ricardinho

you will have a better shot on talking to obama then getting emails from bh.

alfplaza

Yes that´s true, but also calling them is a real pain....

If you want to buy they can sell to you really fast, even they offer online help, but if you have any problems after giving your money then the real nighmare begins...

jetpilotrich

hey... what c rating did u use on your packs?

thanks rich

rcand

Do a search in your normal browser for banana hobby complaints. You may change your mind

firehawkzach

Wow this was a lot of reading. I was going to buy a BH thrust vectoring F-16 but decided on the Hobby Lobby F-18 ARF. It shipped out this morning and from what I have found this might be the best foamie F-18 available. IT really is a shame that Banana Hobby has had so many problems because they really do have cool products. If they would produce fighter jets that have good servos like hitec, or futaba, and sell them at a higher cost I think it would be more successful. I paid more money than I originally intended for the plane I ordered but I don't have any fear that I made a mistake.

Pete I am a small business owner and it sounds to me like you need to offer the airframes and then let people select on different servo/radio/ ESC/ EDF/motor combos that you recommend at respective prices. What would be the problem with offering a RTF version that has a Spektrum radio quality retracts and quality ESC/EDF unit/Motor. I think you would lose a lot of your troubles if you offered products similar to this.Let the customer choose quality products that they want in their aircraft. Offer different options but make sure that everything you put out there is quality and not junk.

In my business the parts I install either work or they don't. I feel better about giving a customer a higher estimate and informing them that they are buying a quality product. People know that they can't get a RTF jet with Futaba, JR, or Hitec radio equipment for 300-500 dollars.

If I were in your position I would change my business model and get rid of all the junk or close up. As far as customer service goes it would benefit you greatly to have knowledgeable competent people working for you. When I called to inquire about your F-16 the girl on the phone acted like I was inconveinencing her and she had relatively no answers to my questions. Not to mention the fact that she was rude. This is not a way to get new customers and retaining old customers is your number one priority. You have a 50% greaterchance to sell a product to a returning customer than you do a new one. CUSTOMERRETENTION ONLY IS ACHEIVED THROUGH POSITIVE PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES. That is pure and simple business.

To all who have been burned my heart goes out to all of you. I know how it feels to buy something and be so excited about it, only for it to be a piece of junk and dissapoint. Perhaps we should collaborateandstart a company that mimics the business model I illustrated above.

Zach

ricardinho

remember they are making these foamies to complicated for what they are.. you dont need folding wings retracts spoilers slats . speed brakes etc on foamies. the equipment doesnt hold up .. you work on it more then you fly it.. thats why they make the HABU... THEY STUFF FROM HERE IS THE SIZZLE AND NOT THE STEAK...

firehawkzach

I will be using an Aurora 9 Radio system with telemetry, 6s 4000mah 30c LiPo, and the reviews and videos on this plane have been awesome. I have a friend that goes to my local field who has the SU-34 and he loves it. That plane does amazing things and holds up just fine. Here is the link

http://www.hobby-lobby.com/erc_f_a_1...33830_prd1.htm

Here are the flight videos on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud29jLOLJ78

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24u3N2USSUQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ9pN_mrrOU

firehawkzach

So I ordered my plane on Tuesday morning and it got here Friday afternoon!!! Way to go Hobby-Lobby. Ijust finished building the plane and WOW. The retracts work perfectly and are very sturdy. Build was fairly painless and if you have built models before it is a breeze. Here are the pics that I took!!

allamericanflyer

My Feedback: (9)

Nice pictures, that is the next plane I want.  I got the F-35 and Eurofighter both from hobby lobby and they both only took 4 days to arrive. 

[email protected]

My Feedback: (1)

that f18 is apiece of garbage h bannana hobby stinks there is no support find another place to buy your hobby needs i have 70 ducted fan jets of all sizes save yor your money and time every jet i bought from them had aproblem servos bad broken parts parts missing and you will never get threw to them if it comes with a battery they will not includeit theses are the true facts and everyone should know this before they rip you off i dont know how acrook like this gets away with such thir thievery

Flybri89

Of course they havent...don't waste your time

Flybri89

Agreed

socshooter

My Feedback: (45)

I think if everyone here that had a bad experience with BH and they know they got ripped off, file a complain with the better business bureau. Its time to show BH that they cannot continue with their shaddy business practices.

