It always amuses us when we get letters from happy consumers who requested something simple from a company and are shocked that the company did it. The state of customer service in the world is such that people write happy letters if a company manages to function at all. Take M’s letter for example:

Dear Consumerist:

Kudos to Lego for prompt, satisfactory customer service!

I was a Lego kid — and now buy bricks for my son. Recently, I bought a set on clearance (50 percent off) from a major toy store; an attached note said that there were parts missing.

In fact, no parts were missing. One piece, out of hundreds, had been made incorrectly. I emailed Lego to explain the problem and received an auto-reply saying “Sorry about that! We’ll replace that piece in three weeks.”

Sure enough, the right part showed up three weeks later. Happy parent, happy child and complete set.

This is the kind of experience that encourages me to buy Lego products, even though their prices tend to be a bit salty. Bonus? Not made in China — produced in Denmark, Hungary and the Czech Republic, says the box — and no lead paint worries.

Go, Lego!

Best,

Reader M.

P.S. In many years of playing with Lego, this is the first time I’ve ever come across a faulty part. My childhood collection is still holding its own against the new stuff I’ve bought for my son. How many other toys can compete with that?

We have to admit that Legos were our favorite toys growing up. We still have our Blacktron II playsets or whatever.

We took a look at the CPSC’s recall page to see if Lego had ever had a problem with lead paint and indeed they didn’t. They did have one recall last year for a toy truck that had wheels that could detach and puncture people. The recalled truck was made in the United States.

Also, back in 1986, Lego recalled a McDonald’s Happy Meal toy because it was inappropriate for children under 3. All in all, not a bad safety record. Your parents’ feet, however, might disagree.

(Photo:Gaetan Lee)

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.