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Modefo's RC Helicopters . XHELI.COM . Autography FlightPower

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Off Topics > TOWER HOBBIES will gladly RIP you off and they know it!!! Heres how....
 
 
HobbyHomee
Heliman
Location: Beale AFB California

Ok so heres what happened I ordered some parts (crash kit, blades) for my Nexus30 couldnt have weighed more than a couple pounds. Well I wanted my parts fast so I specified Prioity mail. Otherwise it can take over a month to get parts here at my military address here in Germany. Well when you order priority at Tower it automatically charges $19.99. Doesnt matter what it is. Well most of my orders are pretty small and dont weigh alot. So anyway as soon as I received the package I took it to the counter to see what the prioity cost would be to send it back. They said $10.48 to send it right back to where it came from. So I called Tower and told them they had overcharged me on the shipping. So the guy tried to explain how it was a handling charge also. So I asked him doesnt the standard mail cost include a shipping and a handling fee also. He said yes. I asked him if its sent prioity if its on a faster service or higher prioity during the point up to the post office and he said no. So I asked why is there more handling fee then. He then went on to try to explain this is just how their system is set up and they had NO WAY of charging the exact amount. He also said that most online companies do it this way. I told him thats incorrect and that some places dont charge at all and some places will wait till they ship to make 1 exact charge or that some places will charge for the merchandise and then after they mail it make a second exact shipping charge. He still insisted that most companies do it this way. He was fully aware that they overcharge people regularly and that this is a problem. He did not offer any positive solutions like Were working to fix this problem or were in the process of updating our system. He wouldnt budge when I asked for refund for the overcharge amount. I am gonna try to call one more time and make another attempt to get a refund. If they dont offer me a better solution to the problem then I think Im DONE WITH TOWER!!!!.......as soon as I find another place that sells Nexus parts. So who else sells Nexus stuff?DONE WITH TOWER!!!! RIP TOWER HOBBIES
08-25-2003 Over year old.
 
 
440GTX
Veteran
Location: Calgary, Canada

Postage

A while back Futaba tried to hose me $ 17.99
to ship a 3 oz reciever to Canada USPS air.
After a few e-mails we came to a much more reasonable shipping price.
Futaba listened .

Fred..
08-25-2003 Over year old.
 
 
Har
Senior Heliman
Location: Springfield MO

http://www.ronlund.com/

Ricks appears to carry Nexus parts. Web link above.
08-25-2003 Over year old.
 
 
uraldum
Senior Heliman
Location: San Diego, CA

People still buy from Tower?

Nothing is ever so bad that it can't get worse
08-25-2003 Over year old.
 
 
crash1953
Veteran
Location: Washington State

I quit doing buisness with Tower Hobbies several yrs ago just because their prices and all the bull that goes with them shipping and all ..Almost everyone anywhere will sell you the same stuff for a heck of a lot less money ..I will admit that Tower usually does have what you need if nobody else has it ,but if that is the case, I wont buy it anyway ..Tower over all just plain sucks to do buisness with .JMO
08-25-2003 Over year old.
 
 
HobbyHomee
Heliman
Location: Beale AFB California

I have to agree their prices are more expensive than most. I think they have this notion like they are the big bullies on the block and they can do whatever they want. Their customer service isnt anything to brag about either.
08-25-2003 Over year old.
 
 
JWBurns
Veteran
Location: The Lone Star State, Dallas Texas

Tower is certianly a joke, also did not think anyone was still buying from those guys. Heck, shipping is included in their profit margins!
I love it when I see someone selling an item, and quoting the brand new price at Tower for refrence! If you got it from Tower, you paid too much!

Jason
08-25-2003 Over year old.
 
 
scouse
Senior Heliman
Location: UK Liverpool

Heliproz

I tried ordering some stuff from them but when i received a confitmation email they wanted $25 for shipping on parts worth $40 and weighing less than 1 pound!
Needless to say they didnt get my buisness
08-25-2003 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
omurru
Veteran
Location: Australia

Sounds to me like you are just tightasses.......
If you don't want to pay postage buy it in your own country, I run a majority mail order business and I used to have fixed postage prices without problems, now I am linked directley to australia post and it calculates postage through their system.....

