Meziked

Stopped by my local HS and learned something very valuable. They will price match Towwer's website!!!!
They said not alot of people know this, but they have no problem jumping online for you and getting you a better price. I walked out of there with better fuel line 4ft, more fuel, 2 cans of nitro blaster, better cooling head, forward only mod, wing mod, 5 #3232 glow plugs, carb rebuild kit, fuel tank rings, 20 zip ties, shock oil, after run oil, A IR temp gun and 2 cans of model paint for under 150 USD!!!!!

Nebukatnizar

Wow..that's is awesome..but youre just lucky that the hobby shop near you does it......but that is really cool, you tell them what parts you want...a week later u can get them, without shiping cost!!...right??

Balact Man

My Feedback: (6)

the hobby shop I use to go to has always been very helpful and eager to match any deal. however I had to stop taking my business there because they made me feel like, well its hard to put into words but if given a choice between shopping "there" or on the internet. the internet wins hands down. now I shop at other LHS that may not have as big of an inventory selection (like the place in question) but when I leave these places of businesses I am never made to feel like................sorry guys, its hard to put into words.

DaveG55

Like you're somehow inferior??????
I've been in shops like that and do my best not to go back. Fortunatly the LHS closest to me has a real friendly, knoweledgable, help full bunch of guys.

SAVAGEJIM

True, the local RC stre clerks can make you feel like your stupid. I think it is wise for the stores to hire clerks who are knowledgeable, but the clerks should remember to practice respect to the customer. They should remember they are primarily customer service professionals and experts second. If they flaunt their expertise (be know-it-alls) around and try to push you and make you feel stupid, then they deserve to lose your business.

Harvick

I quit going to one shop for that reason, the closest store to me has one of the poorest selections ever. Now I drive 30 miles to visit one of the greatest. I might as well give them a shameless plug. Al's Hobby Shop in Elmhurst, IL. Prices are very good for a LHS. Inventory is awesome, if they do not have it they will order it without pre payment. They figure that if you ask and they do not have it, someone else will ask, so they just decide to stock it. I still order from internet occasionally, if I have a LARGE parts order and it is small parts that I do not expect to be stocked at the LHS.

As far as Tower, I do use them, but I live in IL. So not only do I have to pay shipping, but sales tax, and have to wait 3 plus days when they are only located 200 miles from me. So it only makes financial sense to order there on very large orders.

Balact Man

My Feedback: (6)

THATS IT!!!!!! thanks DaveG55 for putting into words.

Harvick i hear many good things about "Al's" and hopefully one day i will make it a point to pay him a visit. its such a long drive for me but i need to go and check it out.

rawkfist2

Balact. check ur PMs. Ur 1 town away from me!

broncojd

i'm gonna have to check and see if the hobbytown by my house matches prices. i'd doubt it. but i'd never have thought any shop would, so who knows?

the resident r/c expert there is a real horse's rear. he definitely enjoys being more knowledgable than me. i am sure he gets asked a lot of questions that are obvious, but welcome to life in retail buddy! so he can be frustrating to deal with, but whatever. i take comfort in knowing that, unlike him, i have a life, i don't live with my mom, and i'm not scared of girls...lol...

so, i tolerate him. and the rest of the guys are friendly.

WartedEmperor

My Hobbytown USA does the same thing. They will come off TOWERHOBBIES sticker price, but will not come down on any of their sales. This makes Tower a hole lot cheaper considering I get free shipping and usually save $30 from all their sells and member benefits. You would also have to pay sales tax and not get the $30 discount at Hobbytown. That is why if you can wait usually 5 days for items from Tower to come in, and not have to have it today or tommorrow. Then you should definitley buy from Tower.

nitroracer82

I've never been to Al's (and they are <15 minutes away from me). I will be sure to check them out after hearing how helpful they are.

rcdude37

you guys are lucky... closest shop to me is about 30 miles and put it this way, i would rather give the ups guy a tip when he drops my stuff off from tower!
they have had an evader kit sitting there for about 2 years, and are asking 200 for it... wait wut, all it has is a motor and esc, been sitting there that long and they wont lower the price a penny just to get rid of the thing... glue that tower has for 5 bux they have for 10, dont get any aftermarket parts just same old stock ones, dont carry anything on hand "oh but we can order it, and it will get here by the end of the week" well i need it now, and what week are u talking about because it wont be here this week! the company they go through for fuel wont sell them top fuel by the gallon, just the qt. and they want 15 bux for that... i would go to hobby town if it was a little closer then 4 hours away!

just consider yourselves lucky to have someone you can work with, for me my LHS is in Champaign IL......

Meziked

See I guess Im the odd ball. I'd rather talk to someone that knew what they are talking about and tolerate the additude, then get what i have been getting. My shop has a big big selection of stuff for R/C anything! but they dont know a damned thing about any of it. None of them even run R/C stuff. Im sure if I tossed out a magic card, they could tell me what it does, what deck the card would be good in and who did the art work on the cover..... but as far as R/C.... they know nothing and will quickly tell you that.
I have to drive 50 miles to get there.... I have no place like this locally.... I dont mind it, just wish someone knew what they were talking about...

