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Hobbyking – beware

Old 06-02-2014, 05:57 PM
  #51  
Dick T.
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Originally Posted by topspin
your post does nothing at all to help Francois. I have placed many hundreds of dollars worth of orders from tower, Horizon, and others with no problems. Again that does nothing to help Francois. he received an airplane that was clearly broken as you can see in the pictures I don't think he was ranting nor do I think he was being unreasonable he simply expected to get what he paid for not a broken airplane.

so I kinda have to wonder what's the purpose of your post to say I have X number of orders and I'm really happy and I never have a problem. forgive me but that seems antagonistic.
It appears Francois' issue may have been resolved. No, it is not unreasonable for him to expect replacement for a broken product nor to receive a more timely response to his communication with Hobby King.

My point was to counter some of the bashing HK receives on RCU for their products and service with little thought given to time and language difference by a world wide company. Can they do better? Sure, but many fellows think they are the only customer in the world by demanding instant satisfaction.

Posting personal positive experiences with a vendor helps readers to balance their decision whether to patronize HK or not. Hearing only one side of a story does not allow an informed decision to be made.

Francois did not fall into the ranting category as he exhibited patience yet frustration. Others doing the rant-bash are undoubtedly not telling the whole story.
Old 06-03-2014, 11:38 AM
  #52  
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I guess the difference is that I don't see warning people about a company that does not provide good service as bashing, I see that as simply helping out your fellow hobbyists. let's face it there are plenty of hobby companies that do not provide good service.

Last edited by topspin; 06-03-2014 at 11:41 AM.
Old 06-03-2014, 12:53 PM
  #53  
Dick T.
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Originally Posted by topspin
I guess the difference is that I don't see warning people about a company that does not provide good service as bashing, I see that as simply helping out your fellow hobbyists. let's face it there are plenty of hobby companies that do not provide good service.
I consider "bashing" to be posts that contain little actual information other than a writers gripes about their personal experience. Several other posters, plus Francois, explained the give and take very well. Some only a one sided gripe.

Many RCU threads bashing a product or service always place the blame on the vendor. We never get the full story if the basher was rude or demanding rather than communicating the issue clearly and giving the vendor time to research and solve the problem.
Old 06-03-2014, 12:56 PM
  #54  
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Originally Posted by topspin
I guess the difference is that I don't see warning people about a company that does not provide good service as bashing, I see that as simply helping out your fellow hobbyists. let's face it there are plenty of hobby companies that do not provide good service.

+1 Also I will add I will never purchase from HK as long as they operate as they do now, When I look at the amounts of complaints against HK compared
to some of the other well know online hobby suppliers I can see HK has a problem.

Also it's not just here on RCU but other forums as well along with people at my flying site that I hear negative things about HK.
Old 06-03-2014, 02:18 PM
  #55  
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Absolutely! HK has stood out many times and one can indeed see they have a problem.

Also, Some appear to make it their job to "counter" a negative post, making it like a game of chess. To what end? For some, it's trolling. It's relatively easy to push someone's buttons when they are already upset. And face it, when someone goes to great lengths trying to get defective products replaced or get refunds for items not shipped and still no satisfaction, it's reasonable that they will be upset. Why "counter" if there is no dog in the fight?
Old 06-03-2014, 02:30 PM
  #56  
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"Maybe" they do have a dog in the fight!
Old 06-03-2014, 09:09 PM
  #57  
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Originally Posted by Joe 1320
Absolutely! HK has stood out many times and one can indeed see they have a problem.

Also, Some appear to make it their job to "counter" a negative post, making it like a game of chess. To what end? For some, it's trolling. It's relatively easy to push someone's buttons when they are already upset. And face it, when someone goes to great lengths trying to get defective products replaced or get refunds for items not shipped and still no satisfaction, it's reasonable that they will be upset. Why "counter" if there is no dog in the fight?

+1
Old 06-03-2014, 09:17 PM
  #58  
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Originally Posted by Dick T.
I consider "bashing" to be posts that contain little actual information other than a writers gripes about their personal experience. Several other posters, plus Francois, explained the give and take very well. Some only a one sided gripe.

