Long story short, I ordered a HK500 heli frame for a scaler project I have going. It is advertised as CF frame sides and metal components. The metal parts like tail boom holder and battery tray were actually plastic where they should be metal like the ad copy describes. So I send pics of the issue. I then get a bizarre request to send a pic of the box and the item (even though I sent pics of the frame already).

So then I thought of putting a trail of breadcrumbs so even the most unfamilar staffer can figure out what I'm talking about. I get another request for the picture of the box and part.

You guys think this will actually get resolved, or am I dealing with a bunch of total zeros?

Nonsense thus far:


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WJ-HK500GT frame that was shipped not as described


Andy
Oct 19 07:00


Hi,

In order 2005351362 I ordered "PRODUCT ID: HK500GT-A001" Main Frame set. It is described as having a metal tail boom case and the photo shows a metal battery tray. The frame I received has a plastic tail boom case, and a plastic battery tray.

The main reason I ordered this item was for the metal components. Will you ship out a HK500 metal tail boom case and metal battery tray to rectify this descrepancy between what was advertised and what was actually sent?

Photos attached

Andy

IMG_4063.JPG (quick view)


IMG_4064.JPG (quick view)


IMG_4065.JPG (quick view)









Comments






John

SZCS


Hi Andy ,
Thanks for contacting the HobbyKing Support Team.

We are sorry for keeping you waiting.Regarding the item, it is under investigation with related department, to further help you, may I have the following information so that we can further check for you:

1) One photo of the parcel box with postage slip
2) One photo of all the parts that you have received for the item. Please kindly lay out all the parts and items clearly on a flat surface. If the item has already been assembled, please show the assembled item with the original product packaging.

Thanks for your understanding and patience for the case. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thanks for emailing support.
If you have any other questions, please let me know.
Regards.
John
HobbyKing Support Team
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October 20, 2012 20:36
.




Andy


John,

To individually reply to your requests...

"1) One photo of the parcel box with postage slip"

What does this have to do with the parts attached to the frame advertised as being metal, actually being plastic?

" 2) One photo of all the parts that you have received for the item. Please kindly lay out all the parts and items clearly on a flat surface. If the item has already been assembled, please show the assembled item with the original product packaging."

I already have submitted these photos...IMG4063 and IMG4064 are of the frame assembly in question showing the plastic boom case and plastic battery tray (the ad photo and ad copy describes these as being metal versions when purchasing this frame assembly). IMG4065 is of the bag that this assembly came in.

Let me know if there is anything else you need or if you need additional clarification of the issue.


October 20, 2012 22:42
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Andy


I thought I would add some more information about this, in case there is a issue with familiarity of the product in question:

This is the frame assembly that I ordered:

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...Frame_set.html

If you will note, this is the description:

HK500-GT CF Main Frame set

Included;
Metal Bearing block
Metal tail boom case
Metal Tail drive gear assembly
Anti rotation bracket

"Metal tail boom case" is listed. The one that came with the frame assembly is plastic. You can compare the shape of this plastic part in IMG4063 to the metal version pictured in the website description of this item. A seperate photo of this part which is advertised as being supplied on this frame assembly can be found here:

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...t_H50044_.html

Note the differences around the round hole area between the metal version, and the photo I made of the plastic version, for confirmation of material of what was supplied on the frame assembly that was shipped.

Also, in the website photo of this frame assembly, the battery tray has long openings in it, signifying that it is the metal version that is available for this part. You can compare the plastic version that was supplied (IMG4064 is the photo of this), with the website photo of the metal version battery tray here:

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...t_H50021_.html

On a side note, the reviewers for this frame assembly on your website remark that the frame assembly comes with a metal electronics parts tray. The frame assembly that was shipped came with a plastic version. You can see this in photo IMG4063. Note the difference in shape and color of this tray that was supplied on the frame assembly, and what is pictured seperately on your website here:
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...t_H50021_.html

To summarize, shipping the following parts to me will resolve the issue of plastic parts being substituted where metal parts were implied as being part of this frame assembly:

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...t_H50044_.html
PRODUCT ID: GT500-117

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...t_H50021_.html
PRODUCT ID: GT500-114

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...t_H50021_.html
PRODUCT ID: GT500-119

I hope this information will be helpful in resolving this matter


October 20, 2012 23:28
.




