HobbyTown USA

ZZERO STARS!!! Do not waste your time or money going to hobbytown. I bought an RC part, it doesnt work, they will not take it back or swap it out. What kind of way is that to do business?
Needless to say not another nickle hobbytown, not another nickle. KMA

Don’t waste your time coming here! Called Parmer location for a part.
employee: we have a lot in stock
Me: okay on my way drove 40 miles… asked for part…
employee: «oh we are out»
Me: I just spoked to you about 30 minutes ago.
Employee: well we are sold out. You are better off ordering online.
Me: «FRUSTRATED» cooled off. I asked do you have/​sell any Redcat racing parts
Employee: Nope
Me: are you serious… then what’s behind you
Employee: oh
Me: if you didn’t want to help me then you should of said something instead of giving false information. What the heck are you doing here…

This place is great. Reasonably sized hobby store with an assortment of build it yourself projects. A large portion of the store is dedicated to remote control cars, planes, boats, etc and the parts for them, but there are tons of other items mixed in as well.
The staff was friendly and knowledgeable, and made suggestions on what to buy based on what I expressed interest in. They seemed genuinely interested in the products, and shared first hand experiences they had with them «out in the field».

Every one in Hobby town is helpful and friendly they answer all questions asked in a very polite and friendly tone I had hundreds trying to figure what RC I wanted great bunch of guys

I am revising my review from a previous one. If you are going to be in the hobby of RC cars you will probably have to go to this store. They have no databases to look up parts for any RC cars that I have seen. It’s not like going to car part store where they can just look it up for you. In fact almost every time I go there I hear them ask other customers if they have their parts number. It seems very abrasive and irritating. I personally think it’s a major flaw in their business design. It forces there employees in a very bad position. The technology is easier now so you can look up your own parts number on your phone And I highly suggest you do before you go in here.
I guess if you want to upgrade parts you’re going to have to look those up too because there’s no way to do that either. All the parts are hung up in sections by numbered Rows. I run Traxxas trucks so I’ve gotten to know that section pretty quickly.
There’s a really tall guy at the north store who was extremely helpful to me and seems like a really nice guy. He took some time to explain batteries to me and figured out how my charger worked for me. There’s a couple of the employees there I must say I don’t care for at all. The good is they have a lot of really cool fun stuff. The bad is it’s not a really cool fun place to shop.

I walked in this place to look at drones. No one greeted me. But what really sucked, is that they don’t have a bathroom for there customers. So I had to go use the restroom at Frys. So guess what Frys made the $ 1300 I spent on a drone.

Tony is awesome! Absolutely amazing! He was so kind and helped my son diagnose an issue with his RC car. He really impressed me and treated my child so well. We will shop there over and over just because of him — although everyone there has always been wonderful. :)

Tony and the staff are great. They helped my friend and I decide on which quadrocopter was best for beginners. They have most of the replacement parts for the Quad we purchased and were happy to order other parts.
We had an issue where all of our quadrocopters linked to one controller and couldn’t figure out how to fix it. The staff was able to give us the solution promptly over the phone.
Well done, chaps.

I went here to get a birthday present for my boyfriend. I walked in, and 3 employees were standing behind the counter, and I got a very unwelcomed «hello», I didnt think anything of it. was looking at the model cars, Gundams, and was looking for a model tank. I found the gundam I wanted to get, but couldnt find the car or tank, I was looking back and forth throughout the wall where all the models are, for at least 10 min, with no one asking me if I needed help looking for other stuff. I went up to the counter, and asked a older gentlemen if they had any tank models, and that I saw the World War II airplane type models, but no tanks. This is what I got back «They are over there, at the end of all the models on the wall» not here let me help you look” clearly I hadnt found them over there…
I went back to look on the wall, and still ANOTHER 10 minutes went by, and no help. I gave up and just got the Gundam. When I went to the counter, the same gentlemen from before goes, very rudly:
Him: «Is that a gift for someone»
Me: «Yes it is»
Him:“have they built one before“
Me:“yes“
Him «oh ok»
Me: «does it come with…» and before I could finish he interrupted me
Him: «It comes with everything»
Now some might think this isnt bad customer service, but I have worked retail before, and we strived to make people happy, asked if they needed any help, and were polite, even if that customer was rude.
Maybe I’m just used to that customer service, but I did see other people in there, guys mostly, and they were getting helped and friendly comments. I felt as if it was because I was a women. Idk, maybe it was just me, I will go back here if i need any gifts or anything, but I will show the employees just as much respect as they show me.

