Dave Miller Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 This may cause some hollow laughter but can anyone tell me how to contact HobbyKing about an order placed for delivery from the UK warehouse. Their website is so slow that it is almost unusable at the moment. They have acknowledged an order I managed to place earlier today for goods to the value of about $50 but I now see that my PayPal account has been charged twice for slightly different amounts for the same order. PayPal say that I must sort that out with HK Hence my opening question how do I contact them. I sent an email to [email protected] but that has been bounced because their mail box is full which suggests that no one is reading them. Any suggestions; apart from not using this company again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 I've found that the live chat [top right hand corner of main page] is the best way to resolve questions and connect with a real human being. The one time I had a problem, it did turn out to be my fault, but they were very helpful. Their site has been slow the last day or so... but that might not be HK's fault as they have been the subject of DoS attacks in the past. Also... not relevant this week, but Chinese New Year is at the end of the month, and has certainly slowed things down at HK in the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devcon1 Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Use the "contact us" link on the main page and then the "customer support centre", they are sometimes slow but I've always had an answer and the two problems I've had were both sorted out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Miller Posted January 17, 2014 Author Share Posted January 17, 2014 Posted by John Milne on 17/01/2014 17:58:53: Use the "contact us" link on the main page and then the "customer support centre", they are sometimes slow but I've always had an answer and the two problems I've had were both sorted out. Thanks for your suggestions. I am following John's first and will report back on my progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crispin church Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 are you sure its not $ and £ and just 1 order ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Miller Posted January 18, 2014 Author Share Posted January 18, 2014 Posted by crispin church on 17/01/2014 19:34:28: are you sure its not $ and £ and just 1 order ? Yes, just checked so I am; two different charges with differing amounts and references timed about a minute apart. It's quite likely that it was finger trouble on my part as a problem with their site even though it was working very slowly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Miller Posted January 20, 2014 Author Share Posted January 20, 2014 I thought an update on this thread appropriate. I followed John’s advice and raised a “ticket” after typing a short report of my problem. This morning I received an email saying that I will receive a refund of the duplicated payment although it may take a week to go through their system. That seems to me to be a satisfactory outcome. Thank you for your help. Edited By Dave Miller on 20/01/2014 14:54:27 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masher Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 And to end on another positive note, I ordered some stuff 6pm Friday and received it this afternoon. I have been trying HK out for various things - hinges, covering film, servo plugs etc and so far everything hunky dory. P&P very reasonable at about £3.50 for a package including 2 rolls of film Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Butler Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 On a related topic - Does anyone know whether you can collect on a Saturday morning? Using Parcel Farce is OK but I always end up collecting from the depot as I'm at work all day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Miller Posted February 5, 2014 Author Share Posted February 5, 2014 A further update: I have received an email from HK informing me that a refund has been made to my PayPal account and another from PP telling me that it has been received. Thank you all for your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Miller Posted February 8, 2014 Author Share Posted February 8, 2014 Oh dear! A follow up to my follow up, I have been waiting for a delivery from HobbyKing and got to wondering when I could expect the goods. I logged-in and was puzzled to see that two outstanding orders were marked: "Pending, unpaid". I then checked my PayPal statement to find that both had been paid on the date that the two orders were placed. So once again I have had to raise a support ticket to try and sort this mess out. It does beg the question, is it worth this sort of hassle to deal with this company, especially whilst they have a defective website? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Marsh Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 I'd go somewhere else. An inept company like HK should not exist. I seems so painful just to get a few bits. That's why the LMS is so much better. If internet companies like HK are the future, the future's bleak... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill_B Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Posted by Paul Marsh on 08/02/2014 09:24:30: I'd go somewhere else. An inept company like HK should not exist. I seems so painful just to get a few bits. That's why the LMS is so much better. If internet companies like HK are the future, the future's bleak... Hobbyking inept? Well I guess you're entitled to your opinion, but it's all well and good if you actually have a local model shop. I don't, so Hobbyking and all the other internet shops are a blessing for me. Edited By Bill_B on 08/02/2014 10:01:16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanN Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Posted by Paul Marsh on 08/02/2014 09:24:30: An inept company like HK should not exist. .. If they were that bad, then they wouldn't, would they? No one would use them No-one's perfect and HK have obviously had as many if not more reported issues than most - quite possibly because they have so many customers, coupled with a rather clunky support centre, and if it's you it happens to then obviously its a major source of annoyance I can only speak as I find. A no of orders have all been fine. The only hiccup was two orders placed for collection from Elmsett. One placed post xmas was notified ready for collection almost immediately, but I had had no contact at all re the one placed pre xmas. Not wanting to risk a journey to find the first order not ready I simply used the support centre (as peeps advise above). Response and apology within 36 hours, pick up successful, all was well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Miller Posted February 8, 2014 Author Share Posted February 8, 2014 Bill and Ian, I'm please to read that your experience with HobbyKing has been good. In my case their success rate in servicing my orders without a problem is running at about 75% which isn't quite as high as I feel that it should