Customer Service Question

[Phugoid]

It's obvious from some of those kits that the designs were meant to be 1/16" but 1/20" was substituted to mitigate heavy wood.

It's alright saying that you get more accurate parts by cutting them out yourself, but when you take some of the kits you throw the rubber, the prop, and the wood away, all you are able to use Is the canopy, the wheels and the plan so why bother? Where's the value?

The laser cut kit of the beaver I bought is super, it's not the lightest wood in the world, but it's good when compared to the price of the kit and all of the other stuff you get in the box. Out of that kit the only thing you can't really use is the rubber - I wish they would sort that out too!

The little 900 series bird dog will be a real winner when they laser cut it.

Andrew

[paul]

The laser cut kit of the beaver I bought is super

I too bought this kit and thought it was excellent

As for customer service, I would like Guillows to ship spare parts to the UK, direct to the modelers home address

[SteveM]

This is from the 900 series where we are talking about whole fuselage sides. It seems to be quite a contradiction that they used to offer these kits in 1/16th but decided that because of weight issues that it should be made in 1/20th. Then they use brick quality wood and it defeats the purpose!

Some time in the late sixties they switched to 1/20th. Ironically, when they were using 1/16th brick heavy wood in the early days, the vacuum formed canopies were super light. Lighter than if you made it yourself. If you want the lightest plane possible, pick up one of these older kits for the canopy and "try" to find a newer kit with lighter wood.

This is starting to sound like a troll. Up above you lament the switch from 1/16" to 1/20" and say the switch is defeated by going to "brick wood". Now you are saying that the best source of wood for a light wood is a newer kit with good wood in it and the older kits had "brick wood" too. Which is it? Do you want the newer and thinner stuff or are you still harboring a 40+ year grudge on the switch to thinner wood? Those are rhetorical questions so don't answer, it is becoming obvious that you just joined the forum to kvetch and not to contribute. No wonder customer service failed to please you.

[Phugoid]

Steve,

Do you really think it is absolutely necessary to attack people in the way you did in your previous post?

It is tantamount to bullying. Please stop. If you have a problem with this guy and think he is a troll report him to the moderator. He has an opinion and he is perfectly within his rights to state it. Conversely you have a perfect right to challenge that opinion -without getting personal.

Whilst you go off for anger management counselling it might be an idea to take a course in mathematics too. My sister was born in the late sixties and she is 44.

Andrew

[SteveM]

I am so ashamed of my maths. Thanks for pointing out the error, I have fixed it in the post above.

[vloustalot]

Actually, I have only had one reason to contact Guillow customer service. I bought a die cut Cessna 150 kit at Hobby Lobby. The parts for the fuse were well cut and I had no problem with them, but the wing ribs were really badly cut. When I removed them, a couple broke and the shape of several of them was bad. I wrote Guillow about some replacement for the ribs. No problem --- two days later, I received replacement wood in the mail. These were perfect.

IMHO, Guillows and Comet probably got more people in the hobby than any number of plans and "contest grade" balsa. When I started (some 60 years ago), my models looked terrible and few maybe 20 feet before crashing. But I built them and they flew and I caught the bug. Guillows fills a gap. Newbies can cut their teeth on these models inexpensively. They may go on to bigger and better things later, but Guillows helped get them started; at least they got me started.

My building skills are OK and I am still satisfied with one circuit in the air; but that's just me
Vince

[Phugoid]

Erm sorry Mark. If you are English (and Steve knows i am) then it is definitely "maths"

'Nuff said.

Back to the point (and believe me I'm no rep for Guillows) they are making good efforts to improve what you get in the box. Even some expensive and more "specialised / expert kits I have bought have had worse wood selection. They aren't perfect by any stretch, but they don't always get it wrong and the kits are getting better with the newer laser cut kits....

This ain't no company line, I like these kits as they are cheap and remind me of my youth building similar ones by Brit companies like Keil Kraft and Veron.

