rootbeerslop

I got a brand new Caldera that won't go more than 40 feet.... I made the mistake of calling it "DOA." They swiftly corrected me that this was "defective." MY BAD. I just mean my brand new truck doesn't F'n work !

They want me to pay for Shipping to send the remote and receiver in...
I told them I have checked all the connections, and re binded it a few times. No Luck. I asked what other troubleshooting I could do, they just told me they were going to do the same thing, on my dime to get it there. "Sorry, it's our policy."

What a bunch of crap !!

You send me a "defective" item... YOU pay for shipping... or just send me a new receiver like a good business person would.

One thing I have quickly learned, once you buy their vehicle you are basically on your own.
The hobby shops in the Raleigh NC area won't even carry their stuff. Should have probably taken the hint when I learned that much.

nitrosportsandrunner

i understand your frustration, but this is not just a redcat thing.
i have sent a few traxxas ESC's, and each time i had to pay to ship it to them.

RedCat-Billy

Hello,

I apologize for the range problems you have had with your new Caldera. It is very rare for our 2.4ghz systems to have range issues without there being some kind of damage to the RX antenna, or the batteries being low in the radio.

Our policy is that the customer is responsible for sending the product into our shop for evaluation. Once received, we will take a look at the items and then determine if there is a defect from the factory or not. If the product indeed turns out to be defective, then we will gladly cover the cost of the parts, labor, and shipping back to you.

If it is completely apparent where the problem lies, we have no problem sending out the proper replacement part(s). However, in this situation, it can be the radio, receiver, batteries, or antenna damage causing the range problem. This is the reason we are asking you to send the items in question into our shop. Again, we will gladly pay for shipping back to you when the parts are found to be defective. We just need to have the parts in our possession to make that determination.

Thanks,
Billy

soldier5050

Wait until they want the truck sent back on your $20 bill .. I have did that twice with my Ground Pounder . When you call you get I don't know what it could be send it back . Well I have had the Caldera's and Ground Pounder since May and to tell you the truth I do not think I have had them running without something going wrong . I am not here to bash Redcat but when they get there crap together then maybe this will not happen . A week or so my ESC went out of my Ground Pounder and did the usual warranty like I have did since May . And this time they REDCAT wanted me to send it back so they could look at it . They wanted me to spend $3-4 to ship it back to them to say "Yup the thing is bad" ! I already knew this . People on here say it is routine to do this well man if you had to do this everytime it broke down I WOULD BE BROKE! .

Message to REDCAT get better quility parts so the trucks run longer than a HOUR! Good Frickin' luck! There support I heard was awesome and to tell you the truth there is no one ther that know a thing about fixing ther stuff . I have had more people on this board answer my questions than those so called experts .

Wait until you have the truck longer rootbeerslop it will get even more costly . The thing is if you get a Redcat gut it put better quility parts on it then you have more than what the truck is worth . If I know what I know now I would have bought something else . I have four Redcat trucks and at the moment (NONE RUN) ... Man could go on and on about it but not enough page here .

So good luck with your CALDERA 10E!

rootbeerslop

I can respect that it is your policy, but I don't agree with it one bit when it's a brand new truck. This is something that should never have passed Quality Assurance.
Send it up the road and back, and DOH !!... It doesn't go up the road. That's ok, just sell it anyway and hope it's some stupid kid that will pay for shipping and wait two weeks without getting mad.

I've had several conversations with people at Redcat about this, and even offered to put a deposit on a new receiver... After looking in the forum, most people say it's rarely the remote, and usually the receiver.

With that said, I asked Redcat to just send me a new receiver. It might cost Redcat 5 bucks w/ First Class shipping.
I also asked what other troubleshooting I could do here. They basically said they would do the same things I had, but they just "needed to do it there."
Which means, we just want you to spend 10 dollars on shipping, and wait an extra week. (Not including this conversation started on Monday.)

Bottom line is I don't think it's fair to make me pay for things on a brand new truck...Shipping or otherwise...
If you guys have been doing this a long time, and the forum says it's probably the receiver, then why not just send me a receiver to try? It's cheaper to do that than have me send the entire control system in for inspection.

