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DO NOT BUY from HobbyKing!

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DO NOT BUY from HobbyKing!

Old 09-06-2013, 08:03 AM
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tlandon
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Default DO NOT BUY from HobbyKing!

There stuff is junk and they don't know the meaning of Customer Service. Long story about warranty return on 3 different items.
Suffice to say, DO NOT BUY FROM THEM>
Old 09-06-2013, 08:32 AM
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ahicks
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I buy there frequently, and I go into that buying decision knowing full well there's little/no customer service available. The stuff is priced so reasonably I'm willing to take the gamble? To protect myself, I make payments via a credit card - giving me the last say regarding any disagreements we should encounter?

Paying freight to return something, thus leaving them with my purchase AND my money? Not going to happen...
Old 09-06-2013, 09:07 AM
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tlandon
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I bought from them before, but "never" again. Enough is enough. RC is getting just like everything, ridiculous expensive. growing and growing distance between the "haves" and "have not's".
Old 09-06-2013, 09:21 AM
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The "logic" most of the HK supporters use is that their stuff is so inexpensive you just throw it out and buy another one from them when it fails or when it arrives DOA or damaged and not bother attempting to contact their CS department. Right ! That's what they hope you continue to do too !
Do that a few times after paying shipping and you could have bought something better by a more reputable manufacturer or from a company that actually provides customer service and would send you a replacement without making you jump through hoops,argue and delay hoping you will just go away.
Sorry you had trouble but I'm sure your thread will be off track soon enough with others posting how great HK's items are and that they never had customer service trouble, problems, etc,,,etc,,,and push your valid concern right off the page.

Last edited by flyinwalenda; 09-06-2013 at 12:06 PM.
Old 09-07-2013, 07:34 AM
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Dansy
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The title should I no longer buy at Hobby King

as for me I will buy again and again......if you shop carefully with them there's a lot of pretty good deal....to each is own!
Old 09-07-2013, 05:10 PM
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combatpigg
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Can you please demonstrate how you shop for a 50 cc engine carefully with Hobby King..?
Old 09-07-2013, 06:58 PM
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Dansy
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ahah hate all you want....then make YOUR own choice I will make mine all by myself!
Old 09-07-2013, 09:07 PM
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ira d
 
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Originally Posted by Dansy
The title should I no longer buy at Hobby King

as for me I will buy again and again......if you shop carefully with them there's a lot of pretty good deal....to each is own!
You should not have to shop carefully shopping with HK shopping with them should not have to be any different than shopping anywhere else IMO, Also I expect
the same level of customer service if something cost $2.00 $200.00 or $2000.00 that being if it does not work I expect it to be promptly replaced or my money back.
Old 09-08-2013, 06:08 AM
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LSP972
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Originally Posted by Dansy
ahah hate all you want....then make YOUR own choice I will make mine all by myself!
Hating???? He asked you a pertinent question... which, of course, you cannot answer, because your statment which prompted the question was ludicrous.

The raw fact is, places like HobbyKing are why we have so much cheap, unreliable junk available for purchase. Yes, this has made the hobby more "available" to the masses... but I'm not so sure that is a good idea either. Go to any park and you'll see at least one short-attention-span person, who should be doing some kind of contact sport to keep them occupied, acting foolishly with an R/C model.

Anyway... you're right, we are all free to choose our places of purchase. Good luck with yours.

.
Old 09-17-2013, 05:09 PM
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pschulte
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Originally Posted by combatpigg
Can you please demonstrate how you shop for a 50 cc engine carefully with Hobby King..?
Easy. Buy the rcg 50 its a great engine. check the bore and stroke its actually a 54 i think. You would think they would be better at math. When I got a dal112 from someone that overheated the hell out of it the rcg50 cylinder and piston fit right on it . I Have 21 orders with them averaging over $300 and havent been displeased with anything yet. But I guess my day is coming the law of averages catches up to everybody sometime. Heck when you buy a TP battery for $110 and it is outperformed by a $20 battery from hk. As for the don't buy from them again. I am a firm believer that if I feel I have been ripped off the offending party never gets my money again. For now they have been great to me. I just placed another large order. I hope you get your issues with them resolved.
Old 09-17-2013, 06:19 PM
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Propworn
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Originally Posted by tlandon
I bought from them before, but "never" again. Enough is enough. RC is getting just like everything, ridiculous expensive. growing and growing distance between the "haves" and "have not's".
Don't know how long you've been in the hobby but my first proportional channel radio was 2 channels and over $300 in 1970 dollars. Don't know what that would be in today's dollars but its sure one hell of a lot cheaper now than then. I remember my first plane spent all winter building it again 2 channel a .35 engine the whole shooting match was more than you can get a hanger nine Alpha trainer with engine and decent 4 channel radio. I find if you fly within your budget there is no have and have not's. Its like owning anything else, if one covets things that is beyond their means and begrudges others for having them then I can see where they feel they are one of the have not's.

Hobby King for the most part provides inexpensive supplies for those who do not want to buy the premium products and for some it is the only way they find they can stay in the hobby. Good for them and its great there is someone out there for them so they can enjoy the hobby too. Like others I have used/ordered stuff from them. I have had some disappointments but for the most part what I got was sufficient for the purpose intended.

