Martin Harris - Moderator Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 I'm really disappointed with the quality and service I've received since buying my first complete model from HobbyKing. I've bought numerous smaller items from them over the years but based on my experiences, I don't fancy going through all the grief involved again... I ordered a rather attractive looking Hawker Hunter from the UK warehouse - a little disappointed that although I paid for next day delivery, they were unable to dispatch it from the warehouse for over 24 hours but I never was very patient... On unpacking what looked like a very well protected model, I was not too pleased to see that both ailerons were broken at the wingtips. A bit more investigation revealed that there was evidence of rust on some of the fittings - and a lot on the pre-fitted Deans plug which was due to be replaced by an XT-60 to suit the battery. After not hearing anything from Support when I reported these defects, I contacted Scott Cupello via this forum and he seemed to be able to get some response whereupon I was offered a credit to reflect the wing damage. To be fair to Scott, he did suggest that I returned the kit but having partly built it by this time, that wasn't very practical. Next, while doing some final checks, a retract servo stripped its gears. Another protracted correspondence brought an admission that the retract servos weren't really up to the job with a suggestion for replacement - and the offer to do that for just the one that had broken! Not wanting to wait weeks for it to arrive from China, I took the money and invested in 3 metal geared digitals from Giant Shark. After a wait for the grass to be dry enough to cut short, I finally got to fly the model. It was everything I'd dared to imagine and I was delighted. ...until half way through the fourth flight when the motor lost power. On landing there was a horrible smell of burnt motor insulation and a very swollen 6 cell LiPo as (I assume) a result of the ruined motor taking excessive current as the magnets died from the heat. So I raised another support case. And waited, ...and waited ...and messaged Scott ...and waited Eventually, after nearly 10 days I got a reply saying that their technical expert had recommended a replacement fan unit - which, when I checked, was only suitable for up to 4 cells. Great - I'm set up for 6 cells and (even if the flight battery somehow survived the ballooning) so I asked for a more suitable suggestion or a replacement 4 cell pack that I could use with their fan unit. After a further 20 days (and an interim enquiry) I got a reply. Useful? No - apparently the warranty department wanted "more images" to support my claim?!?!? I have enquired as to what they want images of but of course I'm still to hear back - but it's only 3 days since I replied so perhaps if the pattern repeats I'll get some more information in a month or so. I'm usually quite laid back over small problems and would rather fix things than send them back but having seen several reports of motors burning out in these HobbyKing ARTF versions of the Lander Hunter I do feel I have a case for replacement with something properly suited to the model. So it's now over a month since raising the new case and I've hardly got anywhere. Is my experience with HobbyKing when something goes wrong typical or have I just been unlucky? Edited By Martin Harris on 18/06/2013 20:24:29 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WolstonFlyer Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 It is an interesting story and I agree their "support" is at best useless. I have seen similar stories on many forums and I think this is fairly typical.HobbyKing really do stack them high and sell the cheap and I think their customer support reflects this. We are used to very good consumer protection laws in this country but when you buy from HK your purchase is made overseas even if the order is fulfilled from the UK warehouse, so unfortunately the UK distance selling laws do not apply.IMHO I think the model should have been returned as damaged before you started putting it together. The issue with the motor is another thing, I have 2 HK models and the electronics are marginal at best, another cost saving measure I assume. Are you sure the original motor and fan was designed for 6s rather than 4s ? If this is the model there are a few notes in the comments and reviews section that say not to go higher than 5s **Link**Edited By WolstonFlyer on 18/06/2013 21:18:56 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Why not take it along to their tent at one of the shows they are attending this year and discuss it with them there? ... or am I being very naughty? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Mackey Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Certainly not the first Lander unit to burn out - I had one smoke itself to destruction a few weeks back on a 4s, which I suspect was only really suited to 3s despite the blurb. Sorry to hear of your woes Martin, and hope it gets sorted out soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Harris - Moderator Posted June 18, 2013 Author Share Posted June 18, 2013 Posted by GrahamC on 18/06/2013 21:21:27: Why not take it along to their tent at one of the shows they are attending this year and discuss it with them there? ... or am I being very naughty? That's a good idea - I should be going to Wings and Wheels so if they're there I'll certainly pop in for a chat - assuming the problem hasn't been resolved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Travis Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 I've had a bad experience customer support is useless WILL NEVER BUY OFF THEM AGAIN ! all over a duff battery worth £35 ! I took