Ron Stahl

My Feedback: (12)

Most of you know that I like all of us jet guys spend a lot of money on our hobby and more so for me at work on hobby equipment. Today I have to say that I am ready to switch to another brand of radio and parts supplier because Horizon Hobbies customer service SUCKS!!!!! After a 18 minute wait on the phone today with their customer service department,to get a person on the phone, I was told that they would not accept the return of the $2200.00 worth of support equipment that was bought over eight months ago for the two F-4 EDF planes they have still not delivered. Many promises have been made over those eight months on when our F-4's would arrive. Two weeks ago at Toledo I was told the planes would be here by the end of the April, some of you got your planes last week and posted so on here. But for me it's now MAY 2nd and still no planes. So today I called my local dealer to find out what was going on and was informed the new delivery date was May 30 for them from HH. Enough was enough so I called Horizon to speak to the customer service department, waited 18 minutes on hold to speak to someone about the possibility of returning the support equipment since the planes were still on backorder, and that I was way past tired of waiting for them and wasn't going to wait another four weeks. After the long wait to speak to a person sadly the tone of the conversation went south on both ends once I asked to return the equipment and got the response I did. I had enough of the lies and BS from the reps at the shows and now the service department. The lady on the phone told me to "Just be patient and wait a few more weeks for the planes; but if I really wanted to return the equipment it was not Horizons problem but mine and I had to deal with the local dealer not them", so I did just that I called GPA and cancelled all of my Horizon Hobby exclusive product backorders with them and they are going to work it out with HH one way or another on my equipment I don't want or need now for the F-4 's to get me store credit. So as much as I trust my JR and SPEKTRUM equipment when they need replacements I'll be spending my money with GREAT PLANES and FUTABA! Like I said in a previous post I am sure that many of the reps we like and trust are embarrassed to work with and for them right now.

Problem solved by HH see post #40.

modeljet

I agree 100%
Years ago it was great,but now,something happen

modeljet

smchale

My Feedback: (67)

Sounds like they need to rework this page: http://www.horizonhobbycorp.com/WhatWeBelieve/

I can empathize with your frustration.

PaulD

My Feedback: (39)

Well, maybe the sales front end has some problems but the service end is great. I had some used 8711 servos that had visible case damage and gear slop (case damage was broken mounting ears) which I sent in for service fully expecting to pay for the repair. What I got was the servo returned - PREPAID - with a nice note stating although the repair was not considered "warranty" they were doing the work for free as goodwill. The turnaround was also excellent - less than 3 weeks from out to back in my door - including 2 border crossings thru the mail!

Not sure what you expect to gain from your post but it sure didn't sway me....

PaulD

luv2flyrc

My Feedback: (6)

I understand your disappointment in not getting the planes when expected.

If I understand your scenero correctly, you are upset at Horizon because they would not refund you for product that you purchased at a hobby shop? Is this correct?

Why would you expect them to??? Yes, Horizon is both a retailer and distributor but, it's unrealistic to expect them to refund you for purchases that were not made with them. Sorry but, if my understanding is correct, then you are just a totally unreasonalble customer and they would be better off if you went to Futaba.

It would be like buying a TV from Walmart and trying to get a refund from the distributor that supplied it to them. If there's a refund to be had, it should come from the hobby shop.

My appologies if I've misunderstood you.

Mike

dubd

I agree with Mike. While I understand your frustration, your hobby shop should be the tree to bark up, not HH. How do they know that you even paid for the items?

gunradd

My Feedback: (9)

I agree on not taking the return.....

But not being truthful about the time frame of the plane is total BS. If its going to be 6 months then SAY IT WILL BE SIX months. Not lead people along. Then make up crap well its the Chinese new year and yada yada yada bull crap. I understand crap is made in China but its still in their control. Its not like its a new problem with horizon. I got to the point if its not in stock I dont order it. They are late with everything! They should just add on 3 months wait time on top of what they expect for everything not in stock then they might hit the mark half the time.

