Why YOU should never do business with Hitec.

Why YOU should never do business with Hitec.
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Why YOU should never do business with Hitec. - 6/30/2004 10:06:17 PM

Chevelle

Posts: 548
Joined: 6/19/2003
From: Fairport, NY,
Status: offline

Oh sure. I read all the knocks against Hitec but figured, hey, that are a major brand and have lots of product out there. They are bound to upset a few customers and probably some of them are just over reacting to a very reasonable problem.

NOT SO. I regret ever selecting them and I will never do business with them again. Here's why:

PART 1: My letter to Hitec dated June 22...

quote:

I have a BalsaUSA 1/4 scale Pup that I have now flown for the first time. Right from the start I am experiencing a glitching problem. I hope you can help solve it for me.

Transmitter: JR 662
Receiver: Hitec Supreme Rx P/N 23872 Ch.58
Rcvr Battery: 4.8v 1400 mah
Servos: Hitec HS475HB (Throttle, 2 Ailerons)
Servos: Hitec HS635HB (Rudder, Elevator)
Engine: Zenoah G26

Everything was purchased brand new for this airplane with the exception of the transmitter. It is one year old. Attached are some pictures taken during assembly…

This shows the servo installation. It also shows the battery and receiver mounting. Both the battery and receiver are wrapped in foam. The receiver was then taped on top of the battery and they are both suspended in the fuselage to minimize the effects of vibration. You can also see how the receiver wire enters a guide tube. (The final assembly is a bit neater. The wire has less slack and is secured in the tube by a piece of silicone tubing as a plug.)

These show the guide tube for the antenna. As you can see, the antenna wire is maintained straight all the way through the airplane.

This picture shows the engine installation. Note the aluminum lining of the firewall. When the cutoff switch was installed (after this picture was taken) this aluminum panel was connected to the engine case to serve as a shield.

No glitching was experienced during the normal ground checks. Takeoffs and close in flying were also no problem. The problem occurs when the plane is in the pattern and the furthest away. Almost every time the plane is straight in front of me, the glitch occurs. When it does, it seems to be in the elevator although once in a while the throttle glitched. The glitch is a momentary movement, not a fluttering. The elevator usually move up for an instant causing the plane to “bump” up. Since the plane is large and the glitch short, the plane did not get out of control. The effect is quite repeatable and I have noticed that it occurs when the antenna is almost directly pointing at the plane. (I do not move from side to side as the plane flies so the transmitter is essentially stationary the whole time. I also hold the transmitter pretty flat.)

I was concerned about the possibility of engine interference so I did a ground test with a friend. The plane was on the ground perpendicular to me with the engine off. The transmitter antenna was shorted to about 1/3 the full extension. I slowly backed away from the plane while moving the rudder back and forth. I also moved the transmitter up and down covering the range from where the antenna was pointed below the plane to above the plane. At about 75 feet we were able to create the glitch. The elevator would twitch for about a half second or so. It would occur when the transmitter antenna was pointed slightly above the plane.

I am well aware that the energy distribution from a pole antenna is the least at the tip but even so, this should not occur. It does not occur with my other plane that has the JR receiver in it. This is obviously a serious problem. Although the plane was never in danger, I am very uncomfortable with this situation. It may get worse to the point where I could lose the plane.

Please let me know what my options are. I look forward to you response. Feel free to call me.

Bob

PART 2 Hitec's Response dated June 23...

quote:

Hello Bob,

Thank you for your detailed information and pictures. It is very helpful to get all the information. Please send the receiver in for evaluation. If you could please fill out the attached form and include a copy of this email I would appreciate it.

Regards,

Tony Ohm
Service Manager
Hitec RCD USA, Inc

I packed up the receiver in all the orginal packing materials. I called and talked to Mr. Ohm. I expressed my concern that the turn around would take a long time. He assured me that they will look into it as soon as they receive it. I again expressed my concern that I may miss an event because of this issue. He assured me that they will do what they can. I asked if a replacement could be sent to speed things up. I provided a copy of the receipt that showed I bought the receiver in March. Mr. Ohm said that too much time had gone by. It did not matter that it did not go into the plane until June. (Note the file names on the pictures.) I specifically asked if I could receive it by Friday, July 2. Mr. Ohm assured me that they would look at it as soon as it arrived and would do what they could to get it to me by Friday. (He now denies saying this.)

PART 3 The result as of June 30...

