• HeliPal

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Overview

HeliPal has a rating of 2.26 stars from 34 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers complaining about HeliPal most frequently mention customer service problems. HeliPal ranks 21st among Drones sites.

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What reviewers want you to know

Positive highlights

No positive highlights yet

Critical highlights

  • Customer service is slow to respond and keep going back and forth on what went wrong.
  • They state on your invoice to contact and tell them if your order takes longer than the time they quote for shipping.
How would you rate HeliPal?
Top Positive Review

“Excellent delivery time and customer service”

Lars M.
2/13/18

I was a little wary buying from Helipal.com after reading the reviews here. So after receiving my DJI Spark remote and portable battery charger in double quick time I headed here to write this review. The portable battery charger was out of stock so they sent me the remote separately which arrived in Sydney in four days. They then sent the charger a week later when it was in stock with no extra shipping costs. They communicated with numerous emails. Very happy customer!

Top Critical Review

“Complete Mess”

Mike R.
3/21/21

After ordering over 1500$ worth of equipment using PayPal. They refused to ship our order until they received a copy of my utility bill? WTF? PayPal confirmed they received the payment. So why wouldn't they ship it? Fraud! Don't do business with this company. Untrustworthy!

Reviews (34)

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Reviews that mention popular keywords

customer service (12) order (19)
Thumbnail of user miker1150
2 reviews
2 helpful votes
March 21st, 2021

After ordering over 1500$ worth of equipment using PayPal. They refused to ship our order until they received a copy of my utility bill? WTF? PayPal confirmed they received the payment. So why wouldn't they ship it? Fraud! Don't do business with this company. Untrustworthy!

Tip for consumers:
Try and buy these products from a company in the USA.

Products used:
None. Never received anything.

Service
Value
Shipping
Thumbnail of user markw291
1 review
5 helpful votes
April 27th, 2017

Ordered drone parts. Paid extra for shipping. Was to arrive in 6 - 14 days. Did not show up, tracking number did absolutely nothing. Response from Helipal: we contacted Hong Kong Poste... it could take up to 2 months to hear from them. OMG! Fighting to get my money back. Will not deal with them again... period

Thumbnail of user larsm18
1 review
2 helpful votes
February 13th, 2018

I was a little wary buying from Helipal.com after reading the reviews here. So after receiving my DJI Spark remote and portable battery charger in double quick time I headed here to write this review. The portable battery charger was out of stock so they sent me the remote separately which arrived in Sydney in four days. They then sent the charger a week later when it was in stock with no extra shipping costs. They communicated with numerous emails. Very happy customer!

Service
Value
Shipping
Thumbnail of user andrewh596
1 review
5 helpful votes
March 1st, 2020

I needed a specific frame and saw that HeliPal had it in stock. After contacting the company, they kindly let me know that their website was incorrect and they did not have the item in stock. This was okay, and we moved on.

A few weeks went by, and I had to make another purchase of a different frame item. As we needed it quickly, the item was purchased with the 'Expedited Shipping' option, adding $75 to the $400+ item cost. A day later, and I received an email from HeliPal support that their website was again wrong, and they did not have that item in stock, and would not have it for at least another week.

I requested a refund for my expedited shipping cost, and the representative, Yannis, told me "Sorry about that we cannot to waive the shipping cost and the expected restock date is around one week".

I immediately asked to cancel my order, and heard nothing back for three days. I ended up disputing the fraudulent charge in PayPal. A few hours later and Yannis again sent me an email telling me to cancel the PayPal dispute in order to send my refund.

DO NOT CLOSE A PAYPAL DISPUTE. If you do this, there is no way to open another dispute if HeliPal does not give your money back. Instead, you are supposed to wait for them to process the refund, and the dispute will be closed automatically.

As of now, I am still waiting for my refund.

Overall, I experienced:
1) Incorrect stock on the website
2) Non refund for 4 day shipping for an item which would not even be in stock for another week
3) Vendor ignored my request for a refund and to cancel the order until prompted by a PayPal dispute
4) Vendor not understanding the way PayPal operates, or was trying to trick me into canceling my dispute

Outcome and Takeaway:
There are many different websites to purchase the items that HeliPal has. Do yourself a favor, do not shop at HeliPal.

