Scalenut52

Hello LXL (Herman),

I just left you a voicemail message on your phone. UPS will have your order delivered TODAY. It was delayed three days, UPS is using weather as an excuse. Please let me know if I can help further. Thank you again for your order.

DOUG

xlamontx

Thank You Doug for such a rapid response to my post and PM. Admittedly I was pleasantly surprised to here from you so soon. Herman

juvaknin

Doug just e-mailed me.. they have lot's of Snow in this weekend...
promesed to have shipping information today to my e-mail..
Thanks Doug.

BeltCH

But ONLY when the CUSTOMER SUFFERS through the DIFFICULT task of UNSCREWING![:@]

BeltCH

Don't they make snowshoes for horses ...or camels?

Scalenut52

BeltCH,

Your never going to buy anything from us, so i dont understand why you havent found anyhting better to do with your time then to keep on making comments here.

DOUG

BeltCH

As I said before I can't fly because I don't have the necessary servos and I haven't recieved my refund so I can't buy more. You're right, I won't TRY to buy anything else from you. I believe, when you finally realised that, you stopped caring if I ever get my servos or a refund.

Now stop screwing around on the internet and go answer some of that email you've been ignoring! ...shovel some snow or something!

xlamontx

Just a follow up from this morning...
Doug, My package came just as you said in the message you left me this morning. I'm a little embarrassed that I got nervous from reading some of the other post. Anyway, all is well, and I look forward to doing business with you.

Herman (XLX)

Scalenut52

Sounds good Herman, Thank you agian for the order.

DOUG

Laggard

My package has apparently entered the postal equivalent of limbo. []

dmcmike

My Feedback: (14)

and we have another..... [:@]
Sorry to hear about your problems, really... I know what I went through, double charges[sm=thumbs_down.gif], wrong servos,[sm=thumbs_down.gif] short order,[sm=thumbs_down.gif] shipping numbers that NEVER existed (I checked, got a friend at USPS)...[:@] [sm=48_48.gif]etc. etc. etc. He finally came through, didn't even want the mis-shipped servo back, so it got sold. I do hope you get your order, but as for me and mine... never again. Just here to spread the word!

mcmike

Scalenut52

McMike,

The man got a prompt refund. Your word has laready been spread.

DOUG

BeltCH

I have to agree with mcmike. Although he got a refund, he has my sympathy and I hope he still gets that package you sent. You did send it ...didn't you?

dmcmike

My Feedback: (14)

you missed my point.... the service is just as bad as it was a year ago.... Thats the point!

Scalenut52

Not our service, why dont you give it a rest.

BeltCH

My latest purchase:

Mon, Jan 14:
Ordered from ADVANTAGE HOBBY Champaign, IL (650 mi) same price as Tower but free UPS shipping (> $50 order)
Received automated email w/ various discounts inc 5% off first order!
Received invoice w/ 5% discounted
Received (within 5 hrs) tracking # from UPS at the request of ADVANTAGE HOBBY!!! (ETA: Jan 16)
Received (½ hr later) shipping confirmation

Wed, Jan 16:
Package arrived at 2:30 PM

Scalenut52

Illinois to Maryland. Things take longer from the NE even under standard shippign conditions. Anyway...........

BeltCH

I wouldn't care if it took a week. AVANTAGE HOBBY assured me that it was en route within 5 hrs! And I never asked for a tracking #, AVANTAGE HOBBY did!
I didn't even know I was getting 5% off when I placed the order! ADVANTAGE HOBBY would definitely get repeat business from me!
ADVANTAGE HOBBY gets a lot of smileys!

http://www.advantagehobby.com/

Teachu2

My Feedback: (133)

Tower/Omni do the same thing - I get updates to the email address of my choosing throughout the process. I get a confirmation when I order, a notification when it's shipped, and UPS even tells me when it has been delivered in very close to real time. I can go to Tower or Omni sites 24/7 and see what's been shipped - and the UPS tracking number is right there, hot-linked so I can simply click on it and get an update on the progress of the package.

