Problems with FliteTest Website

[Kingbird]

I hope I'm the only one who's having trouble with FliteTest lately. I placed an order two days ago and still no shipment date and no access thru the website to find out what's up with my order. The whole site seems to be in a state of transition/chaos. The link to the store is dead.

The folks at FliteTest have done a great job of selling the dream. And I have become a believer. I've both built from a speed-build kit and scratch built supported by purchases of supplies and parts through the store. I've drawn others into the hobby through this very dream. Of late, however, the reality seems to be something different than the dream. An order placed and paid for but absolutely no response from FliteTest for couple of days regarding the status of the order or when it might be shipped. All I see is a message that orders will be shipped in 1-3 business days. Would you guys please let us know what's going on? If you have decided to do the retail thing then please, take it seriously and do it right. In today's marketplace you can't ship anytime other than same day. 2-3 days might have worked 10 years ago but not now. In today's marketplace shipments should ALWAYS go out the same day they were received. And if you can't do that, then send an email explaining why. That's what every other on-line seller is doing and you should at least measure up to the norm.

Some might say I'm being harsh. But business is harsh. (Understand that I am speaking to you as another small businessman.) We succeed or fail based on how well we perform. Period. I wish you well and want great success for you. But success only comes with dilligent attention to the details that lead to success: good products ... fair prices ... prompt service ... exceptional customer service. In my experience of late you are falling far short in the last two areas. You can do better and I know you will. Please fix the problems and grow to be what many of us hope you will become.

 

[bstanley72]

Maybe they hired the same people that redid Hobby King's site!

 

[CrashRecovery]

King, Shipping sometimes takes a few days. There is only three people on a average day in the shipping dept and a couple have dual roles as well. Don't forget they also cut the kits, package them and have to sometimes receive gear before finishing your order. I know it is a bit of an annoyance when you really want something but FT is still a really small company with big plans to grow this year. I have an idea of what is coming but Josh asked me to keep it personal as that was the type of chat we were having. Don't be to harsh on them in this transition period. You only see the fun and games in the videos and vlog but 90% of the time they are all serious about what FT is. If you have not received an email about your product with in a day, send me a PM and I'll see what I can find out for you.

 

[TazRC]

Didn't one of the recent Q&A videos say FT has 20 employees now?

 

[rockyboy]

In today's marketplace you can't ship anytime other than same day. 2-3 days might have worked 10 years ago but not now. In today's marketplace shipments should ALWAYS go out the same day they were received. And if you can't do that, then send an email explaining why. That's what every other on-line seller is doing and you should at least measure up to the norm.

Sorry if I seem harsh here, but I just don't have any sympathy for this false statement. It might be your opinion and what you're feeling, but it's factually incorrect. Feel free to take your business to Bangood (shipping sometime within a month or two) Gearbest (the same) HobbyKing (we'll get that shipped to you in a week or so - maybe) or AliExpress (you'll get your products next month - probably) or RC Smart (I got my motor in 2 weeks, but never received any emails from them at all).

If you only want guaranteed same day service, you need to order from a company that makes that guarantee. Like Amazon. Or a couple other electronics parts warehouse (Mouser, DigiKey, Sparkfun, etc) - and meet their order time requirements. If a company doesn't guarantee same day service and you get unhappy cause they didn't do what they never promised, I don't see the expectation problem as being with the company.

 

[CrashRecovery]

Didn't one of the recent Q&A videos say FT has 20 employees now?

They might have that in total. The shipping crew is maybe 3-5 I believe. I know three for sure. If you watched the vlog before christmas where they guys go down to the warehouse in New Philadelphia to help with the shipping you can see there are only 3-5 people there. Don't forget they also ship the rotor riot stuff out of there as well.

 

[Yoopy]

My order was shipped the next day (last week).

 

[mikeporterinmd]

I've had cases where I've ordered something unusual (A large set of wheels), and it was a few days before I was notified that they could not ship them. Probably an inventory count issue. Most likely someone was looking for them, then someone else, etc. I got a very nice note about the situation.

But, then there was a very busy time around christmas when it would have been very nice to receive a product by a certain date. I sent an email asking if possible and got a nice note back from Jen and the product was delivered when I needed it by.