Thumbnail of user darrenj15
2 reviews
3 helpful votes
March 16th, 2017

I bought a storm srd 280 v3. Looked great. They say they are tested. When armed this one would instantly want to flip. When that had been sorted. Reflash of fc i kept crashing it and blaming myself. Turns out it wasn't me not on any ocassion. It just falls out of the air like a Rock.
I took it apart and found 2 crushed wires. That wasn't the problem.
Turns out it is probably a sync issue. Ii was trying to solder ground wires to the escs because apparently they should be there. Problem is solder won't stick to the ground pads. Not on any of them. Weird is that.
I have also purchased a s rew kit. The are 2 piece screws that break under normal tightening. They charged me 36 dollars for that kit and it's rubbish.
I also had to order numerous arms because of its fall from the sky problem. The original arms bent. The ones I had to order snap. So a difference in carbon quality.
I initially emailed them and they said send it back at my expense. 100 dollars plus.
I emailed thier tech support and recieved no answer. Yet they say they have answered all emails... no they haven't.
This rtf package cost me 700 dollars and 0ver 300 in parts to replace all the broken bits.
Perhaps I got a lemon. Bit that don't explain he dodgy screws... who makes 2 piece alloy screws... it doesn't explain the unsolderable ground pad on the escs ot the shoddy carbon arms that snap. Totally unlike the original arms.

Thumbnail of user markv167
Mark V.
21 reviews
35 helpful votes
February 10th, 2019

I recently purchased a Walkera RC Helicopter from HeliPal and the total experience was flawless. There website is extremely easy to navigate and the customer service is outstanding. I had concerns about my purchase, if it was the right RC Helicopter for me since I am a novice. There was no pressure to buy that particular RC Helicopter and was given other options that would fit me better if I chose at a significant reduction in the total price. That showed me they are not there to sell the highest priced merchandise but are there to guide there customers toward the product hat fits there needs best and they will enjoy. My purchase arrived 3 days after I ordered it and was exactly what I was hoping for.I would definitely recommend HeliPal to anyone looking to buy any RC product.

Thumbnail of user dewaynew11
1 review
2 helpful votes
October 30th, 2018

Other than the terrible customer service and shoddy workmanship of their products, helipal reps (namely jackey lee) couldn't give a flying f**k about you. I've been in need of a main deck for my srd260 for quite some time and after several requests to helipal I receive a response that the part is no longer available. It and the srd260 have been discontinued. But they are still selling the remaining units they have. Wouldnt it be so easy to disassemble a particular unit to keep a loyal customer happy? Nooooo. Can't do that.

Thumbnail of user markw268
1 review
3 helpful votes
January 24th, 2017

Terrible customer relationship refuse to refund my PayPal account or pay return shipping when they sent the wrong propellers for my Voyager 3

Thumbnail of user jeffk77
1 review
2 helpful votes
May 30th, 2016

I ordered the ninja 250.
None of the bolts were locktited. Arm came apart in first 5 mins of flight causing bad crash.
Escs stopped working after three flights.
Unwrapped escs to find soldering not connected. Had to resolder
Flying in any mode that will let you flip or roll is a bad idea.
The quad rolls like 6 times and slams into the ground.
The body is basically useless and does absolutely nothing to protect the electronics in a crash as it literally explodes upon impact. The remote has sticky throttle. The camera is extremely glitchy. Ive spent more time repairing this quad than actually flying it. I really am beyond dissapointed. It was quite a bit of money to spend on something i could have built three of them with extremely better quality. This product was a complete and total letdown. They dont do refunds which is understandable but i have built more than a handful of quads and flown for a very long time now. It is not pilot error. After reinstalling allnew bolts... having to reflash the flight controller and resolder the escs and flying with no body i seriously should have built my own. Also... one of the motors died on the 5th flight. Very very dissapointed.

Thumbnail of user kathleenb57
1 review
1 helpful vote
December 13th, 2016

Bought a srd260 didn't come with all parts as I did not see they was not included but when I had email witch they was quick to get back offering me with a great discount and free shipping so I can say great service!

Thumbnail of user tristanl17
1 review
2 helpful votes
April 4th, 2016

I believe that Helipal is an amazing website. I bought a storm racing drone and it was in perfect condition. I had a nasty crash and blew one of the motors, we emailed Helipal and they sent us 4 replacements for free without question. They usually respond on time but it is difficult with the time differences. For all of you people saying that your GPS is broken it is not Helipal's fault, it is the supplier that has made it incorrectly.

