John Campbell
Senior Member
LOL, I noticed that as well. Will see what happens. I will give them a few days to process it and then I will hit them again if it is not... I havn't come this far to give up now.
When it rains it poors... More HK Bad Luck
- Thread starter John Campbell
- Start date
- Status
LOL, I noticed that as well. Will see what happens. I will give them a few days to process it and then I will hit them again if it is not... I havn't come this far to give up now.
I feel your pain 
John Campbell
Senior Member
I am pleased to report that HK held up and did finally send the correct strobe units. So with any luck, this issue is closed.
Sweet So you have received the right ones now?
So you have received the right ones now?
John Campbell
Senior Member
Sweet
Finally... They did not refund the shipping to Paypal as requested, they credited it to my account, so I have a little more credit with them. Not happy about that, so I guess when I do another order I will get it then. I guess that is HK's scheme to keep return customers.
DejaD
ARG=almost ready to glue
The part of this that I find the saddest of all is that HK is willing to alienate a customer who has spent thousands buying from them because of a dispute over less than $4...?? Not only are they willing to do it, but they went to great lengths to do it. At the same time they were appearantly paying someone an hourly wage for extended periods of time, over and over again to correspond with John while they were trying to do it. And in the end, they rectified the situation by sending the correct items anyway. They could have done that in the first place, avoiding all of the drama and hard feelings, potential lost sales, additional tarnish onto a less than polished public opinion and lost manhours (their customer reps could have been poorly assisting other customers).
From a financial standpoint, it would have been more beneficial to HK to just relace the items up front and ate the $4 then to lose customers and be put in the spotlight as a company that does not value or even want to help their customers. It would appear that Anthony Hand is no business man. Because if he doesn't change the way his company operates...He'll be a man with no business. Just my $.02
As far as not refunding to paypal, that's just more money you MUST spend with them, total BS!
From a financial standpoint, it would have been more beneficial to HK to just relace the items up front and ate the $4 then to lose customers and be put in the spotlight as a company that does not value or even want to help their customers. It would appear that Anthony Hand is no business man. Because if he doesn't change the way his company operates...He'll be a man with no business. Just my $.02
As far as not refunding to paypal, that's just more money you MUST spend with them, total BS!
DejaD
ARG=almost ready to glue
A message to Anthony Hand:
Mr. Hand,
You have chosen to hitch your wagon to the rising star that is FliteTest. Congratualtions. You have made a wise decision. This connection can benefit both parties. With all of the additional exposure that association have provided for your company, comes some responsiblity. FliteTest is a vehicle who's only limitation is the boundries of the internet. Anyone with internet access is a potential HK customer. Anyone who knows someone with internet access, is a potential HK customer. That's a fairly large customer base. You have the products people want at a price they are willing to pay. Hobby King could live up to it's name and literally be the King of the RC Hobby.
With that said, anyone who frequents RC forums can tell you the reputation the HK is getting on these sites for customer service is horrendous, and getting worse. The response time for some of the issues I've read is pitiful. What is the reasoniong behind having customer reps who can't or aren't empowered to care for the customer? I realize you can't give every customer exactly what they ask for in terms of replacing a part or refunding money because that opens the floodgates for people who will line up to steal from you. But when a customer has to wait for an unreasonable amount of time for a reasonable solution to a problem that they are not responsible for, that is just bad business.
The biggest obsatcle in the path of HK is HK. You are shooting yourself in the foot by alienating customers who don't feel they will get treated fairly after they lay down $200 or $300 to buy that item they have been seeing on your site when they can get a similar item elsewhere and not have to worry as much about service after the sale.
Performed correctly, customer service is free. The customer buys a product and find it to be defective. They contact you, you agree the customers issue is not of their own fault. You replace the defective item and return the defective one to your supplier and get a new one in it's place. It only cost you a little time, but the benefit is, now you have a happy customer with a defect free item. Why is this important? Because he will return and make additional purchases from your company. And when he does, he will bring his friends with him. So you have generated additional sales as a direct result of customer service.
FREE.
