Grifmode4

TO WHOM THAT MAY CONCERN:

In June I purchased my first Pawnee D plane from Horizon Hobby for $189.99 and decided to order another for a backup. I placed the order and they said it was backordered and was due in early Aug. They took my credit card # and I believed that the transaction was finished.

I continued to monitor the Pawnee on their website and noticed that the price began to creep up. Aug arrived and I seen that the due date was changed to mid Aug, then late Aug and now mid Sept. So last weekend, I got on their site and noticed that the due date was still mid Sept but the price skyrocketed to $279.99, like todays gas prices. I called Horizon Hobby today to verify that the B/O price was still the same when I ordered it and the sales lady said that "THEY WILL NOT HONOR THE B/O PRICE AND IF YOU WANT IT, IT'LL BE $279.99".

After I expressed to her that when you preorder a b/o item, its not good business to back out on a order price. After a few minutes, I realized that we was getting no where. So I cancelled the order for the Pawnee and FUTURE orders.

If any one out there has ordered one from Horizon Hobby and when the bill comes in, SURPRISE!!!!!!

I'm disappointed in Horizon Hobby services, I've ordered MANY planes and saito engines, but they now have one less customer.

I still was able to order a Pawnee from another Company and I told Richard the new price from Horizon. He told me that they will honor the old price, since their website shows the current price of $189.99 and the due date is mid Sept.

Have a nice day..............................

CCFPILOT

What's the name of the "Company", since I don't know Richard.

CCFPILOT

Just want e-mlail when someone replies. Seems to me I should be able to select this without replying.

ram3500-RCU

My Feedback: (221)

The price increase is probably beyond their control, but I do think the prepaid price should be honored. That is just the cost of doing retail business, from their end. Hope you enjoy the plane. It looks like a good one.

[]TEX[]

I know Tower honors all BO prices and surprised that Horizon did not.

Interesting...

[]TEX[]

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CCFPILOT

Thanks TEX, that makes it a lot simpler.

[]TEX[]

You're welcome

Grifmode4

Chief Aircraft is the company...................

reincarnate

If thats true they fixed it in a hurry, since they show 279.99 now. Odd they would not have had their price reflect the same as HH since they are just an outlet for H9 equipment. I do agree it's crap business to not honor the B/O price, but when you've the market share like they do...Whattaya do? Go back to building and let companies like Horizon, H9 , Tower, GP and all the rest swing in breeze.

masonman

Ram-3500 your rite in a way.
But what happens to all the people out there who have placed an order on B/O an are not like Grifmode4 an check the status of things.
What if your the guy who puts your order in an for some stupied moron reason think your going to pay what you agreed to pay, an you don't check the status, an next thing you now you get your bank statement an you notice your model cost you an extra $100. Thats B/S
Now. Would Horizon call Grifmode4 an tell him it went up an extra $100? Just to see if he wanted to spend that extra money before the credit card transaction was completed? No an No. Thats B/S
That is how service is these days. Its B/S. These companies that depend on us to keep there heads above water crap on us when the chance pops up.
Yeah so the price may have went up in china, where ever they come from. Oh well. The order was placed for X amount an accepted for X amount. STAND behind it.
The people who are putting these ARF's together probley get payed 20 cents a day, an a bowl of rice for there labors. So 50 or 60% profit could be dipped into for the sake of customer relations. There are some people who only buy from horizon, loyal customer. You say the word "TOWER" an you may get death threats. Kinda like a Ford vs Chevy type of thing. Those people would feel like they have been betrayed.

I know a guy who has a J-3 Cub, 90. HARRIER, 40 PAWNEE, T-28 Trojan. An a whole boat load of Saito engines an JR servos. ALL HORIZON PRODUTS!!!!!!
Whats he think of this? He is done dealing with them. I can't blame him. You hear of one guy who gets screwed over an it leaves a bad taste in everyones mouth. Cause you don't now if you are going to be the next one to get that kind of treatment................ Everyone who flys models nows someone else at another field. Bad news about this kinda stuff travels like wildfire.

Horizon is a huge company, but they got that way because of us buying there products an haveing good service
................They are not as bad as Nitromodels, YET!!!!!

At the end of the day they would have been further ahead to honor the price they told Grifmode4, There will be plenty of people who are peaking at towers site after reading this.
An when this model comes off of B/O an people see there bank statements after they get it, they will be right here venting about it aswell.

When that happens this forum will grow fast, unlike horizon's future sales. My 2 pennys

ram3500-RCU

My Feedback: (221)

Perhaps I was misunderstood. I empathize with any company doing retail business these days. Horizon has been around a long time and served the hobby well IMO, but I also agree that when a guy places an order at an advertised price, and pays for it in advance, he should receive the goods at that price, period. IMO, Horizons policy is not a good one, for us or them, in this case,

grassroots

They have raised prices on almost every ARF, to the point of almost ridiculous.[:'(]

But it's not a scam it's reality the American dollar for many reasons has declined rapidly. [&o]

Today it now takes more dollars to buy the same product from China then it did a year ago.

In desperate times companies do desperate things like not honor BO prices. Kind of like cutting a finger off to save the hand!

LSF2298

My Feedback: (4)

If I read his post correctly, he says they took his credit card number, he didn't say they charged him. If they charged him, then they should be obligated to deliver at that price. If they did not charge him, then I would expect he would get whatever the price is when the product is back in stock. JMHO, YMMV.

ira d

Common sense would dictate that horizon should have honored the back ordered
price, so the model cost them an extra 25 to 30 bucks that a small price to pay
for good cust relations.