John

SZCS


Hi Andy ,

Thanks for contacting the HobbyKing Support Team.

Sorry for the delay reply.

Please kindly be advised that it is normal procedure and necessary for us to check the photos for the incorrect issue shipped from one country to another , and we need to record and claim with various department when necessary as well. Please kindly send us request photos, so that we can process your case promptly. Thank for your understanding.

Thanks for emailing support.
If you have any other questions, please let me know.
Regards.
John
HobbyKing Support Team
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http://www.facebook.com/HobbyKing
www.twitter.com/hobbykinglive


October 22, 2012 09:09
.




Andy


Ok, here's the photos as requested...

I have already started assembling the frame in the second photo, but the bag that the frame assembly was enclosed in is next to it.

So will I get the appropriate parts that I described in the above posts shipped out now?


IMG_4066.JPG (quick view)


IMG_4067.JPG (quick view)



October 22, 2012 09:33

It may get resolved eventually or maybe it won't. The question is how long do you care to wait and how much of your time do you wish to spend. Did you pay with Paypal? If so I would open a Paypal dispute. (item received was not as described) If they won't resolve the problem escalate it to a claim quickly. Good Luck.

Heh, I was thinking of doing a chargeback on them. Never did one with Paypal though. But it would seem I got 1/2 way there according to the latest on this, rather surprised after seeing the weird requests for a photo of the box. Now to get the one remaining plastic part substitution taken care of, as well as cost of shipping as I dont think I should pay for their mistakes.

The latest.....


------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Andy ,

Thanks for contacting the HobbyKing Support Team.

Thank you for your information, the investigation for your claim has completed.
We apologize sincerely for the incorrect item which you have received from order #2005351362.

According to our product specialist's advice, we have issued store credit $15.39 for the replacement ( GT500-117 and GT500-114 ). Please kindly check your bonus points for updates.

Thanks for emailing support.
If you have any other questions, please let me know.
Regards.
John
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


October 22, 2012 17:31
.




Andy


What about GT500-119 which is needed to resolve the plastic parts substitutions? ($5.10)

Shipping the items will total $5.99 according to your website. As the error was on your side of the transaction, I do not feel I should have to pay for it.

To summarize, $11.09 additional credit should be issued to resolve this matter.

From following these threads for quite awhile, my opinion is:
Those that follow the cs instructions from Hobby King (however dumb they may seem to be) usually get a resolution to the problem. (Sooner or much, much later)
HK seems to be very inflexible in handling problems, they have a procedure and that procedure must be followed....the t's must be crossed and the i's must be dotted.
Those that want to play by different rules always end up irate and disappointed. It's there way or the highway. The customer however can pull the plug and open a Paypal dispute if they don't want the parts.

Best of luck.

PS One other thing Andy, those store credits can't be used for shipping charges. Credits can only be used for item costs. Might not make sense but that's how it works.
To get money back, the customer needs to request that the $ be refunded/charged back to the funding source, otherwise they are turned into credits.

Hey, thanks for the tip on the credits vs. shipping, good info on that 'gotcha'. Latest is they say the ad doesnt say metal on the gyro tray, and even if previous customers/reviewers proudly state on the website that it's metal...I'm out of luck on that last item. Let alone that the CF clone frames are customarily metal accessories, and the aluminum frames are plastic accessories, but hey...

So I asked what about the $5.99 shipping that they didnt answer to my inquiry about...waiting on that reply now. But if I cant acutally use that for shipping, well now. I guess I'll ask for a refund on that should they be so kind to pay for shipping on their errors.