There is a reason things are more expensive at the local hobby shop or mail order house, quality and support. Getting bent out of shape when you knowingly order something from Hobby King because its so cheap then act outraged because you get what you pay for in quality and support does not garner any sympathy from my end. You took your chances so live with it.

I have seen more than one guy at the field who was obsessed with everything being cheap spend more time fiddling with their stuff than flying. How enjoyable is that.
Old 09-17-2013, 06:22 PM
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Dansy
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Hey, I just did 2 more orders in the last 2 weeks......so much better deal with them...I also been to the LHS and purchased a few thing....but no saving like at the HK!

Don't really know why you come here and can say don't buy from them, first of all who are you to dictate where others should spend their hard earn cash......or maybe you own one of the little High Price per Items Hobby Shop and are loosing business because you want to do a high % profit per items......ya that is it!
Old 09-17-2013, 06:32 PM
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Dansy
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Originally Posted by Propworn
Don't know how long you've been in the hobby but my first proportional channel radio was 2 channels and over $300 in 1970 dollars. Don't know what that would be in today's dollars but its sure one hell of a lot cheaper now than then. I remember my first plane spent all winter building it again 2 channel a .35 engine the whole shooting match was more than you can get a hanger nine Alpha trainer with engine and decent 4 channel radio. I find if you fly within your budget there is no have and have not's. Its like owning anything else, if one covets things that is beyond their means and begrudges others for having them then I can see where they feel they are one of the have not's.

Hobby King for the most part provides inexpensive supplies for those who do not want to buy the premium products and for some it is the only way they find they can stay in the hobby. Good for them and its great there is someone out there for them so they can enjoy the hobby too. Like others I have used/ordered stuff from them. I have had some disappointments but for the most part what I got was sufficient for the purpose intended.

There is a reason things are more expensive at the local hobby shop or mail order house, quality and support. Getting bent out of shape when you knowingly order something from Hobby King because its so cheap then act outraged because you get what you pay for in quality and support does not garner any sympathy from my end. You took your chances so live with it.

I have seen more than one guy at the field who was obsessed with everything being cheap spend more time fiddling with their stuff than flying. How enjoyable is that.
I sort of agree with you I also had to build my trainer before I could learn to fly......and ARF while they were somewhat present were extremely rare and very expensive. I did cost more then now.....my first computer radio was the Futaba SS8g (I think) single stick with a screen up front.....the screen was for the timer and the optional tach it was still twist that and switch back there...

Were I don't agree is if you shop wisely at HK there is a lot of very good deals and good products, so good in fact that some F3A shop resell them for pattern plane and of course they also make a small profit....they might not buy from HK them self but perhaps from the same suppliers...you just have to be on the look out
Old 09-18-2013, 08:58 AM
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Luchnia
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I buy from a number of vendors and HK is one of them. I have only purchased about 5 order (I think) from them and only had one bad item and I just threw it away. I saved enough on the orders that I was able to put a third plane in the air from some of the savings and that was beneficial for me.

The really good thing is that I am frugal no matter where I shop. I do not buy engines or planes from HK plain and simple. To me that is a crap shoot and more money than I care to throw away. I do my research on any company I spend my money with. Many of HK products are as good as any others. I see many guys running HK batteries and continue to do so. I have two HK batteries and they have performed very well and at around a fourth of the cost. I am well pleased at this point.

I have what I call a break point on HK purchases and that is normally around 100 dollars. I make sure the purchase list has a diverse number of items on it that I would not lose anything if some were defective and end up tossed in the trash. Will I get a bucket of junk one day from HK? Maybe, but I have saved enough and bought enough from them I am not too concerned about that happening.

I may chance buying a plane or engine one day just for the fun of it, yet it is very doubtful as I am pretty cautious about those things. Do I expect service from HK? Absolutely not - I did the research and mostly know that won't happen. HK and CS are something that don't go well together. There are some guys on here that have purchased thousands of dollars worth of stuff from HK and had good results and some have even gotten service. That has amazed me.
Old 09-18-2013, 01:26 PM
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I like Luchnia's approach. Mine is similar...I keep my orders small, diverse so something has to be good, and only for in-stock items. I have ordered from them three or four times so far, all in the last 6 months. Only one item was bad...a wind meter had a dead battery in it. I wrote to them, thought they understood, and they sent me a battery. Wrong battery though, haha! They sent me a lipo pack like one in the same order, but not the wafer battery that fits the wind meter. Well, I bought the wafer myself locally since the pack they sent me was worth twice the cost of the wafer cell, lol. So far so good is my experience with HK! Jon
Old 09-18-2013, 02:48 PM
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Rob2160
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If you don't know your products and don't do enough research you can end up with junk from HK or any other vendor.

I shop very carefully, whether it be with HK or any Hobbystore. I know what I am buying and I know the risks before I pay my money.

If you are smart, you can get bargains from HK. Just read the reviews, don't buy things that have bad reviews, and have a realistic expectation before you buy.

