ira d

It is not in any way ludicrous to think that a vendor should be responsible for a package until the customer receives it because not only is that the right thing to do but that is the way many
vendors operate. If HK wants to operate the wrong way they should post a disclaimer stating such.

radfordc

My Feedback: (14)

Check your tinfoil hat...I think it's slipped a little.

ira d

Maybe it has I kind suspected that may have happened, I think I need a new one. Say can you tell what brand of tinfoil hat you wear and where you purchased it.

Duncman

Man, there is a lot of good advice and opinions in this thread and not much I can add other than to say that on those rare occasions when I do order from HK I keep the total down, the urgency is thrown out the window, and choose my products carefully, only that which is not otherwise available elsewhere and/or an item that will be used in a highly sacrificial environment. Thought being that if things go south in the order my emotion is out of the picture so I deal better with the issue. HK is a big outfit, likely understaffed to keep costs under check, but in today's computer world that is no excuse for consistently lousy customer service, so, if you need an order accurately filled and delivered in a timely manner as well as any and all disputes settled with minimal stress and quickly then HK is not your vendor of choice. BTW, I have better luck with USPS than UPS, and it is cheaper.

on_your_six

My Feedback: (11)

Through all of this, keep in mind, this WAS NOT AN INTERNATIONAL SHIPMENT. Batteries were ordered from the East Coast shipping location. Hobby King is NOT responsible for the United States Postal Service or any other shipper the buyer selects. Occasionally I have shipping problems and I have never blamed it on the merchant. I enjoy the low prices of HK and will continue to do so no matter what anyone here says.

scale only 4 me

My Feedback: (158)

Ever stop to think thats not an option for everyone, he's asking for advise not your pity


OP
contact paypal or your cc company, that's your only option

good luck

porcia83

My Feedback: (8)

Wrong on every level, so completely and utterly wrong, and misleading. Where do you come up with this stuff?

But since you asked the question, why DID they move out of WA state? The answer above makes absolutely no sense, since they moved to Oregon from Washington state. So...in terms of paying taxes to the USA, how does moving to another state stop that from happening? Right, it doesn't. They have a location in Arkansas, and now in Oregon, and they have an office in New York. I'll go out on a limb and say all are paying taxes of some type, and plenty of them too. Inventory, sales, Work Comp, Payroll...the list goes on.


For some, the answer to every hobby related issues is using a local hobby shop.

crashlander

My Feedback: (10)

I was pleasantly surprised last week when I received my order from HK for a pattern motor in less than one week ( six days). This is the first time in years I receive great service.
I never really had any complaints about HK other than their shipping rates which were exceptionally high. But his time, the rate was reasonable and the time was great.
Keep it up HK.

Crashlander (AKA Orlando)

flyinwalenda

My Feedback: (5)

Careful out there on that limb. It's about to break !

robwiljas

Under US law (Uniform Commercial Code) unless otherwise agreed to in contract the seller is responsible for any loss until the items are delivered to the buyer.

Edit: For example, if the seller offers shipping insurance for an extra fee and the buyer refuses it, then the buyer is assuming responsibility for the loss. If the seller doesn't offer it, and its not stated otherwise in the contract, the seller is liable for the loss until it's delivered.

Edit2: I've never read HobbyKings terms and conditions that you agree to when ordering, they may have it in there.

scale only 4 me

My Feedback: (158)

Is it? Just curious, What evidence that they are avoiding taxes do you have??

topspin

Unless someone on this thread actually works for Hobby King you have no way of knowing how big, or not big they really are. As far as intentionally misdirecting a package goes I doubt they would do that but they have quit a history of that happening. most likely poor attention to detail.

The old thing about keeping costs low and all of the other nonsense about being inexpensive so even the most basic customer service is some sort of luxury is just nonsense. Hobby King has no middle man, they operate at a much higher profit margin than other hobby suppliers as a result. They are simply too tight fisted to spend a little money on customer satisfaction. Their primary customer base are the toy people who just want cheap stuff, almost all of the experienced modelers buy from other sources because we simply know better and frankly are just not that cheap.

So unless you work for them please don't tell us how big they are or how many orders they fill per day/ year, whatever because you simply don't know and neither do I. It's just guessing and hollow arguments to defend a company that has the worst customer service in the hobby business.

As for the guy who thinks they are still in Washington, sorry they moved to Oregon. And for the post directly above this one I ask,,,,,What evidence do you have that they are not trying to avoid taxes/customs, etc.. Do you work for them? If not then don't know what their motives are for moving and neither do I.

My head just spun all the way around.