Harvick

Where Do you currently go for your LHS? THere are hobbytowns in Crystal Lake and St Charles. The St Charles store SUCKS!!!! Crytal Lake seems to have a little more in stock. Venture Hobbies in Wheeling is ok, low inventory, but helpful staff. Al's is definetly worth the drive. Knowledgable, good inventory, only downside is they are usually VERY busy, and you sometimes have to wait a while if you need help.

dgz69er

Thats really horrible when hobby shops make you feel like an idiot.

Fortunately my lhs is really great. I bought an engine from the owner this week. I ran into some problems shimming the clutchbell. They let me use their equipment, and one of the employees. Actively helped me get the clutchbell to properly fit on the engine. In the end I had to do more than shim the clutchbell, and like I said the one guy helped me out the entire time. He went and got parts that he thought would be helpful for me. They are always really good about answering all my questions. They were a tremendous help when I was a newbie at the hobbie. They still continue to be a great help to this day. Today was the first time I ever raced. I was up at the shop all last week practicing on the track. The employees would come out and give me pointers on racing, they also helped turn marshal for me when they weren't busy so I could run from the podium, and they even brought their cars out and raced with me on the track. They will talk with you about the different technologies, and just general rc stuff.

I am not very fond of the clown *what I call hobbytown*. My problem is I go there, and I feel I have more knowledge about rc than the employees do. There is one kid who knows his rc stuff. That is it. Everyone else seems to be pretty ignorant about the hobby. I only go there when my lhs doesn't have the part that I need, and I don't want to wait to get it ordered in.

mrjerryk

I can walk to the closest shop but I would rather go to one that is 30 minutes away. They are both really good with RC stuff (Niether of them sell Magic cards) it's just one know more about planes and heli's and the other one knows more about car and trucks. They both also stock the same amount of items and will order anything I want on the spot. I like going to shop to talk shop so when it comes to the trucks I drive 30 minutes depending on traffic.

rcdude37

hah yea as far as the employee knowing anything this is his attitude.... trucks suck because they dont go fast enough, and he doesnt like planes and says everyone in our plane club (including me) needs to get a car because they are way more fun then planes.... on my note, can u push the stick forward and go down, or pull the stick back and go up, maby run inverted, yea thats what i thought!... the guy runs his mouth off and doesnt get anywhere other than backwards, he is buying every alum piece traxxas makes for the 4tec, since he doesnt get anything from other companies.... my thought to that is, so im running a truck that is a few years old and i put an 18tm on it, i ripped the tranny apart, why would i want to put in the same thing that i just screwed up!?
.... the other day i was there and a guy walked in looking for a plug for his 2.5, luckely i was there or this guy would have gone nowhere, he was trying to sell him the wrong plug, then the costomer asked him why he keeps fouling plugs, employee told him to richen it up, it is getting to hot and burning the plug... i steped in to locate a more logical answer, he had his engine tuned to stock, i told him to lean it up 1/2 turn or so, that must have fixed his problem since he never went back for more plugs!....
i would buy stuff from him if he knew what i was talking about, so he has had a 4tec for about 2 months and thinks he knows everything, best parts to how to fix it.... i have had my t-maxx for about 4 years and i am still on here asking questions on what to run and where the problem might be.... but if i go in there and dont know what i need for something i am better off not even goin in there, ill just post it on here then go to tower

as i said already you guys are lucky

Uglysteve

Hobbytown USAs are hit and miss. Some of them have a guy or gal who knows RC and some have a dipstick who doesn't know a jato from a Heli.

Uglysteve

Hobbytown USAs are hit and miss. Some of them have a guy or gal who knows RC and some have a dipstick who doesn't know a jato from a Heli.



Woops...Sorry about the double post, my browser was acting weird.

DGMaxx

+1 on HobbyTown hit or miss. Mine is more concerned about RPG games. The last time I went in, I was just looking for a simple stock replacement part, it wasn't on the racks and when I asked one of the clerks (He was wearing a Losi shirt) that was playing an RPG at the time gave me such an attitude and actually threw the part at me. I promptly threw the part back, told him they just lost a customer forever, and proceeded to another LHS I had heard about but never visited. My new LHS is awesome, and the person I used to get my RC parts from HobbyTown, now works for this LHS.

Balact Man

My Feedback: (6)

Harvick you and I must miss each other going in and out of these hobby shops by minutes. I bet you anything that if we get a chance to meet we'll both say "I remember seeing you in __________ store".

Because I am a business owner myself I dare not speak ill of other businesses. But the one in question is one of the three stores listed.

Harvick

Understandable, but which one do you use now? You really should take a ride out to Al's someday. It is a very good store.

magnum12

theres a hobby town in orland park also really good guys they now there rc stuff and they will price match anyone[X(] and sometimes will take some of the price if they got it to keep your business.

blackdogafd

hey balact man, i only live about a half hour from you, i go to grayslake hobby world in grayslake up here by me, i live in fox lake and that HS is the best ive been to the guys there all are awesome!!

Hey harvick me and butterfly3 now live in fox lake you still around here or you move? all the IL boys that live close by each other should get together to run our trucks...

Andy Pm me harvack or balact man if you guys want set up a time to race....

mrjerryk

That doesn't sound like a good thing with him working at your new LHS. Ironic yes, good no.