BEYOND DISAPPOINTED with my Redcat Blackout XTE
 

REDCAT and I have resolved this issue.

Hey Redcat, step up and do the right thing... the right thing is replacing my sons train wreck that I'm stuck with. My dealer and other dealers are watching to see if you learned from doing things the wrong way. You guys won't help my dealer and you won't help my son.. prove me wrong

Really sorry to hear this. This, sadly, seems to be the most common story with Redcats. If you want a good vehicle, stick with big brands like OFNA, HPI, Traxxas, Team Associated, and Losi. If your son is 100% set on a monster truck, the LC Racing EMB-MT is a good truck. Atomik tests all of their products before listing them and only lists products they feel that will make the consumer happy. Not to mention, it is $139 RTR with a NiMH battery and wall charger.

Truck; http://www.atomikrc.com/collections/...ster-truck-rtr
Battery; http://www.atomikrc.com/collections/...-with-uni-plug
Charger; http://www.atomikrc.com/collections/...attery-charger

Only problem I see, is you'd need to solder on a Deans, EC3, or Traxxas connector onto the truck's ESC. You seem to sound like you know what you're doing, so I think you will. Lol.

Wow that sucks. Redcat gets a bad rep and I normally chime in and say something bcuz redcat was my first cars and they did me well.
But holy ****, that should he worthy of at least a replacement vehicle and then find out who was in charge of QC that day and make them repair that car over and over until they can do it right. Wow.
A body pin in the drive line, total bull****.

Sorry man, hopfully someone from redcat sees this and decides to send it up the chain of command for u.

As for the body pin, my dealer called and was told that " Redcat would never ask a customer to do that " but even in the email from Redcat


-Cody actually asked me about the situation regarding the pin coming out of the center driveshaft. Since we are out of stock on them, I had him mention to cut a body clip to fabricate a makeshift pin, which would serve as a fix until we got the replacement driveshafts back in stock. It's very confusing to me how you consider that "piss poor customer service", when we offer advice to keep your vehicle running for the time being until parts come back in stock. All other customers welcome the temporary solution which allows them to keep driving their trucks.

Again, not sure what you mean by the lack of customer service you've received. If your only goal is to be refunded or to exchange the vehicle, then I can see why you would be upset when we tell you that we won't do that. We help customers get their current vehicles up and running through what we cover under warranty, and offer advice and/or help when they need to repair their vehicles on their own.


If you were jumping, flipping, and crashing your Chevy (even one with an off-road package) and parts broke even though you didn't think they 'should' have, this would not be considered a lemon. R/C vehicles are user-serviceable, so when something goes wrong that we determine to be a defect, we will replace the part individually. Replacing the entire vehicle may seem necessary to you, but that is not something we do.

-I'm sorry you feel this way. Unfortunately, aside from replacing the vehicle or getting you your money back, it doesn't sound like you can be satisfied. We will always stand by the 90 day warranty on our electronics, and anything broken during shipping. However, we will need more proof from you of the items you say are defected before we can help you any further with the parts that we don't usually cover under warranty.

-I apologize if you feel you've been talked down to, that is never our goal. We only want to help you get your vehicle back up and running properly. We pride ourselves on our customer service and we help countless customers with their problems each day and get lots of praise. I'm open to suggestions if you feel that we weren't very helpful, aside from just giving you a refund or a new vehicle.


Let me know if you have any questions.


--
Thanks,
Billy Fischer
Redcat Racing
Customer Service Manager

So I've made it clear that nearly EVERY dam thing on this vehicle was completely loose... the drive shaft broke because the set screw doesn't have enough surface area to get a grip the flat area of the drive, broken shock that leaks, bad battery charger, bad battery cells and now his motor wasn't driving the read wheels (drive shaft removed).. the motor was loose and it ground down the ring in pinion.. EVERYTHING that can go wrong on this car has GONE WRONG... and even with all of this.. they don't offer a refund?? Come on guys. this car i bought was crap and this proves it.. your customer service is like talking to an IT dept that thinks everyone is an idiot.
. http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2064166
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2064167




http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2064168http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2064169http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2064170

That spur looks out of round and the pinion looks worn down too.
I work in sales and if I talked like that to a customer I would get fired

Fortunately I havent had near as many issues, however, like you I noted the assembly quality left some things to be desired (namely, loose screws, no loctite on things that should have it, etc). I went through every joint, screw, body piece, and suspension piece on mine when I got to check and correct these things. I hate to say it, but I pretty much expected these things, I mean, I bought a $180 buggy with the features of one twice as expensive from any major brand, I knew there were going to be corners cut somewhere. I didnt really mind as I planned to upgrade alot of things, and enjoy tuning, wrenching, and tweaking as much as I do driving lol. Many of the things you mentioned though are completely unaccepatable (bad charger, battery, parts broken, etc). I really hope they just offer you a replacement. I mean, come on, this truck is like $150 retail (asuming you have the non-Pro), and prob costs them $50-60 to produce. Any decent company should realize a $50-60 loss is better than an angry customer.