Many RCU threads bashing a product or service always place the blame on the vendor. We never get the full story if the basher was rude or demanding rather than communicating the issue clearly and giving the vendor time to research and solve the problem.

IMO a person should not have to go into great detail just to report they feel they have been scammed. I say let the other side tell their own version of events if they care to.
Old 06-04-2014, 03:32 AM
  #59  
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Originally Posted by tailskid
"Maybe" they do have a dog in the fight!
It sure looks that way, doesn't it.
Old 06-04-2014, 09:34 AM
  #60  
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Gee, I didn’t realize writing opposing views to a negative post about a product or vendor was trolling or a personal crusade. I guess there is no room for expressing both types of experiences here.
Old 06-04-2014, 10:01 AM
  #61  
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You pay for what you get and that includes customer service. I compare HK to "Harbor Freight" so stop the whining.
Old 06-04-2014, 11:41 AM
  #62  
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We haven't heard anything from the original poster or seen the harsh e-mails If you send someone a nasty e-mail your most likely going to get the same back. My experience with HK has been great including a lost package.
Old 06-04-2014, 02:02 PM
  #63  
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Originally Posted by flycatch
You pay for what you get and that includes customer service. I compare HK to "Harbor Freight" so stop the whining.
I see no reason why how much you pay for something should have anything to do with basic customer service that being if you are not satisfied with
the item and you return it the item is promptly replaced or money refunded.

You should not have weigh the shipping box and or send pictures or wait days or weeks for a response or for refund.
Old 06-04-2014, 04:34 PM
  #64  
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Some of the responses are a little comical.

Like for example, someone is pissed and is ranting about customer service and a someone else posts something like "150 orders on my end and never any problem". Like that is really just posting a positive response. BS! That's rubbing someone's nose in it or a blatant attempt to negate the original post. The same would go for user posting a great deal on an item for sale, someone pops up and plays price police and starts bashing the price...... And we call that thread crapping. What is good for one, is good for the other. One can expect that a disgruntled customer to be upset, why in the world would someone blatantly try to counter that with so much vigor? It makes no logical sense. A more logical and less inflammatory response would be " Wow, sorry to hear of your issues. Hope you get them sorted out." Or..... Sorry to hear that, I hope that I don't run across that on my orders. It's good to know as to keep an eye out".

I am. Willing to bet that most of these Internet chess games cease the minute people are face to face rather than sitting in front of a computer screen. Lmao.

And yes, getting what you paid for is a core issue and has nothing to do with the price tag attached. Not delivering what people pay for is fraud. customer service afterward sure can shed light on the intent. Anything can happen when something is ordered and shipped. If something doesn't arrive or is damaged, how the company handles it speaks volumes. Every reputable company I know of, accounts for a certain percentage of defective / damaged product and also a portion of the budget is allocated for customer service. So to claim pricing prohibits good customer service is also a load of crap. We're not expecting 5star, kiss your royal butt service..... Just reasonable service. Like a refund that happens in days, not weeks for an item that they never shipped. Like sending you the parts missing from your kit without waiting 6 months....... Like not having to file a paypal claim because HK refuses to acknowledge the fact that the item you ordered is actually not in stock even though it shows in stock and you've been waiting for 4 weeks already while the chat room operator still says that your order is processed and cannot be cancelled. All this crap can be read on so many threads in multiple Internet forums, the stories can be heard at the local flying field too. Strangely enough, at the flying fields you don't find anyone who pipes up and tries to counter any negative publicity for hobbyking. What you get is more along the lines of "told you so, they are cheap but at some point you're going to get burnt. I already quit buying from them"
p

Last edited by Joe 1320; 06-04-2014 at 04:48 PM.
Old 06-07-2014, 09:52 AM
  #65  
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An interesting revelation. Someone from Australia posted on rcgroups that the purpose for the NYC Hobby King rep being on that forum is so that customers with problems will PM him directly.

Based on what I have read they appear to have only been marginally successful in resolving customer problems. That leaves me to assume that by having everyone PM them directly their real purpose is to reduce the number of negative posts about Hobby King on that site. I also notice they don't post here.

