Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/28/2023

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have been a Tower Hobbies customer for nearly 30 years. My father was a customer for even longer. Ever since their merger with Horizon Hobby I have had issues. In the last 4 years, I have spent upwards of $6,000 with tower hobbies and this has been one of the worst experiences. I have let a lot slide as far as missed preorders, orders that never came, etc. and so I am looking to now hold them accountable for the most recent issue. I placed an order last week. It never arrived. Tracking on Tower's website shows the item was shipped with ****. When I talked with ***** ** in customer service via their chat system (because they no longer have a phone number that you can actually call) he claims the package was shipped *****. He did provide me the tracking info and that information shows a sideways, unclear photo of the front of my home. Despite the package tracking showing delivered, I have not received it and this package has never shown up. I asked why Tower did not require a signature for this expensive an item, and ***** ** claimed that's up to *****. Clearly he doesn't understand that Tower must request that at the time of shipping. He is adamant that since the package shows as delivered there is nothing that can be done and I am out of luck. Date of order: 11/20 Date of supposed delivery: 11/22 Amount spent: $183.11 Copy of order confirmation attached (from Tower's Own Website, shows shipped with ****).

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/24/2023

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased an rc car on November 13. It costed about $600 usd and $900 cad. I expected to receive the car with the batteries and all the supplies and then when it arrived I got a photo of the package but I didn’t get any item. I then tried to ask them where it was for a few days but they Kept telling me the same thing and wouldn’t help me. I then thought I found the package in my garage and so I asked to return it and then they said no I’m not allowed. I then realized I didn’t find the right item, it was another vehicle. So technically I am still missing this package and I have no clue where it is. And they are extremely unhelpful. Even the ***** delivery note didn’t include a photo of my door, it was just a random photo. This is completely unacceptable. I deserve either a refund or another one of these vehicles. I paid so much and this company is being very unhelpful. ***** tracking ************

  Business Response

  Date: 11/27/2023

  We, Horizon Hobby, have reviewed the case associated with this issue. Per the ***** tracking number, ************, this item does show as delivered on 11/20/2023. The item that was shipped and delivered is ***********, FELONY 6S BLX Street Bash 1/7 All-Road Muscle Blk. In case ******** the customer states that they did find the package without the box in their garage although, the item was sent in our ***** shipping box. When the customer had asked if batteries were included we had advised them that batteries need to be purchased separately as stated on the product page. The customer was also informed that we cannot initiate a return on this item as it has been opened, our returns policy states that the item must be new, unopened, and unused.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/27/2023

  If this was not already clear. The item I had mistaken for yours was another. Was not your rc car... therefore I still do not have your car....
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/19/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 6/7/23 we ordered a Passport P2 battery charger from Horizon Hobby. After receiving it, we realized we ordered the wrong charger. We obtained return authorization(*******) and shipped the new, unused charger back to Horizon via *** (tracking no. ******************) on 6/16/23, and confirmed it was received back to them. We were told we would receive "store credit" for this item, and after numerous attempts via phone, email, and text, they were telling us they were going thru a new system update, and our credit would be delayed for an undisclosed time. We were even told by reps at a major airshow, that we should see it within 30 days. It has now been 150+ days and we still haven't received credit. Our purchase price was $149.99 + tax.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/17/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I used a gift card towards a purchase. It required a credit card for the difference. Somehow I was charged more than what the receipt indicated. I have been emailing (no phone # found) and a credit was to be applied. Stated it would take 5-7 business days to process. Thought issue was resolved. I am still waiting from October 3rd for the credit. Poor communication, lack of urgency to fix the problem. I continue to email and there is no resolution.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/15/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased an ***** ****** ** Truck (Part Number ***********) on 11/01/23(Order Date). My Order#***************. On 11/04/23 I received an order from Horizon Hobby which had an RC Airplane that I never ordered and had some other customer's info on a shipping label right next to my shipping label. It is clear that Horizon had shipped me someone else's item. I tried to contact Horizon via Customer Service phone and was directed via recording to visit the website and contact them via online chat. I went online and was able to get a hold of a live rep via chat(11/06/23). I explained that I had received the wrong item. She (********) told me that she will send me an email and asked for photographs of the wrong items that I had received. I took all pictures and sent them to her. She sent me return shipping labels and I sent them back(Nov 7, 2023). I waited for the item to ship back to Horizon Hobby. When the tracking info showed that the item did arrive(11/09/23) at Horizon Hobby, I reached out again the ask when My RC Truck will ship. Nobody replied about when my truck will ship. Again on (11/11/23) I sent another email asking when my RC Truck will ship. Again, no reply. On Sunday (11/12/23) after not hearing from or seeing any shipping info, I decided to reach out to Horizon Hobby via online Live Chat. I was able to reach a customer service rep and explained to him what had transpired with my order. After giving him my Order number, he told me that my item had not shipped because they were out of stock and he wasn't sure when they would be coming in. He said possibly in the next month. I told him that I couldn't wait and asked for a refund. At that time he told me that he had processed the refund and I will be seeing the refund in 15 days. So after that I purchased the Same Horizon RC Truck form a local Hobby Shop. Today (11/15/23) I got an email saying that they are not going to refund me and they want to send me a truck. But I already bought one from a shop.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/24/2023