I like tower because as someone who does not live in the states and gets bugger all in the way of RC stuff in my Country find they are a reliable way to get stuff, instead of through a smaller dealer of who I have tried before and had to not only wait longer for parts but have not been offered the security you get through tower
08-25-2003 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
Steve Campbell
Elite Veteran
Location: Baton Rouge, LA

What you're missing is the "standard" shipping costs arrangement The Empire has always had.

When I began the hobby in 1986, their standard shipping fee was five bucks. It didn't matter if you bought a package of screws or ten kits in large boxes. Five bucks got it to your door in a week or so. It is up to eight bucks now. That's regular UPS ground. And is, if you ask me, pretty reasonable.

But in today's atmosphere of instant gratification, some folks don't mind paying big bucks extra to get their goodies sooner. So, like any other successful business, Tower accomodates what their customers are willing to pay for.

Twenty dollars to get a package from the middle of the US to Germany in a week or so is still pretty reasonable. I dunno if they still have that policy, but for a while Horizon wouldn't even ship to APO/FPO addresses. At least The Empire is making an effort.

That "handling" fee exists. You think the stuff gets taken from stores, boxed up, and put on the truck by itself?

I am most certainly not an apologist for the conglomeration of businesses known as Tower, Great Planes, Hobbico, etc., that is sometimes referred to as The Evil Empire. I have my own issues with them. But if you had ordered a large, bulky package (within limits), it still would have cost you twenty bucks. Some days you get chicken; some days you get feathers.

I think you're wrong on this one, pal. But I'm sure the local German hobby emporium will be happy to gouge the hell out of you. What's the exchange rate these days?

Steve
08-25-2003 Over year old.
 
 
Alexandre
Senior Heliman
Location: Florida USA

Hi placed more than 40 orders at Tower Hobbies in two years, I have the choice for the shipping : $7.99 if I want it in few days or $4.99 if I want it in few weeks.

I always had a VERY GOOD customer service.
When you received the wrong or damaged part, they ship it to you for free in 3 days.

Prices are not the lowest on earth but still way cheaper than a LHS.

I shop Towers Hobbies for my airplanes and Horizon-Ricks for my Helis.
08-25-2003 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
Jim C
Veteran
Location: Indiana, PA

that is the way it has always been.... i have dealt with them since like 96. the only gripe i have now is that it takes FOREVER for my stuff to get here... even with the "priority" service. i agree with steve on this one also. it took like 86 days to get my box o goodies last time i ordered something... so im done untill i get back to the states..

jim

http://jimsrc.com
08-25-2003 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
patternfly
Senior Heliman
Location: ChicagoLand

the only problem i have with tower is that they still advertise the nexus as superior 30 size machine... aggrrhhhhh.. I bought one few years ago!
08-25-2003 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
HobbyHomee
Heliman
Location: Beale AFB California

1. Tight ass? Ok calculate this 5 orders a day 5 days a week that they charge $19.99 on a shipping charge that should only be $10 or less for 1 year. I come up with $13,000 a year. This is a BIG company it could be more like 10, 20, 50 or more orders a day that this happins. On top of their high prices this can really add up for "them".

2. Omurro WHAT SECURITY? Are they watching your house as they send your parts? What do you mean by security? And as far as buying in my own country thats like totally not the point!! I am buying in my own country! You and alot of sellers need to realize that just because I live in Germany doesnt mean Im being charged for Germany postage rates. The way it works if you have a US military address and ordering from a factory in the US (APO PSC BOX) the parts go to a central location usually New York or New Jersey on the east coast then from there the Military takes over and the parts ride on a military flight to my location. So in otherwords it costs no more so send it from Califoronia to New York than from California to Germany.
3. Next thing is exactly what you said "calculates postage". Tower DOES NOT do this and this is the point! You would think a company as big as Tower would have this figured out by now! But no they will just be happy ripping you off! Being that you live in Austrailia the mail going your way isnt on a USPS (United States Postal Service) priority type mail service. So you probably get your parts alot faster than I do. Mail going your way probably rides on regular passanger flights to Australia. This is why you get mail faster than me.