I'm a technician, so throw me a bone. If you give me good information, I can troubleshoot it.
If I can work on a 150,000.00 video wall, I can dang sure figure out this little truck.

My 2 cents.

AllAboutFunHobbies

Never once had that happen. They always pay shipping, unless the item is out of date. If it's new they send the part asap with a self addressed return label and an RMA number already on it.

rootbeerslop

Okay, then why the heck am I getting the shaft ?

I think my argument should... well... not even really be an argument

Three days later, they could have already mailed out a receiver I could try out tomorrow.
But instead, here we are, debating "policy" vs. the right thing to do for a new owner.

AllAboutFunHobbies

Did you read my quote. I quoted someone else about Traxxas support.

rootbeerslop

Oops... sorry bout that... so yes... then I'm screwed

AllAboutFunHobbies

soldier5050

I think this is new as I dealt with them in May / June / July on warranty on crap that fell apart . Now in August they want you to send the broken part back and pay the shipping . So looks as there policy has changed . Not good for a company that has major problems with there trucks .... Sounds like the Earthquake is a pile to from what Isee on the board .....

xON3MERCx

Well you have to think of it this way. What if your not telling the truth. What if your just wanting something for free. NOT SAYING THAT YOU ARE but Redcat doesn't know that. They want there own people to look at it to see what the problem is so maybe they can fix it and keep the problem from happening again. Do I agree with having to pay for return shipping YES because by doing that you are telling them its not just a scam. And whats $3-$4 anyways its better then having to buy new receiver. All I'm trying to say is that if Redcat sent out stuff to everyone who said something on there RC was broken and not even questioned why then they would be broke. Just something to think about. I'm in Quality Control myself I have to inspect all parts that are made in our shop before they leave the warehouse but sometimes **** happens between us and the customer do you really think that UPS or USPS are really that nice to packages? NO. When we have a customer call and say something is wrong with there parts they always have to pay for return shipping. Then we look to see what happened. It sometimes is our parts and sometimes its how they installed it but by them sending it back and paying for shipping it helps weed out the scams.

nitrosportsandrunner

i had 3 VXL speed controls die on me this summer. the 1st one died, and im like " hey, it happens"
the next 2 died 2 weeks later. those 2 i called traxxas and told them what happened. they said send them in for repair and gave me the address.
i spend $5 to mail them priority flat rate.
Traxxas fixxed them and paid return shipping, but never did i get an offer from them to pay to ship the ESC's to them.
Maybe it depends on the item or the issue or how much you complain, I dont know. Just stating what happend in my case.

frankly, it doesnt surprise me for any RC company to want the item shipped to them for inspection. I know it stinks for the customer, but RC companies cant afford to hand out parts without inspecting the damaged ones.
otherwise, people would be calling up and lying just to get free parts. just saying.

rootbeerslop

I'll think of it this way:

Brand New Item, just got it... doesn't work straight out of the box... I'm not paying for JACK.
You send me some broken things, it's your responsibility to take care of it. If it gets broken in the mail, they usually call that a DOA, because it is not functioning after transit.(which implies someone actually QA's things before they go out) So now it's clear that this truck is "Defective," not DOA, because it "sort of works," just not correctly.
So now, because it turns on, but is still only broken enough to not work correctly, it's MY responsibility to PAY MORE to have it looked at.

Bull$#!7 !!!

I'm actually getting about a thousand times better help from the reseller than I am from Redcat.
Redcat hasn't even provided any troubleshooting steps to try... The reseller mentioned it could be a binding issue, and had me try to bind it again.
At least he's TRYING to help without expecting me to spend money to fix a brand new item.

If I had the truck for a few months, then yes, I would pay for shipping.
Implying that it's the same situation is unacceptable. It is NOT.
Tney should have just sent me a new receiver on Monday, when I brought up the issue.

