Jason M.

I'll try to make this as concise as possible, though the situation ended up being rather complicated.

I tried to order some batteries for a quadcopter I own from the GB site. They were listed as in stock, but were not. They did not contact me to let me know this fact, even though I had paid nearly $15 in expedited shipping. I found out by contacting them after the batteries not shipping for over a week. When I made contact I was told it would take a week for them to be back in stock. I wait that week, and of course the were not back in stock and told that it would take another week. I elected to get a refund instead, which they did process very quickly.

Given all the above issues Gearbest elected to offer me a $10 credit for the issues I had with my order and have since actually given the credit.

There were some other issues that are rather complicated. One suggestion I will make is for them to update/improve their on site messaging system. It can be rather confusing at times, and can look as if they've deleted complaint or support tickets when they may not have. I know I've read at least one other review complaining of the same thing.

All in all though, they did do their best to make the situation right, and give my account the $10 credit so while I would still be wary and ask customer support if an item is actually in stock before making a purchase, it does seem that if you have an issue they will deal with it if you stay on them.

I've purchased several items from BG over the last couple years as I've started in the RC (Radio Control) hobby. While some items I've purchased have arrived in a timely manner with no issues, my last few interactions with this company have turned out to be rather troublesome.

First, I ordered an RC helicopter on 12/10/15. Nowhere on the product's page did it state that the product was on back order and I wasn't notified of this fact for nearly 2 weeks. It then took an additional week and a half before the heli was finally dispatched.

Second, there is incorrect information on the "Questions" section of the product's page. I purchased the Bind and Fly version, which means it doesn't come with a radio control. I purchased this version because the "Questions" section states that it was compatible with a radio I already had from a previous RC helicopter purchase. Needless to say, it wasn't and that ended up costing me an additional $25 to purchase the appropriate transmitter from a seller on Ebay. The transmitter actually ended up arriving before the helicopter even though I had ordered the heli first weeks earlier.

Third, when the heli finally arrived it looked as though it was simply tossed in a box. It was not secured at all. RC helis can be very fragile and if you don't secure it properly it's sure to arrive broken. The fact that it wasn't secured at all, and the fact that it was on back order, and then no longer on sale after I made my purchase leads me to believe they were simply trying to get rid of old undesired or previously returned stock.

Fourth, the first time I tried to fly the heli the tail boom flew out of the base and cracked, leaving the heli useless, which is no big surprise considering the way it was shipped.

Fifth, while it's only been a couple days I'm afraid that I'm starting to get the all too common BG customer service run-around. I got in touch with their "Live Chat" service, and was given an email address and a list of what I needed to include in my initial email. These included a picture of the shipping packaging, photos of the damaged item, and the order number. I told the "Live Chat" customer service rep that I didn't save the original shipping packaging because I didn't know that I'd need it for a return. She said that wouldn't be a problem.

So fine, I send all the above requested info in my first message to the email address I was provided except for the shipping packaging which I let them know I didn't have as well. I told them that their "Live Chat" customer service rep said it wouldn't be a problem and that I had a copy of that conversation if need be. I get a response the next day now asking for a video of the heli demonstrating the problem (which is impossible since it broke irreparably the first time I tried to power it up) which I also stated in my initial email. They also asked for a picture of the original shipping packaging again which means they didn't even read my initial email to begin with.

Sixth, They're selling an upgraded version of an RC plane. The upgrade is a gyroscope that helps the plane remain stable, and thus easier to fly. It says that it's the upgraded version on the title and several other places throughout the product page in big bold black lettering. Unfortunately, in their US warehouse they're still selling the older, non-upgraded version and it states that only once in fine print on the product page. I had purchased the non-upgraded version not seeing the fine print, but thankfully was able to get BG to refund the purchase fairly quickly, so I could purchase the newer upgraded version, for an additional $11. If this isn't false advertising it's certainly as close as you can get!

I'm sorry this is so long winded, but it's the only way to explain the situation fully. If you're fortunate and get a well made and working product then lucky you! If your product is not in stock or back ordered they will not post that on the product's page, but they might let you know in a couple weeks. Of course they won't expedite the shipping though to make up for the initial shipping delay. If your product arrives defective or broken (if they're not just reselling already returned or defective stock to begin with) you'll get the run around from "Chloe" and "Maria" and "Janey" who are obviously just silly ploys to "Americanize" their overseas customer service reps who simply pick what they think is the most appropriate response from a pre-made list of canned responses.

I told them I'd be happy to even accept an exchange instead of a refund, and I'm still getting the runaround. Hopefully they'll resolve the issue soon, but I'm not optimistic. With any luck your experience will be different.