I'll tell ya, I used to like HK for cheap roll the dice stuff, sometimes good, sometimes I got just what I paid for. But after seeing how unsmoothly something such as this is getting resolved...maybe no more HK for me. So much work and then giving me technicalities about a $5.00 part...come on

Well, that's it for this, next time I need a clone frame I'll be shopping Xheli/Hobbypartz and pay the extra $$ for a lot less annoying purchasing experience.

You have 45 days from the date of purchase to file a paypal claim. I went though the ringer and the runaround before and on day 44 went ahead and filed a dispute. That's what got HK's attention. Be prepared for HK to then send you a note saying that they will resolve the problem only IF you drop the dispute. Right...... according to paypal, DO NOT drop the dispute because if you do, you cannot refile. If nothing is resolved with another couple of weeks, it can be escalated to a claim. That's when PAYPAL MAKES it right. In my case, paypal had to make it right twice before while HK did nothing. Heck, I couldn't even get them to refund my dough after a month for an order that they never shipped, paypal had to reverse the charges.

Some will claim that you should stick with the program and HK will make it right. Countless others have posted with stories of once the paypal window for filing a claim has passed, HK stops communicating and many post stories of never getting resolution. Within 45 days my friend..... Document all the hoop jumping and if nothing happens, file the dispute on day 44, paypal will make it right. Just have your flame suit on, there will be people who will put the heat on you saying that your expectations of what you get are too high, some will attempt to discredit you and say that you aren't a real customer or that you must work for a hobby shop and are bashing the competition, there is all kinds of crud that you have to be prepared for. No amount of badgering or deflecting the issues should release the vender from the responsability of honoring what they advertise.

The bottom line is that you should receive what is advertised. If you do not receive what is advertised and in the condition that is advertised, and if CS will not make it right..... it is, in effect, stealing from the consumers. Handle it accordingly. Just don't cast off the leverage of paypal in the hopes that at some point in the future it will be made right. That's why paypal has a window of 45 days to file. To hold businesses and individuals accountable for their actions.

Yep stick with what CS says and work with them and it will get sorted. Of course if you want an immediate result use paypal. This applies with any vebdor issue.

HK have never stoped communicating with me if I've ever had a question, they just take a few days sometimes but they do have well over 5000 orders a day (supported fact from the owner on the HK forum that has been published) to deal with, so again if you want to get to the top of the CS que, do the paypal bit but it's not necessary if you are happy to wait.

You will hear all sorts of stories that some of us here are just around to deflect and promote, not true, we are just likeminded customers with knowledge who want to see you get your issue resolved. Hoppy has been a long time customer and has seen the good and the bad and if you read his posts in these situations he is always level headed and willing to go out of his way to help with sound unemotional advice.

Hope it gets sorted.

Mark

Originally Posted by Joe 1320

You have 45 days from the date of purchase to file a paypal claim. I went though the ringer and the runaround before and on day 44 went ahead and filed a dispute. That's what got HK's attention. Be prepared for HK to then send you a note saying that they will resolve the problem only IF you drop the dispute. Right...... according to paypal, DO NOT drop the dispute because if you do, you cannot refile. If nothing is resolved with another couple of weeks, it can be escalated to a claim. That's when PAYPAL MAKES it right. In my case, paypal had to make it right twice before while HK did nothing. Heck, I couldn't even get them to refund my dough after a month for an order that they never shipped, paypal had to reverse the charges.

Some will claim that you should stick with the program and HK will make it right. Countless others have posted with stories of once the paypal window for filing a claim has passed, HK stops communicating and many post stories of never getting resolution. Within 45 days my friend..... Document all the hoop jumping and if nothing happens, file the dispute on day 44, paypal will make it right. Just have your flame suit on, there will be people who will put the heat on you saying that your expectations of what you get are too high, some will attempt to discredit you and say that you aren't a real customer or that you must work for a hobby shop and are bashing the competition, there is all kinds of crud that you have to be prepared for. No amount of badgering or deflecting the issues should release the vender from the responsability of honoring what they advertise.

