Airworld Dilemma
07-31-2017, 12:26 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Miami,
FL
Posts: 129
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Airworld Dilemma
I feel at times that it is up to us to police are own hobby no matter what occurs or the outcome it leaves in its wake. I recently was discussing an issue with a friend that i was having about a company i had ordered some parts from and he suggested i post my experience so in the least, it might prevent another person from going thru the same aggravation. I agreed. So grab a cup of coffee and enjoy.
I am an owner of an AIRWORLD cougar which was purchased second hand and it is in the stage of being build. The aircraft came with a single walled exhaust pipe and no bypass, so i decided to upgrade it with the double walled pipe that is provided with the newer kits. We first tried the Rep in the states but the items where not stocked and would have to be ordered from the manufacturer.
I decided to go straight to the source Airworld Modellbau. You would think that straight from the source would cure any issues that can arise, and i did not want to waist time . So the items where ordered and payed for in September of 2016
My aircraft and me patiently waited and waited and then waited some more. Weeks turned into months but being normally very understanding and patient i told my self they must be backed logged and very busy ext ext ext….
Well my silence lasted until November of 2016 where i sent off an email to have them give me an update on the status. The response was quick '' We don't stock it, we order it and when we ship it, we will let you know" All i said was wow.
So i waited and waited and waited some more....November finished then December finished and now where at the end of January of the following year and i decide to send off another email, but this time around i get no response.
Now at this point most guys i know would be kind of upset rolling into 6 months for a bypass and pipe, but i really was not, i just wanted it to get here to continue the build. February rolls around now and on the 14th day i receive a package at home, while at work. You know that feeling "Its here!" . I get down from the truck and notice right off that the cardboard box had a nice seam, as if the box had been bend. So i rush it inside like a rescue worker to see if i can save it, and hoping all the while theres no damage..
What you see in the pictures is what i found. Now I'm upset 6+ month wait and for this! Who in there right mind would put a soft aluminum pipe in a soft cardboard box with a few air bag packs and fly it around the world and expect it to get there in one piece. They do make hard cardboard sleeves that would have likely saved it.
So after cooling off, i take pictures and email Airworld to inform them what i received. Needless to say to there credit, they offered me a replacement which i refused ( I Did not want to wait another six months) and just asked for a refund. They asked me just to take it to the post office and get a damage report. You would think, no sweat i can do that for you.
Now starts my second journey.
1st trip to the post office - The post office says all overseas claims must be filed by the sender and they can not provide a damage receipt because the packaging is still intact even though it was obvious something or someone had crushed the box. So i passed this info onto Airworld and they intern responded that they required a damage receipt.
2nd trip to the post office to press the issue, the post office manager then provided a letter sent to me the following day just saying that they apologize for any inconvenience i was experiencing ext ext ext..but nothing to do with the damage. I take it nobody wanted to take responsibility for it. I also emailed this on to Airworld.
3rd trip to a different post office and this one said i had to fill out an international claim form ps1000. So i had him print it out for me and filled it out and returned the following day with the damaged package and form to the post office..
4th trip This time another manager attended me and informed me the ps1000 form is no longer used and that the sender needed to start the claim from there end. ooo brother was i pissed!
This time i head for the head guy, and emailed the postmaster and informed him of the issue i was having, he then appoints a special person to handle my needs and i receive a letter stating a few days later "we apologize for any inconvenience ext ext but we cannot determine when damages occurred" so i forward this to Airworld on April 4, with No response from Airworld.
On April 12, I send another email for info - No response
Then i came here and Posted on RCU to find a local contact that might be able to help me. Then someone posted a contact and i quickly sent an email to them and they responded immediately. Needless to say the ball started rolling and was told that it would be taken care of, so i waited and waited. Please be aware i felt i had no need to trash anyone, i always leave room for complications and mistakes, they can happen.
Next thing i received was a letter from the post office that a claim had been processed and questioned if i had received a damaged package. This was to funny to me, after all i have been thru, but i promptly filled it out and mailed it back.
Now where into July and i send another email to Airworld, “Where is my refund for the pipe and shipping cost that i had to pay?" There answer was simple '' Where waiting on DHL to respond to the claim since i received the package and did not claim a damage"
OMG are you kidding me really! I have never seen a company do this. Normally its the responsibility of a company to deliver there product in proper shape not the buyer.. I am truly passed the stage of giving a darn anymore, and i have, without a doubt, decided to never to deal with this company until customer service improves.