Last edited by topspin; 06-07-2014 at 09:54 AM.
Old 06-07-2014, 04:08 PM
  #66  
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Originally Posted by Joe 1320
Some of the responses are a little comical.

Like for example, someone is pissed and is ranting about customer service and a someone else posts something like "150 orders on my end and never any problem". Like that is really just posting a positive response. BS! That's rubbing someone's nose in it or a blatant attempt to negate the original post. The same would go for user posting a great deal on an item for sale, someone pops up and plays price police and starts bashing the price...... And we call that thread crapping. What is good for one, is good for the other. One can expect that a disgruntled customer to be upset, why in the world would someone blatantly try to counter that with so much vigor? It makes no logical sense. A more logical and less inflammatory response would be " Wow, sorry to hear of your issues. Hope you get them sorted out." Or..... Sorry to hear that, I hope that I don't run across that on my orders. It's good to know as to keep an eye out".

I am. Willing to bet that most of these Internet chess games cease the minute people are face to face rather than sitting in front of a computer screen. Lmao.

And yes, getting what you paid for is a core issue and has nothing to do with the price tag attached. Not delivering what people pay for is fraud. customer service afterward sure can shed light on the intent. Anything can happen when something is ordered and shipped. If something doesn't arrive or is damaged, how the company handles it speaks volumes. Every reputable company I know of, accounts for a certain percentage of defective / damaged product and also a portion of the budget is allocated for customer service. So to claim pricing prohibits good customer service is also a load of crap. We're not expecting 5star, kiss your royal butt service..... Just reasonable service. Like a refund that happens in days, not weeks for an item that they never shipped. Like sending you the parts missing from your kit without waiting 6 months....... Like not having to file a paypal claim because HK refuses to acknowledge the fact that the item you ordered is actually not in stock even though it shows in stock and you've been waiting for 4 weeks already while the chat room operator still says that your order is processed and cannot be cancelled. All this crap can be read on so many threads in multiple Internet forums, the stories can be heard at the local flying field too. Strangely enough, at the flying fields you don't find anyone who pipes up and tries to counter any negative publicity for hobbyking. What you get is more along the lines of "told you so, they are cheap but at some point you're going to get burnt. I already quit buying from them"
p

Joe that about sums it up you nailed it. I also wonder what price has to do with basic customer service and no body can answer that question either.

Last edited by ira d; 06-07-2014 at 04:11 PM.
Old 06-08-2014, 04:37 AM
  #67  
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Wait until they give you "Points" to buy something else instead of your money back.......

I'll never order from them ever again.
Old 06-08-2014, 05:12 AM
  #68  
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Originally Posted by Broken Wings
Wait until they give you "Points" to buy something else instead of your money back.......

I'll never order from them ever again.

When I had an issue with HK, they offered me the choice of "points" or a full refund.
Old 06-08-2014, 09:06 AM
  #69  
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Originally Posted by bogbeagle
When I had an issue with HK, they offered me the choice of "points" or a full refund.
As far as I know they have never offered a choice, if you want a refund instead of store credit you have ask for it and they reserve the option to refuse. The store credit allows them to hold on to your money. Also since it can't be used for postage it forces you to buy more. That's just pure avarice.
Old 06-08-2014, 09:26 AM
  #70  
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Top Spin is right about one thing. They do not want to separate from the money. That is what this is all about. Exchange of money. Perhaps we have a banker or some investment person that could explain how this all works. My knowledge is limited to seafood products. I was told one time it makes no difference what the product is. It is all about money exchange. Once the money changes hands it is hard to reverse the process. As model builders we just want our stuff. In this forum it appears we are caught up in the foreign exchange business. Perhaps there is someone that can straighten me out.

Last edited by koastrc; 06-14-2014 at 06:05 AM.
Old 06-08-2014, 12:03 PM
  #71  
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Originally Posted by topspin
As far as I know they have never offered a choice, if you want a refund instead of store credit you have ask for it and they reserve the option to refuse. The store credit allows them to hold on to your money. Also since it can't be used for postage it forces you to buy more. That's just pure avarice.




Here is the actual response that I got from HK, when they were dealing with my lost parcel.


