PhoenixRC- Non functioning hardware and poor customer service
 

This email is long and for those who don’t have time to read this, my summary:

I can not recommend PhoenixRC due to non functioning hardware and poor customer service.

First, I would like to thank all those who responded, through this forum, PM’s and directly, to my request for help from all corners of our world. The modeling community is truly a brotherhood in a fascinating and timeless hobby.

We all make decisions on how to spend our hard earned money based on several factors. Like many of you, I spent considerable time reading the forums and reviews, noting the comments and comparing the many offering available. Items which are important to me, in no particular order:

- Value
- Post sale support
- Where the item is made
- Comments and recommendations from others

Value, based on many excellent reviews and comments, PhoenixRC appeared to be the best for the money. Though I have learned; many of the aircraft shown in the reviews, i.e. Bell Jet Ranger and Bell 47 G have been removed.

Post sale, many posters sited prompt replies and satisfied with their customer service.

Where the item is made, I live in California and normally try to support the companies in the USA. I have a good customer in England and have visited Mildenhall Suffolk, many times and always enjoyed the hospitality.

Comments and recommendations - all were positive, that I read.

I order PhoenixRC from Tower Hobbies. Shortly after installing and starting to enjoy the program, the controls started acting up (stop working) and this message appears:

"Please Reconnect or Switch On Your Transmitter"

I contacted Tower Hobbies for help and was told they don’t support the product, just sell it. There is no replacement, refund or credit for my purchase because it is software. They advised I take the matter up with the manufacture.

A total of eight emails were sent to PhoenixRC ([email protected] or [email protected]) on this issue, after the first three I received a reply from [email protected] claiming they had sent a response and I was just not receiving it.

In one of the email they asked if I was using an adaptor to connect to my transmitter and if so which type. They also asked if I applied pressure to the adaptor to regain correct function. I answered; I am not using an adapter, tried two different JR radios and checked, wiggled and changed USB ports many times.

They then emailed saying I received a faulty USB interface and said to contact Tower Hobbies. Well, as stated above, that was the first action I took to no avail.

By this time I’m getting frustrated with their negative support and sent another email, this time attaching a scanned copy of my Tower Hobby invoice and the side of the box containing the Proof of Purchase label. I asked them to send something that will make the program work, to the shipping address on the invoice. If not, I'm sure the lost in sales from relating my experience with their poor customer service and non-functioning product will far out way the cost to do the right thing.

The next email said they would contact Tower Hobbies and try to discover why they were not willing to help me with the problem. They further wanted to inconvenience me by asking me to send the faulty USB unit from California to the UK.

I never saw a name in any correspondence, only “PhoenixRC Support“, no phone number or address is published on their website, though an address was provided to return the faulty hardware. I included my phone number in all emails.

When considering where to spend your money on a simulator program, I can tell you my experience with PhoenixRC was not good, I now own a non-working product and even though in the short term PhoenixRC may have received the profit from this single sale, this company’s goals for the further in the international market place is questionable.

In my company we build relationships one at a time with our customers which last a life time. Our customers are why I have a business and they are foremost in everything we do.

If anyone from PhoenixRC should read this, step-up do the right thing. I would like to post a positive resolution to this issue.

Respectfully,
Tom Hall

RE: PhoenixRC- Non functioning hardware and poor customer service
 

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I contacted Tower Hobbies for help and was told they don’t support the product, just sell it. There is no replacement, refund or credit for my purchase because it is software. They advised I take the matter up with the manufacture.
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Hi,
After Tower passed the buck, It looks like Phoenix did everything they could to help you out.
All the dongle based simulators do not send out dongles/interface leads without you returning the faulty one first. The fact that tower turned there back on you and offered no support is a worry.

Quote
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They further wanted to inconvenience me by asking me to send the faulty USB unit from California to the UK.
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Well if Tower were to replace it you would have to send it or take back to them anyway? whats the difference. If i know Phoenix they would have offered to pay the postage costs. How hard is it to go to the post box!!.

If you look around the forums you will see that Phoenix has an excellent reputation for customer support and will do anything they can to help.

If i were you i would send the lead back for replacement and get on with enjoying Phoenix, And avoid Tower in the future!.

Jim.

RE: PhoenixRC- Non functioning hardware and poor customer service
 

No company would send out a replacement for any product without proof that the product was actually faulty.

Sending it back is that proof and if they have agreed to replace it free-of-charge then to be honest I have no idea what you are complaining about - especially as they didn't sell it to you in the first place.

RE: PhoenixRC- Non functioning hardware and poor customer service
 

Sounds like Tower Hobbies is the problem here, not Phoenix. I'm actually surprised, I thought Tower Hobbies was a reputable business, but refusing to take a return on a defective item they sold me would convince me not buy from them again. That's the whole point of buying from reputable businesses instead of just buying from the cheapest place.

I agree that it was reasonable for Phoenix to ask you to ship your defective dongle to them first. They didn't sell it to you, so they have no way of knowing whether you even actually own a copy, or just downloaded Phoenix from somewhere, without you sending them your existing dongle.

RE: PhoenixRC- Non functioning hardware and poor customer service
 

the reason, Tom Hall, that they probably dont send out replacement items without the original,
is to stop people from blagging a free copy - cant you see that?????


also, after all the time ive been reading posts about phoenix i have never seen one,
not one that suggested phoenix support was anything but epic.

also strange that out of TWO posts both are phoenix problems - dont tell me, never had to post before Tom?

RE: PhoenixRC- Non functioning hardware and poor customer service
 

I bought phoenix direct from the website, after 1 month the hitec adapter stopped working. I sent them one email explaining the problem and they sent me a replacement adapter f.o.c.. It arrived 1 week later (I live in Canada). Excellent service, I would recommend them to anyone.

Richard

RE: PhoenixRC- Non functioning hardware and poor customer service
 

Follow up

First, I would like to thank to all who responded with CONSTRUCTIVE help!

As far as Tower Hobbies responsibility in this matter, they would accept a return as long as the item is new and in unused condition. Since this was opened software, it reverts to a manufacture defect. After the product has been used, it is then the manufactures responsibility. This is spelled out in Tower Hobbies Information and policies.

Another local modeler had the same problem and offered to test and repair my cable. Since he returned it, everything works great!

I would still very much like to have the Jet Ranger and 47G which was removed from this program? As you may have noticed in the photo of me.

BTW – Yes, that’s a Kavan Jet Range in the photo and it is still operational. I built it soon after they were released. The photo of me was when I was MUCH younger.

Tom