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Off Topics > BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE FROM CENTURY

Pleskini
Senior Heliman
Location: Houston, TX

Some places have a policy that you cannot ship to a an address that is not the verfied address on the CC. This is to prevent fraud. Its annoying, but I understand.

04-17-2003 08:57 PM

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Indrid
Key Veteran
Location: Hamburg, NY

helimike, i believe you should do that. we sat on here and bitched about the century tail sliders, they fixed em, maybe they can improve on this next? i am sure that fixing their image would sell many helis, as that is the primary argument for people who dont want to buy a century heli.

04-17-2003 09:21 PM

gwallace1
Veteran
Location: Susanville, CA

I just talked with Richard at Heli-World for about ten minutes. Just to sum up the conversation:

1. They do not ship to an address other than the billing address on the card without a signed form. This is to protect YOU the customer. It is a one time deal and is for fraud protection.

2. They (some employees at Heli-World) do read RR a times and are aware of the complaints. Some are valid and some are not. They also have the same problem as every other store and even here on RR--No matter what you do there are those customers that you can never satisfy, and will complain about everything. They always do their best to notify customers if an item is backordered or out of stock. This is easy and instantaneous over the phone and can take one BUSINESS day if done by web order.

3. I told him that it might be a good idea to respond here on RR to some of the complaints as we only get one side of the story, and you have to admit, some of the stories on here are slanted, one sided and overblown. He said that they did respond at one time, but it accomplished very little. I told him at least we could hear both sides of the story and they might gain insight on what we as customers expect from vendors. Unfortunately they as vendors also put themselves out to get overly flamed on here......more like barbecued. But I think they should have some representation here. We'll see....

4. Long story short....they are not perfect and cannot change unless you call and let them know what you want. If you call & tell them the are stupid idiots and morons as a start you probably should expect to get a lump of coal. I personally have had every problem with Heli-world resolved with one rt two phone calls and a civilized explanation of my problem. This however may be a stretch for some

.

5. Hopefully this one simple phone call will help. I wish more people would take the time to find workable solutions. In the amount of time it takes to post here you could probably work out your problems on the phone. I would hate to be in customer service. I have the slanted opinion that everyone wants more than they pay for and will do anything short of armed robbery to get stuff for free. I'd be the one getting flamed here for telling too many people to devour fecies.

6. On a good note, he said the Predator is a screaming hit and they are flying out the doors.

Well just letting you know I had a chat with them. I hope it helps.

Greg

04-17-2003 09:24 PM

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Lift
Elite Veteran
Location: Houston, TX

Helimike77,
Dude that sucks! I don't know what to tell you but they are actually getting better. The e-mail thing about the shipping address is so they can send you a UPS tracking # and link once it ships. This is a new feature to their order process because my last order did that and I had never gotten a UPS tracking # before unless I called back the next day. So, they are probably trying to update their records so they could send you the UPS tracking # when it shipped out.

As for the CC thing and shipping addresses that is an OLD policy that has been in place for sometime. It is on their website here:
http://65.215.192.230/help/security.htm
After you send them this info they NEVER bother you again about shipping addresses. I had to go thru this too and was a little frustrated but they get these fradulent charges and then get charged back. It's a total loss to the retailer and that is how they protect themselvs. Rick's had been burned many times by not doing this and that is his decision. You can read his website about how he has been burned in the past. Just because Heliworld has this policy doesn't make them bad. Yeah it is inconvient at first but does become an non-issue.

From what my LHS told me the Hummingbird has been selling so well they have sold out the next few batches that are coming in from their factory overseas. They always have called me and told me if an item is out of stock and asked me if I want to BO it. So, I don't know what happened there with your girlfriend.

It's a shame that people get turned off to Century because of Heliworld. It's not Century's fault that Heliworld has some less than favorable business policies. It doesn't change the fact that their helis with the exception of the Hawk(nothing against it but it is a low cost plastic 30) are truly fantastic. I love the line and have started flying only their stuff. For me it's the best price/feature combo around. I just wish they had better customer relation skills at Heliworld.

Sorry to hear about this. I say that you call them up and ask to speak to Peter Chao directly about this. A kind tone and a little reasoning will go a long way!