The receiver arrived at Hitec at 9am on Monday. I called on Wednesday to check on the status. They had not gotten to it but was told that they would get to it by the end of the day. With my deadline approaching, I was not feeling to comfortable about all of this. I checked back later in the day. They were just getting to it. The bottom line is that the receiver was at fault. The oscillator was detuned which reduced the sensitivity.

This is of MAJOR concern to me. Obviously their quality control is poor to allow such a product to go out. I will never risk a $100 airplane on this kind of quality much less a $1000 1/4 Sopwith Pup that tookl six months to build.

Mr. Ohm said that the earliest it could go out Thursday. They would ship it FedEx if I paid for it. ME? I already paid $15 to send it to them 3-day express. (FedEx would have gotten it there on a Saturday would would have been a waste of money.) Now they want me to pay another $33 for overnighting.

Frankly, I don't want it. I want my money back but they will not do that.

PART 4

I will never do business with Hitec and I highly recommend that you do not either. They quality control is obviously poor and their customer service is just as bad. DO NOT RISK YOUR PLANES on their stuff.

Good Luck.

< Message edited by Chevelle -- 6/30/2004 5:07:49 PM >

Post #: 1

I use their SERVOS all the time... - 6/30/2004 11:01:51 PM

The PIPE

Posts: 703
Joined: 10/5/2002
From: Weymouth, MA, USA
Status: offline

Dear Chevelle:

The PIPE Here yet AGAIN...and so far I've had nothing but GREAT luck with Hitec's SERVOS!

The HS-225 (along with its metal gear version) and the HS-77 "low profile" servo are my STANDARD servos for four stroke powered models (remember ALL I fly with ARE four strokers these days) and when I eventually get into Giant Scale planes, most likely with a Bristol Scout C built from my old RC buddy HANK ILTZSCH's construction plans from the March & April 1981 Model Aviation issues (the plans build up into the later Model D Scout...I've got Windsock Datafile No.44 to help out with the Scout C version) I'll be using Hitec's DIGITAL servos in THAT one! (Power will be an RCV 120SP four stroker on the Scout C...and the NEW Saito FA-220 Zeus is an UPCOMING 36 cm3 displacement [read "real Giant Scale" here!!!] four stroker I'm VERY interested in seeing out on the market!)

I DO use Hitec's "shift-selectable" model 3800 receiver for my 72 MHz flying needs with my old Ace RC Silver Seven knobby radio, and will soon start using a brand new PAIR of these on Ch.47, along with my pair of "still-to-be-encased" FMA Ch.03 Ham band receivers, with my "always-ready" new Gordon Anderson MICROSTAR-based homemade COMPUTER knobby radio!

I'm VERY sorry to hear your Zenoah gasser's ignition was playing havoc with YOUR Hitec receiver...did you take the time to send your JR Tx out, along with the Hitec receiver, to a service bureau like DuMond or Radio South to get the Hitec Rx "match-tuned" to the JR Tx you wished to use it with? The FMA Ch.03 Tx RF deck in my MicroStar these days was sent back to FMA when I ordered the Ch.03 Quantum-8 receivers from them to be "match-tuned" to that Ham band RF deck, and VERY soon I'll be doing the ground range checks with my dear old Balsa USA Swizzle Stick USING those two FMA receivers to see HOW well they'll work with my new computer "knobby box".

People that HAVE had bad experiences with Hitec's servos COULD have had bad units, but I always "burn-in" newly purchased servos on a modified Ace DataMaster unit that has the PC board from an old Ace Servo Cycle added in-to it, to provide a way of "automatically" cycling servos on the bench...after a good 30 minutes of cycling on the bench with my tester, IF a servo is still working just fine, it goes in my Swizzler for the in-air tests...THEN if it's working all right, it goes in a "really NICE" plane!

Again, VERY sorry to hear about your Hitec Rx migraine...MAYBE an FMA receiver WOULD work better...and best of luck in resolving your problem!

Yours Sincerely,

The PIPE!

(in reply to Chevelle)

Post #: 2

RE: Why YOU should never do business with Hitec. - 6/30/2004 11:07:06 PM

XJet

Posts: 3462
Joined: 3/31/2003
From: Tokoroa, NEW ZEALAND
Status: offline

Your experience is unfortunate but let's face it -- no manufacturer is perfect.

The freight issue is undoubtedly an issue but with all that investment in your plane, engine etc -- why, when you were told the receiver was faulty, didn't you just rush out and buy a new one then, when the faulty unit was fixed and returned, keep it for a spare or use it in another plane?