I think they give great service. I value reasonable shipping rates ($2-$3 for small first class postal items) over same day speed. This means I can order a five pack of powerpods for $10+$3 and a few days later, realize I am out of 9 gram servos, and place another order for four servos, and have paid less in two shipments than one from many large retailers.

Sure, I get faster shipment from Amazon, but that's with Prime for $99 a year. And I only have that because Dr. Who moved from NetFlix to Amazon Prime. Priorities.

Mike

 

[Kingbird]

Well stated all. I'm not bashing FT or the people running it. I have a tremendous amount of respect for everything they are trying to do. Their products are good and fairly priced. As it turned out they did indeed ship the items the same day I placed the order, however they did not communicate this and there is nowhere on their website (that I could find) to check on the status of my order. The items showed up today as a complete surprise to me. This is primarily a communication issue and I hope they take it to heart and address it.

However I do take issue with the comments above that I am in error or have mis-stated the shipping practices of other retailers. I have ordered from a number of other retailers including Motion RC, Grayson, HobbyKing, General Hobby and others. Without exception every order went out the same day received. We all know that shipping on items sourced overseas is a crap-shoot. Those retailers have always made it clear up front if an item is coming from an international source. At no other retail site have I encountered a statement, after the order was placed, that shipment may take up to three business days. Without exception, every hobby-oriented retailer has promptly communicated when the items were shipped along with tracking numbers. All of them provide a place on their website to check on the status of the order. So I'd appreciate some restraint from those who chose to accuse me of making false statements. I am speaking the facts born out through personal experience.

I understand the protectiveness many FT fans feel about this team and sense a good deal of that in the responses above. I want the FT team to do well and, quite frankly, a little honest and well intended criticism is often far more helpful toward that end than the accolades of those who don't want to hurt their feelings.

End of discussion on my part. Cheers to all and Happy Landings.

 

[FlyingMonkey]

Hello Kingbird.

Did you try contacting customer support? I looked for an email for you there with the email address you listed with your profile, but nothing came up.

Flite Test sends out emails to update the customer when the order is placed. When it's processed and when it is shipped. In the shipping notification there is a tracking number included.

Often the reason the customer doesn't get their emails is because they entered their address in wrong so the notifications are sent to the incorrect email address.

If you would like to PM me other details I would be glad to look into it further.

 

[Kingbird]

Hello Kingbird.

Did you try contacting customer support? I looked for an email for you there with the email address you listed with your profile, but nothing came up.

Flite Test sends out emails to update the customer when the order is placed. When it's processed and when it is shipped. In the shipping notification there is a tracking number included.

Often the reason the customer doesn't get their emails is because they entered their address in wrong so the notifications are sent to the incorrect email address.

If you would like to PM me other details I would be glad to look into it further.

Thank you for that, and no, I did not contact customer support to inquire about my order. And I know my email address is correct because I received a confirmation when the order was placed. But absolutely no communication after that and no way to check on it through the website. My point is that, IMO, a customer shouldn't need to contact customer support about an order. That information is usually available both on the seller's website and through email notification of shipment.

I appreciate knowing that the normal practice does include an email notification of shipment. That tells me that this case was an anomaly. I completely understand how those things can happen. But this is where a portal on the website would be helpful as it would allow the customer to check on the status of the order and learn that it was, in fact, shipped and didn't just fall through the cracks in the floor.

Thanks again for your follow-up. My sincere best wishes to all on the team.

Doug

 

[mikeporterinmd]

"But this is where a portal on the website would be helpful as it would allow the customer to check on the status of the order and learn that it was, in fact, shipped and didn't just fall through the cracks in the floor. "

In the store, under "My Account", and "Your Order", it tells you the status of all orders, tracking numbers, etc. The Store site certain has an order status portal.

Mike

 

[CaptBill]

I delegated my on post. Better to be quiet.

 

[Kingbird]

In the store, under "My Account", and "Your Order", it tells you the status of all orders, tracking numbers, etc. The Store site certain has an order status portal.

OK, I do see the portal in the store now. As a result, this problem is coming more into focus as we discuss it. If you go through the website you will learn, as I have now learned, that there are multiple locations with "My Account" or "My Profile" settings. There is a "My Account" portal at the site entrance (the one I was looking at). Another "My Account" portal at the store. And another portal for "My Profile" in the forum. This is a recipe for miscommunication. How many different accounts/profiles should one client be expected to maintain with a single vendor? Shouldn't a single click on any "My Account" link throughout the website take the client to the very same page?

