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Disappointing Hobby King experience

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  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2013-10-15 11:55
    HobbyKing wrote:
    A full refund was requested on the same date in the amount of $80.51.
    I think "requested" in this case should not be confused with "issued." It probably means they've requested that their accoutning department issue a refund, which means the refund may still be forthcoming.

    -Phil
  • W9GFOW9GFO Posts: 4,010
    edited 2013-10-15 14:13
    I think "requested" in this case should not be confused with "issued." It probably means they've requested that their accoutning department issue a refund, which means the refund may still be forthcoming.

    -Phil

    I hope so. They also told me that it had been processed through PayPal on the 10th.
  • GordonMcCombGordonMcComb Posts: 3,366
    edited 2013-10-15 14:36
    The fact that their refund is not through the debit card might be telling. Because they lose money on the deal, they may not want to issue a refund through the card if they have too many refunds. The more non-void refunds (same for chargebacks), the higher their processing fees. But it takes a lot of refunds to trigger this level -- maybe 1-3% of the total dollar volume. If this is so, this suggests they may refund quite a number of their orders to be a concern for them, and they are hiding this fact from their credit card payment processor.

    That said, assuming they are savvy about such things, they would actually know your debit card is through PayPal (but not your PayPal email), through the association of the first six digits of the card -- which in the case of a PayPal Mastercard debit is 5581 58. They may have simply guessed -- perhaps erroneously -- that your order email was also your PayPal email.
  • W9GFOW9GFO Posts: 4,010
    edited 2013-10-15 14:48
    That said, assuming they are savvy about such things, they would actually know your debit card is through PayPal (but not your PayPal email), through the association of the first six digits of the card -- which in the case of a PayPal Mastercard debit is 5581 58.

    My debit card was issued by my bank (BECU), it is not a PayPal debit card. I have linked that account to PayPal so that when I pay with PayPal it will draw on that account if there is not enough in PayPal. Other than my manually adding that card to my PayPal account, there is no association.

    If they do issue a refund through PayPal then I would not be getting the full amount since PayPal will take their cut. I would expect that PayPal has a mechanism for refunding that avoids this, but the original payment was not made using PayPal so from the viewpoint of PayPal, it would not be a refund.
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2013-10-15 14:56
    I trust PayPal about as much as you trust HobbyKing. My linked PayPal bank account (which is used only for PayPal) never has more than $5 in it.

    -Phil
  • User NameUser Name Posts: 1,451
    edited 2013-10-15 15:08
    One thing is apparent: W9GFO and Hobby King are not a match. :)

    It would seem that years abroad taught me to go with the flow.
  • W9GFOW9GFO Posts: 4,010
    edited 2013-10-15 16:32
    I trust PayPal about as much as you trust HobbyKing. My linked PayPal bank account (which is used only for PayPal) never has more than $5 in it.

    -Phil

    I keep a bit more than that in the account but it exists solely for online purchases.

    Had I used PayPal to pay in the first place I am sure I would not be having this problem - no card, no demand for an image.
  • GordonMcCombGordonMcComb Posts: 3,366
    edited 2013-10-16 09:01
    In that case refunding through PayPal rather than crediting back your card is clearly inappropriate. If they are doing it to hide refunds from their credit card processor, you want to think twice about dealing with such an online business. There's a reason they are paying more for the refund, and taking the risk you won't charge back on your credit card (which you have every right to do if you don't see that refund soon).

    Phil is right about not trusting PayPal. They aren't a bank, and don't have to follow bank rules.
  • W9GFOW9GFO Posts: 4,010
    edited 2013-10-17 04:54
    The latest...
    Hi Rich ,
    Thanks for contacting the HobbyKing Support Team.
    It has been arranged to refund the money $80.51USD back to your credit card. It takes around 4 weeks to credit the money back to the card account. Please check with your Credit Card Company or next credit card statement for updates.
    Thanks for emailing support.
    If you have any other questions, please let me know.
    Regards.
    John
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2013-10-18 12:26
    On a more positive note, I just learned that a "Hobby Town" store opened up near my house. I'll have to check it out this weekend.
  • W9GFOW9GFO Posts: 4,010
    edited 2013-10-18 13:32
    As a teenager I use to shop at the original Hobby Town in downtown Lincoln, NE. Very cool store with lots of *real* hobby stuff. I bought my first radio on layaway form their second store at East Park Plaza, a Kraft 4 channel.

