Hobby Shop Scam

On Saturday, December 29, 2007 I went to a local hobby shop called G-Force Hobbies located at 1626 W Newport Pike, Wilmington, DE 19804 to inquire about a radio controlled Heli-Max Axe Ez helicopter. I have never purchased anything at the store before, but had been there a few times to look around. Prior to Thanksgiving they had several Heli-Max brand radio controlled helicopters.

I was disappointed when I entered because I did not see any Heli-Max helicopters and there selection of other brands was limited. I asked a clerk if she had any Heli-Max in the back, but she did not. She recommended E-flight brand helicopters. I informed her that I had no experience with flying any radio controlled aircrafts and was looking for something basic with limited controls.

She showed me two models, both more advanced then what I was looking for. The first was 199.99 and could be used as a basic helicopter or do 3D stunts with some experience. It was priced in the area of the helicopter I originally wanted. The second was larger and I was told that it came with everything needed including battery, charger, controller and helicopter. The controller was an advanced controller that was computer controllable and could store up to 10 frequencies for use on other radio controlled crafts. The manager came over and started telling me how much easier it was to fly the larger one because it was set at the factory and tested to fly right out of the box. He told me how the controller was almost the cost of the whole kit in value.

While the manager was talking, another customer who had purchased the larger heli the night before brought it in for a repair. The manager left me and helped the other customer and then started the heli up to make sure it was alright. I was amazed at the speed of the blades spinning and the excitement got the better of me.

I purchased the larger heli for 469.99 and couldn’t wait to get home. Upon getting home and opening the box, I found that the charger required an extra 12 volt power source to charge the battery. It did not plug into a wall. It had two alligator clips that had to be connected to a 12 volt negative and positive power source. I called the store and spoke with the manager. He told me that he assumed that everyone in the radio control hobby had some sort of 12 volt power source. I reminded him that I was new to the hobby. He told me that I could bring the heli back and he would give me a refund.

Once again, my excitement to use the heli got the better of me and I called radio shack. They had a 12 volt power pack for 49.99 which was in addition to the 469.99 I had already spent for the heli. I went to Radio Shack and got the power pack. At home, I connected the battery charging balancer and battery to the power pack for charging.

The lights on the charger unit indicated that a battery was not connected, even though it was, and that one of the three cells of the battery pack was bad. I took the battery and charger to the store, but when I got there the manager was gone. The clerk there checked the battery and charger, but could not get any power at all going to the charger or battery. He suggested that I leave it there for the manager to check in the morning. I wasn’t thrilled about it, but that’s what I did.

On Sunday, I got to the store about 12:30 PM and spoke with the manager who told me that there was a problem with the charger having the polarity reversed. He told me that it fried the unit, but they could order me a new one. This helicopter is brand new and accessories like extra batteries and parts are still being manufactured and on back order. The manager told me that he could order me a new charger and it would take about a week and a half to two weeks to get in.

An all inclusive helicopter that was more advanced and expensive then what I wanted did not come with a power source to charge the battery. I had to buy that at an additional cost. The battery was showing signs of a bad cell and the charger was fried. With over 500 dollars invested in a helicopter, I was now going to have to wait two weeks to learn how to use it. The manager was trying to think of a way that he could charge the battery for me so that at least it could be used. He finally thought of another charger that he had that was less amperage and would take longer to charge, but would at least work temporarily.

I took the charger home and connected it to the battery and wall socket. Two lights indicated the status. The top red light showed power going to the charger. The second light was supposed to be red for charging and green for charged. It was orange. I called the store and spoke with the manager again. He said that it should be alright, to just let it charge. After an hour of waiting and thinking about all the frustration that I have gone through for a brand new heli, new to the market that is supposed to be all inclusive, but is not, is more advanced then what I can handle and is defective, I made a decision to return it. I could have ordered a radio controlled helicopter online for a lot less money, but being new to the hobby, I wanted to be able to get input from a sales clerk. As it turned out, he seems to have been more interested in selling the high dollar unit to the beginner with no experience then a beginner level heli at a lesser value.

When I got to the store, the manager did not want to accept a return. He told me to wait until the part comes in. I told him that I did not feel comfortable with the skill level needed to fly this expensive unit, that it did not have the necessary charging equipment included and that it was damaged. The manager then made a statement about me being the reason for the defect, that I had reversed the polarity when I connected it to the power source. He told me that he was willing to accept the cost of that and get me a new charger. He went on to tell me that if I wanted to return the heli, that he would take it back for a store credit only. He said the store does not due cash refunds.

I was talked into a heli that was too complicated for my skill level by the manager. I was told that it was all inclusive, but it was not. It was defective and since it is such a new heli, the store does not have others in stock and does not expect them for a month or more. Now the manager wants me to suffer with a 469.99 heli plus the 20 dollars in accessories I bought. After about ten minutes of standing at the counter waiting to return the item, another clerk finally came over, filled out a log book and handed me a piece of paper with a return credit number on it.

I walked out of the store and contacted my credit card company to alert them to what had occurred. They told me they would credit my account for defective merchandise. That was at roughly 1:30 PM. Shortly before 5:00 PM this evening I got a call at home from the manager telling me that we have a problem because I crashed the helicopter that was unable to be used yet due to not being able to charge the battery. I told him that I wasn’t going to have that conversation with him and hung up.

Comment On This

I was in that store at the beginning of the past summer. It took forever to get any help because it took three people to look at one problem with nobody else helping customers. Then when I got somebody's attention, they were a bit rude. I got the impression that unless you were already established at the store, they didn't want to be bothered by you.