Steve
The exchange rate has nothing to do with it. All my orders are in US dollars. And if I was only being charged $5.00 I wouldnt worry about it.
But just like you say Steve: Tower is willing to charge what customers are willing to pay. So lets just keep paying more and more. Who Cares!!!..............................................................
I DO!!!! Quote "That "handling" fee exists. You think the stuff gets taken from stores, boxed up, and put on the truck by itself?" Response: read beginning of thread!! Whether its sent prioity or standard mail it gets same prioity from warehouse to post office. Also like I said in the begining most of my orders are small and dont weigh alot.
LHS are far and few between her in Germany.
08-25-2003 Over year old.
 
 
w.pasman
Elite Veteran
Location: Netherlands

The locals handling the posting here are MUCH better in ripping you off

They charge you custom's taxes which is a percentage of the value INCLUDING the shipping costs

Then they put on top of that the VAT of 19% or so, so the custom's taxes are also taxed for VAT

and then they calculate HANDLING COSTS for all the paperwork that they have to do to calculate all the above. Probably that's also including tax on tax on tax but they dont specify that
08-25-2003 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
shaggy
Senior Heliman
Location: USA

Nothing but good results from Tower. I have always had options on how much I wanted to spend on shipping. I have also had great experinces with their customer service. I returned a couple of large items a while back and they were more than accomodating. Since the stuff was used but defective, they could only give me store credit, but I totally understood that.

HobbyHomee,

You are bitching about spending $20 to ship something halfway across the world?!?!?!! I think you are asking a little too much out of Tower or just want it for free!

Brooks
08-25-2003 Over year old.
 
 
wheelnet1
Senior Heliman
Location: Flower Mound Tx

If you knew they charged 19.99 and you ordered it knowing that then I don’t see a problem with it. They have the right to charge what ever they want. You don’t have to buy from them. I’ve had good experiences with them. Sorry you didn’t.

---
T-Rex 600 Nitro Pro w/ O.S.50 Hyper, T-Rex 450 CF, Caliber 30 w/O.S. 37, JR 8103 w/Spectrum
08-25-2003 Over year old.
 
 
Jagboy69
Key Veteran
Location: Lake Mary, Florida (20 mins East of Orlando)

I have dealt with tower hobbies since 1985.... and it has been all down hill with them for the last 10 years... outta stock problems, over priced shipping and long delays in getting the product.... Whats the big delay always with them?? HAA, thats easy... they have your money, and they have 90 days to find you what you ordered before it's BS Flag time with the credit card company.... SCREW THEM.... oh happy day when the theives file for bankruptcy.... SO PEOPLE QUIT BUYING FROM THEM!!! you will only make yourself miserable and get ripped off for shipping charges....

Jason /// Sceadu50/9chp WWW.Jagboy69.com
08-25-2003 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
Mavstang73
Heliman
Location: Rhode Island

I've also had a not so good experience with Tower.
I ordered a set of woodie blades for a concept dx I used to have. The order was placed with the standard $7.99 shipping charge. Since tower chooses to use some cheap shipping service that sends the item to your local postal hub my item got lost and the order was viturally impossible to track. I called tower after waiting 4 weeks and they sent out a replacement set. That set arrived in a week and a half.
I waited 5 and a half weeks for an order that would have been here in one week if it had been placed through UPS or USPS. They're sacrifying my time in order to make a small profit by using a substandard shipping company.
08-25-2003 Over year old.
 
 
Ken B
Elite Veteran
Location: Phoenix, AZ

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Chris,

I TOLD YOU! Now get over it.....


omurru,

You know NOT from what you speak.

I just wish Hobbypeople had Heli stuff, they are shipping to APO's free. They are thanking the military community for all they do and helping them out. THEY ROCK!

Ken B
08-25-2003 Over year old.
HOMEPAGE  
 
 
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Off Topics > TOWER HOBBIES will gladly RIP you off and they know it!!! Heres how....
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