Gary Jefferson

My Feedback: (167)

Anybody know whats up with Global Jets? I returned a set of F-16 gear over three weeks ago for a refund and they have still not provided the credit to my card. I was told it would be taken care of several times over the last two weeks and it is still not done yet. In addition, I have been calling and sending emails all this week without so much as a single reply. They owe me a $700.00 refund for the crappy non-functional 1/8 scale Jet Legend F-16 landing they sold me (which is another story altogether) so you would think someone at Global could take 5 minutes out of their day and push a few buttons on the credit card machine to refund my money.

I guess like many others in the jet hobby these days I am forced to air my dirty laundry on RCU to get my money back. Maybe mike lin will ask somebody to take care of this now like they should have three weeks ago. This behavior from manufacturers in this sector of the hobby really is getting old...

smchale

My Feedback: (67)

Interesting. I purchased an item last week that was shown as in stock. I called later in the day to verify it would be shipped and to confirm it was in stock. After the gentleman on the phone assured me multiple times that if it showed in stock it would be in stock, I urged him to check. He called back moments later saying it was back ordered. I canceled the same day and yet to see my payment returned....
I've had good luck with them in the past, hopefully this is just an anomaly.

mikedenilin

My Feedback: (67)

Hi Gary

We had received the LG but there are missing valves and airlines. There are paint chipped on the LG. they seem to be caused when you pulled the airlines from the nipples, so we send it to our tech guy for full inspection first. My technician pointed them out and asked me what to do with a set of brand new LG that was not returned in original parts and shape.

I had agreed even to refund you the complete cost and shipping cost. It would have been faster if it's returned in original new conditions.

The spring retainer cylinder seemed opened too.

I will still give you the full refund after I sign a release form for our tech guy to release it so our accounting guy will credit the fund back to you.

We had just done a refund of a jet within a week when a customer decided to buy something else. We can do that faster if parts are returned in original packing and parts.

JL F16 landing gear nose section has some slop on it due to its complex design. I flew mine just like that but everyone has different tolerance standard so I am taking yours back per your request.

Hope you understand our situation and be patient with it.
Regards.
Mike.

mikedenilin

My Feedback: (67)

Hi Sean,

We have 3 locations, one in Germany, One in California, and the other in China. If the products are shown "in stock", they can be in one of these 3 locations. It's a bit difficult for our advisors to check on the status of the stock just in the USA warehouse from their computers. We are still working on the improvement on our website IT solution so we can separate the inventory status data from each location and provide better status report on the inventory.

When you cancel the order, we have to send notification to all warehouses to stop the shipment or cancel the back ordered. Normally you will get the refund within 3 business days. We had run into some scammers in the past that will cancel order immediately while the stuff had been shipped and never got it back. Therefore, normally we need sometimes to check on the order status and then issue the refund. We are available through emails or phone in case you need to check on the inventory status.

Thank you for your orders and bear with us for the growing pain.

Mike

Gary Jefferson

My Feedback: (167)

Mike, you had this gear in your hands just a few weeks ago when I sent them back to you to fix. They are in the same condition as when you returned them to Jet Legend to work on them when they were gone for over THREE MONTHS and then you returned them to me with absolutely nothing done to attempt to fix them. You told me that your technicians replaced the nose gear spring so if there is any damage done to the paint on the gear it is from them, not me.

The play in the steering is not the only problem with this landing gear, it has absolutely no design built into the gear to be sure the nose steering pin locks into position every time like it is suppose to do. You simply rely on gravity; which only works part of the time. I have discussed this design issue in length with the owner of a larger Jet Legend F-16 and his nose gear has exactly the same issue so if you think the slop in the steering is the only issue with this gear then you really don't have a clue!!

I guess the difference between you and me is that I believe that it is irresponsible for me to fly this jet at jet meets because when the nose steering locks sideways, which is what will happen when the pin fails to engage, the jet will not be controllable on the runway. I do not wish to damage someone else's jet because I flew a plane that I knew had defective landing gear.

I have had to remove and install the gear so many times to try and figure out why it wont work properly that I am just sick of this whole project which is why i have finally decided to return the gear.

It takes some nerve to sell me this chinese garbage, make me wait for months while it is supposedly being repaired, send it back to me in the same non-working condition, claim there is nothing wrong with it, and then tell me you may not provide a full refund. Don't you think you and Jet Legend have screwed me around enough already. I now have a $1,000.00 Jet Legend F-16 that has no landing gear so what am I suppose to do with this plane? I guess it will make a great static display model.

Unfortunately for me, I didn't discover the gear issues until I had already completely built the F-16, otherwise I would have sent everything back.



***And yes, the cylinder on the steering was replaced because the very small hole in the pin was cracked and I had to replace it which meant I had to make a whole new assembly, but that's ok, it only took about 10 hours of MY own time to fix. I also has to replace a pin in one of the scissor links on the mains with a bolt because the pin that was suppose to be pressed in fell out so you should deduct something for my repair to that as well.