Personally I have 3 years and 139 orders from HK and zero issues. I have 13 HK Helicopters and 3 HK aircraft and about 50 HK Batteries, 4 chargers, over 30 servos, 8 Gyros, 4 Receivers, from HK and not a single problem.

I research each item intensively before any purchase and will not buy anything with a bad review. HK accounts for about 30 % of my overall RC purchases in the past 3 years and so far so good.

There are many items I would never buy from HK, if you know your products you can spot and avoid the junk easily.

Several of my HK helicopters have over 1000 flights without issue and cost me under $60 for the kit and about another $100 worth of components to complete them.

If you want proof just look at my youtube channel here.. http://www.youtube.com/user/Trainboy64

I have documented my experience with RC helicopters from Day 1 in June 2010.

Including some very poor experiences with a Blade 400 and almost giving up on RC helicopters altogether, then discovering I can build something far superior for a fraction of the cost.

35 years in the hobby. since age 14 in 1978.

With or without Hobbyking, this hobby is now more accessible and affordable than it has ever been.

Last edited by Rob2160; 09-18-2013 at 03:41 PM.
Old 09-18-2013, 04:06 PM
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Luchnia
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Rob, another good post - very thoughtful and well put. I always enjoy your post and how you present your information to back up what you state.
Old 09-18-2013, 04:17 PM
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I buy intellegently all the time from HK use PayPal with a credit card. Just placed a $400.00 order with them yesterday. They have good customer service "if" you follow their rules. I have received several credits form them. My LHS sells HK stuff which is great. I love your picture.
Old 09-18-2013, 04:18 PM
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I just attended the NEAT Fair in downstate NY last weekend. HobbyKing was one of the listed vendors to be there. Boy did that put a smile on my face. You see the previous Sunday I put together a HK fun racer, an AT-6 with their recommended setup. I've seen various versions of this plane fly before and my flying buddies didn't report any issues. On the maiden flight, the plane flew nice and straight, til turn 1 that is. Where the right wing snapped off. Total flight time.....no more than 5 seconds. I took the destroyed plane to their vendor tent, a couple of nice Aussie lads working in there. Bottom line, they couldn't care less about their destroyed product, even after I showed them that the wing spar wasn't glued in. They asked me if I ever called customer support? My friend with me asked them "Have you ever called customer support? Totally a waste of time!" So leaving with no satisfaction, I did the next best thing, I taped the wrecked plane to the leg of my pop-up for all the world to see, with the words written the wing "Hobby King Crap.....total flight time 5 secs when the wing snapped" It was quite the conversation starter for 4 days and many people got to see what their products are like and what their customer service isn't. Many took pictures of the plane and I've come across it posted on the web. This was my first HK plane and it is definitely my last. Purchase at own risk
Old 09-18-2013, 04:47 PM
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I could have read all the posts but I didnt.no matter what you say when you show up at the flying field inevitably there are hobby king users.most of the stuff is cheap and like someone has said they have no customer service .but while we hate them there are legions of users that are looking for cheap stuff and dont have issues waiting etc.me I have had nothi g but greif but for every complaint I have theres several who will praise them.i sympathize with you but theres nothing you can do except avoid them for your own satisfaction.
Old 09-18-2013, 05:15 PM
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You have every right in the world to choose your suppliers. Don't tell me who to use. Tell me the facts of what happened, I will listen and read that. My experience with HK has been good with multiple purchases. I just got a 30cc sized plane from them that looks as good as anything from Horizon or Tower. I agree that their support is not what the two majors give, but I have saved a heck of a lot of money mostly on batteries. I would never ever ever buy a lipo from a hobby store or the two majors.
Old 09-18-2013, 05:15 PM
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In Lipo batteries they are #1. I have 12 from them and no.t a single glitch. They are 75% off, my LHS don't carry lipos bigger than 3S because they can't compete with the King
Old 09-18-2013, 05:59 PM
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Simple. you don't like you don't buy. No one is twisting your arm. Why did you buy from them in the first place? Oh ! I know they were cheaper than the other place you buy from. Just another whiner who went looking for a cheap bargin and then got burned. They are just like Walmart some good some junk. They have great prices on BOB SMITH CA and Epoxy and their lipos are some of the best. Almost everything you buy these days comes from China anyway so why pay full price?
Old 09-18-2013, 06:46 PM
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Here is the real deal about those not happy with customer service at Hobby King. Bottom Line, if they sell you defective merchandise, there are laws that protect us. Have a gripe, please contact your State Attorney General Office and report them to the consumer fraud division. They are your free attorney for businesses that rip you off.
Old 09-18-2013, 06:54 PM
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Originally Posted by tlandon
I bought from them before, but "never" again. Enough is enough. RC is getting just like everything, ridiculous expensive. growing and growing distance between the "haves" and "have not's".
I just bought 2 brand new planes and a 6 channel TX for less than what my very first plane cost me in the mid to late '80's. My FPV rig even cost less than my first plane did.

As for HK being crap... I haven't bought that much from them, an orange RX and some servos and my FPV setup. Main reason I don't shop there more often is because the cost of shipping is ridiculous. My best friend orders from them all the time and just loves the things he gets. He is also very handy with building, repairing etc... That's good to know if you order from places like HK.

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