Finally, after driving my Caldera XB for one weekend, my pinion gear looks just like yours. I have no idea what the stock pinion is made out of, but apparently its crap. My new motor and esc come in today (Castle Sidewinder 3), so I picked up some Robinson Racing 32P hardened pinions to use with the new motor, no way Im using the junk stock one again. I picked up a 13T and 15T, going to start with the stock 13T, then move to the 15T if it doesnt have enough top end :)

Wow. Luckily, I do not have any problems that can't be fixed by myself. Other than missing a screw, the blackout xte PRO is running great. The truck, charger, battery, and the controller all works. I have bought some parts (if available) on eBay.

The only complaint I have is redcat racing has not respond to my email (Jan 7th) asking when the specific part I need is available. I heard from others said some parts haven't been available for months.

Garbage in garbage out.
Biggest mistake I ever made in the RC hobby was buying a Redcat brand vehicle, never again.

Well I finally broke a part (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWZMb5dSJl4) but luckily I'm able to buy a new one from eBay. As usual Redcat Racing's website didn't have it.

So an update on my truck. Redcat and I came to an ameracable agreement and I am happy.

yes i also bought a blackout xte pro and iv already replaced the chassis twice and i got jipped when i bought it from the hobby shop i got it fron they said it didnt come with a lipo battery and charger they fight over that and the esc went haywire and they wouldnt replace it and i have all recipts for it what i have done to it my stuff had to be tighten and lined up it was jus a bad expericence.. and im a first timer and i wanna get into it but spendn all that money should jus bought one layed out

. I'm glad Redcat resolved your issue. I wanted to say, that you should really delete the nasty post, as I almost didn't try a Redcat because of this. I wasn't until I later saw they did resolve the issue for you, that made me decide to give them a shot. I have Traxxas and bought a Blackout XTE about 6 months ago and a SC just recently and I actually think they're as reliable as the other brands I've tried. On the other hand, I did break my Traxxas Slash in many pieces the very first day of ownership! Perhaps I'm a more experienced driver now, but my Redcats rarely break and I do bash them. I've been quite happy with them.

After reading this people will still buy their junk for the only reason of saving a few bucks.....................................and they wonder why it's said redcat is low-priced for a reason.

Brian, have you actually owned one? I think you would change your mind if you actually tried one. I'm a convert and I often pass the Traxxas trucks with my Redcats. I've had to replace more items on my Traxxas Slash than my Redcats. So Redcats are durable. Perhaps I'm just lucky, but mine have been pretty solid...

Enough people have brought them into the shop with " I bought this online, it was cheap, only had it a few days, etc...etc... and end up paying to get the thing repaired, if it can be repaired. Or they realize they have been taken ,turn around and buy a quality vehicle from the shop knowing it will perform and they will be supported.

Most of these post are old. I have contacted Redcat several times and have found nothing but Good to say about Billy & Jim there seem to get one or the other resolved all my concerns and issues, I mentioned negative reviews I have been reading and then noticed they were old. He explained yes things were bad as they started up but have moved forward to correct the Faults. Time will tell I just bought 2 Blackout SC trucks, for grandsons. My only complaint is the Battery and Charger that need upgrading out of the box, sure it keeps the initial price down but a big letdown after the first run. I read the problem and have also added 2 5000 batteries and the top charger now looking for some sort of Carrying Case - Box for each one, any suggestions ???? Bill

Hello Bill,
This thread is only 11 months old...................hardly old posts.
Just because you had someone walk you through the programming/setting-up procedures doesn't mean the vehicles are well made.

With the battery and charger issue you are now realizing one of the reasons why redcat's are low priced.

Here are some hauler bags . Some of them are probably made better than the trucks you bought!
http://www.horizonhobby.com/SearchDi...ce=Q&pageView=

Don't listen to flyinwalenda, he is very anti-redcat like it's his job. He may be representing another brand that loses a lot of sales, because many find much better value with Redcat than other brands. Additionally, even Traxxas that costs more than $100 more, they also provide a cheap starter battery and charger. Actually, doesn't seem that Traxxas includes a home charger at all now on many of their models. You have to plug it into your car adapter. I mean, who in their right mind is going to let their car run and burn gas in the winter trying to charge a R/C battery. If you're lucky to get a home charger with a Traxxas, it's also a low priced, slow charger. A positive spin, is at least Redcat includes a to get you going, starter battery pack and home charger and at a much lower price to boot. Most R/C brands, don't include any starter battery or charger at all, yet cost $100 to $200 more! To me that is the outrage. Paying nearly half for a certain R/C brand (such as a Redcat), you wouldn't expect to get all the bells and whistles, but paying premium for another brand that, that includes less than a Redcat, that is what gets to me.. Overpriced brands that don't include a battery and charger at all (or only a DC charger).

