Michael Barclay Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 Tried to log into Hobbyking this morning. Page says " We are currently undergoing some exciting site developments and will be back with you shortly." Great. Looks as though they are listening to thier customers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Fry Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 Trouble is they have been saying that for years, and going backwards. A Chinese based company. There is a Chinese curse, "may you live in interesting times". Exiting can be substituted for interesting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Dorricott 1 Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 Back up but still clunky as though it was hosted on some old laptop . Still need to address the issue when you try and select UK only it still gives you global and euro after a long delay . The programmer who wrote this pony and trap would have been fired at my company and found himself working at MacDonalds . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Simmons Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 Have ordered last week of November as both items shown “in stock”. Now it’s 24th January and I have contacted them, One of the items has a warranty issue so it now changed into “back order” As it’s the Chinese New Year, I will have to wait to mid February for an update. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SIMON CRAGG Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 From what I hjave seen recently, all of the Hobbyking stock would fit in my wheelbarrow! Not suprising with the upheavel in the far East, on going trade issues, and now the Corona problems. I'd be very suprised to see any improvement for at least six months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul d Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 I honestly don't understand why chaps bother with these people, support your local shop, lets be honest all they sell is cheap Chinese carp..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Fry Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 Nowt Wong with fresh carp. Boned out, hot butter and oil, skin down, nearly cook through, then 10 seconds on the white side. Done. My experience with HK, the stuff is fit for purpose. As good as any supplier. Shame the website is south of poor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Murphy 1 Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 Posted by paul d on 24/01/2020 19:01:29: I honestly don't understand why chaps bother with these people, support your local shop, lets be honest all they sell is cheap Chinese carp..... To be fair, a lot of the of stuff for sale in model shops is made in these same Chinese factories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erfolg Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 I have been on it today, there are still problems, in that models are not being selected as available in the general, catch all selection, when by appear in a specific selection option. Who ever is developing the engine for this site, needs replacing. I wonder what the design concept is or the customers wants, hmm could be the systems analyst needs replacing to. Yet I have favoured HK, not sure what others, who could be less generous think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason-I Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 Posted by paul d on 24/01/2020 19:01:29: I honestly don't understand why chaps bother with these people, support your local shop, lets be honest all they sell is cheap Chinese carp..... Their batteries cannot be beaten on price (and work really well). Many of their planes are actually pretty good (and excellent value). Hobbyking sk3 motors are excellent (rebadged versions of significantly more expensive big name brand motors). Massive selection of stock Their servos cannot be beaten on price. In fact most of their stock cannot be beaten on price. Plenty of reasons why people bother..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stu knowles Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 I did recently want to order 2 x LiFe RX batteries. Batts £22, Postage £22! Tried for the same from the Euro HK, postage less than three quid. Not good for the health of the UK Deport, in fact, just plain stupid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erfolg Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 I have noted the same issue in the past. I have mentioned it on this forum. OK, the problem is using the PO as the carrier, or does HK manager need a kick up the butt to find a UK currier who will do the delivery to a similar cost as the Dutch post office, or is the problem the the engine again? The next time my MP comes round, will that be the next General Election, I will suggest, strongly that the privileges that the PO enjoys, need to be removed, as they are useless as well as HK (at present), and whoever else upsets me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatMc Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 Posted by stu knowles on 24/01/2020 22:24:25: I did recently want to order 2 x LiFe RX batteries. Batts £22, Postage £22! Tried for the same from the Euro HK, postage less than three quid. Not good for the health of the UK Deport, in fact, just plain stupid I just ran a dummy order through on 2 x 2100 LiFe Rx batteries with estimates on the cheapest postage. Price from UK £19.90 + £5.12 postage, total £ 25.12 . From EU £20.98 + £2.40 postage, total £23.38. For the £1.74 difference I'd have opted for the faster delivery from UK. Also I think that if I'd increased the number of items in the order the UK postage cost would have been less than EU once a certain weight was reached. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Simmons Posted January 25, 2020 Share Posted January 25, 2020 Thanks for saying I don’t support my local shop. I have been for years until they retired and closed shop. The other model chain, the high business rates killed them off so do I go on a car journey a few hours round trip to the nearest model shop just to see what they have? Or go on the internet and it mostly links to Hong Kong? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken anderson. Posted January 25, 2020 Share Posted January 25, 2020 Posted by paul d on 24/01/2020 19:01:29: I honestly don't understand why chaps bother with these people, support your local shop, lets be honest all they sell is cheap Chinese carp..... hello paul ….I and others used to support our LMS...we had 4,all memories now, closed down mainly due to economics....so we can no longer support what we don't have....so find alternative. Its really hard looking for stuff on line and ordering it and then having to wait-where as before a short journey in the car and most of what you needed was in front of you in the LMS.....I would love it if someone set one up again as i'm sure would others. this morning I got an e-mail from hobbyking,telling me about their latest offers, clicking around their web site was no problem...it worked like a goodin,and a lot of the offers say free postage,so this is the new norm for now...