Trade-In Program rant

Last week, I sent in an ESC to be upgraded... Here it is Wednesday and my card hasn't even been charged yet... Website stated "about 1 week turnaround"...

I realize it has just been a week and a day.. but they haven't even charged my card yet... I don't see it getting here for racing this weekend... :(

Also, with the trade in, I now understand it's possible to end up with remanufactured product.. which isnt a big deal to me.. they are generally in new condition, with full warranty, but for how small the discount ended up being, I think from now on I'll just buy new ones...

79 bucks trade in price.. From Havoc 2s to GTB 2 (retail is only 99) plus shipping.. which was almost 10 bucks... Iwill simply order from online retailer and get free shipping and brand new product... probably quicker too..

Sorry.. rant over... I'm just bummed I will miss another race weekend (sent ESC in last week.. missed last weekend)

[NovakTwo]

Our CS information says:

The in-house service time for most items is approximately 7 working days (Monday-Friday) from the date Novak receives the product.

Shipping time---both ways adds additional time. We do not bill CCs until we are ready to ship. When did we receive your parcel? We clearly state that the replacement item may be RMF--with a new factory warranty. The exchange price of the GTB2 is @20% off the new price; the discount for a Kinetic exchange is 35%.

We think that both of our Trade/Upgrade programs are excellent options for our customers----unequaled by any other manufacturer in R/C. I'm sorry you are unhappy.

I'm not unhappy at all. I just hoped it would have been quicker. As for RMF or new.. I said i was ok either way.. I don't know how popular the service is, but my point about pricing was, I could have bought BRAND NEW from my LHS or online... for 99 dollars.. With trade in and shipping, I paid $87.65. plus shipping TO Novak of my old Havoc. after all is said and done.. it will almost be a wash.... except I wont have my Havoc anymore and will have missed 2 races (at least).

I have been, and will remain a loyal Novak customer... Sure.. I have a CC speed control (cant beat the warranty for a basher truck) and a Tekin 1/8 ESC (not really a competitive Novak product out right now) and a single Tekin motor... BUT all of my models are using Novak in one way or another..

[NovakTwo]

Thanks for the update. Certain individual products in this program are not great exchange bargains on their own. Especially the under $100 escs; some customers return several items at a time for replacement, so the shipping charges incurred cover more items and are more reasonable.

Originally Posted by DrFizz2k1

I'm not unhappy at all. I just hoped it would have been quicker. As for RMF or new.. I said i was ok either way.. I don't know how popular the service is, but my point about pricing was, I could have bought BRAND NEW from my LHS or online... for 99 dollars.. With trade in and shipping, I paid $87.65. plus shipping TO Novak of my old Havoc. after all is said and done.. it will almost be a wash.... except I wont have my Havoc anymore and will have missed 2 races (at least).

I have been, and will remain a loyal Novak customer... Sure.. I have a CC speed control (cant beat the warranty for a basher truck) and a Tekin 1/8 ESC (not really a competitive Novak product out right now) and a single Tekin motor... BUT all of my models are using Novak in one way or another..

[mjosparky]

A couple of years ago I went with their HV Pro 6.5 system. In about 18 months I went through 2 motors, 2 ESC’s and a hand full of CAP’s. I made copies of receipts and order forms, wrote long letters and received nothing. I think I finally got a letter that stated that the warranty started on date of purchase. So all the replacements I bought after the first failure seemed to fall under that date. I got tired of writing back and forth and went with another manufacture.

[NovakTwo]

Every replacement or RMF items has a new warranty starting from the date of purchase; warranty covers defects in materials and workmanship (item over which the factory has control). Any damage caused by use, installation, etc. is not covered, but then item is replaced for a low, fixed price.

Originally Posted by mjosparky

A couple of years ago I went with their HV Pro 6.5 system. In about 18 months I went through 2 motors, 2 ESC’s and a hand full of CAP’s. I made copies of receipts and order forms, wrote long letters and received nothing. I think I finally got a letter that stated that the warranty started on date of purchase. So all the replacements I bought after the first failure seemed to fall under that date. I got tired of writing back and forth and went with another manufacture.

