Banana Hobby

I received a radio-controlled helicopter for Christmas. It worked great for 6 flights, then tail rotor would not keep rpm. I contacted customer support; they said they would get back to me. So here I am 8 emails later and 1 phone call and still have not received a return merchandise authorization. Now they quit answering my e-mails. Note that I answered all the questions they asked me. I will never buy there again.

I purchased RC Helicopter. It was defective upon receipt. I attempted online chat, emails, calls, everything to get help. I ultimately spent several hours on the phone while they repeatedly asked the same pointless questions over and over and over. They put me on hold over and over and over and simply wasted my time. They never would agree to a return or exchange of the item and simply kept stalling. These people are nothing more then frauds. Don't purchase anything from these people.

I ordered two RC tanks from Banana Hobby in December 2011, received them with no problem. However, one does not function properly. I followed all instructions, emailed them twice, and sent photos per their RMA policy. I have since been on their online chat with them for three times. They did not appear to have access to the emails any of the times, and the two individuals that I spoke with did not have records of the different chat sessions. Communications via their online chat system is excruciatingly slow.

The questions being asked seem to be irrelevant, and was asked repeatedly. I wonder if this might partially be an automated response system at work. There was an inordinate amount of "I'll be back with you shortly, I'm waiting for a response from another department messages". Twice I have been told that my RMA request and photos have been submitted for approval, before they will decide whether or not to provide me with an RMA authorization code or not.

The last person that I spoke with had no record that the first one had ever been submitted. I do not hold out hope that the second one will go far without me pestering them again. I even tried to troubleshoot the product on my own, per the request of the CS reps. Not a great thing on a brand-new-out-of-the-box product! I get the impression that they have no intention of providing me with an RMA or replacement product, in spite of what their policy states and the fact that they say "100% satisfaction". I eventually got online and began researching Banana Hobby and their practices.

In April 2011, the California Better Business Bureau listed them for having 367 complaints filed in 2011 up until the listing in April. I also found that the owners, Dan and Tom Wu, were involved in a trademark violation/misuse case with Textron-Bell Helicopters. The case appears to have been settled, but I did not look into the details.

That's pretty heavy-duty, when a large company like that files a lawsuit against you, so who knows what that was really about. The number of online forums and discussions on chat boards talking about poor customer service, "scams", broken product, and general issues with Banana Hobby is absolutely astounding. Several posts state complaints being filed with the FTC, the California Consumer Protection Division, the California Attorney General, and others. You would never know any of this by looking at their website or the videos that "Pete" (if that is his real name) is posting on YouTube on a regular basis (they "look" like a legitimate and professional business on the surface).

These guys may really like RC toys, but this does not mean that you know how to run a business. I would say that their business practices are lacking at the very least, and not particularly ethical or worthy of my continuing trust. I am still holding out some hope that I will hear back from them again, and get a replacement for the malfunctioning tank, but it is not much hope. Readers of this post should form their own opinion of Banana Hobby. Mine is, it is not a good way to run a business. Next time, I will do considerably more research on a company before doing business with them.

Two orders placed for Christmas for my 8-year old son. The Battle Tank ($173.89) and Glider plane ($155.40). The tank was completely broken upon opening package and looked like it had been repackaged. The glider plane had wrong sized screws. Nice. I called and no answer. I checked their website and it says they are moving and will re-open on Jan. 3.

Bad enough, you have to wait over a week but when I called today, both phone numbers are disconnected. I left a third email message to them and have heard nothing. This is unacceptable and unprofessional. I am furious and want this resolved ASAP! Right now, I just want to return both products and not deal with this unprofessional company. Horrible! Plus it was really nice to have your son in tears on Christmas. They need to resolve this matter immediately.

Absolutely horrible. I bought an ec-135 helicopter, which was supposed to be ready out of the box. It turned on and took off by itself with no response in the controller to shut the thing off. The top blades and full-speed bottom blades actually work how they're supposed to.

Customer service is everything but. Someone responds about every 5 minutes until nothing and now $180 down the tube. This place needs to be shut down.

Banana Hobby has given me the worst customer experience. I ordered plane, defective Servo right out of the box. They shipped me out a replacement and sent the wrong Servo. I waited two more weeks for the right Servo. What they sent was a Servo they cut out of another plane; the connector was cut and it was covered in glue. I had another issue with them that I posed a concern on their facebook page and they promptly banned me from their facebook page, effectively silencing my complaint.

8/15 I ordered Green Mustang P-51D with transmitter.

8/17 I was charged $103.81 to my credit card.

8/23 I received shipment and contacted Daniel to inform that the landing gear enclosed did not fit the P-51D. Daniel asked me to send pictures to demonstrate the problem. I sent video demonstrating that the landing gear frame was too small for the slot. I also informed Daniel that either the battery charged for 2.5 hours. It was defective or transmitter did not work. I informed Daniel that the extra battery I had purchased from them, charged for 2.5 hours, and still the transmitter did not work. So I needed RMA for landing gear, 2 batteries and a remote control transmitter.

