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E-Flight in United Kingdom - 9/18/2003 3:47:37 PM   
Aerosplat



Posts: 707
Joined: 12/11/2001
From: Lawrenceville, GA, USA
Status: offline 		Has anyone done business with E-Flight in the UK ? http://www.e-flight.co.uk/
I placed an order with them on Monday, 9/15. I got an immediate confirmation that my order was received and an order number. However, the order still shows not processed and I have gotten no response to any of the 4 E-Mails I have sent them.
Any feedback on this company will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Robert

_____________________________

---- Robert ----
"If you put a big enough engine on it, even a brick will fly. But it will never 3-D"
       Post #: 1

RE: E-Flight in United Kingdom - 9/18/2003 4:38:20 PM   
Wright Flyer



Posts: 485
Joined: 9/10/2002
From: Finchingfield, Essex, UNITED KINGDOM
Status: offline 		Ian Ankers there is normally one of the most helpful and responsive people but I too am waiting for a Robbe Eolo I ordered about 5-6 weeks ago but I know that for most of August Ian was on holiday and then, on his return, there was some personal tradgedy (a bereavement?) which meant that he wasn't available for some further time. I emailed a few days ago to ask how things were going but like you, have not had a rsponse but I'm not too concerned as he's a "good bloke".

Cliff

(in reply to Aerosplat)
       Post #: 2

RE: E-Flight in United Kingdom - 9/18/2003 9:06:19 PM   
naimad


 

Posts: 16
Joined: 8/14/2003
From: Manchester, UNITED KINGDOM
Status: offline 		Hi, I ordered some new blades from them for my hummingbird, after 1 week I had still heard nothing, no answers to emails etc, so I ordered some from http://www.modelhelicopters.co.uk, then 2 days later the orders from both places arrived in the same post...

Think midland is a lot quicker, unless e-flight were just out of stock at the time.

Damian.

(in reply to Aerosplat)
       Post #: 3

RE: E-Flight in United Kingdom - 9/19/2003 12:54:50 PM   
Aerosplat



Posts: 707
Joined: 12/11/2001
From: Lawrenceville, GA, USA
Status: offline 		I appreciate the replies.

Does anyone have more detailed information concerning the status of this company, or know when they might start responding again? I tried calling yesterday, but the phone rang with no answer. Is Ian a one man operation? I regret if he is having a personal crisis, but I will need to cancel my order if he does not respond by first of next week.
Thanks again, Robert.

_____________________________

---- Robert ----
"If you put a big enough engine on it, even a brick will fly. But it will never 3-D"

(in reply to Aerosplat)
       Post #: 4

RE: E-Flight in United Kingdom - 9/19/2003 4:29:18 PM   
Wright Flyer



Posts: 485
Joined: 9/10/2002
From: Finchingfield, Essex, UNITED KINGDOM
Status: offline 		E-flight is not just a web site but also a shop. I'm not sure but it may be pretty much a one man operation.

Cliff

(in reply to Aerosplat)
       Post #: 5

RE: E-Flight in United Kingdom - 9/20/2003 12:22:23 AM   
budzilla


 

Posts: 9
Joined: 2/23/2003
From: penryn,cornwall, UNITED KINGDOM
Status: offline 		hi all
e-flight are back in business again,i received my hummingbird a couple of days ago (woo-hoo!!) all iv'e got to do now is get it to fly ...

happy landings.
chris

(in reply to Wright Flyer)
       Post #: 6

RE: E-Flight in United Kingdom - 9/20/2003 9:52:58 AM   
savagegti


 

Posts: 37
Joined: 5/3/2003
From: l, UNITED KINGDOM
Status: offline 		very bad comms,cant even be bothered to answer phone on the many times i tried. Trevor at midland will help even if you dont buy anything top man

(in reply to budzilla)
       Post #: 7

Draw your own conclusions - 9/20/2003 4:57:28 PM   
Aerosplat



Posts: 707
Joined: 12/11/2001
From: Lawrenceville, GA, USA
Status: offline 		Well, here is how it went......
I ordered on 9/15/03 and got immediate order confirmation via E-Mail. Through 9/17 my order remained not processed on web site. I sent 5 E-mails, got no response. Yesterday, 9/19 I noticed their website had been upgraded with higher pricing for the items I had ordered. I sent another E-Mail canceling my order. This morning my order was gone from my account on their web site -- Immediate response to my cancel request. I still have not received any E-Mail response from E-Flight. Not the way I like to do business.