The bottom line is that you should receive what is advertised. If you do not receive what is advertised and in the condition that is advertised, and if CS will not make it right..... it is, in effect, stealing from the consumers. Handle it accordingly. Just don't cast off the leverage of paypal in the hopes that at some point in the future it will be made right. That's why paypal has a window of 45 days to file. To hold businesses and individuals accountable for their actions.

+1
To me dealing with HK or any other company I purchase products from is simple. I pay with Paypal and if I don't receive what I paid for or if it's not as described or defective or missing parts I contact the business and inform them of the problem. If they don't resolve the problem to my satisfaction in a reasonable amount of time I open a Paypal dispute. If that doesn't get results I escalate it to a claim. Why should I lose ANY money on the transaction. If they accept Paypal they are agreeing to Paypals term and conditions.
I quess some people don't care how much time they waste trying to get a problem resolved or how many months they have to wait to get what they paid for. I value my time more than that so I don't waste hours dealing with the incompitant CS robots. I quickly contact Paypal and when they get my money refunded I can re-order or do whatever I choose with it.

Well, to finish up this story, looks like my last reply regarding shipping costs for the replacement parts ($5.99) just got ignored. They closed and deleted the Support Centre thread on that site regarding this.

So in the end I ordered the metal tail boom holder and battery tray using the store credits, paid for shipping of these parts on my dime, and got stiffed on the metal gyro tray (didnt really need it, so I didnt order that replacement).

What customer service...make the customer jump though bizarre hoops, short them on some things in the end, and make them pay shipping for your mistakes...Yup, they lost me as a customer

The support center thread should still be in your history, pull it up and tell them you want the shipping cost in credits. When they say closed they simply mean they have answered. If you don't like the answer, re-open it and add to it. Thats how it works.

Mark

Bottom RH side of requests is a link to "create a follow up".

Hey, thanks for that, found it.

And now I really dont ever want to deal with this company anymore...Looks like since I put the order in, as I learned here that shipping couldnt be paid with credits...now I'm apparently shafted on getting a refund on the shipping costs because I "accepted" their offer (a negotiation for them to make the deal right? Oh boy...)

I did 'reopen' the case, let's see how this works out, lol.

Cut and paste for what transpired since I posted the last cut and paste:


.................................................. .............................


Hi Andy ,
Thanks for contacting the HobbyKing Support Team.

The electronics plate is not listed as being metal, as well as the picture of the frame shows a plastic receiver holder installed. The one you are referring to is an optional upgrade part.

Description of item doesn't state if the part is upgraded metal version. Some customer may have received frame with this metal part installed by mistake, same as your frame had incorrect parts, but this is not supplied as standard.

We have issued you store credit for mis sent items, please accept our apologies for this inconvenience.

Thanks for emailing support.
If you have any other questions, please let me know.
Regards.
Jarrad
HobbyKing Support Team
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http://www.facebook.com/HobbyKing
www.twitter.com/hobbykinglive

Regards,

Jarrad

Hobbyking Product Rep

October 23, 2012 03:02 Andy Ok, fair enough on the radio plate. What about the $5.99 it will cost me in shipping to receive the parts?

October 23, 2012 03:49 John

SZCSHi Andy ,

Thanks for contacting the HobbyKing Support Team.

Please kindly note that you have used the bonus points that we issued. So it means that you have accepted our offer. Thank for your understanding.

Thanks for emailing support.
If you have any other questions, please let me know.
Regards.
John
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

October 24, 2012 11:54 Andy I placed the order not as an "accepted" resolution to the issue, just for expediency. I have heard that store credits could not be used for shipping, so I was going to request that the $5.99 be refunded back to Paypal (which I used to make the origional purchase).

Thus, I am reopening this ticket requesting that the $5.99 shipping cost be refunded to my Paypal account

October 24, 2012 21:34

How about this! Batteries ordered from US warehouse, never left Washington state and were delivered BACK to HK, according to the USPS routing. It took over 3 weeks to deliver the batteries back to themselves! So they get the $$, and the batteries.
I file a Paypal dispute and my order as well as Support Center correspondence disappear! Since this was their answer, I answered by upgraded to a Claim! Bozos!
Gary in Maryland