8/24 I received an email asking for pictures of problem from CS. I advised CS that I had already complied and needed RMA for all reported problems. I then received from CS another response to send pictures. I rewrote the complete story to CS and asked him to read all previous emails which contained copies of all correspondence back and forth.

8/25 I reiterated the same story as above and requested RMA in no uncertain terms. There was silence until 9/1/11, the CS sent a copy of my original purchase with a replacement notation that the landing gear would be arriving in 4 to 7 days. Nothing mentioned about batteries and transmitter problem.

9/6 Since I did not receive replacement, I wrote an email advising that they have 12 hours to respond with an RMA or I would be visiting my bank.

I purchased an RC helicopter (Giant EC-135, $181.90) on October 15, 2010. I received it on October 21, 2010; they shipped the wrong helicopter. They shipped a small indoor helicopter (Jin Jiang, $62.99) I called the same day and ask for an RMA number to return it for the one I ordered. I was told to take pictures and post them on their website, and their technicians would review the pictures. I posted the pictures and got no response. I called and was on hold for over a half hour, no one came to the phone. I tried their online chat, they told me to post pictures on the website. I am getting the run-around.

The product I purchased (Cessna 185 RC float plane) has been riddled with defects. The transmitter/receiver do not work, the electronic speed control failed, the pontoon rudder was installed backwards. No manuals accompanied the transmitters. Customer support routinely says replacement items will be shipped in 1 day or 2, but they are not shipped regardless of how many times you complain. I have paid over $300 for almost 2 months now and I have to not even been able to try and fly it due to the defects.

I bought and paid in full on the day of purchase via Paypal, an RC stealth bomber from bananahobby.com based in Ca. The total, including the shipping fees, came up to $152.23. They said it was on back order till the end of May. When that date came and went, they changed the date to the end of June. Almost two months later, they shipped us an altogether different/wrong item at the end of June. I called them and told them that I didn't want it, so they told me to photograph it in order to get a RMA or shipping label to send it back. I did. I was refused the chance to speak to a manager or higher up, and I was told to go to the chat online for that.

They sent me a label to send the wrong plane back ups, which we did at the end of June. It's now July 21, but still no replies from them as to the status of my refund. I have sent numerous emails, and I got no answer to my calls. I am now finding tons of negative complaints against this company on all sorts of consumer advocated sites including BBB and other reputable sites. This was a bad experience for all of us including my 8 yr old son, to whom this gift was for. I am trying to get Paypal to help me, and the reason I use Paypal is because its supposed to be safer..

I am having the same problems that most people have had. I ordered a remote-controlled helicopter with a lot of extra parts. Well, I got a small box of parts--some of which were missing, and there was no helicopter. What good the parts will do? I have tried to contact their live (dead) support with no luck. Calling them is useless because they never answer the phone and you can't leave a message, which I assumed was on purpose because it seems that they have robbed a few people now! The helicopter was retailed for roughly $200+.

I purchased a RC JAGD Panther tank destroyer Airsoft RC on Monday, May 4, 2009 (order number: yhst-39858413893234-48486). Rec several weeks later, found to be defective, and returned via RMA D-BN48486 on August 21, 2009. Despite many phone calls, the product has not been replaced. During the last conversation, I finally got through with Ryan, who said that the product was being shipped with a UPS tracking number, which turned out to be a false number. I am going to file charges for theft through deception with the local police. This caused me aggravation, loss of time, and cost of calls, since they are always out to lunch.

I ordered 2 rc planes-total of 800.00. I was told 1 was on order & would be available late November. The other was in stock & ordered on 12/2. After several live chat attempts & a neverending message that says call back or use live chat-we are busy. Cant leave any messages, they do not return emails & their live chat it slow & they disconnect after any questions regarding a complaint.

They say their items ship in 1-3 business days. Both items have tracking numbers that when tracked have not been shipped, billed only. They will not give a straight answer & will not answer their phone. I have requested the owner to contact me & he has not. I just want to speak to somebody, not a computer- I fear that my orders are not even available as they are just taking as many deposits as possible & ignoring any questions or concerns. I will cancel my order if needed, but I just really want what they post on their website, the products & above all the service.

I ordered and paid for two remote controll boats approx #690.00 including frieght. I Didn't received the product and they will not return my emails or answer my calls. I ordered these products for xmas presents for my kids. What Now? Please help. I have no xmas present for my children

I called Banana Hobby and ordered a RC Boat in the sum of $210.78 for my grandson's birthday present. When it was received, it never worked. When I called Banana Hobby they told me to take it to a hobby shop to see if they could fix the problem. I asked them to either replace the item or to refund my money. Banana Hobby told me they would not send a pre-paid shipping label to me, that I would have to pay the shipping costs to return this defective item. Also, that they would not refund the original shipping costs.

Now they are telling me that this is their return policy, but I was never informed of this policy when I placed my order via telephone. They did say that all of their products are 100% customer satisfaction guaranteed. Today, 10-15-09 I sent another email to Saralyn C. who is the company representative that has been emailing me. I asked her to please provide me with some sort of proof that I was advised of this return policy before placing my order. All I ask is that they send me a return shipping label so that I may return this defective item and get a full refund. We have the original box and this item has never been used.