Lhs

[El Pirata]

I just got back from my LHS and I see a distinct difference between the paintball industry and the RC industry. Paintball store owners generally stand behind the product that they sold you no matter what kinds of upgrades you have made since then. They'll fix it generally for free, customer pays for parts, as long as you didn't throw it off a cliff or drive over it with a Mack truck. RC, on the other hand, will sell you a product and if it does not run will give you all kinds of free advise but if you want them to fix it their motto is, "Sink or swim!" It kinda ticks me off.

 

[Çh®i§tiªñ]

To slap the WHOLE industry with that type of reputation is not fair. My LHS (and others on this site can vouch for this) - Not only stand behind EVERYTHING they sell you, they provide an exceptional level of customer service. I have never, never had a bad experience at my LHS. Without them, I would not know half of what I know now and would not have my entire hobby up and running 99% of the time. They also have killer hours 7 days a week (for those Sunday after noon crashes at cousin Jim's!)

Short Story:
One day, I walk into my LHS and I'm looking at the air compressors and airbrush kits. The store was rather packed and what looked like a 'busy' situation. Keep in mind, 4 people were working the shop. More customers than workers, the owner pulls up a seat behind the counter, introduces himself, and decides he's going to teach me all about airbrushes and compressors. He did just that! Close to an hour went by. All the while, the place was packed. Now thats what I call "cool LHS!"

Moral of the 'short' story - Your customer is #1, Period! (and they live by it, I've been on their 34ft Cruiser, fishin Lake Erie )

Anyhow, thats my 2 cents on the RC Car industry

 

[SkyMaxx]

Dude, I warned you about the HobbyTown USA and the wonderful knowledge they lack. You need to take a trip to my side of the water and visit Debbie's RC World. You can drop your truck with them, they will diagnose its issues and even tune it for you for a fee. Heck, we can bash...I'll bring it back, drop it off, and then return it to you the next bash session...you take your chances with the HobbyTown crowd or go with a group of guys who live in their store, back all of their products, own a few of them, race them, have their own track, the list goes on and on....your call.

 

[DarthRacer]

Yeah Chris, I agree about our LHS.

Another simple, but good example of paying attention to your customers is the following..

When I was buying my first gallon of fuel for the year, I walked up to the counter with a gallon of green 20% Cool Power. This particular type of fuel has synthetic oil in it, which is bad for buggy engines. Doug (the owner of our LHS) asks me what I'm going to use it in (knowing I don't run helicopters, only buggies). I told him it was going in my T-Maxx. He promptly turned me around and pointed me to the pink Cool Power, the fuel with castor oil. Two things happened here. One, he saved me from a costly mistake by making me aware that it was the wrong fuel (and didn't keep it a secret so I would come back a month later after I burned up my engine), and the second thing was that he knows me well enough to know what I am running so he knows what the right thing is to sell me.

I'll also add that I hate Hobby Town and their poor customer service soo much that I will actually go window shop there, a 10 min ride from my house, and then go buy it at my favorite LHS, the one Doug owns, which is about 20 min away.

 

[SkyMaxx]

I used to do the window shop thing at HobbyTown, also, but I have found that to be useless, as my local HobbyTown has very little in the way of selection. My LHS always seems to have an abundance of whatever it is I'm looking for. I hear about it on this forum or another nameless forum, I feel the need to get it. I go to Debbie's RC World, and they have it or are willing to go the extra yard for me and special order it. Really, Pirata, give my proposal some consideration...come on over to the Beach...it ain't so bad.

 

[El Pirata]

I think my whole point was paying to get it fixed. That's wrong in my book. Which one of the shops out there will diagnos a problem for free, on a product they sold you, then fix it with you paying for the parts only? Better yet which hobby store will sell you parts then offer for free to install them for free. That's the point I am trying to get across. I have fixed hundreds, probably more paintball markers for free with the shop not charging a dime to the customer, aside from the parts, if needed.

The stuff about the knowledge is fine, they do have a great amount and are willing to offer it at any given time but that's it. Nothing more than advise and the advise includes a great many probably's.

 

[SkyMaxx]

My LHS will do the install stuff for free if you buy the parts their...it's the tuning stuff where they actually have to play with your truck that they charge for...if the install isn't too complex, they do it right there while you wait. I've seen them do this a number of times. I chose to do my own work, and fix my own problems; otherwise I might get them to do the work.

Your point is well made...there aren't a whole lot of shops that would do that. Everyone here might be able to say that theirs does, but that is only a small cross section of the business and doesn't by any means cover the entire lot.

 

[SJGauss]

A plastic guy needs help

All we have in Dallas is Hobbytown, God help us. Phil's and Halls are both gone (RIP Ms Hall). Does anyone know of a good plastic shop in Dallas?

 

[Rolex]

Please wear an OSHA approved respirator while reading this thread. It was stored in the boiler room in the basement, underneath the asbestos insulated heating pipes since 2002. Try not to stir things up.

 

[hipluther01]

At least you have a LHS. I would save SO much shipping cost.

 

[MGT8.0owner]

who the he!! drog this out of the dust????

 

[charliejp]

I can't believe I just read this all the way down to Rolex's post! Though I can't say I've never been guilty.pps:

 

[MGT8.0owner]

I can't believe I just read this all the way down to Rolex's post! Though I can't say I've never been guilty.pps:

i actually read all the way to rolex's post to lol

 

[Rolex]

Dorks, ALL of you, dorks.

 

[charliejp]

::::::

 

[MGT8.0owner]

Dorks, ALL of you, dorks.

oh no you didn't!!! lol joking