Corey11,
If you follow your line of reasoning about a heli not being stock because it has a header tank and rear servo mount then you got issues dude. I don't think just because someone put a header tank on their heli means that it won't 3D without it.

Just so you know, I 3D my Raven 50 as hard as my feeble flight skills will let me. I did so when it was bone stock as well as fully upgraded.

04-17-2003 09:46 PM

corey11
Elite Veteran
Location: Bay Area, California

Wait a miniute, i didnt say a hawk can only do 3-d with a header tank....look at the pictures at centurys web site of the hawk sport flying. it says " Stock hawk sport doing 3-d" what i said is, if you look at the picture close enough, you can see it has a header tank, anti rotation bracket, and hot dog paddles. if i remember, the hawk sport doesnt come with any off those things when you open the box

04-17-2003 09:53 PM

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Lift
Elite Veteran
Location: Houston, TX

I was going off of this statement:

Quote
yes the predator is there best heli ever, but its the only actuall heli that can do 3-d stock. every other heli cant.....

My Raven is made by Century and flew just as good bone stock as it does now with some upgrades on it.

Ok, so you don't like Century...that's fine. But you don't have to slam them. I had a pretty crappy Rappy experience when I got started but they have made efforts to fix those issues and I commend them for it. Seems to me like your reaching out a little far here.....

04-17-2003 10:32 PM

Lift
Elite Veteran
Location: Houston, TX

Quote
Ok, so you don't like Century...that's fine. But you don't have to slam them.

You know what? It's your right to speak your mind. If Century sucks and that is how you feel then so be it. My experience has been different. I have had goods and bads with every manuf so far. Who am I to tell you that you can't speak your mind....

04-17-2003 10:41 PM

Waldo
Veteran
Location: Middle of the corn patch (Iowa)

Quote
You know what? It's your right to speak your mind. If Century sucks and that is how you feel then so be it. My experience has been different. I have had goods and bads with every manuf so far. Who am I to tell you that you can't speak your mind....

Wow Lift you said it all right there!

I read all the crap people said about the Raptor 30 years ago and it didn't stop me from buying one and forming my own opinion, I was so happy with it that I bought the R60 V1 and later the R50 V1, I now have the new R30 V2. They all have performed very well and have never suffered any of the so called Raptor problems.

I would buy a Hawk if it didn't have that cheesy wire driven tail, I know you can upgrade it to a toruque tube for $50. I may still get one some day just to see for my self.

[b]Bill[/b]

04-17-2003 11:15 PM

Pleskini
Senior Heliman
Location: Houston, TX

Waldo,

Skip the hawk and get a raven. You will love the performance from the ccpm and it comes with the torque tube, metal swash and almost any other upgrade you can think of (cept a few non-essential ones) out of the box. I love mine and couldnt be happier with for the price category it is in.

04-17-2003 11:33 PM

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Waldo
Veteran
Location: Middle of the corn patch (Iowa)

Gotta be honest with ya, if I was going to spend another $300 on a helicopter I'd buy another R30V2 w/TT39 for $330. The Raven looks like a nice helicopter but I'm not a big fan of ECCPM that uses a direct servo to swash connection, The servos take a lot of abuse and require some mighty long servo arms which adds even more stress to the servos. The only reason I've considered the Hawk sport is because of the dirt cheap price which I'm sure doesn't take away from its quality. Like I said some day I may actually hit that order now button.

P.S. I already have a Raptor 30 V2, Raptor 50 V1 and a Raptor 60, so I'm just looking for a even cheaper beater heli than I already have.

[b]Bill[/b]

04-17-2003 11:44 PM

Dragon2115
Key Veteran
Location: New England

Poor service and incompetant order processing from Century? Gee, there's a surprise.

04-18-2003 04:36 AM

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helimike77
Senior Heliman
Location: Rowland Heights, CA

Quote
In the amount of time it takes to post here you could probably work out your problems on the phone.

Why would I call and beg them to let me do business with them? They never emailed my girlfriend or told her when she ordered that it was on backorder. When she called for a tracking number they were rude and then hung up on her. Forget it. This forum provides a place for others to be warned. Obviously from the posts im not the only one who thinks they suck.

