I wanted to add a page about my vendor experiences so that others will know what to
expect and what to watch out for. I've also added a rating to each that is based on
how I was treated by them and not on the products that they may sell. Product
ratings are located elsewhere.
The ratings for vendors are as follows:
- I'd
rather die then do business with them again
-
Good service, your average Vendor.
-
Great service! Highly recommended!
| Bosun's Locker - Local Hobby Shop in Pensacola,
Florida. Rating:
Delivery Speed: ?
Email: ?
Phone: (850)
453-3193
Experience: This is a local Hobby shop in Pensacola, Florida that I stumbled upon.
The owner is very friendly and has a great selection of model boats. I
purchased a Latina Amsterdam RC tugboat kit along with some other items. The prices
were good and I plan to make this a regular stop when I'm down that way. |
| Fuller
Fast Electrics - Fast Electric Boats and Hardware Rating:
Not enough experience to rate.
Delivery Speed: 4 work
days
Email: fastel1@earthlink.net
Phone: (425) 334-8312
Experience: I placed an
online order for a offshore hardware setup. I received the hardware
in 3 business day. The hardware was packed in a plastic zip lock
bag. The part are nicely made but there was a bit of slop in the
rudder. |
| Horizon
Hobby (Formerly IndyRC) - Supermarket of RC components.
Rating:
Delivery Speed:
Excellent
Email: http://www.horizonhobby.com/contact.asp
Experience: I've ordered several different things off of their web site and I have
always received the products within 5 business days, even using the standard shipping
method. If they don't have something in stock, they called me to let me know.
My most recent order was for a part for a boat. I ordered it on Saturday and
received it on Wednesday. Now that's quick!
|
|
Pandan Model Boats
Rating:
Delivery Speed:
Excellent
Email:
info@pandan.co.uk
Experience: (07/10/03) I
ordered a couple pair of Robbe trim tabs for the Magin One that I was
building. Robbe parts are hard to come by in the USA. I received
them in only a week's time. They went out of their way to fulfill my
order. They only had one set in stock so they took another set out of
a kit. I'm very pleased with the level of service. Shipping was
£5, a little pricey for such a light
item but acceptable. |
Ships
N' Things - Sells boat kits, radios and fittings.
Rating:
Delivery Speed: Very good
Email: alsnt@aol.com
Experience: I enquired about
the price of an F-14 navy radio with options on Thursday. I later
learned that the owner was hospitalized that day. On Monday, I
received an email back answering my questions. I ordered the radio
that day and received it by Friday. The price was cheaper then what
I could buy it for in Europe which is a rarity.
08/02 Update - Still a 5 star
vendor! I recently purchased a Hermelin submarine kit from Ships N
Things, they had it in stock and shipped it quickly. This is the way
a business should be run!
|
SubTech - Maker of RC Submarine kit and accessories.
Rating:
Delivery Speed:
Good
Email: skip@rcboats.com (Very Responsive)
Experience: I ordered a submarine kit and received it in about 3 weeks. I was
contacted by the owner, Skip Asay about the web pages I have concerning his kit. He
was enthusiastic about my attempt to chronicle the building of the boat. He provided
a good bit of assistance when I had problems and went out of his way to make my experience
an enjoyable one.
|
Sea Tec Models (Web Site no longer exist) - So
called importer/distributor of Dean's marine and Eden boats.
WARNING - I
STRONGLY ADVISE THAT YOU DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY.
Rating:
Delivery Speed:
Never
Email: None
Experience: I ordered a submarine kit and never received it. My credit card was
charged up front and I was told that it would be delivered in two months. Two months
came and went and I was given a number of excuses why it was delayed. I finally
contacted the actual manufacturer of the kit who told me that they have never done
business with Sea Tec which is contrary to what Richard Cohen, owner of Sea Tec told me.
Even though the the credit card charge was over 60 days and the credit card
company did not have any legal obligation to help me, they preformed a charge back and
recovered my money. Kudos to Citibank! |
| Tower Hobbies
- Supermarket of RC components. Rating:
Delivery Speed:
Good
Email:Several, see
main page
Experience: I order a lot from towers because their selection is large and they have a
really good E-commerce system. I have had some things back ordered, then cancelled.
They usually have a tiered discount so the more you order, the deeper the discount
percentage. Unfortunately, if an item in your order is back ordered, then canceled,
you do not get the discount on the remaining order, in fact you get no discount at all.
I got burned by that once. They did however send a coupon worth $2 on my next
order but the tiered discount I originally had was for over $20. A minor gripe and I
still order from them. |
| Westbourne Model Center - UK company with
many hard to find RC kits.
Rating:
Delivery Speed:
Good
Email:sales@westbourne-model.co.uk (Very
Responsive)
Experience: I've ordered several things that you simply can not find in the U.S.
They have been very helpful and informative with questions I had about different
products. Even with shipping thrown in, their prices are very competitive.
Shipping usual takes 2 weeks but seems to take a bit longer with larger packages.
Addendum: I was
waiting on a large boat for over 3 weeks. It ended up that my local post office had
misplaced the package. Had they not put it aside I would have received it in a
little over a week. That beats a lot of local companies delivery times.
|
