|
|
BUYERS BEWARE!!!
|
|
I want to share my experience with Banana Hobby so that other people can avoid the same disappointment that I have had. I received a Double Horse 9100 Full Function 3 Channel RC Helicopter from Banana Hobbies as a birthday present a few weeks ago. I was very excited, the helicopter was sleek and felt sturdy (metal parts, rather than plastic on some cheaper versions I've seen). After charging the helicopter I took it out to a football field to fly (totally clear LA day, no trees overhead, soft ground to land on).
I was having a great time, the helicopter was much more responsive than smaller models I have flown and had an impressive range. But the fun was short-lived. After several minutes of flight I noticed that there seemed to be smoke coming from within the cockpit. I killed the throttle to land and inspect it, but instead of descending it started acting erratically, then flew straight up into the air completely out of control. It stalled fifty feet up and fell to the ground, but continued to act with a mind of its own. Both rotors spun randomly and jerkily until I was able to disconnect the battery from the circuit board socket. Once the smoking stopped I was able to see that some sort of short in the wires had started an electrical fire (the smoldering wires had been the source of the smoke). I was disappointed, but hopeful knowing that Banana Hobbies gives a warranty on their products. On to disappointment #2...
I sent an email to their customer support detailing what had happened and requesting an RMA number for a warranty replacement. First, it took a week before I got any response from them. The quick one-line response was a few more questions about details of what had happened. I sent a quick response with the details they requested but had to wait yet another week for the response. Their decision? They were unwilling to honor their warranty because I (taken directly from their email, with notes added):
Charged the battery for >1.5 hours (they say that this may damage the battery's ability to hold a full charge, which was not part of my problem)
Turned the helicopter on first (they claim this could allow it to pick up a stray signal and cause the control problems, despite having perfect control prior to the appearance of smoke)
Flew the helicopter for 20 minutes
Flew the helicopter outdoors in a light wind (they tell me 20 minutes of flight and breeze will deplete the battery, again not the issue I encountered)
Turned the Transmitter off first
None of their explanations addressed the actual problem with the helicopter, which was an electrical failure. They have a 30-day warranty in case "an item breaks or malfunctions under normal use," which they refused to honor.
Banana Hobby was unwilling to stand behind their product and instead invented reasons for its malfunction that are clearly at odds with how the product failed. Their customer service, though polite, was frustratingly slow and unresponsive. I strongly discourage anybody from purchasing one of their products.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|