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Tuesday, March 18th
Since its founding in 1985, Horizon Hobby has become a major player in the radio control products and accessories industry. The company is fueled by a dedicated team that is committed to inspiring its customers. Horizon Hobby offers a collection of brands that reflects the pinnacle of RC innovation and performance, providing advanced technology, convenience, and enjoyment to RC enthusiasts across the globe.
Clean and modern UI
Shopping at Horizon Hobby is a breeze. The company offers an easy-to-find "shop” tab if you want to get right into toy browsing. If you know what brand you want to shop for, you can start with brand names instead. On top of easy searches and quality filters that allow you to limit your options by 14 different filter types, you can easily see how popular items are. There are start ratings available at a glance on individual listings as well as the total number of reviews offered by customers who have purchased an item before. The design of the site is clean and modern and makes it easy to get what you need quickly.
Sorry, no drones
To compare prices at Horizon Hobby with other companies in our review, we examined the price ranges of remote control drones and vehicles separately at each store. Additionally, we analyzed the least expensive and most expensive RC items. In terms of drones, we were disappointed to find that Horizon Hobby doesn't have any. We checked a typed-out search and the helicopter section to see if the popular quad-copters were included there, but there just aren't any high-end drones at this retailer. So, if that's what you're looking for, you'll need to shop somewhere else.
Good variety of other RC options
For vehicles, Horizon Hobby offers a variety of options. You can choose by your skill level or just start browsing ready-to-operate products. There are a total of 191 planes, 353 ready-to-run RC cars, 13 helicopters, and 46 boats. Through all these items the prices range from $19.99-$1399.99 which also reflects the prices for the cheapest item ($19.99 for an RC plane) and most expensive item ($1399.99 for an RC truck) at Horizon Hobby.
The company sometimes offers repairs
While Horizon Hobby does offer repairs, at the time of our review this service was unavailable. The company notice states that once the updates to the website are complete, you can go back to getting your items repaired by their experts. However, there is no statement about how soon this will happen. They appear to work on most types of RC when the service is working - except for JR products, including DSMX add-ons to JR radios.
Free shipping on $99+ or for military members
If you're looking for free shipping, you're in luck. Horizon Hobby offers a deal for free shipping on orders $99+. On top of that, Horizon Hobby offers free shipping to demonstrate its support for military servicemen and servicewomen, extending this benefit to APO/FPO addresses. However, it is important to note that LiPo batteries cannot be shipped to overseas military addresses due to regulations set by the United States Postal Service.
30-day limited returns
Horizon Hobby is committed to delivering products that bring joy and satisfaction to its customers. Within a 30-day window, customers can initiate returns for a full refund or store credit. The returned merchandise should be in new and unused condition, with its original packaging, parts, accessories, and materials. Unfortunately, if you do decide to make the return, you will be charged for shipping as well as any applicable fees, duties, and taxes related to returning the package, which isn't ideal.
No customer service
In terms of reputation, Horizon Hobby isn't the most impressive. It holds a passable "B-” rating from the Better Business Bureau. However, its star ratings are much less positive. With a 1.5-star average on the BBB site and only a 1.7-star average on Trustpilot, customers aren't particularly pleased with their experiences at Horizon Hobby. Review after review for this company shows that customers struggle to get a hold of customer service. Many reviews complain that Horizon Hobby has "zero” customer service at all. Customers struggled to reverse charges, cancel orders, or even get a representative to talk to them after opening a claim. Overall, it seems safer to go with a different RC toy company that you can trust to have your back.
Check out a different RC shop
While there's a truly massive selection of RC toys at Horizon Hobby, it doesn't seem worth the hassle to buy them here. With all the complaints about customer service, mistaken charges, and customers unable to get their money back, there isn't a lot of security to ensure customers feel good about their purchases. So, with that in mind, this is one of the lowest-rated remote control toy stores on our list. You'd be better off checking out another company where you can guarantee returns and positive customer service experiences.
Remote control toy stores are a paradise for all toy enthusiasts, young and old alike. With buzzing drones, lightning-fast race cars, graceful RC helicopters, and futuristic robotic creatures, there are tons of new and exciting ways to enjoy remote control toys.
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Not sure where to start to get your next RC gadget? We've checked out all the best companies for you. Here are some key factors to consider when browsing remote control toy stores:
To help you get one step closer to a fun new remote control toy, Top Consumer Reviews has evaluated and rated the best options out there for remote control toy stores. We hope this helps you get back into the carefree fun of a shiny new toy with the marvels of modern RC technology.
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