Thumbnail of user jamesw861
1 review
15 helpful votes
July 2nd, 2018

They state on your invoice to contact and tell them if your order takes longer than the time they quote for shipping. Which is ridiculous in how it is quoted to begin with. Shipping options from their site depend on what item you are ordering (not just batteries either), I logged in and put a single motor in my cart, these are the mailing Options; Option 1 is 8-16 days for $5.50 for a single 1106 Micro Brush-less motor 3400KV (Shipping weight is. 135 Kg). Option 2 is 3 - 4 days for $21.49 (LOL). I have ordered several times from this company, shipping is ALWAYS painfully slow. My orders always seem to be delivered on the last day of the week - month range stated by Helipal or the day after the last day in the range. They rarely (almost never) provide a tracking number. The shipping options they provide are inconsistent. I am waiting on an order that was shipped on the 19th of June according to my invoice. Today is the 2nd of July. 12 days. The item was to be delivered 7-15 BUSINESS days, non-work days don't count, (FIRST GOTCHA). It's been 12 days but only 9 business days. If it arrives in 15 business days it will actually have been 22 days (that's a whole extra week they are covering their $#*! with). If you need a part and its not on E-bay, not available in any other country or from any other supplier or the manufacturer, and you cant cobble it together with sticks and glue, but Helipal has it then either you pay extra for express shipping (which is also always late by the way) or you wait for the slow boat.

I'm done with them. I have lost weeks of flying cause they cant seem to find the DHL truck or a reliable shipping process.

Thumbnail of user zackm24
1 review
2 helpful votes
April 15th, 2016

I've ordered two SRD 370's as well as replacement parts as well as parts for upgrades. Everything arrived within a week in perfect working order. With all the complaints about defective parts, they send out a lot of stuff there are obviously going to be a few defective parts. It just seems that people who have a negative experience are much more likely to post a review. I couldn't be happier with helipal, they've answered all my emails quickly and in great detail and the drones I purchased are amazing.

Thumbnail of user helipalr
1 review
3 helpful votes
August 20th, 2017

Despite what their site says or what any of the employees suggest, you will never receive your order in the timeframe that is suggested by HeliPal.

If your product arrives at all, it will be shipped by the cheapest and slowest method possible.

DO NOT PAY FOR FASTER SHIPPING!

They will just keep the extra money and the delivery will still likely take 6 weeks or more.

Customer service contact is futile.

Employees must get tired of spewing the same drivel that blames the postal system (with no proof BTW), because they always offer the same excuse in almost the same syntax every time!

If you do not mind waiting for a few months to get your purchases, you may find value here. Otherwise they are only good for wasting a LOT of time.

Thumbnail of user jenb37
1 review
10 helpful votes
November 17th, 2015

Bought my son a drone for his bday. Arrived broken. After several emails back and forth they said I could return but had to pay for return shipping. Turns out shipping costs more than I paid for drone. We are out the money. So sad. Wish I would've read this reviews before I ordered. I've reported them to the US Federal Trade Commission, Econsumer.gov

Thumbnail of user kennyd17
1 review
3 helpful votes
April 9th, 2016

A great company very fast shipping I ordered an align mr25p on a Monday at my doorstep Thursday morning from Hong Kong. All the bad reviews that I read sounds like playing negligence to me I would highly recommend them I will definitely be using them again

Thumbnail of user michaelm531
1 review
2 helpful votes
February 18th, 2017

I ordered a SRD 280 RTF. Never flew a drone before a day in my life. Needless to say my 3rd try on flight ended up 1000 feet in the air, lost control and hit the ground pretty hard. Got ahold of them and they said to send it back for repair. It cost me $80 to send it back with the the 3 day shipping. They received it on a Wednesday and the following Tuesday I got an email from them letting me know the repair was complete and to send $40 paypal. To make a long story short the $40 covered the repair and shipping back to me, with an email and tracking to let me know when it shipped and when it was to arrive. WOW!
I learned how to fly and am in the process of ordering another new drone from them. There customer service is excellent and I wont buy from anywhere else. Highly recommend them to all drone enthusiast and newbies.