_____________________________

---- Robert ----
"If you put a big enough engine on it, even a brick will fly. But it will never 3-D"

(in reply to Aerosplat)
       Post #: 8

RE: Draw your own conclusions - 9/23/2003 10:56:51 AM   
Anks


 

Posts: 5
Joined: 7/5/2003
From: UK
Status: offline 		E-Flight is a small family business based UK, the motives for creating such a venture came from my own desire to actually be able to find good quality, reasonable price electric flight items in the UK.

During the latter two weeks in August we took a short break, this was clearly displayed on website well in advance. All orders placed during the period would be shipped when we return and of course we were not able to respond to e-mail.

We returned on the 1st of September but very shortly afterwards a close family suddenly passed away. This was as you can understand a very difficult time and toy helicopters were far from our minds, despite the numerous rude and abrupt e-mails we received during this time which didn't help matters we did not feel as some do that there hobby was more important than life and death. We displayed information about the loss we expereinced on the website also.

Other resellers seem to of taken this oppurtunity to knock our outfit during this time, what a nice business were in!

One thing to consider here, no one has EVER lost out, we never charge for orders unlike some until they are shipped, so your order might of been delayed a few days or you might not of had a query answered quickly, we lost a loved one, priorities?

Thank you for your time.

(in reply to Aerosplat)
       Post #: 9

RE: Draw your own conclusions - 9/23/2003 11:53:30 AM   
Hoverup



Posts: 637
Joined: 7/4/2002
From: Gulf Coast, USA
Status: offline 		Saddened to hear of your loss Ian. You are right about priorities.

Cheerio - Boyd

< Message edited by Hoverup -- 9/23/2003 12:29:17 PM >

(in reply to Anks)
       Post #: 10

RE: E-Flight in United Kingdom - 9/23/2003 9:48:52 PM   
Aerosplat



Posts: 707
Joined: 12/11/2001
From: Lawrenceville, GA, USA
Status: offline 		Anks,
I also am sorry to hear of your loss. Knowing this I can understand your situation. The only hint I had there might be a problem was from post # 2 above by Wright Flyer. I intended no offense in the posts above, I simply reported my experience as it happened. I had never seen the E-Flight web site before about September 9th. I NEVER saw any notices on the Web site indicating a disruption in normal business. I sent 3 or 4 inquiries using the "contact us" button on the site. I replied via regular E-Mail to the order confirmation notice that was sent to me, inquiring about the status of my order. I also tried to call on the phone several times. All I got was ringing, no answer, or answering machine message. Then in post #6 "budzilla" reported he had received his order, and the next morning I noticed the site had been updated with new prices. I still had not received a single reply to any of my inquiries, although it was obvious the business was functioning. That caused a great deal of apprehension on my part, and that is why I canceled the order.
Again, I mean no harm to you or your business. However, I believe I have given a factual accounting of my experience.
I now know the reason behind the delay, and that is understandable. I hope and pray things will go better for you in the future. I remain registered at your Web site, and as I said in my order cancellation, perhaps we can do business in the future. I regret the mis-understanding.
Sincerely,
Robert.

_____________________________

---- Robert ----
"If you put a big enough engine on it, even a brick will fly. But it will never 3-D"

(in reply to Aerosplat)
       Post #: 11

RE: Draw your own conclusions - 9/23/2003 11:51:55 PM   
jarose


 

Posts: 14
Joined: 9/21/2003
From: Fiskdale, MA, USA
Status: offline 		why did you allow you website to still take orders then. Not many people are going two wait 2 weeks to get an order processed.. You should have just put a temp web site up. I am assuming you kept your website up to continue to make money. I certainly feel bad for you recent departure, but talking only about your vacation , I think it might have been a bad buisness decision. I have never ordered from you, but I have had bad customer service in the past and I tend to side with the customer...