I have checked your order 2007923905 and it seems you have been waiting for quite some time for this order. In this case, we can credit you for this lost parcel for the complete amount since we have not received an update since opening the investigation. Please confirm if you would like us to refund you via PayPal or credit points to your account. Or do you want to resend the parcel once confirmed that the parcel already returned to our warehouse.

We will be waiting for your response in this case. If you have any more concern, please free to respond on this email or contact us through Live chat (24-hour service).
Regards,
Michael
HobbyKing Support Team
Old 06-09-2014, 03:22 AM
  #72  
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Originally Posted by bogbeagle
Here is the actual response that I got from HK, when they were dealing with my lost parcel.


I have checked your order 2007923905 and it seems you have been waiting for quite some time for this order. In this case, we can credit you for this lost parcel for the complete amount since we have not received an update since opening the investigation. Please confirm if you would like us to refund you via PayPal or credit points to your account. Or do you want to resend the parcel once confirmed that the parcel already returned to our warehouse.

We will be waiting for your response in this case. If you have any more concern, please free to respond on this email or contact us through Live chat (24-hour service).
Regards,
Michael
HobbyKing Support Team
Same experience here. I had four orders never arrive last year. I eventually received refunds for all of them and was given the choice of store credit or an actual refund each time.

Dealing with their customer service was an exercise in patience and the refunds took about eight weeks but I did get them.

Two actual responses below.


Hi Robert,
Thank you for waiting for our response. Please be informed that we've already requested to refund your payment of $156.36 and we've also credited the bonus points used for the order 2008280954 which amounts to $35.09. If you want your payment to be stored to your bonus points, please let us know so we can process it for you.
Your patience and understanding on this matter is highly appreciated. Have a great day!
Thank you for emailing support, if you have any other questions, please let me know.
Regards,

Jeremicah B.
HobbyKing Support Team

Hi Robert,
Thank you for waiting for our response.
I have checked your order and it appears that we are unable to receive a response after 30 days when the investigation was opened. As for this reason, please let us know if you want the amount of $45.30 to be refunded back in the original mode of payment that was used or as bonus points which you may use in the future to purchase items.
We are looking forward to your response for further assistance.
Regards.
Michelle M.
HobbyKing Support Team

Old 06-09-2014, 06:45 AM
  #73  
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Proof that HK is in consistent or else the Internet would not be flooded with pissed off consumers. There are some that do everything they can to counter the negative publicity. every time someone does that, the negative thread comes right back to the top.
"Nobody reads the Internet" they say. Then why reply? Obviously people do read! Lol.....

8 weeks for a refund? Seriously? People that tolerate or praise 8 weeks are part of the problem. Thank you so much for verifying how pathetically slow HK really is. When you have to apologize for how long it takes speaks volumes.

Last edited by Joe 1320; 06-09-2014 at 06:48 AM.
Old 06-09-2014, 01:31 PM
  #74  
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Really, where is the flood of pissed off customers?

Of course some folks had bad experience(s) with Hobby King and are rightly upset about it. I certainly want their issue to be resolved satisfactorily. Unfortunately HK has lost a future and some potential customers because of it.

Obviously some folks have positive experiences to relate and do so when responding to a problem. That seems to be the root issue some here cannot deal with.

This thread has become filled with a number of posts by some who have never nor are planning to do business with Hobby King. So what is their point in the discussion other than blathering on about how smart they are for avoiding Hobby King.

RCU forums have long been a great place for exchanging information, good and bad. It seems in recent years occasional forum posts seem to rally some members to drag out a soapbox for bully other viewpoints.

Facts are facts. Those posting good or bad experiences have personally dealt with Hobby King. The rest is BS.
Old 06-09-2014, 02:54 PM
  #75  
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If you want to see the flood Dick you need to look at some other forums, mainly Hobby King exclusive forums. As for me, I had several transactions with Hobby King that went well but in the end I had one really bad transaction and two outright disasters. It is the disastrous transactions that bring me here because as you pointed out " RCU forums have long been a great place for exchanging information good and bad."

So here we are exchanging information both good and bad. however if you do happen to look at some of the other forums you will find that there are a great many dissatisfied customers and that should tell you something about this company. they seem to have more complaints and dissatisfied customers than any other large hobby company that I have seen.

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