That and you have to be very specific in your written company policies and warranty statements. You can't take it for granted that someone knows what they are doing with your product.

Credit cards are responsible for a good part of this undesirable behavior on the part of customers. In a cash society it was usually the more intelligent and prosperous folks that had the disposable income for products such as yours and Ralph's. Anyone can get a credit card these days and anyone can buy a giant scale 3D model after successfully landing their Nexstar (however you spell it). Your client base has changed, but many companies in niche markets have not updated their company policies and sales practices.

As with Ralph, he is probably just getting tired of dealing with all of it and this was the straw that broke the camel's back.

No way in hell would I replace someone's model/radio/etc. just because an engine quit. I would suggest that the pilot learn to fly and take responsibility for being a pilot.


Ed Cregger

AMEN

Very dissapointing news...

I have a G38 for my Spad XIII project that I was going to send for a check up and conversion to EI.... Not that Ralph doesn't have a right to say to "Hell with it.." is anyone else doing this kind of work out there that is worth talking to???

Thanks and Good Luck Ralph!

Ed "Hibrass" Harley

CH Electronics. 307 857 6897
We have a DIY bolt on kit for the G-38

Thanks TKG,

Does that use the standard size plug or can it use the short cm6 style??? Or is that not an option?

Thanks,

CH Ignitions also works on engines but I don't know how quick it would be. They stay pretty busy with ignitions.

I don,t know about the rest of you guys....but this situation is really got me P_ _ sed off to no end....................and cannot say why. Period

Probably an accumulation in the reduction of social standards and personal responsibility. After awhile I got flat fed up with listening to everyone complain about how everything that happend in their lives being the fault of someone else. Made me wonder who took their first breath for them every morning. Over the last few years it became clear that R/C had not escaped the malady. This thing with Ralph is just an extension of the same condition.

Someone crashed two planes with the same engine and it just has to be the engine's fault. Clearly the operator is perfect in every way, from his flying skills all the way through his decision making process, so it's gotta be someone else's fault. Had he sent the engines back to me demanding a buy out I would have told him to go p- up a rope.

I can see why you are tired....LOL... You and I are on the same channel.

Whatever you NEED/WANT.... The ignition set up is same $$$, but you would need to buy spark plug and a 14mm to 10mm adapter. We got both.

King Arthur,

You're the first one to decipher what my user name references. The decline of the American society and it's loss of core values. It has nothing to do with chronological age.

""You're the first one to decipher what my user name references""

well I figured it out, I just didn't feel it needed to be said [:-]

TKG,

Thanks! I will be looking up your site.. Hopefully I will be able to give you a call next week..

Ed

It is getting harder and harder to find anyone with "core values"

That's because every generation has their own version of core values. Naturally, as your generation dies off, there will be less people with the same core values as your own. It makes the prospect of dying not so horrible. 8&gt

Well, I hope I'm one of the people that Ralph said he would still do business with. I'm pleased with both of my engines that Ralph waved his magic wand over.


Ed Cregger

I'm with you on this one all the way.

Karol

I was President at a large club for the last year and VP before that. Personally I find this statement untrue. Majority of the problem childs I dealt with had been flying for more than 15 years. I am not saying the younger generation doesn't have it's issues because it does as well.. just slightly different.

Personally I have never been involved with a hobby that has so many whiny people in. In the last 4 years our flight stations have been modified or moved 4 or 5 times... why? Because some people where bored and needed rules changed so they had something to do.

So the short version is I don't really think things have changed much... you just have more access to the stories because of the advancement of technology.

Sorry to get off track

My experiences echo yours, Jake. Our club is a small one that averages about 20 members year in and year out. We have students from the university join frequently. I've been an officer in the club for 2 or 3 years.

The problems are with both new and old time members, but none are young. Most are the old timers who are just cranky and set in their ways. We've had a couple of problem members who joined and started out that way, but they were in their late 30's or older.

The only comment that I can make about young members is that they all prefer ARFs, and some of that could be attributed to a lack of building time due to school.

....Makes sense to me!

I experienced this when I worked in the hobby industry. Every once in a while somebody called and was convinced your product was the reason they crashed. I remember one time when an rx battery was at fault. Never mind that it was fully charged when I received it and that a capacity check came up fine, and physical inspection turned up fine, except for something that had cut through the shrink wrap and likely shorted the pack while it was airborne. The toughest day was when we received a letter from an attorney that we were being taken to small claims for for a model airplane crash because our product supposedly caused it. I think that the modeler was the attorney. I left the company before that was resolved but a court date was set 5 states away. I never asked about the outcome. Companies must be very clear with warranty and stick to it. No special treatment for anyone. Word gets around good and bad. You would think that somebody going out of their way to help someone out with warranty is good, but then when you stick to in another case it bites you in the rear. Or you find this same person coming back over and over with problems.

It's unfortunate that this should happen. Companies and people come and go. I've seen it with hobby shops locally, even my own RC company almost 10 years ago. People will get over it and somebody will fill the void.

It's not a generational thing. It's all about the values one learned growing up. I know older people who blame others for everything that goes wrong. Their children are the same. The child didn't break it, it broke by itself, now take it back to the store for an exchange.

We saw a lot of open policy warranty type things when the economy was good and money was pouring in. I predict we'll see most things tighten up as the economy dwindles.

Just for the diversity, I disagree with Jake. I almost always disagree with blw so I won't count that one.

Greed has not been as great or as dominant a factor as it is now amongst the general population. The "it's all about me" syndrome didn't used to be as severe as it is now. That one has been a steady progression since about 1990. People used to accept responsibility for their mistakes and actions whereas they typically do not now. That's been progressing steadily since about 1970 or 1975. The pervasive sense of personal entitlement wasn't there 20 years ago. You knew you had to work for it, not that you deserved it, or that the "governement" owed it to you. Work ethics is another area that has declined over the past 30 years. Much of the above has been illustrated by insidious changes in segments of the "baby boomer" generation but much of it has been taken to new levels by the following generations.

So I do absolutely disagree.

Ralph,

I hope that you reconsider. I had just bought a new Zenoah engine, and was planning to send it out to you for your magic mods. If you do change your mind, please let us know here, and I will post it to you ASAP.

Bill, AMA 4720
WACO Brotherhood #1

Like the Dew on the grass in the early morning....and so it is with these rambling words....they will be gone also.

Pat I welcome your disagreement... but I dont see how you can say that since 1990 this has been changing.

That is like saying the crime rate is higher now than ever before. While many will say it is.. including me. However if you discuss this with my wife she will show you many studies both indepenant and goverment that will say this is not the case at all. It's called a certain theory.. I cant remember what it is.

I don't know.. there is lots about this hobby and the way the world is right now that I dont like... not much I can do about it so I try not to complain about it too much I just don't understand what it is about this hobby that attracts so many whiney people.

The internet and forums like these allow you to hear more stories that ever before.. I think a lot of what is happening now has been happening all a long. Everyone I talk to about thier club says the same things. The older ones in the club will tell you " ahh this isn't new.. its been happening ever since I started flying and that was 25 years ago" haha


All I can say is it's a good thing I really love this hobby and am addicted or I would have left it a long time ago because of all the things that go on in clubs. I dont like to play games and have a life that keeps me busy. Flying is my passion and down time... I just want to fly

I hear ya buddy Still too many good things left to do in spite of anything else[8D]