colmo

Graves RC Hobbies has always been a must destination when I go to Orlando, FL. They are the only full stock hobby shop still in business that I know of, at least in my area. Every time I go, they ask for my I.D. when I pay with credit card. I’m ok with that, they have to be careful. Yesterday, however, I made an online order to be shipped to the Opa Locka airport, where I work (I’m a corporate pilot).

I received an email confirmation yesterday, but today I got another email, letting me know they cancelled my order because they won’t take my card.

As instructed in the cancellation email, I called Rachel there. First, she mistook me for a guy from Puerto Rico, and said they don’t take cards from there. Then I explained I’m not that guy, and she said then that she won’t take a credit card to ship to a hangar at the airport. I explained that is my office, and the shipping address is actually the same as the billing address for my card.

Still she wouldn’t take it. Told me to pay by paypal. I then offered to send her pictures of my card and ID, told her I’m a regular client to the physical store, all to no avail.

Now, I understand the need for a store to be careful, but I can’t ignore the fact that all the evidence I offered that I’m the owner of the card was rejected. Also, I can’t ignore the fact that both guys that got rejected today are latino.

I was glad to buy from a mom and pop store, but not if I will be humiliated and treated as a thief for no reason. There are many other places that will happily take my business.

carlgrover

When things start to go sideways in a situation like this, I always ask to talk to that person's supervisor.

Carl

ETpilot

Yep, on the supervisor. They, on many occasions, work problems out.

Too bad Orange Blossom Hobby Shop in Miami closed down. That was a super mega hobby shop. They had everything and did a lot of international business. Gone but not forgotten.

I used to fly out of Opa Locka Airport. Kept an airplane there. It too has changed over the years. I miss the old Opa Locka airport. Lots of memories there. I, now, just go to the Coast Guard Station there.

I’ve been to Graves Hobby Shop also. It is a well stocked shop. Never had a problem there but I only do personal visits.

colmo

She said the owner was the one to stop the order.

rgburrill

A Latino in Florida requesting shipping RC products to a hangar with direct access to Cuba. And you wonder about it? Go to the store in person! They know your face.

colmo

They were happy to ship it if I paid with Paypal. No political issues there.

cyclops2

The Covid is making a lot of good people steal. They need things to sell. Web order is delivered & then order is disputed. C C person gets money. somebody loses. I had to do a additional verification 2 weeks ago. They are getting cheated & push back.

colmo

As I said, I totally understand. That’s why I offered plenty of evidence that I was: a) a previous physical customer, and b) the owner of the card, with the same shipping and billing address. What bugs me is, I’m sure they wouldn’t have any problem taking the card if my name was, say, Paul Smith.

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

Thats a pretty serious accusation, on a well respected vendor, without any basis in fact.

I'm sure if their story had been similar they would have been treated similarly. I get your frustration as you're coming across as a reasonable guy trying to get your stuff, I get it, but lets have a little less of the other stuff.

colmo

I get you, Barracuda. The reason I say it because she first thought I was from Puerto Rico, and she immediately told me they don’t take any cards from PR. That sounds a lot like profiling to me. Anyway, I already got my stuff elsewhere and I’m never buying from them again, either in person or the website. Cheers

Outrider6

My Feedback: (2)

Aha - now I think I understand what drove me to swear off Graves, which I had made virtually my only source, before I had an order shipping problem. Now I think I see the reason for their lack of customer service when USPS royally screwed me over 2 times. Graves probably thought I was scamming them, which I most certainly was not doing. The abomination called USPS, in their ubiquitous and gross incompetence was at fault, not me. Long story, but 2 packages came from Graves to me, both of them badly damaged, both very late, with one being severely late (2.5 months for that 8 hour drive).

Graves is quite outstanding, with a great website with excellent search filter (Tower and Horizon need to learn from Graves on that), and they get their product to the shipper lickety split, as in almost immediately. And their prices are decent. I loved doing business with them, until the shipping problems (and resultant lack of customer service from them, stemming from the shipping problem), but I swore them off after that, and told them why. I was unaware that people (NOT good people, as mentioned above) were scamming them and stealing from them. Good people do not steal. Period. Covid is NO excuse for people stealing. Covid is a very handy excuse for evil and incompetence, but just that - an excuse.

Now I think I will resume ordering from Graves. BUT, I will always choose another shipper other than USPS, who is grossly incompetent, playing dirty politics right now, and also.....using Covid as an excuse (a very lame one, at that). USPS is virtually unaccountable, to anyone. I utterly despise that organization.

cyclops2

on our vacation house in upstate N Y. BOTH UPS & FEDEX are TERRIBLE. Same address for 12 years . They still leave stuff anywhere.
In N J both are O K.