I am just glad it was not a complete kit. Can you just imagine if a wing or fuselage was cracked in shipping, i can here it now "Sorry Sr we need to wait for Fedex to pay us so we can make another one, or pay us again and will refund you “IF" the carrier pays us."
I will put it as i see it, Airworld you have a great top of the line product but, (as a friend said who was recently asociated with them, yet no longer, told me) Customer service is some of the worst i have seen and you need both to succeed.
I truly hope this post helps others but especially Airworld.
I can only hope none of you go thru this and Yes, i am still waiting for a refund.
I am an owner of an AIRWORLD cougar which was purchased second hand and it is in the stage of being build. The aircraft came with a single walled exhaust pipe and no bypass, so i decided to upgrade it with the double walled pipe that is provided with the newer kits. We first tried the Rep in the states but the items where not stocked and would have to be ordered from the manufacturer.
I decided to go straight to the source Airworld Modellbau. You would think that straight from the source would cure any issues that can arise, and i did not want to waist time . So the items where ordered and payed for in September of 2016
My aircraft and me patiently waited and waited and then waited some more. Weeks turned into months but being normally very understanding and patient i told my self they must be backed logged and very busy ext ext ext….
Well my silence lasted until November of 2016 where i sent off an email to have them give me an update on the status. The response was quick '' We don't stock it, we order it and when we ship it, we will let you know" All i said was wow.
So i waited and waited and waited some more....November finished then December finished and now where at the end of January of the following year and i decide to send off another email, but this time around i get no response.
Now at this point most guys i know would be kind of upset rolling into 6 months for a bypass and pipe, but i really was not, i just wanted it to get here to continue the build. February rolls around now and on the 14th day i receive a package at home, while at work. You know that feeling "Its here!" . I get down from the truck and notice right off that the cardboard box had a nice seam, as if the box had been bend. So i rush it inside like a rescue worker to see if i can save it, and hoping all the while theres no damage..
What you see in the pictures is what i found. Now I'm upset 6+ month wait and for this! Who in there right mind would put a soft aluminum pipe in a soft cardboard box with a few air bag packs and fly it around the world and expect it to get there in one piece. They do make hard cardboard sleeves that would have likely saved it.
So after cooling off, i take pictures and email Airworld to inform them what i received. Needless to say to there credit, they offered me a replacement which i refused ( I Did not want to wait another six months) and just asked for a refund. They asked me just to take it to the post office and get a damage report. You would think, no sweat i can do that for you.
Now starts my second journey.
1st trip to the post office - The post office says all overseas claims must be filed by the sender and they can not provide a damage receipt because the packaging is still intact even though it was obvious something or someone had crushed the box. So i passed this info onto Airworld and they intern responded that they required a damage receipt.
2nd trip to the post office to press the issue, the post office manager then provided a letter sent to me the following day just saying that they apologize for any inconvenience i was experiencing ext ext ext..but nothing to do with the damage. I take it nobody wanted to take responsibility for it. I also emailed this on to Airworld.
3rd trip to a different post office and this one said i had to fill out an international claim form ps1000. So i had him print it out for me and filled it out and returned the following day with the damaged package and form to the post office..
4th trip This time another manager attended me and informed me the ps1000 form is no longer used and that the sender needed to start the claim from there end. ooo brother was i pissed!
This time i head for the head guy, and emailed the postmaster and informed him of the issue i was having, he then appoints a special person to handle my needs and i receive a letter stating a few days later "we apologize for any inconvenience ext ext but we cannot determine when damages occurred" so i forward this to Airworld on April 4, with No response from Airworld.
On April 12, I send another email for info - No response
Then i came here and Posted on RCU to find a local contact that might be able to help me. Then someone posted a contact and i quickly sent an email to them and they responded immediately. Needless to say the ball started rolling and was told that it would be taken care of, so i waited and waited. Please be aware i felt i had no need to trash anyone, i always leave room for complications and mistakes, they can happen.
Next thing i received was a letter from the post office that a claim had been processed and questioned if i had received a damaged package. This was to funny to me, after all i have been thru, but i promptly filled it out and mailed it back.
Now where into July and i send another email to Airworld, “Where is my refund for the pipe and shipping cost that i had to pay?" There answer was simple '' Where waiting on DHL to respond to the claim since i received the package and did not claim a damage"
OMG are you kidding me really! I have never seen a company do this. Normally its the responsibility of a company to deliver there product in proper shape not the buyer.. I am truly passed the stage of giving a darn anymore, and i have, without a doubt, decided to never to deal with this company until customer service improves.
