Thanks for the input guys!
I placed an order with Xheli on Sunday for a Blue Ray 450 PE fully loaded heli and one for a friend without the radio and other stuff. Needless to say, the order was over $600. So they sent me an e-mail yesterday (Monday) saying that I needed to verify my information by sending them a fax or e-mail of my credit card and picture ID. They said that I could cover the first 12 numers of my credit card number and they would verify with the last 4. This e-mail triggered an immediate alarm for me because I had never had or heard of a company who would request this kind of information for verification. I called them today to ask what it was all about and they said that they customarily did this for orders over $200 to prevent fraud. Still i wasn't convinced so I called my credit card company and they told me it would be best not to do business with them. At the same time, I'm left wondering if providing such information would be enough to commit fraud/Identity Theft, etc., if in fact that is what they were trying to do. Any thoughts on this anybody?
I also checked with BBB a couple of hours ago and Xheli had a "B" rating.
I then decided to check the forum here looking for more information on them. I definitely found some!
At this point, and given the mixed reviews and experiences, I feel I should give them a chance and see. I was thinking of canceling my initial order and then just order the Blue Ray 450 PE fully loaded package and nothing else. If that goes well then maybe order the other one for my friend that way it would be less money to fight for or loose. At $329 for the Blue Ray with all the options, it sounds like a really sweet deal. What do you guys think? Or should I go with a different company and different heli, i.e. Trex 450 SE package for over $500? Keep in mind this would be my first heli and most of the training I've had has been through the Real Flight G4 simulator for about 3 months.
I was contemplating going with the Trex 500 but I figured the 450 would be cheaper to repair in case of a crash. Not to mention, around $500 bucks cheaper than the 500 with all of the necessary gear.
Your thoughts and advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time.
hydrosurf