Originally Posted by
topspin
My basic rules for dealing with Headsup RC as an example (there are plenty of others for which this same process applies) are: Select the items I want, order them, Pay for them (and the $2.00 shipping), Wait two or three days for my stuff to arrive. Tough process eh? I once had a problem with an order from Tower so I called them. They were polite and fixed everything right over the phone immediately, not two or three weeks later.
Also, none of the companies I deal with need a another company to handle issues for them, they do it themselves in a friendly and straightforward manner that satisfies me, the customer.
Hobby King is the only online company I know of that is so screwed up they had to hire a third party to troubleshoot their screw-ups and even he has trouble fixing things more often than I would be comfortable with. He is only on one site that I am aware of and if you don't know that you are out of luck.
There are so many good companies that one can deal with, companies who's primary goal is customer satisfaction. Hobby Kings goal is finding ways to keep your money when they screw up no matter what without having to help you. It never ceases to amaze me that Hobby King is still in business.
And should anyone think this is a new problem, well........................
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=603500
Great idea, and obviously the preferred way if dealing with any company. Alas, it is not to be, since they all make mistakes. Even the venerable Hobby Lobby has complaints against them, as does Horizon. And I know you love Heads UP Rc, i mean, who doesn't...but it's not exactly the same comparison. Think they are a 10th of the size of HK? No, doubtful. Who is this third party company you keep mentioning? They outsource some of their customer service functions....like many other companies do. Paypal does it...Ebay does it, the list is endless. It's a cost saving measure, but hardly unusual. I know it completely mystifies some people how HK is still in business, but if you look at the situation honestly and remove any preconceived or hard felt positions, it's abundantly clear why they are still in business. Because people like them, their product selection, their prices, and what they get. Even if there was a complaint "about every week", do you think that would even reflect the smallest most statistically insignificant amount of the overall business they do?
You are totally right about plenty of other places to use, there are tons of them. They all have their place.
Would you like to see HK completely out of business though? Is that the end game? Do you think the hobby would benefit from them being completely gone from the picture? For as many years as we've chatted about this company, I don't think I've ever asked that. Honest question.