If you'd asked nicely, Hitec might even have simply kept your original unit and provided you with a credit to cover the cost of the replacement.

Having worked in an electronics service role for quite a few years I know exactly how hard it is to balance the many demands on your time and resources. I think you should cut the Hitec guys a bit of slack -- they may not be perfect but they're *far* better than most.

(in reply to Chevelle)

Post #: 3

RE: Why YOU should never do business with Hitec. - 6/30/2004 11:10:44 PM

NavyE6FE

Posts: 174
Joined: 1/14/2003
From: Oklahoma City, OK, USA
Status: offline

I don't like it either when something new doesn't work right, but I let the shop or the manufacturer take care of it and I try to be reasonable. When your car/truck first had something go wrong, did you take it back and tell them to keep it and you were never doing business with them again because they didn't take care of you right then? It takes people and machines to build components so there is a possibility for error. Then they probably don't test every single item and if they do they can't predict every possible senario that the item will be exposed to. You even said it yourself that the rcvr worked fine except when you pointed the TX ant directly at the plane and you said yourself that energy distribution from the tip is lower and now you know that the rcvr had a tuning problem. Give 'em a break not everything is perfect all the time. Who at Hitec received it? Probably receiving, so it probably sat there for some time before finding its way to the shop. Now its in the shop, you probably aren't the only customer that is needing something worked on and like most places its first come first served. As for the service manager, he probably doesn't know every little thing that is going on every minute of every day in the shop, he has a good idea but not the exact specifics. Maybe some test equipment broke or another service order took longer than expected, stuff like that happens. Give them a second chance at the least, okay so you missed flying that weekend, the world is not coming to an end, there will be more days to fly.

(in reply to Chevelle)

Post #: 4

RE: I use their SERVOS all the time... - 6/30/2004 11:10:54 PM

XJet

Posts: 3462
Joined: 3/31/2003
From: Tokoroa, NEW ZEALAND
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: The PIPE
Again, VERY sorry to hear about your Hitec Rx migraine...MAYBE an FMA receiver WOULD work better...and best of luck in resolving your problem!

That's not a silly idea. As I've said before, Hitec's FM receivers are showing their age these days and most of mine are now sitting *under* the workbench rather than in models. For the same price as any Hitec double-conversion receiver you can pick up an FMA-M5 or Berg unit that has smart decoding which makes a *huge* difference if you fly in a noisy environment or unlucky enough to get hit by interference.

I'm sure Hitec will add this type of functionality to its FM receiver product line eventually and when they do I'll probably buy some - but in the meantime I only use their servos and transmitters.

(in reply to The PIPE)

Post #: 5

RE: Why YOU should never do business with Hitec. - 6/30/2004 11:48:42 PM

Chevelle

Posts: 548
Joined: 6/19/2003
From: Fairport, NY,
Status: offline

Let's get a few things straight.

#1. My Zenoah had nothing to do with the Hitec receiver problem. The tests that I ran after seeing the problem in the air were with the engine off.

#2. Hitec's evaluation was a detuned oscillator. That reduced the sensitivity of the receiver.

#3. I did ask nicely. Several times, exploring several options. It was clearly a receiver problem so I asked for a replacement. They said no. I asked for a refund. They said no. I asked for express delivery. They said no.

#4. Yes, the problem manifested when the antenna is pointed at the plane but NOT at extreme range. The problem occured when the plane was in the standard pattern around the field, maybe a thousand feet away. All receivers should have no problem with that irrespective the antenna orientation.

#5. Sure, I have a lot invested in this plane but my budget is quite limited. The cost of this project was stretched out over six months. I have just two planes. I really don't think it should be necessary to go out and buy an extra receiver in the eventuality that the one that I just bought would be defective and that the manufacturer would not provide the minimum of accommodation for the trouble they caused.

#6. I know manufacturers in all fields have issues but this one points to poor quality control. No excuses. I followed all the recommended steps for preflight. What if I had lost the plane? Oh well. Too bad. **** happens?

#7. All I asked for if for them to minimize the impact for their defective product. Virtually no cooperation.

#8. I never would have written this if only they had just apologized for the defective receiver, apologized for the inconvenience, and overnighted the fixed unit or a replacement. Was that too much to ask for?

You want to do business with them, fine. Good luck. Not me. I have heard nothing but good things about JR's product support. They made my transmitter so that's where I'm going for my receiver. I've heard they stand by their products. It has already cost me more for the Hitec than for the JR receiver thanks to the shipping costs.