  We apologize for your experience thus far and for the confusion on what the final resolution will be. The order for the replacement truck has been cancelled and the refund process has been initiated. Customer should be seeing their refund shortly if they have not received it as of yet.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/15/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On November 14, 2023 I purchased an item, order# ***************, from Horizon's online store. The item was in stock and available. Upon completion of the transaction and the $106. charged to my account, receiving the conformation of a succesful transaction, I was awaiting the tracking number. To my surprise, today, after logging in to my Horizon account, they listed the transaction as "backordered". I have had previous correspondence with horizon customer service regarding this item, and I knew they were going to receive only one of the item from their distributors. I engaged customer service via chat where I was told "someone else must have purchased the item before me". I pointed out to ***** the customer rep that my account had been charged, and 2 minutes after making my transaction I checked the item status again, and it read "backordered". They listed the item, completed the online transaction, and charged my account. The cs rep ***** stated they do not charge accounts for backordered transactions. Obviously the item was in stock and I successfully purchased it before anyone else did. My account has been charged for a backordered item which as I was told by cs ***** is not policy. For whatever reason, perhaps my less than complementary previous correspondence where I stated my frustrations with product support, they chose to refuse my order after charging my account. That's breach of contract.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/24/2023

  We apologize for your experience thus far. Item ******** is currently out of stock. Unfortunately with the implementation of our new system, some items are not showing the correct status on our website. Please be assured that once this item comes in stock it will be processed and shipped to the customer. If the customer wishes to cancel the order, please contact our customer service team through our online chat feature or send us an email at the link below.

  ***********************************************************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/30/2023

   I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Horizon representatives did not mention software trouble in our correspondence. They instead insisted the item had been purchased by someone else before me.  They also stated backorders are not charged for the sale.  My account was charged.  The sale was completed because my account was charged. They may indeed have software issues, but in this instance a software issue is not the cause. I believe the software issue was caused by cancelling my order after a successful transaction, or their actions preceeding the transaction. I reject Horizons explanation of the software fault.  It was a human being that cancelled my order, not a software program. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/13/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Received 2 cars. Opened them to check quality. Put them right back in boxes. Company refusing a return for credit $270. 11/7/2023 order number ends in ******

  Business Response

  Date: 11/24/2023

  We apologize for your experience thus far. Once the box to an item has been opened, the item is no longer eligible for return. This is stated within our returns policy and is standard amongst most hobby shops. A link to our returns policy is included here, ************************************************************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/06/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On October 12, 2023 I shipped my Spectrum DX6 controller To Horizon Hobby Service Center for repair. I sent all my contact information and malfunction description for repair. **** at Horizon Hobby Service Center received my controller on October 17, 2023 at 9:54 a.m. They have been in possession of my controller for 21 days, and the website states the most repairs are made in 5 days. I sent several requests for an update on my service status and did not get any response. I did not hear from the service department. I have tried to call them using 5 different phone numbers, none of which do not connect to anyone. All the phone lines tell you to go to the website and fill out a form. I filled the form numerous times, with no response. I want to know whether or not they fixed my controller. I want someone to contact me. Proof of Delivery Dear Customer, This notice serves as proof of delivery for the shipment listed below. Tracking Number ******************  Weight 3.00 LBS Service *** Ground Shipped / Billed On 10/12/2023 Delivered On 10/17/2023 9:54 A.M. Delivered To CHAMPAIGN, IL, US Received By ****  Left At Dock Please print for your records as photo and details are only available for a limited time. Sincerely, ***

  Business Response

  Date: 11/16/2023

  Customer was contacted on 10/25/2023 letting them know that the repairs have been completed and they will be contacted for payment instructions. The radio was shipped to the customer on 11/07/2023 and delivered on 11/09/2023, tracking number via ***** is *************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/17/2023

  Horizon Hobby does NOT have any way to talk to a customer service representative by phone or chat.  There are 5 different phone numbers to contact a customer service, but NONE of the phone numbers connect to anyone who can help.  Then, they said there is a "chat" function on every page of the website, well, there is no representative available and it does NOT connect with anyone.  There is a "contact us form", I filled it out 3 times with NO response!!!  The only time they get back to me was after I filed a complaint.  Funny how that got some attention.  My advice to any customer is DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH HORIZON HOBBY, purchase from anywhere else but here!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/03/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I was charged for a product I requested a refund for and then I was charged my account again additionally for 80.83 for no reason 3 days later. I cannot afford to be losing out on this money right now I have tried calling the company I have tried messaging them multiple times no one will respond or resolve my matter so I am reaching out to who I can please I need help these people are horrible to deal with they do nothing but take your money and create lies and false charges and I’m not the first one this has happend to they have a whole thing of bad reviews people getting charged multiple times weeks to months later from there first purchase. This needs to be stopped. It’s a tough world to live in as Jt is let alone having people stealing your hard earned money and having nothing to do about it it’s ridiculous the way they treat there customers when ever I call they hang up as soon as the phone is answered I try writing to them through there app and they will not respond back to you when you ask about certain account issues such as the faulty charges they make to your account or a refund in general please help me out whoever could possibly help with this issue would be greatly appreciated

  Business Response

  Date: 11/24/2023

  We apologize for your experience thus far. The picture of the transaction shown is a temporary authorization charge, likely due to an item that was just coming into stock or shipping as a separate piece. We recommend double checking the charges that were made to make sure they add up to what has been purchased. If an overcharge did occur please contact our customer service team via our live chat feature or through email at the link provided below.

  ***********************************************************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/23/2023

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Ordered a losi jrxt chassis on 04/04/2023 it has been over 6 months with no updates with no useful responses to my emails. Order status has shown as shipped for about 2 months. The page originally said it would be shipped in June.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/23/2023

  In September Mr. ****** reached out to us via email to inquire about the status of his order. He did use a different email address than the one included in this BBB Case. We responded on 9/25/23 to explain the order had been cancelled. We had switched to a new order processing application and his order failed in the transition over. Our apologies were passed on and we regret the inconvenience. The response was sent on 9/25/23. 

   

  Thank you for the opportunity to explain this. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/26/2023

   I am rejecting this response because: This product has been on backorder for 6 months and still no stock updates or estimates on when they are going to be back in stock.