3 March 2014

Dodgy Dealers at Canberra Outlet Centre and a Toothless Tiger

| imarty
Join the conversation
25

A lesson learnt.

Last November my wife and I bought a remote control helicopter from a store in the old DFO as a Christmas present for my son. It’s the shop opposite Coffee Club that sells many of these types of toys as well as heaps of other ‘Made in China’ crap toys.

I asked the sales person if it could be flown outside which he said it was capable of doing.

Come christmas morning a very excited 7yo boy and his dad took it outside to fly on a clear day with a barely perceptible breeze.

Basically the helicopter gained altitude ok however it kept drifting with the breeze.

This continued for several attempts and after the helicopter landed in our neighbour’s yard for the third time we came to the conclusion that this device was not fit for purpose and was clearly not capable of flying outside.

Anyway we took it back to the store to request a refund. Immediately I was met with resistance and the salesperson in charge offered me a credit note which I refused, they also explained that they needed to conduct their own tests, the helicopter did not have enough charge to do that there and then.

I left my details and requested contact be made ASAP so we could resolve the issue.

After a few days and no call from the shop I phoned them only to be advised by that the helicopter I purchased was not meant to be flown out side despite the salesman telling me it was.

I subsequently visited the store where the sales girl contacted another gentleman who advised me that he had indeed tested the helicopter outside and it was in perfect working order and flew well. So who was telling the truth?

They had absolutely no intention of giving me a refund so off the the Office of Regulatory Services to submit a claim. After a few days I was contacted by a nice lady explaining their procedures but she was not at all confident of getting a refund. The ORS also have no powers to compel dodgy companies to provide refunds so I’m not sure of exactly what they do?

BTW I’m pretty sure I’ll get some ‘advice’ from the usual suspects here, go for your life however this is my way of extracting some sort of satisfaction/revenge out of an incident with an unscrupulous and dishonest business.

Join the conversation

25
All Comments
  • All Comments
  • Website Comments
LatestOldest

Canberra+outside=wind.
Even when it’s not “windy”. I’ve got a couple hundred dollars worth of Twister helicopters too. First one went ok for while then started to look a bit beat up so thought I’d buy another. Impatience got the better of me and I launched it from a rear balcony only to have a sudden gust fling it straight back at me and into the brick wall below. Every attempted fly since has resulted in weird flying behaviour so I went and got a Tamiya car instead.
The boy has a small Losi AWD rally car that goes well and bounces off things when it hits them. $149 from Monaro Hobbies and extra batteries are only $12. Best RC I’ve found yet for a kid under 10.

I’ve tried the cheap indoor mini helicopters. They’re fun but don’t last, especially if you crash a lot.

My feeling is that a $100 larger version is just that – a larger version pretty much the same stuff. Should have been maybe $40.

Still, it should fly indoors reasonably well regardless if it’s been in the sun previously. If it’s stuffed early on in the game, I’d take it back and stick it to the vendor, have them recharge it and fly the bastard straight and if not then at least provide a replacement.

Why should we be buying this crap? Sure buyer beware, but if we’re going to export all that hardly-taxed shit to have it remade into other over-taxed shit we should at least have some shit that works to some reasonable expectation or duration.

Hell with that, I say chase it up.

Its a $100 toy helicopter and it flies outside just not in the wind. Helicopters also take a bit master even gyro versions. I’d imagine due to scale size it wouldn’t take much wind to be hurricane forces. Buyers remorse from a spontaneous purchase.

imarty said :

Thanks all for your constructive comments, especially you Trollsniffer, good to see you’re living up to your name and rep, well done champion.

The “brand” and model is a Digi One Flying Fox 888-203. It’s not a small one it’s about 50cm in length.
It cost >$100 and nowhere on the box or in the instructions does it say anything about not being able to be flown outside, indeed it says don’t fly in windy conditions which makes sense.

My point was that even in conditions with the tree tops barely moving it can’t be controlled beyond up and down and round and round (I’m sure I’ll be corrected on the proper terminology for these manoeuvres …) and yes we tried it down the local oval.