I am just glad it was not a complete kit. Can you just imagine if a wing or fuselage was cracked in shipping, i can here it now "Sorry Sr we need to wait for Fedex to pay us so we can make another one, or pay us again and will refund you “IF" the carrier pays us."
I will put it as i see it, Airworld you have a great top of the line product but, (as a friend said who was recently asociated with them, yet no longer, told me) Customer service is some of the worst i have seen and you need both to succeed.
I truly hope this post helps others but especially Airworld.
I can only hope none of you go thru this and Yes, i am still waiting for a refund.
07-31-2017, 01:46 AM
#2
Sorry to heir your headache.
Although I am not going to comment on your experience I will say this.
If you want a top quality pipe that's made to perfection, and with love I don't think you can go past Tam's pipes.
Quick postage, well packed and reasonably priced.
All the best.
Although I am not going to comment on your experience I will say this.
If you want a top quality pipe that's made to perfection, and with love I don't think you can go past Tam's pipes.
Quick postage, well packed and reasonably priced.
All the best.
07-31-2017, 01:47 AM
#3
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Gold Coast, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
Posts: 1,469
Received 26 Likes
on
24 Posts
I really feel for you - this is a terrible experience.
Allow me to say that I have a SM Cougar and it is one of many SM jets I own. I prefer SM above all else, even though I will admit that some other kits are nicer. BUT, my best customer experience has been with SM over the years and for that reason alone I will continue to buy their products as my very first choice.
Perhaps you should take some measurements of the pipe you need on the Airworld Cougar (as I think it is very similar in size to the SM one) and check with SM for a possible solution.
Hope you get your Cougar airborne real soon - they fly beautifully.
Cheers,
Jan
Allow me to say that I have a SM Cougar and it is one of many SM jets I own. I prefer SM above all else, even though I will admit that some other kits are nicer. BUT, my best customer experience has been with SM over the years and for that reason alone I will continue to buy their products as my very first choice.
Perhaps you should take some measurements of the pipe you need on the Airworld Cougar (as I think it is very similar in size to the SM one) and check with SM for a possible solution.
Hope you get your Cougar airborne real soon - they fly beautifully.
Cheers,
Jan
07-31-2017, 04:48 AM
#5
I'm sorry for your issues, but it seems to me there were several times at which you made choices that could have made the situation much better.
I know a lot of guys have done OK working directly with a foreign company, but I wouldn't do it when there is a US representative available. In this case, if you had gone through Vogelsang Aeroscale you would have had Götz to help you deal with it. Perhaps the few extra $ it generally costs to go through a US dealer would have been worth it.
This is not the first time I have heard of issues dealing directly with Airworld...
Bob
I know a lot of guys have done OK working directly with a foreign company, but I wouldn't do it when there is a US representative available. In this case, if you had gone through Vogelsang Aeroscale you would have had Götz to help you deal with it. Perhaps the few extra $ it generally costs to go through a US dealer would have been worth it.
This is not the first time I have heard of issues dealing directly with Airworld...
Bob
Last edited by rhklenke; 07-31-2017 at 10:05 AM.
07-31-2017, 08:20 AM
#6
My Feedback: (34)
Wow Sorry to read what happened, I actually have an Airworld Cougar I picked up in kit/built once then striped down state this year at FL Jets. I have to check what type of pipe I have now, I know Im missing some little peace's here and there, I guess now I will just have to make them vs ordering.
07-31-2017, 10:07 AM
#7
Wow Sorry to read what happened, I actually have an Airworld Cougar I picked up in kit/built once then striped down state this year at FL Jets. I have to check what type of pipe I have now, I know Im missing some little peace's here and there, I guess now I will just have to make them vs ordering.
Bob
07-31-2017, 05:09 PM
#8
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Miami,
FL
Posts: 129
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks guys, as for the price i think it was about the same and it was not stocked. The reason i ordered from them and not Tam is because i also needed the bypass which thank goodness made it in one piece, but killing two birds with one stone made better sense to me. I did check with Dr.Gotz and that is where the ball started rolling as mentioned above and then it fizzled out. Dr Gotz was a professional and one of the nicest gentleman i had a pleasure in speaking with. I do agree a U.S. dealer would probably have been a better buffer but i truly didn't think i was dealing with a cheesy company. Please believe me when i tell you Posting like this is not what i prefer doing to inform people. I would much rather stay on the positive of our hobby.