FalconWings

My Feedback: (57)

Jet Legend really sucks lately. I don't understand how people keep buying them. That Yak 130, as beautiful as it is, I would not trust that slotted flap mechanism ever.

Mike you have a good reputation, why do you keep dealing with these scumbags at J.L.?

Gary Jefferson

My Feedback: (167)

BTW Mike,

I have 5 jets and I have only had to return the landing gear for a refund on ONE of them!!

speed is life

No reflection on Mike Lin or his Global Jet Club because I could not be happier with my GJC Hawker Hunter.
BUT
1 1/2 years and counting that Jet Legend has been screwing around with upgraded (ie: flyable) main landing gear for the Mirage2000

Gary Jefferson

My Feedback: (167)

I actually did quite a bit of research before I bought this kit and found there were substantial issues with the first generation of landing gear but it appeared that the second gen gear was fixed and working properly; I guess I was wrong.

You can believe that this is my last Jet Legend kit. I have gone back to kits produced in the U.S. and couldn't be happier. Even my 12 year old JMP T-33 is higher quality than these brand new overseas kits. The gear is just as old and still works like new.

mikedenilin

My Feedback: (67)

Hi Gary,

I have 1/8 and 1/6 F16 and I have no issues with the nose gear. We have also sold many F16s over the years. Your case was the only issues with the L/G that we have received.

We have sent your gear back to factory for repair because it's a scale part and we don't have jig or tools to do the modification. This is why it's taking longer time. We admit that the time is a long time and it's frustrating.

Is it possible we can send you another set and try it so you won't end up having a plane without the gear? You can pay when you think it's working. If not, send the plane and the gear back. We can give you credit for replacement with another jets. We don't sell just JL. we have many brands for you to choose from. Maybe it's easier to deal with a new set instead of messing around with the first one.

I have signed the release form and the refund is on the way.


Falconwings,

JL has some great planes and people just keep buying them. What you see on RCU is just a very small part of the whole activity. Their JL Vipers are excellent and fly very well for the price. The quality is excellent. Their services still need to be improved, but some customers apparently are satisfied with it. Yak - I don't know as we are still waiting for long term test result.

We carry various brands and they all have their good and bad. We would rather help them work out the bad and keep this jet hobby going so we all benefit from more choices. Gary's case is rather rare. We will help him work it out one way or the other. Due to increase workload our crews can screw up on customer services sometime, like faster refund process etc.. It's not entirely factory's fault.

Regards,

Mike

Gary Jefferson

My Feedback: (167)

Mike, I appreciate you taking care of this but my frustration and this thread could have been avoided with a simple response to my communications from either you or someone from your company over the last two weeks. You were copied on all of the emails I sent so even if your customer service people failed to respond you should have...

Thanks for the offer to return and trade the F-16 but I have no interest in owning another Chinese ARF.

My F-16 is already built, painted and weathered with rivets, and full decals, but at this point if you will take it back for a refund I would probably put in a box and return it to you. Like I said before I have had enough of the project.

mikedenilin

My Feedback: (67)

Hi Gary,
Normally I don't respond to my emails when I am on a road trips to Jet rallies. This was brought to my attentions by one of our advisors so I start seeing the problems you were facing.

I like to visit RCU because it's my past time during trips.

Anyhow, we also carry non-Chinese ARF such as Redwing Composite's Gryphon. However, that's more of sport jets instead of scale jet.

Send me photos of your F-16 and I can buy it back if that's in good condition, so at least I can find a home for it.

Mike

Ravivos

Although the time frames are way too long and Gary should at least have a decent communication with the proper explanation on his refund's status, it seems that mike's customer service is pretty good.
he had explained the situation, offered a refund for both the plane and the gear and even offered purchasing the plane.

the only problem i have with this is the fact that it had to go on RCU to be solved, as a customer service is just as important as a decent product.

Ravivos.

Jim Cattanach

Beware of the Redwings Gryphon. Their website leads you to believe the jet is made in Italy. It is in fact made in Thailand & ships from there. My Gryphon lasted about ten flights. It fly's great if you just do circuits & rolls.
I lost mine when at the top of a loop, with plenty speed, the jet lost all elevator control & entered a death spiral dive. I believe the large wing blanked out the elevator. All servos & linkages were working perfectly on examination after the pancake landing.

mikedenilin

My Feedback: (67)

Hi Jim,

Gryphon is very well made, and its factory owner is an Italian. Like CARF, and other factories, they made their products in Thailand. Does it make Apple a chinese company when they are making their iPhones in China? It's a global business for almost everything. Gryphon, by far, has the best fiberglass works I have seen in the 50+ jets we carry. It flies superb, at least on mine. I have over 80+ of flights. Many of our local guys can chime in here and tell you how hard I fly this bird. It's been a surviver after 2 radio losses, several flame outs, and made it back. I can do snap, flat spin, dead stick landing with this. I can cut throttle to idle on the downwind leg and glide it in and do a walk pace landing. I think your problem might be a compounded turbine gyration and CG issue other than the aerodynamic dysfunction. I tried to duplicate your incident after I read about your issue, but just can't duplicate that. Just got back from Tucson Jet rally it survived a flame out. I am doing a long term test on this bird and the most complaint I got was the color scheme I choose. One note, girls love that paint scheme. I got a lot of compliments from ladies at jet shows, thought not many of them.

