Packaging is becoming a common theme here. There was a 2-3 inch gap that my contents could move within the box, and PMDG is leaving itself open to claims caused by some of the less professional employees of the postal companies. It seems that small slots of cardboard are being used as packers to prevent movement within but when I opened my box I found two of these had managed to move 5 inches down inside my FCOMs - luckily no pages were torn but they could have been. Also, the 7 loose posters had some crumpling and a couple of small nicks around their edge, again from shifting. There are a lot of people out there who may not be as easy-going as myself about such damage, especially those for who the purchasing of these manuals meant really pushing the boat out, but it may be the case that your cost-benefit/risk-analysis (call it what you you will) means that the money saved from purchasing that particular size of box outweighs anticipated damages and returns. Only the PMDG team know the truth.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I'll conclude by saying congratulations to all the PMDG staff for allowing the public access to detailed manuals that were previously only accessible by flightcrew, or those near to them. Even taking into account the above printing issue (which I am sure will prove to be a rare occurance) I am very impressed with the quality of the finished product and even moreso with your negotiating skills at Boeing HQ. Still can't believe you managed it!!!Brian O'Donnell

Well, I've just sat mine down next to my MD-11 manuals that I ordered a year or so ago and there is definitely an apparent deference in quality. The MD-11 printing is far superior and doesn't look like a photocopy. Are my NGX manuals usable? Yes. Was I expect better from PMDG - YES! Those guys know how to do perfection!!I'd say, given that the MD-11 manuals cost a lot less (ok, you get an extra manual with the Captains flight manual set, but still ~$90 difference), the quality is far better. It's as if the printers have rushed these out to meet the xmas deadline. I think I'd rather have waited and had better quality tbh.Don't get me wrong, I think PMDG have done an amazing job in getting this content to us and I can't wait to dive into the manuals. The QRH is superb - the quality that I was expecting - as are the posters and other booklets. I'm just wondering if it would be common courtesy to infirm the PMDG guys that they might be getting a bad service from the printers? Maybe it is just a few isolated cases??

I agree. There is alot of black loss in my manuals in the headings and some diagrams. But the QRH is fine.

I think there are now one or two of us who are experiencing the same. We must have received the batch that came from the printers when they were having problems etc.

PMDG should at least acknowledge the issue, or at the very least say they are looking into it. By keeping quiet ( not replying to this thread, to my email or support ticket ) I suspect they don't want to take responsibility and are hoping we will stop talking about it. If I am being perfectly honest, I feel ripped off as I could have bought double sided paper and, when the NGX comes out, print them myself for a fraction of what I paid AND at a higher quality, without the photocopy style these manuals have adopted.EDIT: I have just read Ryan's update regarding the print quality in the Manuals sticky. While I appreciate the desire to simulate all aspects of flight, including the manuals, I think it's a cop out to suggest these are better quality than the original manuals therefore we have to accept poor quality. The pro manuals are expensive because they are real, relate to real aircraft and have a real affect if not followed with up to date information. Now, I really feel ripped off. Thanks Guys, but, I can't recommend these manuals for the price.

I hadn't seen that, thanks for pointing it out. It does sound a bit like a cop-out, particularly as we weren't informed of this phenomenon prior to ordering.I'd like to know what the quality is like for those guys in the US who got copies from the first run. Are they experiencing the same quality or better?As I said above, my MD-11 manuals are far better quality and therefore this puts me off buying any future manuals. Don't get me wrong, the content is awesome, as is the QRH and the posters etc. Guess I expected a bit more of the FCOM and FCTM!...

THEY HAVE ARRIVED!And thank goodness for the delay in delivery - this is my only day at home between working, and leaving for the holidays. Have just flicked through the documents (whilst watching that old 1997 Channel 4 documentary Black Box... fantastic series by the way.... not dramatised like that awful Air Crash Investigation programme).THEY ARE SUPERB! Thank you PMDG for working to provide this detail. With regards to the quality issues - I dont see any. Sure there is some fading on some of the block solid printing, but it is not at all bad, and I see as perfectly acceptable and likely what the real deal has too. I am almost tempted to dust of FS9, reinstall it, and take the old PMDG 737 for a spin..... almost..... but no, will just wait patiently for the real thing.Thanks again. Fantastic stuff.PS. Was even sweeter for having no VAT or customs charges. Seems my one slipped through the net!