be. The other point worth making is that if some of us here are experiencing problems then it may be wise for other customers to check if all their orders have been completed and that they have not been subject to duplicate charges for the same item as some of us have. Like many here I buy the majority of my materials by mail order because it is quicker and cheaper than driving to a shop; unfortunately that seems not to be the case with this supplier, which is sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codename-John Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Posted by Dave Miller on 08/02/2014 07:55:57: It does beg the question, is it worth this sort of hassle to deal with this company, especially whilst they have a defective website? there is 3 parties to the payment process, you, paypal and Hobbyking there are probably thousands of transactions between the latter 2 everyday that are fine, it only seems to be you having difficulty with the payment process, yet you place the blame at a "defective website" that works perfectly for many many other people ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Miller Posted February 8, 2014 Author Share Posted February 8, 2014 Posted by Codename-John on 08/02/2014 13:14:34: Posted by Dave Miller on 08/02/2014 07:55:57: It does beg the question, is it worth this sort of hassle to deal with this company, especially whilst they have a defective website? there is 3 parties to the payment process, you, paypal and Hobbyking there are probably thousands of transactions between the latter 2 everyday that are fine, it only seems to be you having difficulty with the payment process, yet you place the blame at a "defective website" that works perfectly for many many other people ? There is a defect on the website insomuch as an error message is displayed after making a PayPal payment which tells you that the transaction failed and that you should try again. Last night a club mate confirmed having suffered a similar problem but in his case ended up with a triple delivery of the same order. That's the sort of thing I mean by a defective site. It could well be that I am the only person in the world suffering the from the problems that I am, but that begs the question why I don't have these problems from other retailers sites. I will add that of the several thousand transactions that I have made using PayPal, both buying and selling, the only three with which I have experienced problems are the three that I have referred to in this thread. As before I will report back when I have a resolution from HobbyKing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Putley 1 Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 I have been using HobbyKing since their first add appeared in the mags, some years ago now. I must have made around 60-70 orders since then, from both the international warehouse and the one in Hamburg. Only ever had one problem, which was the non arrival of one order. This was very quickly resolved. Was given the option of either a refund, or having the original order resent. Took the later option. So I am one very happy customer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin b Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Currently having an issue with HK (1st time after several purchases). Order was placed and paid for (Paypal), but was not recorded. I sent a message to the 24hr support centre. 25hrs later, no reply. I then went onto the online chat. Someone called Rick identified the problem and said he would make a Paypal refund, which could take 7 days to come through. Question. Why does it take 7 days for a refund, when Paypal is immediate ? On 2 occasions I have made refunds to people, for items not received and they went through straight away. If you have to take goods back to a shop, they can refund your credit card immediately. I feel disinclined to resend the order until I receive my refund. kevinb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glyn R Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 There is obviously a problem with the HK website, I can't even get a page at the moment. In my experience of HK this will be sorted out soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glyn R Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Posted by kevin b on 08/02/2014 21:15:24: Currently having an issue with HK (1st time after several purchases). Order was placed and paid for (Paypal), but was not recorded. I sent a message to the 24hr support centre. 25hrs later, no reply. I then went onto the online chat. Someone called Rick identified the problem and said he would make a Paypal refund, which could take 7 days to come through. Question. Why does it take 7 days for a refund, when Paypal is immediate ? On 2 occasions I have made refunds to people, for items not received and they went through straight away. If you have to take goods back to a shop, they can refund your credit card immediately. I feel disinclined to resend the order until I receive my refund. kevinb. I'll be interested to see how long it does take. In my experience tell the customer 7 days and 3 or 4 days is seen as good. Tell them 2 days and 3 days is terrible/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glyn R Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Just logged in again, instant response order went through no problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Miller Posted February 9, 2014 Author Share Posted February 9, 2014 I should have made it clear that I have only dealt with the UK site although I have no idea if that would make a difference. I imagine the reason for the delayed refund payment is down to several people being involved as an anti-fraud measure. In this instance I'm not looking for a refund rather that they release the goods that I have paid for, so that shouldn't take a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John F Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 The reason for the delay in refunds is down to the banks. HK, or any business, can do the refund immediately but the bank has to do manual input of some info. They do this in batches rather than piecemeal as and when a request arrives. It then takes about two days for the banks computers to process the data. Hence the delay.Edited By John F on 09/02/2014 08:03:03 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leccyflyer Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I haven't used them myself, but did place an order for a non-internet equipped pal a few years ago. Anyway, long story short, I need a 28mm inrunner and the HK offering seemed to fit the bill, so I tried to place an order, adding a few other minor bits and pieces to make it worthwhile. Tried three times to pay for the thing, but every time it churned away for minutes before coming back with an error message and unable to process the order. Gave up in the end - not a good experience. On reading this thread I'd better check my Paypal to make sure I have not been charged multiple times, for a non-completed order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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