I have gone through a lot of customer service training at work and have experienced enough of it to know when a customer is out of line or when there complaint is valid.

04-18-2003 06:19 AM

flipped2left
Key Veteran
Location: indianapolis,in.

since i'm a newbie at this; yes i have dealt with century/heliworld and so far i have received everything i have ordered. i also deal with tower hobbies and both have treated me well,i plan on buying an electric but plan on having it shipped to my work instead of my home,if i have any problems with the company i order it from i will definetley deal with the company and not vent my frustrations here,sounds like a bit of miscommunication to me,but since i'm new to this they may treat me with the golden gloves act until i become a regular customer but that remains to be seen! just my opinion!! ken

la la la la I can't hear you! la la la la la

04-18-2003 07:07 AM

racingstripe
Veteran
Location: Sacramento, CA

My $.02...

My dealings with Century/Heliworld are mixed, i've had good dealings and bad. Because of the bad, I would only go to them when the place in either Corpus Christi, Billings, Torrance or LHS is out of what I need.

andy-

Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.

04-18-2003 07:46 AM

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dennis_cica
Senior Heliman
Location: San Jose, CA

Hummingbird's back in stock now

Sorry about that wait guys. The Hummingbird is back in stock. I apologize about any delay in service this may have caused you. At such a high volume, the Hummingbird has taught us a few things about a broader range of customer service concerns. Please feel free to give me any ----feedback!!!---- you can so we can satisfy you the customer and avert any further negative Public Relations. I promise to be reasonable and courteous.

Dennis Cica

Century Helicopter Products

04-18-2003 06:31 PM

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gwallace1
Veteran
Location: Susanville, CA

Hey Dennis if you continue to do exactly what you are doing, you will definitely be an asset to Century and bring with you long needed representation here on this forum. Keep up the good work.

Greg

04-18-2003 06:45 PM

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helimike77
Senior Heliman
Location: Rowland Heights, CA

Hey Dennis,
The problem wasnt really the fact that they were out of stock. I understand its nearly impossible to keep up with the high demand. The problem is the rude treatment by the operators on the phone. Hanging up on someone isnt the best way to deal with customers. I truly am interested in purchasing a hummingbird though maybe from another dealer besides heliworld.

Mike

04-18-2003 07:21 PM

Pleskini
Senior Heliman
Location: Houston, TX

Dennis,

Would it be possible to get the web site modified to reflect in stock /out of stock parts? It would help the consumer determine whether or not to expect something, and it is just plain nice to know before ordering if you have the item (esp on web orders).

The only other bit of advise I would recommend is to willingly look for part numbers, or do a parts verification. I know a lot of people call up and say wel I want that one part that goes on the tail. Well I know thats vague so a little questioning to get the right part, then a quick lookup for the customer goes a long way. I have heard quite a few people say this was source of frustation.

Keep up the good work and it will most definitely pay off.

04-18-2003 07:47 PM

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dennis_cica
Senior Heliman
Location: San Jose, CA

Century Service

Thanks,
I find it hard to belive some of the rudeness stories about our company. I've been with the company for a while and have on occasion seen and heard some things that I do not agree with. I've also found a few customers who are unable to tell the difference between rudeness and policy enforcement. At those times I try to step in and resolve the issue myself. Unfortunately I'm incapable of omnipresence... Overall however the company is very honorable and will never be rude. If you do have a problem with your order please inform us and try to be as specific as possible as it will ensure the accuracy of the assitance provided.

I really hope that the image of this company becomes stronger. I'll do my best. I'm here to ensure that the customer is satisfied and doesn't feel burned or let down.

Like any other industry there are truly those customers who will not ever be satisfied... even then we try hard even in the most confronting situation to be calm and reasonable.

Dennis Cica

04-18-2003 10:18 PM

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dennis_cica
Senior Heliman
Location: San Jose, CA

pleskini

the web based inventory system is being looked into. We understand full well that such a system would be optimal but software is our limitation. At this time WE ARE NOT accepting solicitation regarding any inventory softare system as it is likely to be developed internally.

04-18-2003 10:37 PM

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