(in reply to Hoverup)
       Post #: 12

RE: E-Flight in United Kingdom - 9/24/2003 12:16:14 AM   
Anks


 

Posts: 5
Joined: 7/5/2003
From: UK
Status: offline 		We did as many do, place notices during the period of our vaction on the checkout and front screens. Many of our items are unique and customers are more than happy to wait until we return to have them dispatched, a period at most of a week. People were very aware of the situation well in advance they then had a choice.

Our business was never designed to make money, it operates at a loss.

We did not plan the death of a relative and could not make consideration for this. I totally resent the fact you consider this bad service without knowledge of the situation.

We had staff to process orders, only order with problems of either stock or bad credit cards were delayed, these were not modellers and could not answer technical questions yet many orders were still processed.

Don't believe all you read here or on any other BBS especially from new members pushing vendors, often they are the vendors or connected to them. Try finding established members comments about such places and you might be surprised to find the opposite.

We care about our customers, and why I felt it only fair to come here and make a post, the genuine customers have cancelled orders but I felt it fair to give an explaination.

So jarose, during one of your free periods or a boring leason, think to yourself how doing what you have suggested might actually be extremely business bad practice.

(in reply to Aerosplat)
       Post #: 13

RE: E-Flight in United Kingdom - 9/24/2003 12:50:02 AM   
jarose


 

Posts: 14
Joined: 9/21/2003
From: Fiskdale, MA, USA
Status: offline 		look if your taking a loss on your buisness then lets not talk about bad buisness decisions, because running a buisness at a loss might qualify as one. and if you customer don't mind waiting a week, great!. I can only tell you I wouldn't.. So just to get this straight during your vacation you were sorta up. People were there that didn't know the buisness filling orders.. so maybe you should have posted on your sight "we are sorta up unless there is any kind of issue with your order, then we are down. You have said "We did not plan the death of a relative and could not make consideration for this" I said "but talking only about your vacation , I think it might have been a bad buisness decision" um read.. anyway I have to give you credit for trying to defend your buisness. The death of your relative is certainly understandle and if my order was delayed because of that I would not have a problem. oh and I am not pushing any kind of vendor, so stop trying to use my new member status as something to discredit me.

(in reply to Anks)
       Post #: 14

RE: E-Flight in United Kingdom - 9/24/2003 1:16:55 AM   
Anks


 

Posts: 5
Joined: 7/5/2003
From: UK
Status: offline 		I doubt it will be long before someone will flame you, of course you deserve it for your poor logic and instead of simply browsing the reply, please read it carefully. No attempt was made to discredit you at all.

You have no understanding of the business yet still make assumptions based on no facts.

E-flight was not designed to make a profit, it exists so that Electric Airplane and Helicopter enthusiasts in the UK can get sound advice and products which actually worked. Profit was not in the equation from day one.

When you get older you will become frustrated with situations and wish you could do something about them, in our hobby especially in the UK where we have only one shop for the whole country apart from us who actually specalise in electric flight products but are not forthcoming with advice. I found it very annoying the way modellers were mislead in the UK and sold products which would never work, this still goes on today. My decision was to establish a shop which could do this and it worked extremely well, we have an excellent reputation for the service we provide.

Look, to explain read the text marked important in this link http://www.e-flight.co.uk/robbe-eolo-helicopter-cheap-deal.asp now imagine being sold such controller after spending a lot of money on a helicopter to find a component was not designed to operatein one, you crash and loose a lot of money. How do we know this happens? Because people call us with orders for proper controllers.

So there is an extensive reply to why we trade the way we do. However I am a successful businessman who runs a profitable concern and can afford to run this at a loss as long as it serves a purpose, not of couse this is any of your business at all.

So Jarose it would be nice to know what qualifies you to make assumptions and corrections to our business ethics and practises, you are obviously a school child which you do not deny and your grammer is unbelievably bad. But if I needed a business adviser, which of course I don't, I doubt you would be able to complete the application form.

(in reply to jarose)