Feedback on hobby shop: Hobby Circle, Brooklyn, NY

[Don Gibson]

I knew the guy's name was familiar......it was on the tip of my tongue and I couldn't for the life of me remember it. - Jim ...

Kaufmann!

HOBBY CIRCLE: A NY 'Schlock' operation.
"Prices? You want prices! OK. They'll give you prices.
"Service"? You want service? Cash up front?

If you want NY MERCHANDISE: buy Standard Hobby Supply, or Trainworld .

[WANF-11--->Chaser]

You guys that have had or are having problems should write or call the NYS Attorney General's Office. That almost sounds like intentional theft to me.

[Chuck Walsh]

The NY Attorney General's Office is too busy trying to recover 100 Milllion
dollars in extra compensation paid to the former President of the NY stock exchange.

Don't spin your wheels trying to climb this grade. Move on

[WANF-11--->Chaser]

That doesn't mean you cant file a complaint. I would but then again what does my opinion count for

[BMT]

I've never been 'burned' by doing mail-order for two reasons...First, if I've never heard of the company I'm ordering from I either check with a friend or make sure I could visit their 'showroom' if I so desired. And second, as a reference, I would NEVER order something from another country and/or from the other side of the US w/o first doing a background check (like ebay feedback, etc.) or hearing from a friend first-hand about their business practices.

Also, remember that if the price of something sounds too good to be true, it usually isn't. LET THE BUYER BEWARE!

[thrdkilr]

Mr. W., please come down from your mountain top. First of all, what the Prez of the stock exchange got was legal! What this hobby shop is doing is not. Mr. BMT you have truely got your stuff together and we mere mortals can only hope to operate with your efficiency one day. #1-The web sight seem legit. #2- I placed a small order to start with for the very reason Hobby Circle was an unknown. #3- I paid with a check, not a Credit card. #4- I am providing a service to my fellow train guys. #5-I will get my money back.

Mr W. & BMT the reason I'm putting this out there is to warn fellow train enthusiast. Theres nothing like documentation to prove a point. Theres more than money envolved here, it's called principle. Last I checked, 600 people have read this, how many people have been saved a major hassle? This is research for other buyers! I have gone to the BBB, Attorney General, and will be pursuing other avenues. Your "let it slide philosophy" serve no one....

[dti406]

If you will notice that RMC has not had an ad from Hobby Circle the last few months. That is usually a good sign that the advertiser is not serving their customers, or paying their ad bill. If they are not paying for advertising they are probably not paying their suppliers. Therefore they are on a cash basis with the supplier. So they are using your money to pay for someone else's merchandise, then you get the next load, if they are still in business.

Rick

[BMT]

Well, Mr. ThirdKilr, I don't disagree with you on any of your points except the initial one: background check. It was already established by other's here that the Ebay feedback to Hobby Circle was less than ideal (late-delivery of items, or wrong item delivered, as well as non-delivery of won items). This is a tip-off that things are not 'Kosher' with a seller.

I'm not letting them off the hook, but certainly there are things a person can do BEFOREHAND so that they do not get 'taken for a ride'.

Funny thing is -- I live in Brooklyn and have NEVER HEARD of Hobby Circle. Now that says alot! The only hobby shop we have is TrainLand.

[trainschnick74]

Whoa there......

You live there and you haven't heard of them?
That speaks volumes!
Never again Kaufmann!!!!

Æ

[Chuck Walsh]

Mr. W., please come down from your mountain top. I have gone to the BBB, Attorney General, and will be pursuing other avenues. Your "let it slide philosophy" serve no one....

if you are going to entetrtain yourself by waiting for the AG office to respond to your complaint then it will take a class action complaint on behalf of all
defrauded modelers.

Have a nice rail trip to Albany. In the meantime anybody want to get back to some serious modeling?

[Chuck Walsh]

Mr. W., please come down from your mountain top. I have gone to the BBB, Attorney General, and will be pursuing other avenues. Your "let it slide philosophy" serve no one....

if you are going to entertain yourself by waiting for the AG office to respond to your complaint then it will file a class action complaint on behalf of all
defrauded modelers.

Have a nice rail trip to Albany. In the meantime anybody want to get back to some serious modeling?

[thrdkilr]

Warning and update! I wanted to wait for the check to clear. The saga has finally come to an end. I got a refund, it only took 4 months, 22 calls, 5 letter (1 unexcepted certified letter), about $20 all told in interest, phone bills, and postage. I filed a complaint with the Attorney General of N.Y., and the N.Y.C. Better Business Bureau. Warning! He changed the name of the business to A 1 Hobbies, it is lacated at 38 Franklin Ave vice 34 Franklin Ave in Brooklyn. May our hobby be purged of these scoundrels....

[JDFX]

Just another tip...

If you order something from a hobbyshop that is "out of state" from where you live, have them email, or fax you a copy of your order BEFORE sending them a check CERTIFIED RETURN RECEIPT MAIL...

If you do it THIS WAY, and they don't send you the goods, that is construed as "Mail Fraud" in which the USPS will gladly get involved.

I know someone close to my family, who does alot of ebaying, and on occasion, someone tries to screw her... She just files a report through the post office, and usually in a week, the money is returned, or the product is on her doorstep...

[KCSMIKE]

I just won an auction on EBAY with them a week ago, and called to ask not to include the "extra" $2.99 for insurance, since the item was only worth $36.00 anyway. He replied "the owner wants it that way" and asked for my credit card number. Fortunately, I submitted through Paypal and it was shipped the same day.

But I was still suspicious, and I think that all of the previous posts are right on the spot about this business.

KCSMIKE

[NYC-BKO]

I'll add my 2 cents:

A few months ago I was going to order from them, they listed an engine at a great price. The night before I called I checked their website for availability, they had just updated it and the price went up a few dollars, no big deal, still nice price, listed all road names, now remember just updated! This was after they closed that day, I called as soon as they opened the next day, mentioned the item, the person asked what roadname, I told him, reply Out of stock, OK I'll take any as I was repainting anyhow, all out of stock, they just updated their site with no mention of OOS. ( why would he ask what roadname if they were all out of stock ) Then he said he could get it at a considerably higher price, that's when I hung up the phone, I knew this place was a scam. Then all this started about them, thank goodness I never ordered from them.