Tip for consumers:
Be aware that there time difference is roughly 13 hours ahead of the US to allow them to respond to your emails.
If your place and order mid January be aware the chinese new year is there biggest holiday and they wont be in the office for 4-5 days.

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user troyb43
1 review
3 helpful votes
April 12th, 2017

I just ordered a storm srd127 drone rtf, like anything u buy u go through and tighten all the bolts up, they where all loose for one for two I ran 1 3s 450 mah through the drone with no problem, and then I ran the 2nd battery 2 minutes into the flight and it dropped out of the sky, it turns out the 15a ESC and maybe the control board went up in smoke, so it say on there website you have 3 day from the day u purchase it to contact them if there has bin any problems with my purchase via email, i tried 3 time yesterday the day I received it, and today several time email and paypal filed a claim so maybe now I, ll hear something, all I want is them to fix it or replace it, seeing how I really enjoy the SRD127 I think its great, they would be a much better company if they had a way different customer service, love the drones but hate the people that work for them, all I want is a working drone, seeinf how I have stage 4 colon rectal cancer and all I, m trying to do is enjoy and have fun with the time I have left on this earth...

Thumbnail of user keving45
1 review
2 helpful votes
July 5th, 2014

I ordered a Walkera V450D03 from Helipal. The Delivery service was fast, but I had to pay express shipping (DHL) extra ~100 USD since it had a Lipo battery.

Although in the product description it said "WE PROMISE THAT WE WILL SEND YOU EVERYTHING!". The Helicopter was is a V450D01 box and did not contain the Helicopter User Manual.

Not sure if I was sold a returned product as new.

Thumbnail of user deanh39
1 review
2 helpful votes
March 30th, 2016

I wanted to put in my two cents - I also purchased an SRD370 from them - with extras it came out to ~ $1300 US. My NAZA2 GPS module was also defective as someone else had claimed in another review. I cannot fault Helipal for that, as they do not make the product, DJI does. I received fairly good troubleshooting information from them and quick email response times (within 1 day accounting for the HK and US EST time difference). All said, everything took about 1 week to resolve due to shipping transit times but they sent me a replacement once they narrowed down the issue - at first they thought it may have been the main control board so I had sent that back first.

In my opinion, for the breadth of products, competitive pricing, and selection that Helipal offers on their site, the transit time and shipping costs from HK to the Eastern US is a manageable trade-off for me.

Thumbnail of user syg
1 review
5 helpful votes
April 18th, 2011

I ordered 3 parts for my walkera 4 dragonfly, they were one of the few sites that had all the parts in stock, they kept me up to date via email and the parts arrived in less than a week. They were also cheaper than the other parts sites.

Thumbnail of user johnf12
1 review
6 helpful votes
April 9th, 2010

This appeared to be a well organised web site with well thought out details of their products and spares. Placing an order was easy, but contacting them since has become difficult. Upon attempting to send an email, it was subjected to a security code, which was impossible to copy. Hence an email could not be sent. I placed an order on 02 April 2010, which should have arrived by special postal delivery within 3 / 4 days. I am still waiting for the order to arrive.

Thumbnail of user sm1053
1 review
3 helpful votes
May 13th, 2017

Never again. Way too slow shipping... customer service full of excuses. Will never use helipal again.

Thumbnail of user ericc142
1 review
4 helpful votes
October 21st, 2017

Don't be fooled by these sucking con artists!
There aren't customer services. Fake tracking number. All the time same reply. Horrible!

Thumbnail of user nateg2
1 review
11 helpful votes
August 7th, 2015

We purchased 2 storm racing drones with GPS last week. Shipping was fast everything came ready to go. Read all the instructions carefully watched numerous videos on proper start up and set up. One of the drones worked excellent the other had some issues with the gps. First flight it flew ok then decided to take on a mind of its own. It went up about 50 feet and would not come back so I shut down the remote to initiate the return home feature. Which worked excellent on the 1st drone. Not this one. The drone full throttled out of sight and disappeared. $700 down the drain. Customer service is slow to respond and keep going back and forth on what went wrong. It was completely a gps malfunction and not an operator error. We will continue to post bad reviews until this issue is fixed. Not only did the drone take off and disappear but it flew away into a neighborhood somewhere and could have injured someone.

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