Steve Campbell
Elite Veteran
Location: Baton Rouge, LA
| Tom,
Mike makes his point. You can call it hearsay all you want, but the bottom line is this: his statement that Century is second only to Dewey, Screwem, & Howe for customer complaints on the net is 100% correct. I've been cruising these forums since 1996, and Mike's statement is a simple fact. You cannot possibly believe that ALL of these people woke up one morning and decided to fabricate a complaint about whatever vendor. The old saying, Tom, about where there's smoke, there's fire, is true indeed. In my business, it is referred to as a "preponderance of the evidence".
If you hear a few gripes, you think perhaps there was a simple problem, or you're hearing from a malcontent or two. But when you keep reading the SAME type of complaint, over and over ad nauseum, well...
Having said all of that, I have never bought anything from Century. I have learned never to say "Never" in regards to future occurrences, but the odds of me ordering from them are slim to none; simply because of all the negative "press", as it were. OTOH, I have a wealth of experience dealing with the other pillar of the helicopter hobby shop industry, and the tales of woe regarding Century all sound depressingly familiar.
The frequent question is: "If these guys are so bad, how can they stay in business?" Its quite simple, really. Advertisements. There are enough new people interested in this game who are not "plugged in" to places like this; they see the glitzy ads, and not knowing any better, they place an order. Some have a good experience; some don't.
Tom, I applaud your loyalty and attempts to champion the company in the face of adversity. You believe in your position and have the character to defend it. But the numbers are against you; the topic keeps coming up with amazing regularity.
<<...I've just grown tired of it...>>
I hear you. Same with me, and not just this topic. There are a few others, such as temperature measuring devices and engine break-in procedures, that I disagree strongly with the prevailing conventional wisdom. But it just isn't worth the effort arguing about it anymore. Every now and then, something will stir my interest sufficiently to post (like this did), but for the most part I lurk these days.
Better for the blood pressure...
Steve |
Jeff.
