Al’s Hobbies Reviews 112

Al’s hobbies were so helpful and were able to find not one but 4 seemingly obsolete props for me. Pack them and send them that day. Super efficient and nice to hear a humans voice. Great service.

Prompt service. Nice people!

The ordered item got lost in the mail from Britain to Germany. My payment was refund without any problems. Very good service!

Always feel like i'm a VIP when visiting Als Hobbies.
Nothing is ever too much trouble for Ali and his team,and they always are able to assist with anything from spares , kits and engines all RC plus balsa wood. So glad I know you guys, you make my hobby so much more enjoyable.

Absolutely amazing can’t fault them one bit the guys are amazing and always very friendly and very helpful and always having good chat have brung multiple RCs crawlers , skid cars and Plans and always straight to the point and more then happy to help you with anything 5+ stars

At last, after 19 days, I have my order!
Al's really blotted their copybook with this one.
A delivery time of 5-7 days finally stretched to 19, with little or no communication from them.
It took an e-mail, threatening to cancel the order and get my money back to really spur them into action.
I appreciated that this was suppliers stock, but why promise something you can't deliver? Why not keep the customer informed where delays are possible and are being experienced? Why not offer full refund and allow customer to go elsewhere?
When initially chased, Al's said they hadn't received anything from me, (both e-mail and site form completed!). When answered there was no explanation as to why nothing was happening, just a simple "I'll look into it".
A reputable company has really left a nasty taste in this customers mouth.
Would I use them again?
Yes, of course, their prices and stocks are very competitive, but they need to get their ordering and customer service sorted out.
Update 2/8/23: -
"Hello, we're very sorry to hear of your experience. A number of issues contributed to this. Deliveries from all suppliers have been drawn out in the last year or so, so items often arrive later than advertised, although hopefully this is getting better. It is highly unusual that an order has been drawn out so long and we are incredibly sorry for this. We have also been updating the way we inform customers of deliveries, including more automation of our emails to provide clarification. Again our apologies, but hopefully the changes we are currently putting in place will avoid this in future."
I would sincerely hope so. No point changing the STAR rating as that is a reflection of the original event.

First time ordering from Al's Hobbies online, just a few servos. Delivery was quick enough and items were well packaged; would happily order from again :)

Absolutely fantastic service. Second pair of ice skates I have bought & they have been super helpful/friendly/speedy from start to finish. Won’t be going anywhere else for both my girls skates. 10/10

I recently bought some iron on film that didn't stick - despite using balsa block to prep the model & using various heat settings on my model iron.
I gave a very reasonable 3* review on Ebay, the delivery was good - the product was not..
I received a message from Al's hobbies basically asking me to remove my review.
I explained it was a fair review - I got another email suggesting I didn't know how to appy it (I've been applying various films on models for about 30 years!).
I got another email suggesting I had a faulty Iron..
I got a final sarcastic email to end the messages...
Don't buy from here if you later may need some proper customer service, they haven't a clue how to deal with issues...

AVOID!!! THIS SHOP ITS 3 STARS FOR A GOOD REASON PRE-ORDER 1 MONTH BEFORE AND WHEN IT CAME IN STOCK THEY WOULDN'T SEND IT BECAUSE UTTER CRAP TALK OF PAYPAL THEY ONLY WANT YOUR MONEY

Had a problem with a battery al checked everything, to make sure all was well.
5 stars should be 50000 stars .
Dont go anywhere else great honest man and a wealth of knowledge unsurpassed.
Thank you Al.
A shop for enthusiasts
Owned and run by enthusiasts.
Top top man .

(Re edit): [“I have finally received my order, and accept the sincere apology from Al’s hobbies for the inconvenience. I believe they are truly trying to rectify the current issues they are facing”] Ordered something from them, which was listed as 'in stock' and given a delivery timeframe of 5 to 7 days. However did not receive my order. So I emailed them a couple of weeks later to inquire. I did not receive a reply, so emailed again a week later. Finally after another few days had gone by. They got back to me simply stating that they didn't have the item in stock and were waiting for a supply. I have sent yet another email a couple of weeks later. Again no reply. I have not received a refund or correspondence from Al's hobbies.

Ordered model aircraft for Christmas present on 17th December 2021 did not arrive in time, not the end of the world so waited until 30th Dec then emailed them to ask about delivery status. They did not reply but initiated a refund with no apology or explanation, they are probably the most ignorant company I have dealt with poor customer service (none existent).As someone starting out in RC flying in the new year this is one company I will definitely avoid.

Ordered online and parts turned up the next day.