a lot of pics as well ! Be warned people cheap but if it goes wrong you will lose patience trying to get it resolved. Paul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon B Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Interestingly if you want batteries Ripmax are doing a range of batteries that are at Hobbyking prices. Certainly worth bearing in mind if you want a bit more of UK consumer law protection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Travis Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Posted by Simon B on 18/06/2013 22:50:47: Interestingly if you want batteries Ripmax are doing a range of batteries that are at Hobbyking prices. Certainly worth bearing in mind if you want a bit more of UK consumer law protection. Good to know thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dean B Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 I had a brand new 5 cell receiver battery die on me mid flight resulting in the total destruction of an almost new wot 4. Supplier was Ripmax. It was returned to them for further investigation over a month ago and I have still not heard anything back. If we are discussing customer service then beware of Ripmax too as their custome service dept dont seem to give a stuff. Dean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylan Reynolds LaserCraft Services Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Pointless taking anything to them at a show, I think the poeple that staffed the one at Weston were told to say one thing and one thing only, "It's not for sale here, try the website". I too had some duff batteries delivered as I think i mentioned in a previous thread, I tried CS as soon as I knew about it, got nowhere, I also went on live chat for them to suggest an equvalent motor to a Hacker A50 16s, high powere, low KV etc, their suggestion was a heli motor with stupid amounts of wattage and KV, I think Argos and McDonalds must have laid some staff off and there was nowhere else to go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piper Cub Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Just bought a couple of nano turnigy 5000 mah packs. Prompt service, great price and they work. I've just built the Piper Cub foamie I bought from them a little while ago. Great kit.. Bought a HK 6 channel 2.4Ghz radio from them. Nice bit of kit, basic but does the job I bought it for. No complaints from me. No doubt one day I may have a gripe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dylan Reynolds LaserCraft Services Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 I have bought about 30 batteries from them piper, always good, always here quickly never had a problem, untill the last batch when 3 out of the 7 were duff and to be honest they just didn't want to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon B Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 I'm definitely no fan of Ripmax for reasons I won't go into here, but at least you have some legal recourse if something goes wrong, plus at least if they make a profit the tax goes to the UK...Edited By Simon B on 18/06/2013 23:47:39 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bran Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 A while back I bought a heli head from the Global warehouse which arrived broken. As I had inspected it and found the issue while still in the sealed transparant pack I provided pictures and they replaced it quite quickly. There are items that I would not buy from a distance even within the UK as I consider the risks too high, and fragile vulnerable models is one of them. I have bought HK items (LiPos, connectors, etc) from UK based resellers, OK, you pay a bit more, but don't have to wait and via PayPal/EBay have decent buyers support if needed. Don't start me on Ripmax......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Harris - Moderator Posted June 19, 2013 Author Share Posted June 19, 2013 Funnily enough, my personal experience of Ripmax customer service has been nothing short of faultless! I haven't tested them for a few years now but when I did they went far beyond my expectations to resolve some product problems - one of which they had given up the distributorship for. STOP PRESS I've had a reply overnight! They want pictures of the ESC for some reason that I'm yet to fathom: "As requested by our Product Specialist, please provide pictures of ESC: PRODUCT ID: HK-SS70A so they can confirmed what will fit that item." I suppose it's progress? ...but less encouragingly the status now shows: "Your request has been deemed solved." But there is a link to re-open it! Edited By Martin Harris on 19/06/2013 08:51:14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott cuppello Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 I'm sorry to see that you have suffered a fan failure Martin.....but I think you are playing down my suggestion that you should have returned the model, I am fairly sure I suggested you return it more than once, I thought you had "fallen out with it" and returning the model was the best course of action.........I would have prefered you returned it and have your money back, difficult to see how I could be any fairer. As for the current situation, I can not comment but I can tell you that the replacement fan you require is in stock and uses the following Products Id: 107000009. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Harris - Moderator Posted June 19, 2013 Author Share Posted June 19, 2013 Scott, Thanks for replying. You did suggest returning it but as I explained to you at the time, I had started assembling it and it would have been very difficult to pack. Far from falling out with it, I have always wanted to succeed with it and found the performance was everything I wanted until the motor failure. I hope my OP made it clear that I appreciated your assistance during that time. Interestingly, the "product specialist" wanted me to have a cheaper 4 S unit which clearly doesn't suit my set up. I'll forward the suggested part number to Support but I do wonder about the effect of the massive discharge encountered during the last flight which flattened the HK recommended 6S pack in around 2 minutes resulting in it being very ballooned - although it has since returned to normal size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly P Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 Hi Martin - While I appreciate the fan is the obvious failure point, I do wonder if the ESC may also be goosed, and indeed be the cause of the failure - if it has failed and increased the power to the fan to an unacceptably high level it may have cooked the fan, and ballooned the ESC simultaniously... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Harris - Moderator Posted June 19, 2013 Author Share Posted June 19, 2013 Thanks Olly - I quite agree and it's something I have already pointed out to HK support while (probably in forlorn hope) suggesting that they might also like to send replacements as a precaution! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott cuppello Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 Why the unit was over-amping I can't say without seeing it, needless to say, it would explain the combined fan failure and a pack that discharged quickly......the only thing I will say is timing, regardless of what anybody says, I would not use high timing on that fan.....I have owned that Hunter with that fan installed, it was always a joy to fly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Harris - Moderator Posted June 19, 2013 Author Share Posted June 19, 2013 I have seen several references to motor failure with this model - perhaps the ESC was set wrongly but there's no reference to this in the manual. I shall try to interpret the beeps when (hopefully) I get the replacement to ensure it isn't set to high. Interesting thing is that I notice it's rated at 900W on 6S - mine was pulling around a kilowatt on a fresh battery on static test. Is this figure assuming a nominal 22.2 v pack voltage or should it not be operated at full throttle on a fresh battery? But I can only wholeheartedly agree with your last statement, Scott! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Harris - Moderator Posted June 21, 2013 Author Share Posted June 21, 2013 AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!! After having an earlier offer to replace the faulty fan unit (with an unsuitable suggesed replacement) I have just received the following "standard reply" which is now asking me to return the untouched model for examination - rather difficult as I was worried enough about the amount of heat coming off the motor to remove it from the model at the field before it did further damage to the foam airframe and dismantled the unit to photograph the burnt out motor as requested! I shall of course make a suitable constructive reply but do they not read anything in the problem history before sending out these standard replies? Hi Martin , Thanks for contacting the HobbyKing Support Team. We are sorry to learn that the item from your order seems to be defective. The item is still under warranty. Please be informed that the photos and videos are not enough to prove the defect of the item as it requires inspection in our warranty department. With regard to this, you are advised to follow the procedure in order to return the item/s to for inspection: 1) Under any circumstance we do not warrant crash damage or items which have been modified. This includes cutting or opening of a product. Hobbyking.com® accepts no responsibility for the improper installation and use of purchased products. The warranty period for Lithium Polymer Batteries is 30 days unless otherwise stated. 2) Please open our SUPPORT page(http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbycity/store/FAQ.asp) > find “Returns & Refund session, > click on “Warranty Support Page” > fill out RMA form > submit > return shipping address 3) Do remember that NO postage refund will be available for faulty item. You are strongly advised to mail the returned item via the cheapest mailing method with tracking facilities. 4) For Li Po batteries please make sure that you have read the Lithium Polymer Warranty page before sending items back (http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbycity/store/lipo_policy.html). We do not wish to waste your time and money. Once we have received your return, our warranty department will start inspecting your item. We will update a report to your account. We are looking forward to your response for confirmation. If you have any more concern, please feel free to respond on this email or contact us through Live Chat (24-hour) service. Thanks for emailing support. If you have any other questions, please let me know. Regards. Natasha HobbyKing Support Team Dont forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for discounts and promotions! http://www.facebook.com/HobbyKing www.twitter.com/hobbykinglive June 21, 2013 23:23 Edited By Martin Harris on 21/06/2013 17:17:22 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masher Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 Wound me up and it's not even anything to do with me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codename-John Posted June 21, 2013 Share Posted June 21, 2013 Posted by Percy Verance on 21/06/2013 19:25:19: I think we probably all know where the solution lies here........ Taking Scott up on his offer of returning the model and have done with it ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.