Let me start by saying I’ve been a customer for over five years and I have had the occasional good experience, but the bad ones far outweigh the good. Hobby Town USA is where customer service goes to die.
I worked in a mom and pop hobby store during high school in the early ‘90s and a lot has changed. Technology for sure, but a lack of caring about how your customer feels or even if they’re buying the right thing for them has taken a back seat to the Wal-​Marting of hobby stores. What happened to being able to bring your project in and they guy behind the counter spending 20 minutes to help you find a $ 2 part knowing you’ll come back for that next big plane because they took the time to help. You can’t even open a sealed box with an associate’s assistance to see if it’s going to work.
The proverbial straw came when trying to find an axle for my nose gear. It just needed to bolt into a 5/​32″ wire. I remember seeing these back in the day. A fairly common part. Of course I went to look for it at the north store. I’ve learned that if you ask for some for something specific they will vaguely point you to the section of the store it might be found. They may bust into flames, if they come out from behind the counter. I couldn’t find the axle so I asked. Mistake #1. The associate spent a few minutes listening me describe what I needed, «A nose wheel axle». He was not able to understand what I was looking for. I gave him several manufacturers that made them including Carl Goldberg, Du-​bro, Sullivan, and Great Planes. A few minutes went by and finally the associate asked me if it was an e-​flite.
I replied, «No.»
“What is it?,” the associate replied.
«It doesn’t matter. It needs to fit a 5/​32″ piano wire,» I said.
It’s a Dave Brown retract. That information would not have helped him.
After a few more minutes I realized he couldn’t still be searching his inventory. I told him that i could google it at home if that’s all he was doing.
I left and went home. I found the part, in fact a Du-​Bro and Great planes version by typing in «Nose wheel axle» in Google. I liked the GP better so I grabbed the part number and went to the Hobby Town website just to see if they had it in their inventory. I found the part and had it on order for store pickup at the South Store in about 10 minutes. If the associate didn’t know what I was talking about, why didn’t they say that and maybe show me what he’s searching. Everything has a picture next to it. One of the biggest things I’ve learned about customer service is the phrase, «I don’t know, but let me find out».
This is getting too long so I’ll try to wrap it up. Made it down to the South store to pick up my order. I received an order confirmation. Upon arriving at the store, I was told it «hadn’t processed yet». There was no explanation of what that meant except it wasn’t ready for me to pick up. I sighed and walked over to the section to find the part. There was no offer to help. Just a kind of oh well, you ordered and it’s not ready. I was finally joined by an associate to help me look after my partner questioned them about weather or not they wanted to make money or not. The associate knew what I was talking now about and even found and older Goldberg version that was only $.99. I then found the 1 GP version I had ordered. But then I said what do I do about the order.
«Can I just take this to the front and fill the order that I’ve already paid for?» I asked.
«No we usually tell people to cancel their order,» replied the associate.
That was it. I tossed the axles in the air and said «I’m done!»
I spent 10 minutes searching my order on my phone to cancel, but found no way to cancel. I ended up calling customer service. I will have to admit that Hobby TownUSA must be very concerned with customer service since they have an answering service on the weekends. Much better than someone who can actually answer questions.
My partner picked up the axles for me. My order will be canceled so I’m told by the answering service.
I hope to never set foot in this sad, Wal-​Mart of Hobby Stores again. I am sorry to all my friends I have sent there through the years. This is not the hobby experience you deserve.
— Daryl
My order was finally cancelled four days later.

They’re not helpful, rude, their selection is limited. This is for both stores. They have a no refund policy that is practically hidden on the register. After lengthy discussions on items and almost $ 200 spent we are stuck with a gift card that we’d almost rather burn! Will never give them another dime!

Update to my review. After expressing my concern, I was contacted by the Franchisee, Chris (promptly). Although the store’s policy’s are fairly rigid and perhaps not as flexible as most would like, I understand that the nature of the hobbies they sell (R/​C primarily) lend to wear and tear on products and a firm stance has to be the «official» position. However, after hearing my case, Chris agreed to take the Helion back and, although he offered me a full refund, I elected to use the credit towards a better manufactured R/​C car for my son. So the out of pocket was a little more for me, but I am now a satisfied customer. Admittedly, the manager that I originally worked with (or tried to work with, more accurately) is deemed a little too impersonal to have empathy, but I’m sure the company is working on that.
Tony, one of the other managers who helped me on this after the fact, was awesome.
A+ and now 5 stars in my book.