< Message edited by Chevelle -- 6/30/2004 7:11:33 PM >

(in reply to XJet)

Post #: 6

RE: Why YOU should never do business with Hitec. - 7/1/2004 4:16:39 AM

NavyE6FE

Posts: 174
Joined: 1/14/2003
From: Oklahoma City, OK, USA
Status: offline

#8. Yes, Do you have a contract with them that states that Hitec will provide you with a perfect product 100% of the time and replacement instantly and under your terms or else???? For crying out loud if you want that kind of product and service the price of the rcvr is going to be a couple of hundred dollars. Nothing is perfect 100% of the time. As far as JR rcvr's go, make sure that they work at the field you fly from. There is a club field here that can't fly JR rcvr's due to interference, Hitec and Futaba work great. The field I fly at only has ch 20 restricted and all brands work so far. What are you going to do the first time you have a problem with JR??

(in reply to Chevelle)

Post #: 7

RE: Why YOU should never do business with Hitec. - 7/1/2004 5:51:53 AM

Chevelle

Posts: 548
Joined: 6/19/2003
From: Fairport, NY,
Status: offline

Well then I hope that you are that understanding if you lose a plane to poor workmanship or poor quality control.

No one asked them to do anything under MY terms. I asked for some way where my down time can be limited because of an upcoming event. I was assured BY THEM that they would address the problem as soon as they received it (they did not) and that they would do what they could to return the receiver by Friday (they did not.) All they had to do was to send a replacement which would have cost them NOTHING.

(in reply to NavyE6FE)

Post #: 8

RE: Why YOU should never do business with Hitec. - 7/1/2004 4:59:35 PM

MustangFan

Posts: 586
Joined: 3/25/2003
From: Canton, MI, USA
Status: offline

Well it's unfortunate that you had a bad experience with them.

let's do some math.
Hitec Supreme receiver Tower price $55.00 ... Really a good price for an 8 ch. receiver.

Shipping to Hitec ... $18.00
Shipping from Hitec .... $33.00
Total .... $48.00

My cutoff point for repair is 50% of new purchase price or $27.50 in this case.
So just shipping TO them approached this limit !

For $55.00 I would not have risked ANY plane ... just the build time alone is worth more than that. ($25.00 per hour at least)

Sooooooooo ... if I had an important date to meet ... and the receiver wasn't working properly ... I may have taken one from another plane, or if that wasn't possible ... order from either Tower or Don's hobby (normally better pricing and shipping charges).

But I would not have let $50.00 add that much frustration or grief to my life. Life is too short for that in my opinion.

I'm not sure what you expected them to do for a $55.00 receiver when the profit is not that much.
I'm amazed that they can build, market, ship and repair and keep the price to that.

Again, I'm sorry you are so upset at them, but there were more alternatives to consider.
Don't let this one experience throw you!

_____________________________

Thats Just My Opinion - I Could Be Wrong ( Dennis Miller )

(in reply to Chevelle)

Post #: 9

RE: Why YOU should never do business with Hitec. - 7/1/2004 6:08:42 PM

Chevelle

Posts: 548
Joined: 6/19/2003
From: Fairport, NY,
Status: offline

Your logic is perfectly sound. I agree. Up until the possibility of a return shipping cost, I felt I had little choice. I had a $55 receiver that didn't work. I could have ordered another for another $55 thus spending $110 for one working receiver. Or I could have spent the $15 to send the broken one to them. That seemed to be the better way to go, especially since they initially stated that I would receive it in time.

(in reply to MustangFan)

Post #: 10

RE: Why YOU should never do business with Hitec. - 7/1/2004 7:53:23 PM

SMALLFLY-

Posts: 2150
Joined: 12/9/2001
From: Evansville, IN, USA
Status: offline

Can I have some whine to go with that cheese? If you think you were treated badly quit buying from them, but you dont have to P&M about it and try to convince the many of us that use there products and like them that we are making big mistakes as evidenced by your subject line.

(in reply to Chevelle)

Post #: 11

RE: Why YOU should never do business with Hitec. - 7/1/2004 11:27:28 PM

bkf

Posts: 1508
Joined: 1/5/2002
From: Rochester, NY, USA
Status: offline

And Futaba, Jr, Airtronics don't crash and burn out of the box either?...... Cut em some slack. You don't know what shipping is till ya deal with some of the other vendors out there. Mike Rock's, Bends over backwards through hoops to help.

(in reply to SMALLFLY-)