Flybri89

Lot's of people have ......check around the internet 99% of reviews are bad and all the same compaints almost

socshooter

My Feedback: (45)

You are correct.
Here's the BBB link for BH. Im going to put my complaint shortly.

http://www.la.bbb.org/Business-Repor...Hobby100075745

drywaller

I have no less than Three seperate purchases form Banana Hobby. All Three were less than ideal. Everything from shipping the wrong parts to missing parts. In the end PayPal went to bat for me.
Got 100% payment returned on one purchase and a portion of my payment on another.
Man I really want their 90mm F-18. Ill keep tabs on em to see if things improve.

kodiak536

I must be the luckiest guy here

I ordered a 7 CH F-16 airframe only with retracts and vectoring from bananahobby this past Sunday night.

I contacted chat on Moday morning and got connected within 5 minutes and verified my order with no problems.

Received a shipment confirmation the next day and got delivered on Thursday, today, 4 days after I ordered it.

Opend and inspected all parts, everything accounted for and no damages found.

Now, all i need is the electrical/electronics to make it flight ready.

Of all the complaints I heard of bananahobby, majority were relating to the controls not functioning or malfunctioning. As for their customer service, I can't complain since I received excellent service.

I've read all of their policies prior to my order and i understood 100% what was expected. That's why I ordered airframe only. Can't really find EDF jets this good elsewhere online. Even the retracts were beyong my expectations...looks very sturdy and functional mechanically.

Just my .02

kodiak536, Aloha.

skirack

You should know that almost every Banana Hobby plane requires significant upgrades from the stock ARF out of the box setup. They appear to be underpowered and the landing gear is weak and sloppy.

Check out this video of me rescuing my buddy's Banana Hobby F/18 after a crash water landing after the ESC smoked in flight and the plane went down: [link]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxe3w4pxtdU[/link]

I would be careful with Banana Hobby and check everything out carefully before flight and consider upgrading the motor, fan and landing gear. I saw three Banana Hobby planes go in on their maiden flights within a two week period at our club. I think they must take 5 or 6 spares when they shoot those demo videos on their site.

I will say that the similar EDF jets I bought from Hobby Lobby are still flying a year after I got them.

Dave

kodiak536

Agree, that's the reason why I ordered airframe only...I did my research first

Good one

So I've heard. I'm awaiting expert opinions here for what I'd need to make this jet flight ready since that's all I got roght now...airframe only.

I've posted elsewhere so as not to hi-jack this post..

Speedracer2112

firehawkzach, Your plane is from HOBBY LOBBY.

This a Banana Hobby thread. It isnt the same plane as in this thread. Ive heard that your plane is pretty nice. Main thing is that Hobby Lobby has EXCELLENT customer service. BH has none.

Cheers

SR

lnelson

Hello everyone, I found this forum doing research on BH, as my kit was also missing parts, decals on backwards and I too cannot get any assistance whatsoever. After 2 weeks of trying to deal with this, I find this forum and it all sounds too familiar.
My bad for not doing my homework first, but I was excited to get into this hobby after being into RC boats.
My kit was the BlitzRcworks 64 edf F16.
My kit was primarily missing the control horn self threading backing plates (not even addressed in the very poor manual). My local hobby store cannot find a similar replacement part. Should I just build my own, or, does anyone know where I can find the correct size for my jet.
At least being a newbe, if she crashes and burns, I will not feel to bad, nor let it discourage me from trying again.
Thanks for all the information found in this website.

kens999

My Feedback: (2)

Looks like no one has posted on this thread for awhile. Anyway, I am looking for a hobby store (other than BH) that stocks spare parts for the Tiger Meet version 70mm F-18.

Thanks,
Ken

Jblakely79

I realize this thread is about 10 years old, but I was hoping that somebody would check it and happen to have the original instruction manual for this f-18. I acquired one of these, and wanted to get it up in the air. It looks like it's missing some pieces/parts.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!




Heres some photos of the jet if you guys were to lazy to go to the site[/QUOTE]

sdemit

very nice