Andrew

[Phugoid]

Then I guess we Americans have perverted the precious English language because we say it without the "S" And you guys spell center like this centre.

Yes we spell it correctly, it is OUR language after all (you guys just borrow it)

Andrew

[Phugoid]

Yes, we left you with all sorts of crap, a terrible system of units too, perversely you seem to call them English units, but we don't use them anymore, unless of course you are buying beer, in which case mines a pint, not 550ml

Andrew

[Phugoid]

Well 25.4.....

[yellowlynn]

Ive only contacted customer service once. I bought a 2 engine electric that was DUD in capital letters. I called CS and she sent me a new P-38, no questions asked. Can't beat that. And She was sweet as can be.

In 1938 when kits had thick carved balsa propellers, wood weight and hardness never entered a young kids mind. So, I pay no never you mind about all the harping and carping about wood. I have never got it straight about rubber either. I just build them, and if I get 50 ft flight I'm tickled. That is good because at 83 with horrendous back and legs, I'm lucky to walk that far to retreive it.

My biggest trouble is I try to hold them gently, they slip, I grab: Bingo, instant reconstruction. I've had a Cessna 180 for many months, and I have broken the rear fuse so many times I just cut it off behind the cabin. I will rebuild and "southern engineer" putting the pieces together. I have fun and enjoy myself and let it go at that. In the Air Force I built a C-8 Link instrument trainer, and later a larger model of the B-47 simulator. So I just love modeling and don't count rivets or check tire treads.

Lynn

[vloustalot]

Marc*g, I am sorry if you feel I am spouting "the company line". I was only offering my opinion. I have bought kits from other companies, and I can find faults with most of them ranging from very soft wood to hard to follow plans. I don't compete. I build to please me. Again, only my two cents worth.
VInce

[Mitch]

I was avoiding this post but found this:

In Internet slang, a troll (/ˈtroʊl/, /ˈtrɒl/) is a person who sows discord on the Internet by trying to start arguments and upset people.[1]. They may do this by posting deliberately inflammatory,[2] extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as a forum, chat room, or blog, with the intent of provoking readers into an emotional response[3] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.[4]

While this sense of the word troll and its associated verb trolling are associated with Internet discourse, media attention in recent years has made such labels subjective, with trolling also used to describe intentionally provocative actions and harassment outside of an online context. For example, mass media has used troll to describe "a person who defaces Internet tribute sites with the aim of causing grief to families."[5][6]

I also did not know this Internet "slang". Mitch

[SteveM]

Marc, I don't know how you do things over there in Florida, but I think I can give a suitable analogy for your area. You visited a golf club and got less than satisfactory service at the club house so you walked out onto that green for the first time in your life and make a bee line for some regulars about to tee up. Without even introducing yourself you immediate complain about the service you received up at the club house. When the regulars claim they've not had any problems before and offer possible workarounds you shoot them down. So now the regulars are wondering why you walked up to them just to complain about service, something they have no control over. It It suggested you must be here looking for trouble instead of grabbing your golf club and getting on with the game. In return you begin to accuse them of being paid by the club to squelch complaints and allow only praise to be spoken. Now how long before those regulars assume the worst about you and call security to come and give you a lift?

Everyone's point of view is different, but that is what I see from where I'm sitting. You cannot deny signing up just because of a bad service experience and at least for your first few posts had the sole purpose of getting that off your chest. And you decided to do so not by creating your own thread, but by resurrecting a thread over 3 years old (someone please check my integral on that calculation) to voice your complaint, ensuring that everyone who participated in the thread originally would get an e-mail and come see your complaint. Then nothing seemed to satisfy you which leaves one wondering why you're here to complain if there is nothing we can say to console you?

You'll welcome to stay or go, but obviously the hobby and Guillow's are made better by having more people around even if we sometime shed countless electrons discussing which way a roundel should be oriented on a wing and if it really matters or not.

[SteveM]

.