Duncman

I did some soul searching in regards to this thread as regards to my internet purchasing experience and also what I noticed in these comments. A lot of stones are being cast both pro and con in regards to HK shipping practices and after sale customer service and that is as it should be. I buy from Tower, Valley View, TBM, Jett, etc. as well as hobby King and I have yet to have any shipping issues with any of them except for HK and if I have a problem with the product and Tower is so far (other than HK) the only one to have erred in a shipment, the issue was resolved painlessly and I was given my satisfaction, post haste. It seems that whenever I buy from HK there is always some drama in the shipment and/or customer service and to get something done taking weeks, months maybe, going through all the effort of taking pictures, etc., come on HK supporters give me a break, they don't deserve it, and I don't believe for one minute they moved to avoid taxes, they moved to make more money, period. If saving a buck is so important to you that you will put up with crap like that then fine, be my guest, but please don't defend them it insults your intelligence. I do not spend much money with HK and unless they do a 180, that is the way it shall stay, just what I can't find elsewhere or is sacrificial not urgently needed. There is a value to customer service and accurate shipping practices and HK simply does not respect that value. Just my rant.

OliverJacob

My Feedback: (12)

Good for you. So how is someone 'defending' HK ? People here shared their personal experiences and it is your choice do do business with whoever you want.
It is very simple. Buy cheap and expect less quality and customer service. If your items are for that old beater plane, it's good enough.
For a 10k jet, I'd get my items elsewhere.

Duncman

OliverJacob, there are several posts in this thread that defends HK directly or by placing blame on postal carriers. it certainly is your choice to spend it as you see fit but I take issue with defending something that is so obviously flawed, just gives them credence to maintain status quo.

ira d

I have a hard time grasping the reasoning behind letting HK off the hook because they have lower prices, I bet same guys that say it's ok for HK to give poor service if they went
to a car dealer and purchased a $60,000.00 car and had the dealer order it and having paid in full or put down a large deposit and heard nothing from the dealer would
be upset and call the dealer first not the factory or transportation company

Next after calling the dealer was told the truck bringing you car had a wreck and destroyed your car but because you bought a 65K car for 60k we can't help you have to work it
out with the transportation company. I wonder how long it would take them to get a lawyer and sue the dealer, the transport company, the truck driver and anyone else they can
think of.

rliezhepet

The state ag won't do a thing for you since its a civil matter.

ahicks

My Feedback: (2)

People are going to keep using HK, period. Those that don't like them don't need to. They're getting along fine without you.

Here's the reality. They're expanding, getting bigger and bigger. They've built a business model that's working very well for them. In a relatively short amount of time, they've gone from ordering direct from China only, to opening a US warehouse/order center, to adding an East Coast office (airplane hangar), and now a second US warehouse.

The writing is on the wall, in very plain and simple terms.

I think they're an asset to the hobby (you do not need to agree). You just need to figure out how to deal with them on their terms. They aren't set up to do any hand holding. If you require that, go someplace else! Order via credit card, after doing due diligence on the components of your order, and you should do fine. DON'T back order anything!

Last, for those that think orders will take weeks to arrive? That will very likely be the case if you order from the China warehouse. If you take the time to figure out how to order from one of the US warehouses, you can reasonably expect delivery as fast as anyone else shipping from the same area (days).

OliverJacob

My Feedback: (12)

+1

That sums it up. If you need to be pampered, order elsewhere and pay extra.
I sometimes wonder how many HK flamers here are really affiliated with their competitors.

If you have very expensive models, or fly competition, it makes a lot of sense to spend more and get the highest quality items.
The little beater plane does fine with HK items. I have about 20 Fasst receivers, orange, Corona and Flysky. None of them has failed yet.
In some forums here people who never bought one loudly warned others, because they see them fail all the time...

radfordc

My Feedback: (14)

Not so sure you're right about that. I looked up the Uniform Commercial code and found this:

§ 2–509. Risk of Loss in the Absence of Breach.
(1) Where the contract requires or authorizes the seller to ship the goods by carrier
(a) if it does not require him to deliver them at a particular destination, the risk of loss passes
to the buyer when the goods are duly delivered to the carrier even though the shipment is
under reservation (Section 2–505);

Wikipedia says this: FOB place of business—The seller assumes risk of loss until goods are placed on a carrier. FOB destination: seller risks loss until shipment arrives at destination. If the contract leaves out the delivery place, it is the seller’s place of business.

radfordc

My Feedback: (14)

Let's re-look your analogy. You go to an up scale dealership and spend thousands for a car....paying the dealer a large fee for his service. You expect the dealer to do what ever is necessary to satisfy you.

Or, you go to the local discount car lot and buy a car for thousands less. Now ask the dealer for service and see what you get.

It seems to me your complain against HK is really an admission that you tried to cheap out and now regret that decision.

OliverJacob

My Feedback: (12)

In case you have not understood the first post on here - HK is still 'working' on the issue. They allow themselves another month to come up with a solution.
And this is what HK is to blame for - very slow responses an a ridiculous waiting time. And it does not matter who caused the shipment to get lost, HK should be moving a lot quicker - at least for a national shipment.
This is something you have to be willing to accept when dealing with HK.

ira d

No admission here I don't buy from HK.

[email protected]

My Feedback: (1)

this site is better then the local newspaper i get

ira d

I think it very very obvious that anyone dealing with HK has to accept they may not get what they paid for in a timely manner or maybe not at all.