jlee104

Looking back at my other thread (Panther G or M26), I saw a couple comments saying Matomart was one of the worse sources. I'm wondering if this is true or if there are other stories to prove me otherwise.

EDIT: It seems that Canada has had a generally positive experience with Mato, what about the US?

mustclime

You will not hear anything good from me.....theyjurked me around with a boat I bought that didn't work.....crappy way to treat someone that bought 2 tanks from them.

jlee104

How were the two tanks?

Glen B

Purchases

From July 2010 to present;

8 - Tanks

5 - 3:1 Gearboxes

Numerous smaller items like Flashes, Spare Tracks, etc.


Delivery was quick, all items received without shipping damage.


Defects

One 3:1 gearbox set was defective (shaft on one was out of alignment); this was quickly replaced and the replacement gearbox was good.

First Panther G had internal damage in the form of broken "posts" that the various screws engage to hold things together; I assumed over-torqued during initial assembly. The tank functioned and these could not be seen without total dissassambly. Since I upgrade and refinish all my tanks, I repaired this during the build process, but it would not have been good for a casual user.

All the other 7 tanks did not have any defects and functioned well in their original form. Now those fitted with 3:1 gearboxes and SLU's function extremely well, including the first one with the internal damage from intial assembly

mustclime

They were heng longs......pretty much gutted them and started over. I like to IR battle, thats the main reason I got into this. You have a better chance with tamiya's so my main battle tank is a tamiya m26.

jlee104

mustclime - I currently do not have the budget for a Tamiya. I would if I could though.

Glen B - Sounds like Matomart is more reliable than some think.

Glen B

Well, my actual experiences have been good.

Approximately 80% of our club operates upgraded Heng Longs and purchases from Mato and I don't hear of many problems with the purchases. I don't know if there is a difference in this regard if the products are purchased in the U.S. or Canada.


Here are some HL's I have upgraded and refinished;

tomtank

Very bad experience, no more buy directly from them. I will buy from them thru evile bay if i have to, so i can get full refund if anything wrong.

yellowshaker

My Feedback: (1)

Mike will be in touch and we can hook you up.

FreakyDude

well I have had positive feedback for Matomart but I won't order from them anymore.

Strato50

They are! I get same-day replies about parts and items for sale. Ive bought a complete tank & plenty of upgrades over the last 2 years. Gearbox parts like drive shafts, etc, that most places cannot source.

Very quick shipping (for us canadians!) and knowledgeable. I really haven't had a negative experience.

mustclime

Hey, I know what you mean( I have only been into this for a year).....just remember you need to add all the numbers up when buying a hl tank.....the gear boxes really are just toy grade, they will eat them selves in battle. Braking them in will help but they arewhat they are.....so imo add gearboxes to the cost. when you will need to decide on a battle system as the hl system will not work with the tamiya system.....so add that in...the stock batteries are to weak, you need to get at least a 3300mabattery...so add that tothe price. I was able to battle a hl kingtiger for about $330 but when put against a sorted tamiya panther or purshingI was toast......

YHR

Mato has been my preferred choice over the years.

They are however a large online retailer, and because of this you loose some of the personalized service. As with any large distributor you will hear stories of "problems" Mass marketing less time for customer service than a Mom & Pop operation, and that is bound to happen.

They have a lot of satisfied customers and some not so satisfied. Compare them to any other large toy distributer and they will come out on top.

Because these things are so big and the cost to ship back and forth creates a financial burden on both parties, when a problem does arise it can lead to trouble. From my point of view there is nothing in these tanks that is rocket science. As a tank hobbyist you will have one stripped down to parts within a year, and be able to fix anything.

As soon as you progress past the "Toy tank" phase, you will be installing new gearboxes, new electronics and doing a host of other things as well.

I appreciate that you do not want to spend the money on Tamiya, and for that reason I encourage you to get your feet wet with a Heng Long. It is a great way to learn a lot about these tanks and the electronics that go in them, that will set you up for the future..