I love hobby town! Got a mini drone here and it’s a blast! Great staff and management. I 100% recommend this place if you are in favor of a good time.

My focus in the radio control is helicopters and quad copters. This store carries a few of the smaller helis and quads. They do carry parts for the things they sell which is a big positive. There are a couple of negatives for me. I believe that their focus is primarily RC cars. They don’t seem to have much knowledge of helicopters and quads. They are beginning to carry some products that are higher end such as good quality Savox servos. Usually when I go there it is to buy a part that is small and cheap making it less cost effective to purchase online. It doesn’t make sense to pay $ 6.49 shipping on a $ 2 part after all. I have bought some more expensive thing there in an effort to support my local hobby store even though I could buy them online for less. The rise of online commerce was basically the death knell for the specialized local hobby stores. Few stores carries parts and electronics for our big, expensive RC helicopters. Though a quickly growing segment of the hobby, stores have to invest in a great deal of expensive inventory that is on a very short development cycle, in order to be successful. Last year’s electronics and kits are not likely to sell. This leads to a situation where most people rely on a few larger online retailers for their hobby purchases. This store doesn’t seem to have many employees with more than very basic knowledge of the products they sell. Customer service is OK most of the time.

Crappy customer service, no greeting or asking if I need help, or what i’m looking for.
Ignored pretty much.
Employees playing with their phones.
two stars for their selection. otherwise 1.
cheaper prices online. sad.

My cousin and I were looking for a place to find decorations for his classroom since school will be starting soon. I typed in «teacher supply store» into Unilocal,and HobbyTown popped up. We had never been there, and we assumed by the name that this place was like a Hobby Lobby that believed in women’s rights.
We were embarrassed as soon as we walked in – it was definitely not what we were looking for, but they had a great selection of Gundam figures. The service was nice, and the shop was very clean. Unfortunately, we were stressed for time, but I will be back for my figure!

Tony was great!!! The red-​headed guy tried his best and figured out the problem… my dongle. (Isn’t it always!) but only Tony was willing to do the right thing and replace the defective one. The manager wanted me to come back tomorrow so they could get approval from Phoenix Fight Sim. That is terrible customer service… I bought the thing from you; you should handle defective parts. If everybody there can follow Tony’s lead, they’ll do fine. If not, Amazon Prime.

After going by the Traxxas trailer way too many times during X Games, I decided I had to have an RC car. Did some research, and decided to visit my local hobby shop, to get some good advice on what to buy. Advice was good, but the color of the car I wanted was not; all they had was silver. Was told they could order the color I wanted, but decided to think about it for just a bit more, so left. «A bit more» equated to 90 minutes, and when I called back to order, they told me they couldn’t take order over the phone. Checking my calendar quickly to make sure it wasn’t 1967, I told them I’d stop down in the next couple of days. I did, only to be told by the same guy that told me orders couldn’t be taken over the phone that I couldn’t order the color I wanted. Checking to see I wasn’t talking to Henry Ford, I decided if I was buying a $ 675 RC car, I was damn sure I would get the color I wanted, so left the store, ordered on the internet, (no sales tax), and picked it up 3 days later at the FedEx office around the corner from this place.
I’ll keep my business local, but only when the shopkeeper is interested in it.

We bought the Polar Express Lionel train (the upgraded version) on Black Friday. We love it! Had a slight problem, contacted the store and the owner (Chris) helped us get our issue fixed. What’s not to love? Plus it’s supporting a locally owned shop. Since we are just starting off with our train, well need lots of scenery and like to add more trains — we’ll be going back to work with these guys again!

I apologize to anyone shopping at Hobbytown on Sunday, August 11^th. I brought my 4 and 2 year-​old sons to this store, and their frequent yells of «WOW!», «WHOAH! ANOTHER AIRPLANE», «ELECTRIC TRAIN!» must have been distracting and a little deafening. Ok, the train one was actually me.
I’ll keep it simple here. This is a bad-​ass store full of cool stuff for everyone from serious RC-​enthusiasts to excitable kids of all ages.