-and to appropriately respond to your "they can't just give stuff away" philosophy - They know darn well their stuff is cheap, they should be ready to dole out parts or they should use better components.
Whether or not I get this truck working, Redcat has quickly proven that they do not back up their products, nor adequately support their customers.

rchobbyunlimited

Need a new hobby if you are upset about sending something back had a HPI K59 motor that was bad in a new Savage XL the first thing HPI was had me send the motor back which I had to pay for and they shipped a new motor out that is the nature of RC business and not just redcat. No company will stay in business just shipping out parts because you say somthing is wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

rootbeerslop

Again, you are incorrect.

If I have a NEW item and it does not work from the Beginning... Let me paint this clearly...

I OPEN THE BOX, TURN IT ON, AND IT DOES NOT WORK CORRECTLY.

Then it is up to the company to make things right. It is not MY responsibility to PAY to fix something that NEVER worked.
Anyone who thinks that way is missing some marbles in their Logic Center.


How they stay in business is to make their products so they WORK when you open the box and try to use it.

If they can't do that, then of course they are going to go out of business, and rightly so, because they do not make a FUNCTIONING PRODUCT.
If you expect to make any money by selling things that don't work, then maybe YOU need to rethink the RC industry and its workings....
-

Anyhow to prove my point even further... Even tho Redcat took a dump on me, the reseller is doing the right thing, and paying for shipping to replace the broken components.

As should be done by ANY DECENT BUSINESS THAT STANDS BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT !!

XtrmTJ

My Feedback: (6)

I have to put in my .02 A bearing let go in the rear diff of my EQ 8E. I sent in a request for new parts, not sure even if a bearing was covered or not, thinking what the heck why not try, and Billy (Redcat-Billy) sent me an email apoligizing for the defective part and stateing a new one was already on the way out to me. Now that is GOOD customer service !

willig10

If I may:
To the redcat people in Arizona that posted earlier in the thread. Your business practice model is in need of evaluation. First and foremost here is the way a real Warranty is supposed to work, Let me lay it out for you.

1. If the product is still under the warranty period. The manufacturer should pay to have it shipped to them and returned to the customer at the manufacturers expense "PERIOD".
2. If the product is out of warranty then yes I would agree that the end user (customer) should pay both ways.

That is it in a nutshell. Your "POLICY" needs revamped as do many other RC manufacturers that are picking up on the Hobby King way of doing things.

Get real with it or go out of business. Your choice.

Good Day

Glenn Williams

rootbeerslop

Thank you ! That's exactly what I am trying to say !

rchobbyunlimited

You buy something new from walmart and it is broke new out of the box you must take the item back to walmart and get a replacement. You can not go to walmart without the item tell them that the product is defective and expect them to give you a new product NO you take the item BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Same thing!!!!!!!!!!

willig10

That is true. However Brother, this aint Walmart. That said, some local hobby shops do not stock Recat products. And a guy whobought a Redcat rpduct can't go to the LHS to return it.So since Redcat put the warranty on thier product, they (Recat) should stand by the buyer. So that means taking care of shipping to and from the factory for repair during the warranty period.

Since Redcat put the warranty on their product you would think that Redcat did their homework before releasing a product to the masses.

It is just good business to take care of the end user. If you dont, bottom line is you will eventually fade away.

Glenn Williams

xcsaww

From http://traxxas.com/support/Traxxas-Warranty-Service

Weekend Warriors

here's my 2 cents........
Totaly understand that things break and sometimes other things just stop working, and I don't mind returning a product for inspection, but with that, if it is brand new, you should be able to return it to ANY local authorized redcat dealer. Maybe have certain dealers with the power of reinbursement......maybe change things up a little with the warranty, 30 days to any redcat dealer, from 30 to 90 return to redcat headquarters..... i don't know.
All i do know is i also have a brand new QUAKE with ALL BLOWN diffs again for the second time, and i'm dealing with it, not too happy but still going to give it one more try   

xcsaww

From Amazon (Kindle Warranty) http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200144500

rchobbyunlimited

Thanks that how warranty work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!