Mato is now focusing on bringing metal tanks to the market place, at a price comparable to the Tamiya tanks,. These are offered very differently then the plastic Heng Longs, and for me this will be my path in this hobby going forward, Full metal tanks with customized electronics, that are solidly built, and sound better then any others. For me a metal tank a year, with all the upgrades, and electronics is the perfect "yearly spend" on this hobby,

Panther F

Well said Dan and something to keep in mind when buying on-line. Phil spolied us with his personalized service and care, so I really doubt a large retailer can match that.

If ever one is to buy from them they must keep in mind that they HAVE to work on these.

Otherwise, buy a kit or a used RTR.





















~ Jeff

Chow_Hound

I've only had a couple dealings with Matomart but they were very good about Customer service. Sent me a replacement spring after Ilost one for the metal sherman VVSS suspension free of charge.

rgallant

I have to agree good service, my KT was missing the antenna and battery was no good out of the box both replaced with no problems.

Panzer IV no issues at all.

Airbrushler

i bought three tanks from Matomart my Pershing my KV-1 and my Panther never had any problems
now Canada Post that's a different story when they leave it on the porch and concider that delivered....grrrr
you never know it might come broken cause of who was delivering it not matomarts fault

DirtyBird69

one vote against(as explained in an earlier thread)........... [:@]

EOT

I've bought a couple tanks and several order of parts from Mato mart and never had any problems with the tanks, parts or their service. The thing to remember jlee is HL are designed for kids to play with and they are toys and some of the components are toy grade. That doesn't mean they can't be great models. I have a HL and Tamiya Jagdpanther and side by side there hard to tell apart.  1 vote for positive on Mato mart

Mike                                                                                             EOT

SVTCobra

My Feedback: (10)

Feb/2018 I bought a tank that was clearly described as Infrared with recoil. I took a screenshot. They sent a different item. Got a nasty email from a guy named Steve. Denying that product and saying I'm cinfconf. I sent screenshot and all communication stopped. I sent back tank. They even changed the website description to a different description, which shows they know they messed up. They refuse to refund or exchange. I'm out $234.15. they even have the product I sent back. Horribly dishonest Buisness!

dgsselkirk

How did you pay? CC or Paypal? Use either to get your money back...

SVTCobra

My Feedback: (10)

MatoMart is manipulating a grey area in PayPal returns. They use a P.O box address which has no phone number or email. Returns are collected every so often by a guy in another part of the province. PayPal has restrictions on time limits for reimbursement. 14 days past and it hadn't been picked up yet at the P.O box... So PayPal closed my resolution and gave MatoMart the money back. I've filed numerous complaints from PayPal to Canada Post. Both pass the buck and deny fault on their part. Credit Card started an investigation but they get no response from MatoMart. Canada Post started an investigation and they won't return calls or emails to Canada Post. MatoMart has deleted my account on their website. Better Buisness Bureau is investigating also. I was told that this Buisness is based and owned by a person living in China. Makes it hard to enforce outside that country. But they are investigating. They do agree I've been the victim of a bad employee or shifty dishonest company.

RichJohnson

SVTCobra

My Feedback: (10)

Update- MatoMart replied to Better Buisness Bureau stating that because I filed a dispute with PayPal he terminated all business with me. Wants nothing to do with me, BBB or Canada Post and will reply no further to anyone. MatoMart will not confirm nor deny getting my return. Which makes it difficult for Canada Post to reimburse me for a lost package or PayPal to pay me back cause it was delivered. I will have to fight with Canada Post and PayPal now, since MatoMart has stopped all communication. If I can get the proof from Canada Post the return was returned... PayPal says they will reimburse me. If I can get Canada Post to prove it's lost... I get paid by insurance. But they suspect it was delivered. Actually they are pretty sure. They just won't put that on paper, yet.

Spitvalve

The shipping costs of Mato items to me is ridiculous and I live in Canada! A very peculiar company...

Mike.