Ron Stahl

My Feedback: (12)

Guys my local dealer has a 30 day return policy, we were told the plane would be delivered first in Oct last year and as all of you should know Horizon is sole source since they are also the manufacture of these products for the local dealers. My wife bought the planes and all of the support equipment as gifts for me and another person with them to support our local dealer. The frustration is that all of the equipment that was purchased to complete the plane is HH sole source as either the manufacture or distributor and once I explained that today they could have just as easily said we will call the local dealer and work this out with them for you. Over the last eight months to a year HH reps made many promises on delivery dates (DX10T included ) that they did not hit and they know it. I called them after a HH team member suggested that I hold them to the April 30 delivery date in a private email to me regarding the problems with the F-4s delivery and maybe if they started getting calls from frustrated customers wanting to return product they would see how big a mess this really is with their credibility. I bet if you had over $2,000.00 of your money tied up in for eight months waiting for the balance of your order to show up you'd be frustrated as well. Telling a customer that the local dealer or you as the customer has to eat $2K worth of inventory because they can not deliver the main part of the purchase in a timely fashion is pure BS! My local dealer has stepped up tonight and is taking it all back so all is well with me money wise. I just hope HH stepped up and did the right thing and is taking it all back from my dealer.

Pegasus

I feel your pain Ron I have been there and was directly screwed over by them, be careful what you say in here, they will jump on you, until their turn comes up!

Jetdktr

My Feedback: (21)

Its not about getting the refund from Horizon, its about all the promises and re-promises for almost a year. I am in the same boat as Ron, ordered the F4 and all the things needed for it. I have all the extras but no airplane, just promises since last August. I was hoping to have one for First in Flight Jet Rally in N.C. at the end of the month, but now have been told the airplane will be shipping on May 30. I am sure there will be one there since there are a lot of Horizon Reps that show up at the Jet Rally's.
On another note, I saw the new Dirty Birdy ARF from Great Planes at the Toledo show, I called my local Hobby store while at the show and put one order and it showed up last Wednesday (25th of APR). Maybe G/Planes just waits until they have fully completed product in hand before they announce a release or availability date

Ron Stahl

My Feedback: (12)

CF,
Thanks for understanding. Lots of guys have different viewpoints mine has money attached to it. So to those of you who think it's not a big deal feel free to send me $2,000.00 for eight months. Lol

Ron Stahl

My Feedback: (12)

AMEN!

Pegasus

No problem, I don't know why we can't just vent our problems here, if its legit it should be ok. Up until my problem with them, I had great service also but when things got bad and not resolved that was it for me. Coming on here and saying "I have had nothing but good experiences with them" what does that do for the problem? It does not help a bit.

Ron Stahl

My Feedback: (12)

CF, that's what surprised me today. Waiting on the phone to speak to a human is common practice now a days. Getting the " It's not our problem" answer pushed me over the edge; when it is their problem since they cannot deliver product timely. I have lots of people I consider friends that are HH team members and one works for me in my lab and if the sales and service departments conducted business as they conduct themselves then there would not be a issue here. The non modelers that run the business need a wakeup call that they are earning a living with our discretionary income from us as their customers and this is not life essential needs, these are wants!

clarkj

My Feedback: (26)

If you think thats bad try towers servie dept. i had a saito and an os that i had problems with and sent both in. Horizon said the motor was fine to check the fuel and fuel lines. Tower wanted to rebuild a practically brand new motor and not warranty it. Come to find out the fuel i was using was bad. Both motors were fine. I have many more storys than that from tower

warbird addict

I can understand where the OP is coming from having been the one to wait and wait and wait some more , It's been my experience and is pretty common practice for HH to begin marketeing/offering and selling a product on a preorder basis well before any solid etched in stone have the product in house date, almost seems like they want the first 4 shipments sold well before they even know when they expect to get them in house.
But on the other hand they go the extra mile to take care of the end user on the service end of things as I too have sent things in and gotten them back "no charge" but on the flip side of that same coin I sent in a brand new servo for warrantee that had never been in the air and the warrantee was declined for the reason that too much voltage had been applied to the servo I want to say it was a 6030, my RX battery was a brand new JR 6 volt NIMH which was sitting at 5.9 volts when I powered everything up for the first time?
But they did replace a brand new 921rx which they said failed due to being fuel soaked? it was brand new out of the box and the plane hadn't even seen fuel yet? so go figure
it's kinda like asking a woman what she's mad at, it doesn't make a bit of sense and you sure as hell won't understand the logic LOL

Ron101

My Feedback: (22)

I disagree 100%

I have found horizon to be one of the best companies to deal with. Hanger 9 and Eflite are exclusive brands to Horizon.... Eflite makes the F-4 you bought, not Horizon.