If you don't agree that the customer's complaint is legitiamte, you don't replace the item.
Also FREE.
The customer base I mentioned earlier can be a powerful thing. It can work for you or against you. The power of the internet that brings you a steady stream of customers everyday can also be turned against you. If you don't believe me, look at the RC forums. All the one I go to have a place to complain about the RC vendors. And all of those have a place to complain about HK. Wouldn't it be nice if the HK thread were the least used thread on the forum?
I can't believe you would be foolish enough to turn your back on the very people who have helped to build your business and I don't believe for one minute that you have made HK as large and successful as it today, by accident. You are obviously doing something right. Remember, we in the customer base can and do talk about the great service we get from vendors just a s easily as we complain about the bad service. Help us help you.
Mr. Hand,
You have chosen to hitch your wagon to the rising star that is FliteTest. Congratualtions. You have made a wise decision. This connection can benefit both parties. With all of the additional exposure that association have provided for your company, comes some responsiblity. FliteTest is a vehicle who's only limitation is the boundries of the internet. Anyone with internet access is a potential HK customer. Anyone who knows someone with internet access, is a potential HK customer. That's a fairly large customer base. You have the products people want at a price they are willing to pay. Hobby King could live up to it's name and literally be the King of the RC Hobby.
With that said, anyone who frequents RC forums can tell you the reputation the HK is getting on these sites for customer service is horrendous, and getting worse. The response time for some of the issues I've read is pitiful. What is the reasoniong behind having customer reps who can't or aren't empowered to care for the customer? I realize you can't give every customer exactly what they ask for in terms of replacing a part or refunding money because that opens the floodgates for people who will line up to steal from you. But when a customer has to wait for an unreasonable amount of time for a reasonable solution to a problem that they are not responsible for, that is just bad business.
The biggest obsatcle in the path of HK is HK. You are shooting yourself in the foot by alienating customers who don't feel they will get treated fairly after they lay down $200 or $300 to buy that item they have been seeing on your site when they can get a similar item elsewhere and not have to worry as much about service after the sale.
Performed correctly, customer service is free. The customer buys a product and find it to be defective. They contact you, you agree the customers issue is not of their own fault. You replace the defective item and return the defective one to your supplier and get a new one in it's place. It only cost you a little time, but the benefit is, now you have a happy customer with a defect free item. Why is this important? Because he will return and make additional purchases from your company. And when he does, he will bring his friends with him. So you have generated additional sales as a direct result of customer service.
FREE.
If you don't agree that the customer's complaint is legitiamte, you don't replace the item.
Also FREE.
The customer base I mentioned earlier can be a powerful thing. It can work for you or against you. The power of the internet that brings you a steady stream of customers everyday can also be turned against you. If you don't believe me, look at the RC forums. All the one I go to have a place to complain about the RC vendors. And all of those have a place to complain about HK. Wouldn't it be nice if the HK thread were the least used thread on the forum?
I can't believe you would be foolish enough to turn your back on the very people who have helped to build your business and I don't believe for one minute that you have made HK as large and successful as it today, by accident. You are obviously doing something right. Remember, we in the customer base can and do talk about the great service we get from vendors just a s easily as we complain about the bad service. Help us help you.
sandblaster
Senior Member
Sure can tell that non of you have worked in a position dealing with John Q. public. It can be exhausting. Having done so for many years, it is one good reason to enjoy retirement away from dealing with the public. Sometimes we are not nice, putting it kindly. Just saying this to bring a little balance to this discussion. If you could spend a day as a HK customer service rep. guarantee your views would change a bunch. Just look at the length of this, 9 pages over less then $4.00. Seems there should be more important things to discuss and have fun with. Moving on......
DejaD
ARG=almost ready to glue
You shouldn't make assumptions. I have dealt with the public. Plenty. Years of foodservice management in my younger days. I have lots of stories of 2:30am drunkfests in the middle of a crowded eatery. But those are not pertinent here. What is pertinent is the fact that businesses who screw their customers generally have a hard time keeping them. And as john pointed out, it's not the amount it, it's the lack of respect for a customer.
