Tim Hickey Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 Another vote for KLMS. Didn't have the electric motor in stock I was after, although not listed as out of stock on website. A couple of phone calls and an alternative was sorted. Great service. One observation....there are two phone numbers on their website...a standard land line number and an 0845 number. Get an answer on 0845 number but out of 4 attempts never on the standard and line. Doesn't detract from the excellent service received though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Balaam Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 Great service unless you live in Northern Ireland were they refuse to make the effort to post or courier items. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denis Watkins Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 There is a story here Steve, that you should share as you live in the UK There are few suppliers left and we should support them What is it they will not do? And why? As I too supply NI and there is no extra effort or cost involved Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob H Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 Full marks from me, good service and discount prices. Very helpful too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Cooper Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 Another "thumbs up" for KLMS from me. I have been buying various bits and pieces, large and small, from them for a couple of decades and they have never failed to deliver a first class service every time. Excellent. B.C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Gray Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 I use Interparcel for my deliveries but do find that deliveries to NI are a problem if I select UPS (and some others) therefore I have to use either Royal Mail or Hermes. This isn’t a problem for me as I don’t have too many deliveries per week but I suspect that it can be a pain for web shops such as KLM where they would have to manually change their automated systems. All other aspects of KLM are brilliant, really friendly and helpful either over the ‘phone or if you go to see them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Fox Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 Same deal when asking them if they ship to channel islands ... won't even entertain it. SMC all the way for me I'm afraid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Morris 2 Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 I must be unlucky with KLM shop. I am new to RC flying & sent this shop an email for recommended local clubs & to see if they had stock of a starter package for me. No answer. So i found a local club & they also suggested KLM to buy the gear i needed. So, a couple of days later i popped in with about £400 in cash to get started. After being in the shop for over 15 minutes with the owner "I assume" on the phone i gave up & walked out. Do people not realise that if a customer walks into a shop & your on the phone, you say sorry to the person on the phone & tell them you will call back in a short wile as a customer has just walked in. Must admit that it was the most untidy scruffy shop i have ever been in. Wont be using this place again, shame as it was local. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon barr Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 Personally, I've got no time for Kings Lynn Models... Very un-helpful in my experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SIMON CRAGG Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 I have used them many times over the years, but over the last eighteen months their customer service has gone downhill. Without going into details I will never use them again. HK & Motion rc all day long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Gray Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 Nowt wrong with KLM, yes they are busy and yes they can be understaffed, and yes the shop does look a bit untidy but that's mainly down to having so much stock in place. There is a good cafe just round the corner from them, off they're busy pop along and have a cuppa then go back! Very helpful team there with a lot of good advice plus their prices aren't too bad either! A short while ago I ordered some pint from them but hadn't heard back from them. After a few days I rang and they explained that they had made a mistake and that my order hadn't been dealt with. they promptly sorted it out found that some of their stock was 'wrong' so offered alternative solutions which suited me fine. Goods delivered the next day. And no, I don't have any tie up with the guys other than being a customer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Smith 1 Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 Until recently I would have given the thumbs up to KLM, but on a couple of recent occasions I have had reason to criticise the customer service. Three or four months ago I was looking to buy a Pilot RC kit (100cc) and there was a few that were not showing as out of stock on the website. I decided to phone up anyway to check just in case given the money involved and was told that "none were in stock and they shouldn't be on there anyway" ! The last occasion was Monday when I wanted to buy a Menz 28x10 wooden prop (£40+) and chastened by the last experience I decided to phone up, checking the opening hours first, to ensure stock availability. Tried three times on both numbers and got no answer. The order went to Paul Gosling's Nexus Models whose website stock control I know from experience is very accurate. I paid a tad more for the prop, but at least I know where I am with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyinBrian Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 +1 for NEXUS Models, good service and good prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon H Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 Posted by Christopher Morris 2 on 15/10/2019 07:32:03: Do people not realise that if a customer walks into a shop & your on the phone, you say sorry to the person on the phone & tell them you will call back in a short wile as a customer has just walked in. Err, what? This comment makes absolutely no sense to me at all. If i, a customer, am on the phone to a company and they abandon me the moment someone walks in the door i am not going to be very impressed by that. Admittedly they could have excused themselves from the conversation for a few seconds to ask if you needed