ReadyHeli vs. RC Hover

[Doozer]

This is about shipping. I ordered from RC Hover dot com @ 11:47pm EST on Friday March 26 (late night Friday). I spent $118 dollars with RCHover. I ordered from ReadyHeli @ 12:58 Sat. March 27 (early morning Sat). I spent $24 dollars with ReadyHeli. I received my package from Ready Heli yesterday correct, and complete with breath mints. As of right now, the post office hasn't even picked up my order from RCHover yet.

Granted, I ordered just before the weekend from both, but when you have "Fast Shipping" as part of you advertising (like RC Hover does), I think it's a good idea that you know what fast shipping is. I don't know of any other company that ships on Sat, but obviously ReadyHeli is one of them.

I'm not trying to flame RC Hover, I'm sure they are very good. However, ReadyHeli just raised the bar and will be getting a share of my business.

:::Edit::

I just wanted to add that this is the first time I've ordered from either company.

[Doozer]

Alrighty, I got the package from RC Hover today. It was the worst packaging job I've ever received. The box was mangled. There was no packing medium at all aaanannnd... they only sent my Castle Link programmer. I got a note that was hand written at the bottom of the invoice that says "This item shipped seperate, it will arrive shorty" (yes "shorty"). They had yellow highlighted my Phoenix Ice 75 ESC, and this is the item they were talking about. No excuse as to why.. no date I should expect it..

So far my experience with RC Hover is not very good. The shipping was not as advertised ..."Fast Shipping," the box was packed with little regard for the electronics inside and arrived crushed, they failed to send me a "shipped" notice, and I still haven't received what I paid for. However, it's obvious they are new to the shipping game. So they might get better with time. I suggest if anyone wants to try them that you do so with caution. I wouldn't buy anything that can't take a pounding. I am hoping that the ESC was drop shipped from someone like Heli-Direct.

I'll give them a few more months to get their act together a little bit, and I'll try them again with something a little less expensive. I'll do another review then. I made a movie of me opening the package should I need to use it.

[akent]

Oh man, sorry for your trouble, but THANK YOU for the notice.
I know who I will NOT be ordering anything from.

I hope they come through for you.

[Doozer]

Eh no worries man. If you do this long enough you start to recognize the good from the bad pretty quick. Not that these guys are intentionally bad. Let me make that perfectly clear. I just think they are new. However, It looks like they do use drop shipping. My speed controller arrived today with their label on it, but when I back tracked the Fed Ex number it shows that it was picked up in Champaign Illinois.... home of a few famous hobby distributors. RC Hover is located in Foxboro Mass. The invoice letterhead was different as well.

Here's what worries me.....
When I realized that I had not received a shipping notice on Tuesday, I shot an email off asking what was up? No reply. When I got the Castle Link with no speed controller, and no other information about why I didn't get it, I sent another email.. again... no reply. I checked my junk email box for something from them. Zippo. Not what I'm used to.

They need to shape up the shipping, and for sure they need to communicate with the customer. Writing "this was shipped seperate..." instead of telling me they drop ship was a bit misleading. Not a lie... but not the whole truth either. The good thing is whatever distributor they use knows how to pack a box.

So there ya have it. Again, I think these guys are just new and a little green at the customer service thing. They advertise with some of the big forums and if they were completely horrible, I would have seen something about them, but I couldn't find anything. This could have been a lapse in what is otherwise a quality service. However, I'm not going to risk another purchase for a while.

[rcdbutz]

I always go to readyheli first because I know that I will have my package to my door by noon exactly two business days after I place my order, complete with minds and sometimes a keychain or other swag. If there are any problems, they will contact me personally and they have great customer service, some of the best (up there with Horizon Hobby, and Hobby Zone). Helidirect is good too, but sometimes they have issues, and NEVER use UPS with helidirect (USPS is the way to go with them).

[rcbearings]

I know this is an old thread but I was reading some of these and noticed that people getting upset with USPS "tracking" numbers not showing items picked up. I use USPS for my shipping and I can sssure you that this "tracking" number is nothing of the kind. It is DELIVERY confirmation for First Class or Priority Mail. The USPS has no obligation to update the info until the parcel is actually delivered. Sometimes they will scan it when they receive it and even more infrequently as it travels along. The only true TRACKING they have is either REGISTERED mail or EXPRESS mail.

[Doozer]

You missed the point of the thread, and I was not "upset" about the tracking. That was anecdotal. If you read the next post, I never received a "your product has shipped notice." That's not up to the USPS to provide, that's up to the vendor. I was upset about the advertising of "fast shipping" and not providing it. Don't make "fast shipping" a selling point if you don't mean it. Some people order specifically from a vendor because they want their products fast. It's just kind of funny that when you ask them to make good on that claim, and put their money where their mouth is, they get a little bent out of shape.

Like I said, I ordered from R/C Hover on a Friday, and I ordered from Ready Heli on a Saturday. I got my package from Ready Heli first. When I did get my package from R/C Hover, it was the worst packaging I had ever received up to that point. Also, R/C Hover wasn't forthcoming about the drop shipping. But yes, this is an old thread, and I'm sure things have changed since then.