That's dam hard for a small operator to compete with. The big guys have refined their process to automate as much as possible. They have HUGE inventory, and two distribution centers. They have lots of staff, and huge buying power. For the small independent to compete, they have to offer the customer some advantage. Better pricing is hard to do. Better service is also hard to do. Merchandising around the big guy is even hard to do - but it can be done. Tower doesn't sell Saito or JR, Horizon doesn't sell OS or Futaba. Neither sell DA or 3W.

The problem (as I see it) is that we consumers have gotten more demanding in our ...well, demands! We want low prices, cheap shipping, fast service, and excellent communications. Three out of four won't cut it - not when the big guys are so darn dependable. The margins are thin, so nobody is going to significantly beat the big guys day in and day out. It gets down to "Do I spend $180 and know I'll have it in hand in 5 days, or is it worth taking my chances to save $5 or $10?". Like I said before, I'd hate to try to compete with Tower, Omni and Horizon on their terms. I feel for you, Doug. It used to be if you did someone a good job, they'd tell a couple of friends, if you screwed up - they'd tell 20! Now, with the power of the Internet, they tell thousands.

Yes, it's a whole lot easier to armchair quarterback than it is to play in the NFL. I understand that. The recurring issue throughout this thread is that when something has gone wrong, your company has not responded to the customer's satisfaction. Tracking numbers that don't track, emails not answered, and a feeling of being evaded seems to be the theme of this thread.

BeltCH

Silly me. I just expected to get what I paid for. But after almost 2 months of apologies, broken promises, ignored email, lies, excuses, etc., I'm now waiting for a refund. I'd say Doug is in the wrong business. He'd be better suited as a politician. [:'(]

Teachu2

My Feedback: (133)

I'm sure not trying to say that you are silly or overly demanding in any way! I'm saying that:
1) Consumers has become accustomed to getting competitive prices, cheap shipping, fast service and excellent communication
2) The big guys do all that
3) It's VERY hard to compete with the big guys
4) The Internet allows us access to information far more readily than ever before - NOBODY has a closed market. There is no more "Only Shop in Town"
5) When you don't deliver, word gets out.

I'd be mad as all getout, too!

Mike545

ive been having problems with receiving batteries, and fuel for about 2 mths on batts. and 3 weeks on fuel. still holding out

BeltCH

Let's say it's true that there are only several of us with legitimate complaints and it's really not O'briens fault. Why not do WHATEVER it takes to insure those customers complete satifisfaction. It may cost the company a few hundred bucks but at least this thread wouldn't exist and current customers wouldn't come here, in the worse place possible, looking for Doug to answer their email. That can't be good for business. O'brien is the only company I know of that customers had to REMIND them to send their stuff weeks after they paid for it. They have a problem that should've been addressed IMMEDIATELY after their FIRST complaint long ago. Maybe they satifsy enough customers to stay afloat but dealing with them is like playing Russian roulette.

No company, without sufficient funds, can jump right in and compete with the big dogs in terms of profit but they can in price and customer service. They may lose money at first, but getting and keeping the customers is the first order of business, profit WILL come LATER.

Mike545

i agree

Scalenut52

Hello,

Just a post for everyone following this thread. As of today, we have established an account with Fedex, we will be using them for 75-80 % of our shipping starting around end of the month. If after that point NEW people ( not people who experinced problems 4, 6 or 8 months ago that keep posting to put us down) are posting to this thread with problems. I will east all of my words and post it publically on this thread.

As for keeping customers satisfied, we have a few thousand customers who are just fine and dandy and satisfied and order from us 9 most of them repeat and regularly. And as far as past problems, people were given free goods, full refunds, with extra money to cover cost of any phone calls made to us, expedited shipping, free shipping or free merchandise on their next order), apart from driving the package out to the customer ourselves, we tried to satisfy every problem as best we could.

So today is 1/17/08. Shortly we are using Fedex and hopefully cutting out the UPS and post office problems all together. So unless more problems keep mounting even when we start using fedex, eveyone should give it a rest, as far as the repaeat complaints and posts go. Yes you think we suck, i got that 20 posts ago, let it up!

Doug