Also I know they may have had maybe a few hundred on B O but still it would not
have broke them IMO to honor the original price.

ErikElvis

My Feedback: (2)

wow. Im glad I got one of the last sundowner 50's in that order. Just checked the price and its up $60... [:@]

Rube Goldberg

Scam or not, that's a 47% increase in price. If I tried to raise my professional fees by 47% at the drop of a hat I'd be out of business quick. At $189 I thought it was a good buy for a plane I'd probably get bored with pretty quick. As the local Hobbytown only received 2 of the Pawnee kits at introduction and both of them sold to the same guy, I told the owner months ago I'd like one and he's had 4 or 5 of them on order since. I'll call him tomorrow and tell him to take me OFF the list.

Its not a scam, its a conspiracy. Horizon hobby is going to kill the over the counter hobby shop ARF airplane market by raising the prices. Potential newbies to the hobby that have never built a model airplane in their life won't buy them due to the price and the "fear" of crashing it. So they'll buy an R/C car. And you can bet there is a LOT more money to be made in the R/C car market and all the "hop up" and replacement because you had no fear and crashed it parts that Horizon will do well.

Thats my take and I'm sticking to it.

Rube

ira d

The price of things comeing from China has risen and also become in short supply.
I suppose its due to high fuel costs causing shipping to be more and internal things
that are going on in China that is delaying production. However I think if things cant
get back on step by the first of the year we are going to see some hobby suppliers
begain to feel the crunch.

foresterxt

My Feedback: (35)

I was thinking I went crazy! I was planning on ordering a few arfs last night. I put them in my basket but decided to wait until today to pull the trigger...went back in today and noticed most of the Hanger 9 arfs went up $50 over night [X(]......

squeakalong

My Feedback: (8)

This post reflects the "not so good" Horizon service on my new Spectrum DX7 radio; it crapped out completely..and I do mean completely causing total loss of my new GP Cherokee ARF, new OS 46 AX, new Bison Pitts muffler, etc. Talked to three reps, sent radio in for repair/check and they returned it with a crushed/smashed servo case, nicked wiring and whatever else I haven't found yet. Not a mention of anything towards the huge loss in model items as a result of the Spectrum product failure. Went to the Post Office again and sent one servo back and they replaced it which was what they should have done to begin with. What did this experience cost them? I have placed six rather large Tower orders since including a new 2.4 Futaba radio and a number of KITS. No more Horizon/Hanger 9 business...period. And yes...I did have a mix-up in one of my kit orders from Tower...called them and they were very courteous and quick to make things right and gave me the impression they were interested in me and the situation at hand. We are off to a good start anyway and I find I really don't need Horizons' care-less attitude when it comes to getting my wallet out of my back pocket.

masonman

A 47% increase.......Wow!!!!!!! Most any company could go ahead an close there doors after marking up like that
I would not be so heated up about this topic if I was just searching looking for a new model. If the price is right grab it.

The problem is. When you take a guys credit card info an make the deal an tell him it will be processed as soon as the next shipment is here, then he gets the bill, an wow.Thats not what the deal was.
That would P/O alot of modlers

Bob Mitchell

Same thing with me.

I ordered a Pulese XT 60 in August for $189, backordered. I checked my account this afternoon and now it's at $249, and Horizon will not honor the BO price.

Customer service informed me that their supplier was also not honoring their price to Horizon, and so they must pass the cost along. I understand their position, but two wrongs don't make it right. They should honor the price at time of order.

Before I had a chance to ask about it, the rep indicated that they were notifying all effected customers by email, and supposedly asking them to confirm or cancel the order. Emails are supposedly going out this week.

So, I can either pay an extra 31% for the plane that I want, and for which I have already purchased and engine, servos and flight pack, or start from scratch. In the meantime Tower has raised their price on the Sig 4* 60 which was my second choice.

I'm not a happy camper.

[]TEX[]

Sears used to do this, it's called bait and switch.

Horizon is not the first nor the last to do this.

An example would be, advertise a laptop for a great price. When you get to the store, they do not have that model in stock and try sell you a more expensive model. Circuit City also tried this when my dad and I went out looking for laptops last fall.

With b/o they do not charge your card and one reason why they don't is plain to see here. If they charged your card for B/O it would be easy for you to take legal action. Main reason why they don't.

I am pretty sure there is a disclaimer on Horizon's site that says they are not responsible for internet pricing errors.

On the other hand, with Tower, what ever the price is when you B/O it you get it at that price. Drawback is, if the price goes down.

I am still baffled as to why they will not honor the B/O price. Not like Horizon is a mom and pop shack. Horizon and GP are the two main suppliers so a little good faith wouldn't set them back.

Rube Goldberg

Dateline September 1, 2008

Why do I buy ARF airplanes? Because the Chinese can build them and get them to the USA for less cost than I could build a similar kit.

Dateline September 3, 2008

Why do I scratch build and build kits made in the USA? Because that Michael Phelps dude took all the gold out of China (even though he probably got his swim goggles from Horizon Hobby), the ARF factory workers in China didn't get a raise yet their bosses decided that greed is the Western way of doing business and I can now build a kit for less cost than the Chinese.

What a sad day it is!

Rube

outacontrol41

My Feedback: (9)

Check out the prices on Horizon Hobbies' giant scale ARF's!!!!!!!!!!!![X(][X(]