Avistarpilot

I have been reading and hearing more and more of folks having issues with Tower Hobbies. After being out of the R/C world for some time I haven't had any personal experience with them or had any of the issue some have had in the past. Years ago I would order from them quite frequently and never had an issue. I've recently got the bug to get back into the swing of things and ordered some parts for my kit plane and one of the items is wrong, and I am completely missing another item. I ordered one major piece but the rest was all small items. I will say shipping was super fast however. But I live in NE Iowa and they shipped from Champagne IL. Ordered Wednesday night, shipped Thursday and received it this Friday night. I will give them a call tomorrow and see if they will fix the issue but maybe it's a sign I should just support my local hobby shop...even if it is over a 1/2 hour drive...

ira d

I'm sure Tower will make it right They are still IMO one of the best in the business for rc hobby products.

outdoorhunting

There will always be somebody complain for one reason or another! There might be a few on RCU that would do this for no reason at all !!! There was a fellow a couple of yrs ago just blasted Nitro Planes every chance he got. He was BRUTAL !! Come to find out he had NEVER bought anything from Nitro ! have dealt with Tower for yrs & never, never had a problem. Use your OWN judgement !!!!

flyinwalenda

My Feedback: (5)

Comparing the two mentioned. A few club members ordered planes from Nitro and they came with damage. After weeks of back&forth some got replacement parts others got a measly refund. Now some others deal with Tower and had issues with orders, they got a reply in a few hours and either replacement parts and in one case another plane was sent to them. I would say Tower , although pricey on some items is still head and shoulders above the rest in terms of customer service.

topspin

Just to echo the general consensus, Tower is one of the best in customer service. I'm sure if you call them they will take care of you quickly and to your satisfaction.

spasmatic

My Feedback: (4)

When people will come to this site and complain first without communicating with the seller, it makes you wonder.

KW_Counter

When you consider how many orders are pulled and shipped a day (100s? 1,000s?) you must expect some errors.
Nobody is perfect, not even you!
Their reputation is they will fix it. Why is that such a problem?

Good Luck,
KW_Counter

blvdbuzzard

Simply put, we are and they are human. Humans can mess up just about anything. Tower will correct any issues you had with your order. They do stand behind what they sell and what they ship.

Buzz.

DavidAgar

My Feedback: (108)

I am sure that Tower will take care of bussiness. I have never had any issue's with them in my many years of using them. Good Luck, Dave

Lamoilleriver

Have no real complaint against Tower, have been using them for years, I do get annoyed at the length of time it takes from once an order is placed and when it is shipped, most times it is about 3 business days. Used to be alot faster than that, of course when you complain they suggest that you pony up and pay for the extra shipping. Serously considering giving my business to someone else.

rv9-a

On one of the last orders I had with Tower included two 2 ounce bottles of CA. They arrived about half full. I called customer service and they promptly sent out two more. Any problems that I have had with the major players have always been resolved favorably.

jimbrock

My Feedback: (1)

I am a Tower customer of many years. Never had a problem.

Kmot

My Feedback: (24)

I have been dealing with Tower Hobbies since 1974. I consider them to be like a family member. And just like member's of the family, sometimes you get pissed off at them and wanna kill 'em.

Then you get over it and all is well.

Tower has always made things right, no matter what the issue was or who's fault it was.

Same goes for Horizon and HP.

acerc

I have been a customer of Tower Hobbies for many, many, year's. There have been a couple time's something was not right. A simple phone call or e-mail resolved those issue's without question. I even talked to them once about a mfg error, was not looking for them to do any thing. But they still sent me a replacement to use how I see fit. What's worse is someone complaining about their service without giving them a chance to resolve it. And that goes for any buisiness, give them a chance before coming on here and chastizing them. Just because this site is close, quick, and easy does not warrant using it in such a manner.

oliveDrab

I started dealing with Tower Hobbies when I first started flying RC in 2005. I bought a RealFlight simulator and Hobbistar 60/OS 61 combo package from Tower and learned to fly on that plane and simulator. It was a hassle-free experience. Since then I've dealt with Tower many, many times and have had 0 problems.

do335a

My experience with them has been hit and miss.

On chickensh-t stuff, no problem. On big bucks items, hung out to dry.

