I attempted to purchase two a/s models from an online retailer caller Hobby Models in early June, 2019. They claimed the models were both in stock and would ship out in 2-3 business days. After 5 business days went by, I emailed them asking when my order would be shipped. I received no response. After a few more days, I emailed Hobby Models once more, stating I wanted to cancel my order immediately. Again, I received no response. Conveniently, Hobby Models has no contact phone number. They do have a beautiful site, however (sarcasm). Btw, I paid using my bank debit card as they didn’t accept Paypal.
My next move was to contact my bank. I filed a disputed transaction; this was denied because the bank stated I indicated the transaction was authorized by me. I couldn’t do a stop payment because my bank doesn’t do that on payments made with a debit card.
Long story short, I should have noticed some warning signs before placing the order: no contact phone no. and no Paypal. I’m only out $42 but it’s the principle of the the thing.
Posting this so nobody else gets stung by these guys.
I’m sorry this is going South. I would suggest the following, and I wouldn’t take it as criticism.
Two - three days is kind of unheard of as a turn around and even five is really fast. Any time something is listed as “out of stock”, it’s kind of disingenous of them to promise much of any timeline at all.
Keep trying to contact them and keep it as positive as you can. Point out that they have your money and you expect some honest answers to when it will arrive. Offer them to trade for something else that they have on hand.
Once you start ripping them on line, if they find out they are going to be hard to deal with. You have nothing to lose at this point and everything to gain by giving them a chance to work it out. I’d give them at least a couple of months.
I don’t think many people are going to decide not to buy from them based on a complaint online, in particular from a new member. However you’ve been posting for awhile so it’s pretty clear that you aren’t that guy who crfeates an account and starts with dumping on a vendor they had a bad experience with.
In the world of online hobby purchasing, as I see it the day is young.
You may disagree, but I look forward to the day when you post that “I finally heard from the jerks and they gave me a refund”. It happens pretty often.
Yes, I realize I didn’t give them a whole lotta time for turnaround. However, this is my second bad experience with an online retailer (who will remain nameless) in less than a month so my fuse was pretty short. I’m usually not the type to do any mudslinging but this experience got to me.
As the saying goes, patience is a virtue. I’ll wait and see.
If you’re referring to a company called hobbymodels.com (Hobby Models LLC), there is a phone number on their FB page, 855-204-0006 but I don’t know how current this is as the page doesn’t seem to have been updated by the operators since some time in 2016.
If you visit their FB page, (found via a link on their webpage) you will find numerous complaints of missing orders and incomplete shipments.
Again, IF it is indeed this company, it seems that it’s run by the same crew that runs Internet Hobbies, who also seem to have quite a bad rep these days.
EDIT: Google also provides this phone number: 855-358-3392
I recently ran into an issue with another on line retailer myself. Turns out they had an F rating with the BBB and a lot of bad reviews on yelp complaining of the same issues I was having with them. I will start checking those locations before ever trying anyone new again.
One point worth noting for all here is to always use a CREDIT and not DEBIT card for online purchases if possible. Credit cards do offer buyer protections and guarantees that debit cards (which tie directly to your bank account) do not.
Thanks for clarifying. I too had an awful time with them a short time back. They sent a scathing email about their side of the story and were unprofessional and rude.
Hey mm66, at least you got a reply from them, albeit a rude one. They won’t even respond to my emails. On Monday, I’ll be calling them using the phone no. Phil H. gave me. I will report back.
I called the phone no. provided on Hobby Model’s FB page as provided by Phil H. Apparently, no dice. I left a VM on what seemed to be an individual’s phone, earlier today, have not received a reply as yet. To be honest, I have my doubts as to whether or not the VM I left is to the right person(s). Just have to wait and find out.
Thanks, I was just about to mention the same thing! I NEVER do business with anybody who: A. Wants your debit card number instead of a credit card B. Doesn’t have verifiable contact information C. doesn’t have a SECURE transaction website (i.e. “https:”)
Squadron for military models?! Hah! Squadron blows chunks, has for a while. More stuff out of stock than in-stock (they have the ridiculous “Available To Order” category - duh, that means it’s Out Of Stock!), regularly get beaten on price by places like scalehobbyist.com or Hobbylinc, and their shipping costs are very high compared to most other firms I have used.