    There is one near me in Redmond but it is nothing like the original. There is almost nothing there that needs to be built. Mostly foam stuff that you just buy and fly and some ARFs. I went there several months ago to buy a couple micro servos and a Futaba receiver. They only had one micro and one mini, no Futaba stuff at all - they said everybody uses JR around here and talked about how great the bind-n-fly stuff is. *sigh*
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2013-10-18 13:48
    Do you remember "America's Hobby Center" in New York? When I was a kid I mail ordered a lot of stuff from that place.

    I guess this is the same place, now in NJ: http://www.ahc1931.com

    Ah 1931. When the USS Akron first took to the skies for its brief 2-year life: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTGBFY82Gik
  • GordonMcCombGordonMcComb Posts: 3,366
    edited 2013-10-18 15:33
    Alas and alack, the Hobbytown nearest to me is troubled by poor customer service:

    http://www.yelp.com/biz/hobbytown-usa-san-marcos

    I can attest to the one-star reviews.

    There was a Hobby People in the next town over that I used to go to, but they closed up a few years ago. A nice sized craft and hobby store in the same strip mall closed this past summer. Seems that hobbies aren't what they used to be.
  • GadgetmanGadgetman Posts: 2,436
    edited 2013-10-19 05:55
    I walked into the nearest RC-store this summer, browsed a bit, then asked the PFY behind the counter where the Balsa kits were...

    Kids today think that getting an ARF model to fly is an achievement...
    Spending a month in your workshop, meticulously pinning ribs to a paper-covered board and gluing thin rods to them and getting something that flies straight, now THAT is an achievement...

    Unfortunately, there's very few Balsa models available, and most of them are the same old, same old...
  • ctwardellctwardell Posts: 1,716
    edited 2013-10-19 07:30
    Gadgetman wrote: »
    Kids today think that getting an ARF model to fly is an achievement...
    Spending a month in your workshop, meticulously pinning ribs to a paper-covered board and gluing thin rods to them and getting something that flies straight, now THAT is an achievement...

    Yeah, I recall seeing a post on one of the modeling boards somewhere where a kid was admonishing the old folks for wasting time building when they could just buy an ARF...

    I never really got into R/C, more of a control-line guy.

    Control-line kits are alive and well here: http://brodak.com/

    The laser cutter has revolutionized balsa models, works way better than die-cut.

    C.W.
  • W9GFOW9GFO Posts: 4,010
    edited 2013-10-24 04:50
    Early this morning a deposit was made into my debit card account for $80.51.

    A quick recap;

    I placed an order and paid immediately. They received the funds and did nothing. I had to ask why, they said I needed to do an extra step which they never explained the reason for despite my asking. I cancelled the order and then they took over a month to return my money.
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2013-10-25 11:50
    At times like these I have occassionally called a business and explained that what they think of as "their money" is really "my money". And then I ask the person taking the call how they would like their own money handled in such a fashion. That usually gets results.

    It is sad what passes for Customer Service these days. We have a great deal of retail that is operating on the internet that tends to ignore pretty much anything but the sales aspect of their enterprise. Just finding a channel for problem resolution is often a merry chase. Once one is found, the response is often quite slow.

    In general, such handling really kills two aspects of business, [a] the repeat business of a loyal customer, word of mouth recommendation. I worked for a year at Macy's of California when young, and even they realized that both were key to success. Sure you can shop EBay or Amazon with mixed results, but even there the satifaction ratings are closely watched by anyone with a bit of experience.

    For those that want to open their own business, the above two items are paramont. Of course, if you do have a physical location, stay committed to your business hours. Nothing kills an enterprise's customer traffic more than having people know your posted hours, but finding you not there and the door locked. You don't have to keep long hours... just clearly posted regular ones.
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