Mike

VF84sluggo

My Feedback: (55)

I've been leery of Jet Legend, too, but I'm hearing pretty much nothing but good things about the GJC JL Viper. Perhaps the Viper is mechanically simpler with no gear doors, simple flap hinging and control, elevator vs. flying stab, etc., and thus is holding up better.

Been thinking about getting a Viper...but again, still a little unsure about JL quality.

Sluggo

Jim Cattanach

I am flying a Jet Legend F4 Phantom, it is well built & fly's well.

mikedenilin

My Feedback: (67)

Hi Sluggo,

You are absolutely right. Keeping it simple improves reliability. The 1/8 F-16 L/G by JL has the most complicated scale L/G for the 1/8 in the market. It was also an earlier design with several improvement along the way, but still it's too complicated to make it small and reliable.

Viper jet on the other hand is one of the best kits from JL. Its' very well built because of these nice features

- flex plates for landing gear
- no gear doors, no air cylinders to mess around with
- Airex composite wings - strong and light
- externally painted - I just got an award at Tucson Jet Rally for Best finish and marking. It's the plane not my flying skill
- Simple top engine hatch
- large main wing spar with 2 piece wings - no more clamps and small rods. - it's strong
- single pice horizontal tail, pre-hinged elevators, rudder, flaps and ailerons.
- injection molded servo trays so they are interchangeable

JL has a series of good, well proven kits - such as the large 1/6 F-16, T-45 (until they changed the stab material, but then they changed it back) , Viper Jet, L39, and F-22

FB also has a series of proven jet kits - the new F9F, Velox G2, Velox XL, T-33, the new F-18, EF-2000, MB339, the new T-45, Hawk, and other kits made for other brands

Some kits are so troublesome that I have to ask our customers to sign a waiver of no return when they insist of getting ones.

They all have great planes and lousy ones. As a dealer we would rather deal with reliable kits than headaches associated with this type of threads.

Mike

VF84sluggo

My Feedback: (55)

Thanks for the excellent info, Mike!

Sluggo

757Driver

My Feedback: (90)

I always got great service from GJC. Always professional in my dealings.
I built,own and fly JL F-22 and F-4. These airplanes have the strongest gear structural design I have seen to date. The F-4 is exceptional and yes I have had hard landings...never a problem with over 25 flights.

ceffi

Hi,

it seems, it was a to big elevator throw.

And if it was happend on the top of a loop, normaly you schould have enough time, to stop a spin with proper action.
That means, all throws immediately in neutral position and after the speed is comming up, careful elevator use to stop the descend.

Christian

Countryboy

My Feedback: (25)

Probably helps that you converted yours to electric from the get go. Out of 16 flights, my stock pneumatics have collasped 3 times on landing. The down lock indent in the retract side frames is not milled deep enough to create a mechanical lock and relies simply on the air pressure to lock the gear. I have since repaired the cosmetic damage and removed the retracts to rework the slots. Time will tell if it works as I have not had a chance to get the F-4 out again.

mugenkidd

My Feedback: (94)

I'm very impressed with my pnuematic retracts on my JL F-22. 2 years no leaks no collapses, 30+ flights. I did go through them when new and replaced one of the leaking o-rings. Since then absolutely no issues or no leaks even after sitting for 2 or 3 months.

hooker53

My Feedback: (106)

Plus 2. The gear that came with my CT-114 are second to non. Built very well. Would think they would be the last in my hanger to leak but than again I do service. Y retracts in the off season. Gary, sorry you are having probs and hope you gt it straightened out.

mikedenilin

My Feedback: (67)

Thank you guys for your supports on GJC product lines. I often suggest that when you get these ARF gears, disassemble them, loctite them, remove burs, and grease the o-rings, then they will be more reliable.

Here are some pictures of the Global JL Viper Jet exhibited at Florida Jet. Although there are some big jets out there flying, it's the small ones that take most sales. It's nice to have a jet that you can throw in the back of your trunk and go fly anytime before your wife tracks you down.

I forgot to mention that it comes with a pair of blow-mold fuel tanks that's puncture resistant, and leak proof. This Viper is what we think the best out of JL in the recent years.

Mike