I understand I’ve done my dough, it was an impulse purchase, my post was simply a way of making myself feel better and an attempt at bringing your attention to the business’ idea of customer service and in the process limiting the amount of people that might make a purchase there.

You might not consider it constructive, but my advice is to cut your losses and tag it up to a learning experience. Having played with RC for many years (more cars and trucks than helis, but I have a few) I can tell you that a halfway decent heli suitable to fly outdoors will cost you $500+ and that may or may not include a remote and will more than likely be a kit that you need to assemble.

Then you need to learn to fly it, which took me about 2 months to get good enough to fly with confidence around obstacles and I am still learning years later.

If you want to get something you and your son can play with down the park, go buy a couple of buggys or monster trucks (electric will do if you are only going to do 15-30 mins at a time, nitro if you want to go really fast and not have to recharge) and go tear some dirt up.

Affirmative Action Man4:21 pm 04 Mar 14

Gee Riot Act responses have got bitchy lately – maybe the poor possums are feeling tetchy in the post Gillard world.

I reckon its bad luck – the copter CAN clearly fly outside – as long as there is no wind .

justsomeaussie1:08 pm 04 Mar 14

“….They had absolutely no intention of giving me a refund so off the the Office of Regulatory Services to submit a claim. After a few days I was contacted by a nice lady explaining their procedures but she was not at all confident of getting a refund. The ORS also have no powers to compel dodgy companies to provide refunds….”

This is classic he said/she said. You have no power here because YOU didn’t read the box. You have already stated the manufactures instructions said it couldn’t be used outside. The company can simply said they told you it couldn’t.

What a waste of people’s time. Before you rant and rave to ORS think about the people there with real legitimate claims and how you are tying up the processes because you believed a salesman over what the instructions said.

But I will give you one tip, I’ve heard the Kings Avenue bridge is coming up for sale, I’m going to buy half of it but I need more funds to buy the other half. So why not chip in and own some infrastructure instead of a plastic toy. I can guarantee you 100% that this is a real offer, take my word for it.

HiddenDragon11:14 am 04 Mar 14

“….They had absolutely no intention of giving me a refund so off the the Office of Regulatory Services to submit a claim. After a few days I was contacted by a nice lady explaining their procedures but she was not at all confident of getting a refund. The ORS also have no powers to compel dodgy companies to provide refunds….”

Having now looked at this:

http://www.ors.act.gov.au/community/fair_trading

I assume that the only option in dealing with a stonewalling merchant would be formal legal proceedings, which would hardly be worth it for a relatively modest purchase(?)

If all you wanted was a gripe, then why did you go to such extremes to get a refund and push your weight around? <$100 toy is lucky it flew at all

Leave the poor store alone…

justsomeaussie9:31 am 04 Mar 14

imarty said :

, indeed it says don’t fly in windy conditions which makes sense.

I understand I’ve done my dough, it was an impulse purchase, my post was simply a way of making myself feel better and an attempt at bringing your attention to the business’ idea of customer service and in the process limiting the amount of people that might make a purchase there.

A salesman sold you something which didn’t fit the manufactures description? Well time to rant on about it on the RiotAct and called the entire store dodgy. Have you ever brought a car? Why on earth did you think it would be worthwhile for others to read this? Next you’ll be warning people about dihydrogen monoxide.

http://www.dhmo.org/facts.html

Caveat emptor, a fool and his money will be soon parted.

They fly fine outside, you just have to be aware of the breeze and compensate accordingly. Having a few giggles with your boy about his crazy new toy is the correct response here. Then take it down to the park and see how high it will go!

Maybe make a kite … that would be fun …

Thanks all for your constructive comments, especially you Trollsniffer, good to see you’re living up to your name and rep, well done champion.

The “brand” and model is a Digi One Flying Fox 888-203. It’s not a small one it’s about 50cm in length.
It cost >$100 and nowhere on the box or in the instructions does it say anything about not being able to be flown outside, indeed it says don’t fly in windy conditions which makes sense.