[JERRY2KONE]

In this case what one should do is have back up motors and ESC's so that there are no gaps in your racing experiences. Especially if racing is so important to you and you do not have the time to wait on a replacement to show up after a failure. No reason to get mad at the manufacturer for the turn around time of your repair, or trade up. Two weeks is a whole lot better than the way things used to be.

Originally Posted by JERRY2KONE

In this case what one should do is have back up motors and ESC's so that there are no gaps in your racing experiences. Especially if racing is so important to you and you do not have the time to wait on a replacement to show up after a failure. No reason to get mad at the manufacturer for the turn around time of your repair. Two weeks is a whole lot better than the way things used to be.

This was my backup ESC... It's not a repair.. there was no failure... its a new purchase via trade-in program.. Read everything clearly before you post.. LOL..

Even though this was the back up esc, I bought a new buggy used my "spare" electronics in it to get it racing... My SC10 is down atm making the ESC in it technically spare... So i can run today... For a PURCHASE of an item, 2 weeks is too long.. IMHO.. Anyway, NovakTwo took care of it, but thanks for your concern..

[JERRY2KONE]

Originally Posted by DrFizz2k1

This was my backup ESC... It's not a repair.. there was no failure... its a new purchase via trade-in program.. Read everything clearly before you post.. LOL..

Even though this was the back up esc, I bought a new buggy used my "spare" electronics in it to get it racing... My SC10 is down atm making the ESC in it technically spare... So i can run today... For a PURCHASE of an item, 2 weeks is too long.. IMHO.. Anyway, NovakTwo took care of it, but thanks for your concern..

Really?? Oh I see you post up in here like an angry child and then want to repsond with smart a$$ remarks when someone posts up a helpful reply. right? I did read your entire post. Whether it was a repair or trade up really had nothing to do with my comment. You posted up a RANT because you were unhappy that things took longer than you expected. postal time to Novak, at least 7 work day turn around, postal time return should add up to about 2 to 3 weeks considering the obstacles that usually come up in situations like this. Once again that is not the fault of Novak as was explained by the Novak rep in his post. If you did not want helpful responses than you should not have posted the problem up in here for everyone to read. This is why people always tell others to take some time and calm down before you post up angry or rude comments.

My point was if you expect a problem free racing experience, than having one back up motor/ESC is always going to leave you in a precarious position should you have any reason to have one of them out of service for whatever the reason, because that only leaves you with one unit to work with, right? If you want to insist on exchanging insults with fellow hobbiests for supplying helpful information I can do that to. Don't be a hater just because you screwed up and did not want to hear it, because that is exactly what your post told everyone here on RCM.

I am happy to hear that you received a fair response from Novak explaining your misunderstanding on their turn around policy. And so quickly to. Good luck with your future dealings with Novak and with your future strategic planning for race events. I honestly hope everything works out well for you, and you do not have to post anymore RANTS. Take a deep breath, smile, its all good in here.

Jerry, I didn't say anything rude. I was in no way being a hater, in fact I praised Novak's products and as you can see in my sig, ALL my 1/10 models have Novak in them. Matter of fact, as you put it, the point of my post was to say that "I screwed up"... I should have kept my original product and just bought a new one from LHS or online, it would only have cost me a few dollars extra, and I'd still have the spare AND already have the new one too...

I believe my original point is still valid and is meant more to inform than to complain... If you are going to send in a single WORKING product for trade-in, do ALL the math first (unlike me) and make sure that what you'll save will be worth it to you. And to expect an elongated time table compared to just buying new from a retailer.

Now, If you can somehow read in to that, me hating or whining or anything other than me saying doing things this way was anything other than MY OWN mistake, then fine.. But I believe that after reading my first post and subsequent posts on the subject, you'll find I'm fine with how things are now, having come to terms with MY ERROR. I was satisfied with the responses I got from the TARGET of my post (NovakTwo) who has ALWAYS been more than helpful and informative.


EDIT:
Thanks for the PM.. You don't need to do that though.. the internet is not serious business to me.. my feelings don't get hurt.. I appreciate though that you went out of your way to contact me and clarify our situation..

[JERRY2KONE]

Have a beer and relaxe man. Enough said. Glad everything worked out for the best.

Originally Posted by JERRY2KONE

Have a beer

Damn good idea right there.. Best advice in the thread.. LOL..