help, and then said 'ill be with you as soon as im done with this customer', but to expect them to disregard everyone else and leap up to greet you is not exactly realistic. If we assume however the shop acts as you suggest and ignores calls in favour of customers on the shop floor, we end up with a situation like the one Adrian had where he is now in a bad mood that someone didnt leap to his aid either. I cant blame him, calling a company and getting no answer is not a great experience, but its not always easy to juggle all the balls. As for websites, i know from experience that keeping them updated is a full time job and if you already have a full time job serving customers then the website suffers. That's why the Laser site has not been meaningful updates in about 6 years. Should i update the website or do what i need to serve customers? There aren't thousands running these places guys and its often not possible for the handful of staff available to keep on top of everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Gorham_ Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 As a bit of balance, I have used KLMS via mail order a few times this year to buy some of their HobbyFlight enamel paint. It is good value for money as it comes in sensible sized tins (125ml) and I find their RAF colours more accurate than the old Flair Spectrum or whatever they are called. KLMS are the sole distributors of this paint and it seems a good thing to me, so long may they continue. I have found their service to be comparable with other established mail order shops, so not all bad.... Here are two models that I have used the paint on: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Balaam Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 I will give the same response as I gave in March last year. "Great service unless you live in Northern Ireland were they refuse to make the effort to post or courier items." In response to Denis Watkins post of 12 March 2018. I purchased an aerobatic kit from them a few years ago they refused to ship to Northern Ireland, in the end they posted the kit to a friend in West Sussex who then posted it to me in NI. At a later date I wanted to purchase an OS Brushless Motor they flat out refused to ship to Northern Ireland hense my post above. I no longer bother with them as a Hobby supplier, there are also a couple of other UK based suppliers who I will not deal with for similar reasons but are not the subject of this post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich too Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 Posted by Jon - Laser Engines on 15/10/2019 14:08:04: Posted by Christopher Morris 2 on 15/10/2019 07:32:03: Do people not realise that if a customer walks into a shop & your on the phone, you say sorry to the person on the phone & tell them you will call back in a short wile as a customer has just walked in. Err, what? This comment makes absolutely no sense to me at all. If i, a customer, am on the phone to a company and they abandon me the moment someone walks in the door i am not going to be very impressed by that. Admittedly they could have excused themselves from the conversation for a few seconds to ask if you needed help, and then said 'ill be with you as soon as im done with this customer', but to expect them to disregard everyone else and leap up to greet you is not exactly realistic. If we assume however the shop acts as you suggest and ignores calls in favour of customers on the shop floor, we end up with a situation like the one Adrian had where he is now in a bad mood that someone didnt leap to his aid either. I cant blame him, calling a company and getting no answer is not a great experience, but its not always easy to juggle all the balls. As for websites, i know from experience that keeping them updated is a full time job and if you already have a full time job serving customers then the website suffers. That's why the Laser site has not been meaningful updates in about 6 years. Should i update the website or do what i need to serve customers? There aren't thousands running these places guys and its often not possible for the handful of staff available to keep on top of everything. I agree, but the shop owner must acknowledge the guy that has walked in the shop, and inform him that he will be with him shortly. Ignoring him (as in my LMS) is just plain ignorant and rude - and half the time I bet the person the on the other end of the phone is not a supplier or customer. You have to juggle them Jon, to keep everyone happy. I have a small business with limited resources too, so I know it is difficult. But if you have a website people expect it to be up to date - we pay an outside firm to do that for us. My pet hate is emails clients expect a swift response these days. I plan my day so that I always have a few coffees and go through emails in the morning. As a customer there is nothing worse than having an email ignored. If you are not going to answer them, don't bother having them in the first place!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin 216 Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 As a customer there is nothing worse than having an email ignored. If you are not going to answer them, don't bother having them in the first place!! Agreed KLM have lost my custom ignored my email about missing kit parts. Fortunately the distributer could help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon H Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 emails are a challenge as modern phones meaning many people reply within minutes. I dont think a same day/next morning reply is unacceptable so i dont bust a gut checking emails every 5 minutes. If i did i wouldnt get anything done. Not that it matters at the moment as our email server is having a tantrum. something else i have to chase. As for the shop issue, i would expect some sort of nod or wave if i walked in and someone was on the phone. If i wanted help i would then walk over and stand with/look at the guy to communicate this. Just walking out wouldnt help as the guy might just assume i came in for a mooch and then left. Squeaky wheel and all that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomtom39 Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 KLMS are not the easiest to get through ,however I have found them to be very helpful. When I have needed advice the two lads there have been brilliant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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