Was originally going to give one star as I waited for the item to arrive the amount of time you are asked to than a few more days and nothing. Never ordered from here before so opted to just get refund via PayPal. PayPal immediately refunded. Few more days later the item arrived. Contacted Als via the email given on their website to pay for the item again. COVID has slowed down post considerably.

Received First Class Service from these Guys.. I'm new to the RC World, so before I made my purchase, I required some answers, to a few simple questions.. Garry responded quickly, and gave me some helpful information,without any knowledge of me possibly make a purchase from him.. "Some of the other big guy companies didn't even reply" No profit I guess!!! I made my order that very day, and on its early arrival, came very well packaged. Included were some upgraded lipo's, sent as a gesture of good will, as the batteries I had ordered were not in stock. Sent at no extra cost I may add... Good old fashioned corner shop service, which is sadly lacking with some of the larger retailers. Al's Hobbies has gained another happy customer. *****

I am going to be as honest and subjective as I possibly can and explain why I have given Al's Hobbies 1 star.
I have been ill with Covid for over a year and as a result I am on a realy tight budget when it comes to my hobby.
I ordered online an electronic speed controller and Spektrum receiver all in one product for my new jet aeroplane. I typed it into google search and it came up with Al's product. I went to the link and ordered it. What I didn't realise was that it was for a rc buggy and not aero even though that was what I had typed in Google. Not Al's fault but just an explanation of how the error occured. In future I will double check.
When the Item arrived just like everyone I tore it open in excitement as it was the last bit I needed to get air born.
Once open I realised it had battery, Thro, aux 1 and aux 2 connections instead of Ail and Elev or Rud. Thats when it hit me.
So I contacted A'ls to explain and to request an alternative and swap them over. I spoke to one member of staff who said it would be easier if I called back and spoke to their Spektrum specialist as to what would suit me best as well as organise the return but he would not be in for another 2 days. So I waited and called back and was told he was at lunch and to call back again. I did so and finally spoke to Gary the Spektrum tech. He said in short that there was no all in one alternative and I would have to get 2 seperate items to which I agreed. He said a full refund would be no problem even though I had taken off the cellophane. He said put a note in explaing what had happened and what he said in the return package and once they had it they would call me to discuss alternative items.
I paid to send the item back £4.85 insured and registered. A week later Gary called me and said they had received it but his boss said as I had removed the cellophane they could not return it to the supplier for a refund and they had specially ordered it.
Well, when I ordered it, it said in stock, not special order! I think and feel this was just an excuse to force me to accept a reduced refund. First Gary said they would take 13% off the refund, I said I thought it was harsh but suggested 10% he finished on 12% deduction and I accepted. After the call I was left feeling I had been harshley treated as I was willing to spend more on the replacement Items and had they treated me better would have purchased more items in the future!
However I am now left feeling that a decent sized company could'nt afford a few pounds discount in good favor to retain a good customer reputation. Appears not, they obviously prefer the £10 today once and never seen again theory instead of the £300 over a year theory as well as good word of mouth.
With all that said I have lost the best part of £15 but they will lose me as a customer, easily worth £50. to £200 if not more in a year as well as everyone I know when I tell them how I was treated. I don't believe they cant return it to their supplier or simply re-sell it at full price without the cellophane, I wouldn't know it should be wraped and I guess neither would any one else.
Never mind, my lesson is learned I have gained knowledge, Al's Hobbies however will certainly lose more than me from this lesson in the long run.
Enjoy your £15 guys, a hamburger each at best,a days universal credit for me never mind Im off to order from Slogh models instead.

You can't please everyone and some people make it very difficult to serve them at all, don't be put off by a small number of poor reviews from customers who wanted Al's to pull a rabbit out of a hat! I bought strip balsa from Al's Hobbies via eBay (mailed/posted). I can say it is the best packed fragile item I've received in a very long time. This tells me that the shop actually cares about the product quality and their customer satisfaction. I am a very 'pleased' customer, Thank You and keep it up. :-)

do not recommend ripped me off and are very rude when they answer the phone acting like its a incovince ive tryed having patients with them I cant buy a part for my rc without them constantly trying to talk me into a new one also there r not very acknowlageble at what they do I have try to ask questions and they jus stand there and stare and have a long delay before they answer I suggest jus driving to another town to buy parts or order offline

I am new to scale modelling, and to date have purchased most of the things - including the engine - from Als hobbies. However, today I visited the store and the staff seemed completely disinterested in helping me with my needs, dismissing it as "an American thing". I had travelled some 25 miles as a round trip, and at a cost of nearly 2 hours of my time. I had intended to purchase the transmitter and receiver from Als, as had been agreed on my last visit. However, if that is the attitude of his staff, the I will spend my money elsewhere.