I agree, lets move on.
I agree, lets move on.
Last edited:
The issue wasn't JUST 4 bucks- and if it was it would still be persued and should be fixed by HK
They sent the wrong parts. 9 pages to fix the problem. Ridiculous. Could have, should have been fixed by the end of John's first contact with HobbyKing. Period.
BTW- I also have worked with the public. It's not always a picnic but still not excuse not to take care of your customer.
John Campbell
Senior Member
A Great letter... Wish I had wrote it.
John Campbell
Senior Member
Sandblaster, not sure where you are coming from... But there are more important things than money. One of the most important thing in life is how you treat others and sometimes you have to draw the line. As I stated early on in this thread. It was not about the money, it was about making HK do the right thing.
I used to operate my own business. I made it prosperous and made good money at it. I then sold my business and under agreement stayed with the company for a period of time. I kept up the support of my customer base and never had one complaint. When I left the service bottomed out. So did there customer base. I have had problems with products from Horizon. I called up the support desk, advised them of my problem. A part was broken that was shipped with the plane that I purchased. I took a picture of it and where it was damaged in the box. They could have easily said that I need to handle this with the shipping company. Instead they shipped me the new part and it arrived 2 days later. I asked them if I wanted them to the old part back, and they told me to simply discard it. Service was A1 Class service. Many times I will pay a premium price for premium service. I know when I have a problem it will be fixed in one phone call, and with very little to no waiting.
If being a customer rep or support, sometimes you get in a bad mode or feel run over.. One golden rule. You can never show it, and you should always treat people the way you want to be treated. That is the way I always have and always will operate.
Back to HK, 3 problems in the last 5 orders. First time I had problems with them, they offered me a free gift. Turned out to be a pack of Turnigy Stickers... LOL, there product advertisement, 2nd time they left a part out of my order. they credited me, but would not ship them out to me. and then this issue here, 3rd time. That was the straw that broke the camels back. I drew the line, and stood strong.
con244
Senior Member
Great letter! What's the chance that AH will read it? Glad you finally won out John, I agree any company that wants to do well should treat their customers as they would like to be treated themselves. Yes they can be difficult but you will always keep a customer if you treat them right even when things go wrong but treat them wrong and you'll never see them again.
Con
John Campbell
Senior Member
Actually, I understand that Anthony does read the forums, even though I do not believe he participates in them. I know that he reads the forums on HK, and probably does here as well. I would say the chances are pretty good. Getting an answer from him... Well that is a completely different story all together.
DejaD
ARG=almost ready to glue
Anthony reading the entries here does not impress me. Acting on them...thats impressive. Personnaly, I would love it if he and some of the other retailers would take a more active role in these forums. I seriously doubt we will ever see that on a regular basis but, it would be very impressive. I know, I know... he has more pressing issues to deal with. I understand that running a business with this kind of volume and product count is a daunting task and probably consumes 25 hours of his day, but thats the cost of success. And since it is the people on forms such as this (along with countless other customers) that have carried him to his current level of success, it would be great if he could correspond from time to time even if its just to let us know that he is aware of and sympathizes with our concerns, he is conscious of the fact that many his customers are not happy and he is working to correct the flaws in his systems.
It just started raining here, I'm going to buy a lottery ticket.
It just started raining here, I'm going to buy a lottery ticket.
Anthony does read and sometimes participates in the HobbyKing forum.
I doubt that he spends much time on RC Groups or on this forum here.
Agreed- If I were in this business, while I likely would not do it myself, I would have people searching the threads for trends and trying to understand what the public thinks about my products.
Maybe one day...
I doubt that he spends much time on RC Groups or on this forum here.
Agreed- If I were in this business, while I likely would not do it myself, I would have people searching the threads for trends and trying to understand what the public thinks about my products.
Maybe one day...
John Campbell
Senior Member
Geez... Was inspecting closer the strobes. Both of them have broken tubes out of the box... A real downer... Haven't notified HK yet... going to wait til I can compose my thoughts!
John Campbell
Senior Member
Yeah... Kinda of PO'd at this point.
- Status