….and we have no other option...if we want to carry on modelling. ken anderson...ne..1..grim up north (east) dept. Edited By ken anderson. on 25/01/2020 08:43:20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stu knowles Posted January 25, 2020 Share Posted January 25, 2020 Hi PatMc. In the light of your post I just done the same and got the same result. However I am sure that the only option offered on the first occasion was the more expensive alternative at £22 . Had the £5 option been there I would have taken it. Baffling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Marsh Posted January 25, 2020 Share Posted January 25, 2020 Nothing wrong with another outlet. They sell stuff that Hobby shops don't sell, such as 120 size twist n' turn retracts (bought 3 sets) and many aircraft. Even the UK shops and distributors have nothing new on the shelves, I'm being going into model shops with seeing something to buy, but leaving with a few small bits, because there is nothing to "float my boat". The website of HK does work, but is a bit slow, though at least it does work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuban8 Posted January 25, 2020 Share Posted January 25, 2020 Posted by paul d on 24/01/2020 19:01:29: I honestly don't understand why chaps bother with these people, support your local shop, lets be honest all they sell is cheap Chinese carp..... A notion that may of us would like to support but the reality of the situation is that the old local model shop that could be found in most fairly large towns is now mostly a thing of the past. I'm lucky, I have two shops that I still use, A1 in Colchester that is nearby and Balsa Cabin in Maldon that's an hour's round trip. However, with the best will in the world they are unable to cater for everything that I need so I use the national network of 'local' modelshops i.e. those that have a big web based presence and with a bit of shopping around from site to site I can normally have what I need on my doorstep within 24 hours or a couple of days at most. Hobbyking are rapidly becoming a spent force after their meteoric rise of a few years ago, but are still a good source for certain items - Banggood as well. The 'Chinese freshwater fish' jibe is amusing......don't forget that the huge majority of our gear comes from China, much of it packaged and marketed by the big distributors at a very advantageous (to them) mark up and sometimes of quite 'fishy' quality despite bearing a so called top brand name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Barclay Posted January 25, 2020 Author Share Posted January 25, 2020 Posted by paul d on 24/01/2020 19:01:29: I honestly don't understand why chaps bother with these people, support your local shop, lets be honest all they sell is cheap Chinese carp..... It would be nice if local model shops labled goods "Made in UK". Then we would see exactly what is made in UK as opposed to being imported from the far east and rebadged at a large mark up. There does seem to be a certain snobery where Hobby King is concerned but personally I have no complaints about thier products or service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken anderson. Posted January 25, 2020 Share Posted January 25, 2020 I'll 2nd Michaels post above.....surprised no one's blamed Brexit? ken anderson...ne..1..... 3 cheers for H/King dept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatMc Posted January 25, 2020 Share Posted January 25, 2020 Posted by Keith Simmons on 25/01/2020 08:23:21: Thanks for saying I don’t support my local shop. I have been for years until they retired and closed shop. The other model chain, the high business rates killed them off so do I go on a car journey a few hours round trip to the nearest model shop just to see what they have? Or go on the internet and it mostly links to Hong Kong? There are a number of long standing model shops that in pre-internet days offered mail order services but have since adapted to there business model to include internet trading. The shops that didn't can't blame their erstwhile customers for their demise. There are also plenty of retailers of course (including HK) who trade virtually only via the internet. The above statements could equally be applied to all UK retail trading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatMc Posted January 25, 2020 Share Posted January 25, 2020 Posted by ken anderson. on 25/01/2020 14:34:38: I'll 2nd Michaels post above.....surprised no one's blamed Brexit? ken anderson...ne..1..... 3 cheers for H/King dept. Brexit will close the existing tariff free access to a number of good European model retail sites unless Boris & his Toytown crew can conjure up an unlikely set of trade agreements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erfolg Posted February 4, 2020 Share Posted February 4, 2020 I noted the comments with respect to leaving the EU. For approx. 12 months as far as imports from the EU are concerned, nothing will have changed. Non the less, others have outlined the general benefits we gain from on line shopping, in that we gain access to a far wider range of products and brands, everything is delivered to our door, often the next day. All, more often than not at a lower cost than from the LMS. Often the cost of P&P is less than the traveling cost to the LMS. The issue for the LMS is what does it offer that online shopping does not? Now that is a difficult one, I do not know the answer. There may not be one universal solution applicable to all LMS, yet to survive, never mind prosper, something that negates all the benefits that on line shopping delivers, is needed. Preferably something that is recognised as a provision that is applicable to all LMS. without a universal unique selling proposition, it will be just the odd LMS that will be around As for HK, PatMc, makes the issue that that business faces. They are not the only ones out there doing the same. The web site, seems a problem. The lack of consistency with respect to operation, from P&P, assembling (sorting) products and so on, frustrate many customers. We have all seen the market standard, come and go, from Big Blue (IBM), Blackberry, you will all know many more than I remember. Yet not all is lost, not yet, Apple have gone from the market leader, to no hopers, to market leaders (IPhones). There is hope, if they act constructively and provide an interface to customers that works. Although the behind the scenes stuff needs to work to, stock control (what is held and what is being ordered etc), cost controls and it seems above all, their site maintenance Edited By Erfolg on 04/02/2020 13:51:50 Edited By Erfolg on 04/02/2020 13:54:07 Edited By Erfolg on 04/02/2020 13:57:13 Edited By Erfolg on 04/02/2020 13:58:08 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Miller Posted February 4, 2020 Share Posted February 4, 2020 I have just bought two digital micro servos from Airtek. Great price and super fast delivery. "I will return!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Fry Posted February 4, 2020 Share Posted February 4, 2020 I thought Hobby King took the biscuit today. E mail arrives, servo special deals, get your servos here. Fool here pressed the button on one of the special deals, a Corona servo I like. Comes back, Honk Kong, backorder, no ETA. What is the point in that. Waste of my time, and they must know it's a waste of time. Do the idiots genuinely think potential customers appreciate being told these great deals just don't exist, but just messing you about at least gets you thinking about us. When I looked, the idiot box (also called the product page) said 331 people had visited the page to day. Edited By Don Fry on 04/02/2020 15:14:07 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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