Hey listen up I'm gonna say that I run an old redcat caldera 10e with castle creations sidewinder 3 Neucastle 5700 4 pole and I learned when you drive in your environment you should know all obstacles that could damage your vehicle. You should also have your steering centered and braking system set appropriately.
I haven't broken a bumper or an a arm in two years. I'm on disability I run every single day rain shine snow and sleet. 2-5 times a day. 10 below zero through snowdrifts. I get vertical and always land on the wheels. I beat it till it bleeds and breaks. usually bent driveshaft. My machine eats bearings and diff's and driveshafts. Coat hangers are every single one of my pins. I straighten my own driveshafts and use loctite on EVERYTHING that sets, retains, or fastens two parts together besides motor mounts. Oil daily everything that moves. Rinse in the kitchen sink every wet run and place in front of fan. Learn to solder. Traxxas connectors only.
Learn to push it to threshold of its own drivetrain without crashing when you twist driveshafts your doing something so extreme it's awesome.

It's all part of the game suck it up buttercup.

Who's buttercup? :p
And what does a Caldera 10E have in common with Blackout XTE?

Redcat Racing must be doing something right. They're now being sold through Amain (to my surprise) and Tower Hobbies. But the funny thing is (to me) the list on the side of the site that sells Redcat RCs...Top Brands, then push more brands...Redcat still doesn't make the list ;).
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2193774

That's what I call dedication I read reviews and Comments but most have a Axe to grind. I Handled and saw some in action. What made my mind up on Redcat Blackout SC 1/10 was for a entry level RC Truck for my Grandsons. I made a Call to Redcat 2 times both was answered after the menu Billy was first Rep. Jim 2nd., Both took the time to make sure I had all my Concerns answered and direct me to their site where anything pertaining to The Blackout was posted Parts- .Videos on Repairs and running Advice and comparisons. I did all my ordering on Amazon That came to $563.23 and a additional $163.00 The trucks on their own were $129.99 the rest is from Extra Batteries 2 Upgraded Chargers 2- Stands 2- Carry Bags 2- Extra body pins 2 packs- Tool Kit 2- And Pack of Duracell AA from Costco.
Why Amazon Best Customer Service bar non. Local RC And Track store was helpful but did seem like he would be there after the sale. One question was is there a warranty he had no clue and said no one does.:rolleyes: On my last visit to let my grandsons rent and race similar ones I gave him the Printout form Redcats Site very extensive Warranty. He Charged me $22.plus tax to rent 2 trucks and 15 minute track time where half was lost to Breakdowns of his triucks. THat is what I call loosing a $726.23 Sale and to never return for anything again the store is 1 1/2 Miles from my home. Amazon is at My Home. Why is it that many Hobby stores have attitudes? and bad Customer Service. Why also do some members have disrespect for other member opinions. Makes This Hobby Confrontational Just My Opinion :cool:

I noticed that too. However Tower has brought in other manufactures that haven't performed well for them in the past so who knows.
The real tell is to query hobby shops across the country and see what brands they sell and service and find out how many times redcat is mentioned(in a positive way).

If you are able and willing to put in the wrench-time to make something work , make your own parts,and keep it working then you may be OK with a redcat but there have always been much better choices.

My concern has always been for the newbie buyers who see the lower prices on this redcat stuff and dive in only to regret it soon after when it breaks and they can't easily get parts or find a place to service it.

I have to point out that the Redcat Racing Blackout XTE Pro was the only Redcat platform that I almost purchased. For me, it was the well laid out arm design on the monster truck. Being able to use one arm in any of the four corners seemed to intrigue me. The manual is well thought out (by Redcat's standards). I've never seen another Redcat manual like it.

If the Blackout XTE Pro would be offered as a kit...BAM! I can almost guarantee I'd have the monster truck in front of me. I'm a kit type of person. I get joy out of building a RC model (correctly) rather than undoing a Ready To Re-assemble (RTR) package :p. I don't want/need what a manufacturer thinks is "good enough" to be put into their RTR package. I personally like to pick, and choose what low-end gear goes into my RCs; that I know will get the job done (most of the time :p).

It would be a great day for me to start a Redcat Racing platform thread with "Beyond Happiness". Again, for me, that day won't happen until a kit is released. This goes for all the good RTR platforms/companies that are out there. Traxxas, DHK, HoBao, HPI, ECX...etc., etc., etc. I point my finger at you guys. Give me something I can build and take pride in.

I thank you for your time and reply, The Redcat Blackouts I got for my Grandsons 8-10 seem to be a perfect fit for an entry level RC Vehicle for their age they are very advanced with Drones and Planes. I will pass along all that tech talk to them Maybe when they grow up and remain interested is RC Trucks they can decide what they want, You Mentioned something about a Manual When I was in contact with Redcat Billy - Jim I asked that exact question they referred me to their home page Where there is a Complete description with schematics of all the models Blowup for the site impaired, And a list of each and every Part with part numbers for easy ID and ordering. Nothing intended but you sound like Nothing is good enough for you. Remember they are 8 years old and 10 years old, when you were that age did Grandpa buy one for you???????