This only serves to underscore my concern. Whoever designed and maintains the website needs to take a look at it and clean up these issues. My webmaster does this kind of stuff for our company anytime we find a problem. It shouldn't require any drama or angst. Its just a matter of taking care of business.

 

[mikeporterinmd]

OK, I do see the portal in the store now. As a result, this problem is coming more into focus as we discuss it. If you go through the website you will learn, as I have now learned, that there are multiple locations with "My Account" or "My Profile" settings. There is a "My Account" portal at the site entrance (the one I was looking at). Another "My Account" portal at the store. And another portal for "My Profile" in the forum. This is a recipe for miscommunication. How many different accounts/profiles should one client be expected to maintain with a single vendor? Shouldn't a single click on any "My Account" link throughout the website take the client to the very same page?

This only serves to underscore my concern. Whoever designed and maintains the website needs to take a look at it and clean up these issues. My webmaster does this kind of stuff for our company anytime we find a problem. It shouldn't require any drama or angst. Its just a matter of taking care of business.

This probably isn't as simple as you think. Most likely the forum software, article software, main site and store are all different. Actually, most vendors, until you approach really large sites use different software for forums, if they even have a forum. I'm a little unclear on what the login on the main web page is for. Sure, it would be nice if all the software worked together seamlessly. But probably rather expensive, too.

Mike

 

[FlyingMonkey]

Yes, the need for multiple accounts is an unfortunate side effect of the organic growth of Flite Test.

They are working on a way to try to merge them. But it has to be done so that all the current information isn't lost.

 

[mikeporterinmd]

Yes, the need for multiple accounts is an unfortunate side effect of the organic growth of Flite Test.

They are working on a way to try to merge them. But it has to be done so that all the current information isn't lost.

Passwords are the big issue. If a system is written correctly, only the hash of your password is saved, not the actual password. Systems often use different hash algorithms which means lots of issues.

If flitetest has programmers on staff, one thing they should consider doing is saving new passwords or passwords that are entered and successfully validated in any expected new hash formats.

Mike

 

[Kingbird]

Great information above and it does shed much light on the issue. I hire people to handle our computer/internet issues and lay absolutely no claim to understanding much of what some of you said, although I am sure it is accurate and correct. Now that I understand the construction of the site I completely understand how I got off the track. However, if it happened once it can happen to others as well.

Perhaps the confusion could be resolved by having a different title given each profile such as "My Store Account", "My Forum Profile" and "My Dashboard". This would give the visitor to the site a pretty clear message that these are each different entities. I know the webmaster can change the titles that appear in the frames with a couple key-strokes. It would not affect any existing passwords or profiles and would go a long way toward eliminating a source of confusion.

Heck, if the webmaster really wanted to the thorough, he/she could embed hyperlinks in each of the three pages. i.e. If you'd like to visit your store account click here. etc. The link then taking them to the appropriate place to log into that account or profile. We have links like that throughout our website and it makes getting around in the site very seamless and easy.

Just my 2c worth. Hope it is of some value

Cheers!

 

[niranjan]

i was also facing that, but after few hours it's resolved, so i think you also need to wait for some sime.

 

[Kingbird]

i was also facing that, but after few hours it's resolved, so i think you also need to wait for some sime.

After all was said and done I could see where things went wrong. I got caught in that "perfect storm" where the confirmation email somehow didn't get to me and I thought the "My Account" page on the site's home page was the same as the "My Account" page at the store. Order placed Wednesday and no word by late Friday on the order and then nothing at the "My Account" page that talked about order status....three day weekend so figured it wouldn't get shipped 'til the following Tuesday ... I got a bit frustrated. All just a big mis-communication.

I still maintain that they need to change the "My Account" on the home page to read "My Dashboard". Having two important pages with the same title was directly responsible for my confusion and frustration.

All is well, though. Placed another order last week, received a shipment email within 12 hours and the items are on their way. Sorry if I let my frustration cause me to misjudge your job performance. You need to kick your webmaster in the butt but you're doing great!

Cheers!