My point was that even in conditions with the tree tops barely moving it can’t be controlled beyond up and down and round and round (I’m sure I’ll be corrected on the proper terminology for these manoeuvres …) and yes we tried it down the local oval.

I understand I’ve done my dough, it was an impulse purchase, my post was simply a way of making myself feel better and an attempt at bringing your attention to the business’ idea of customer service and in the process limiting the amount of people that might make a purchase there.

How_Canberran7:48 pm 03 Mar 14

troll-sniffer said :

My guess is you’re the kind of person who thinks the world owes you a soft easy living and you don’t see why you should have to take responsibility for your own decisions.

What more can I say…. ‘how utterly Canberran’.

We are on the brink of another Afghanistan/Iraq-style war with a Liberal government in office and you are whining about losing $14.95 buying a shoddy toy.

It takes all types…

screaming banshee6:57 pm 03 Mar 14

Wot they said /\

Caveat emptor. Unfortunately shows like The Checkout makes it look so simple, dodgy sellers will just crumble in the face of your Righteousness and hand all your money back. It doesn’t work like that in the real world. Maybe it should, but it doesn’t.

troll-sniffer5:04 pm 03 Mar 14

Am I allowed to say OMFG here? Coz even though I would normally never dream of uttering that bogan sentiment, in this case it’s the one that captures the moment. OMFG are you like, serious?

The fact that you posted your pointless drivel here indicates that even if someone were to explain that your RC chopper did in fact fly outside, you are so far up your own backside that the sound would never make it to your ears. I guess deep down you know that this post will forever mark you as a anally retentive dickwad, and you might as well go out with all bums blazing… (yes bums, not guns).

How much did you spend on this lifetime mortgage purchase? $14.95? $19.95? You know there’s a model shop just along past Bunnings where you can get advice on how to purchase an RC chopper that will fly in all sorts of windy weather? The only problem is, you have to spend real money, and get some real advice, and be prepared to learn from experts who will gently introduce you the rather difficult world of remote control helicopters.

My guess is you’re the kind of person who thinks the world owes you a soft easy living and you don’t see why you should have to take responsibility for your own decisions.

justsomeaussie4:40 pm 03 Mar 14

Slow day in the public service eh?

I’m going to ask what type/model did you buy/ how much did it set you back? Then I’ll decide if I’ll stick the boot in.

These are the same ones they hawk in the Canberra Centre, or did hawk before someone cued into the whole OH&S thing. They’re evidently not meant to be flown outside and the more reputable retailers, or even Amazon, have warnings to that effect. Always do your research before purchasing.

You know real planes, the ones with people in them, have to drastically alter their flight path according to wind speed/direction?
Same goes for the expensive RC stuff.
Why would your cheap RC be any different?

Just because there isn’t any wind at ground level doesn’t mean there’s not plenty a couple of metres up.
Go find a field to play in with your child, rather than a backyard, and use this as an opportunity to teach your child about atmospheric stratification instead of whining.

It flew outside. That’s the question you asked, so what’s the problem?

I’m no help – but from my experience of buying units from these kind of shops (both physical and online) is that they are generally crap. Pretty packaging to be alluring to kids – but a let down when purchased.

If it is worth a lot, maybe try the manufacturer (but no doubt it will be in china). You just got scammed by a sales person who doesn’t know the products they are selling (most cheapy RC helis are indoor only).

Do you have a link to the model you purchased?

You don’t have enough to do with your time do you?

Fly it inside…problem solved.

Or go and spend a few grand on a not “Made in China crap toy”

My husband flys rc stuff and if the one you bought is similar to all the crap Chinese stuff on sale at all non RC stores, it really wasn’t meant to be flown outside, and the salesperson didn’t know their bum from their elbow.

The old adage of you get what you pay for rings true with RC, trust me I’ve seen our credit card statement. The RC dept at Toyworld is really switched on and I’m not sure if Stryker RC at Belco is still open, but they knew their stuff as well.

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.