Had a new 1/3 size Christen Eagle ordered through my LHS. Every part was damaged. Took over an entire year to get a replacement. The replacement came with a damaged cowl. Took over another month to correct that. Big joke to Tower.

Had a Giant Aeromster ARF. Came with damaged wings. Their response, "So?". Told me that's the way it was and if I wanted to send it back at my expense I could, knowing that was not likely. I'd then have as much lost in shipping to Canada and the return to USA as the cost of the plane with nothing to show for it. Big joke to Tower.

Yeh, they'll fix things alright, as long as it's the small stuff. Being reasonable made not dfifference. It's as though that was seen as a excuse to push you for what they put over on you.

Horizon has done better fixing errors. And best I've ever experienced is Sig, bar none.

Ken Kehlet

My Feedback: (89)

Hi,

Tower is Great, but it doesn't make up for the personal attention and service that I get at our local Hobby Shop. Our LHS is working on a shoestring, very low profit margin, but always willing to help, even if you bought your item from Tower or Walmart.

Support your Local Hobby Shop instead of the Chinese Imports.

My two cents,

Ken AMA 1528

acerc

So your LHS is not carrying the same Chinese crap that Tower does?   Please!
Support your LHS if they're supportive of you. For those of us that don't have a LHS worth visiting,

THANK YOU TOWER!!!!!!
And all the other quality on line store's.

eddieC

My Feedback: (2)

We have a choice of :45 min for one LHS, or 1:30 for a much bigger one. We try to get 2-3 guys together and go in on gas, stop for lunch, etc., make a day of it.  I really prefer an LHS, even when on the road.. It's worth it for the personal attention and keeping state & local business alive.  I've also had mixed results with Tower.

OTOH, I can't go in shirtless and in tighty whiteys, as when ordering online. 

denwag

For what it is worth

I ordered a Top Flight 60 size Mustang Arf in January of last year thats January 2011. The box and shipping carton were perfect when I received it. I opened it once and looked over the contents without removing any tape or cardboard and all looked fine. In june of this year I got around to building it and when I remove the wings and top contents and exposed the fuselage there was a large smashed area on the rudder. It looked like somebody stepped on it and went ahead and packed it. The support cardboard around it did not have any damage.

I sent photos to TowerHobbies explaining the problem. They replied the next morning and said they would ship me a new fuselage as soon as they came back in stock which would be early August.

I received the fuselage yesterday UPS no charges.

Cant beat that for service. I have confidence that any problems (and there have been very few) will be taken care of.

regards
sbdwag

JohnB96041

I have been a tower hobbies and horizon hobby customer for years, also. However, I ALWAYS check at the closest hobby shop first for the items I need. If the local hobby shop has it, I get it there. I like seeing, first hand, before buying.. SUPPORT your local hobby shop. Mine is a one hour drive one way and I usually make it to Mikes Models, OKC at least once per month.

rcjetflyer0718-RCU

My Feedback: (1)

I have been a Tower customer since the 90's and never an issue with them until 2 weeks ago. Ordered a plane, 3 glow plugs and a engine mount over the weekend. I got an email on Tuesday the package was shipped by ups/usps which I thought was weird for a plane; received the box onThursday it was 6X6X8 inches called Tower they checked it out and saw the plane had not been shipped so they sent 1 on Thursday and I received it on Friday.

mikes767

have got nothing but good to say about tower , had my dle ignition module fry a month after I got it they replaced it no questions asked, now thats service.

avidflyguy

My Feedback: (48)

i tend to go to my lhs first to see if they have the items i need,( fuel especially) if not, 9 times out of 10 i will get stuff from tower, only problem i ever had were with those electrifly standard servos, i had a set of 5 in my escapade and i was running/breaking in my mvvs 40 on it for the 2nd tank, noticed one of my ailerons and elevator no longer worked, they were junk before i had a chance to put it up in the air, tower took all 5 back and i exchanged them for hitecs. tower is great for deals and rebates and i will continue using them.

RichardGee

My Feedback: (156)

Tower Hobbies has GREAT customer service. My only complaint about them is that over the last decade, they have severely curtailed their product line and now are more of a glorified "toy store" than a hobby shop.
Perhaps they are geniuses for doing this[X(]... it seems to be the direction the hobby is moving, but personally, I do not like it[].

Regardless, Tower makes shopping easy and affordable and they stand behind their products and service.