I know this much, Eflite and Hanger 9 are putting out some of the best ARF's I have seen in a long time (quality and price are top notch). I bought the Habu 32 and waited a long time for it. They made changes last minute to make sure things were right and it's a great plane. I never order parts for a plane I don't have yet, Horizon does not charge your card until the plane ships and it's always been that way.

You should have waited to buy the parts you needed when you got your plane and you wouldn't be out a penny, I'm sure you have been doing this long enough to know that.

I pre ordered my new hanger 9 30cc P-47 in november...... I've been waiting, it hasn't cost me a dime. Do I want it? sure.... but I know when it gets here it will be a great plane with well thought out instructions, flight tested, support and spare parts. If you want it fast go to nitro planes, you can buy some crap with no instructions, not flight testing or spare parts and be a test pilot for them and figure out the CG on your own.

If the F-4 showed up to your door with a bunch of problems you would be pissed or the CG was off. There doing it right just like all the planes they have done in the past. Have you seen the elite small piper cub? I'm building one for my bud, let me tell that is one nice little arf. We can't build them as nice as there making them now ....and at the cost we pay who would want to build them

we have all gotten so far away from building, that we can't even get our ARF's fast enough

keep up the great work Horizon, I'm a customer for life

Gixxy

My Feedback: (18)

I've had nOthing but outstanding customer service from horizon.

kochj

I believe your situation is a "Special circumstance" and should have been dealt with in that way...
I am not sure how many workers they have, perhaps just reaching a different person could have resulted in a completely dif. outcome...
I think the point of the person posting is that the Hobby store didn't stock the items, but had to order them all in for him.
Being they all the products the he purchased came from HH, I believe it is why it went the way it did...

The hobby store is the person that should have made the call though...
This avoids the “emotion factor“, and can be much more productive....It is like having a mediator....
This would have been the Hobby shop…

I think that we all have to realize that HH and all involved , is a learning process..
Until they have gone through something like this, sometimes things get mis-handled…
The hobby shop included…
The consumer, isn't expected to act entirely rational when emotions get involved....no matter who it is....

When it is personal, it completely changes the game.. That is why the outsiders needed to get together, and figure it out for him..

invertmast

My Feedback: (23)

+1

I sent in a Futaba radio to the service department over a dozen times for the same problem (in-accurate volt meter on the screen, it always read 3 volts low, which wouldn't be a problem, except the "low voltage" alarm made it impossible to use the radio). After $300+ in service fee's and 2 years of waiting, it never did get resolved. They did offer me a nice "upgrade" discount of $50 off of a new radio of $800 or more..


I agree though, that it would be NICE if HH wouldn't announce this stuff until the ship is on its way here with the product... waiting months and months only to have it pushed back another month at the end of the "due date" is just BS

warbird addict

chris923

My Feedback: (53)

When I started in thish hobby 7 years ago, a was told, go to HH. I did, a 700.00 order.. After the delivery ( missing items) and a month later finding the New JR radio had a bad circut
board. ( they want me to pay for it, said I drop the radio.. well that didn't happen). The was the First and Last time from HH. Over the past 7 year I have purchased of 10000.00
of RC equipment fro Tower. Problems, yes, sometimes, but alway resolved in my favor! That includes service from Futuba.

Burn me once, shame on you... burn me twice... shame on me.

HH, will never get a second shot.

Chris923

essyou35

My Feedback: (11)

Its a risk you take pre-ordering anything that is not in production yet.  Another option is to wait until you get the jet before buying all the crap to go with it.   I rarely pick gear for a jet until I have it on hand to decide what is going to work.

$2200 in support equipment?  1100 per jet, what are you putting in that thing?  Even with at Tam setup that is high.  Must be those new Diamond gear servos with gold casings.

ira d

I agree, It seems that all the hobby vendors anounce at one time or another something that takes months to bring to market but have people thinking it's just around the corner.