"DO NOT ORDER ANYTHING FROM Banana Hobby !!! I ordered a RC car and boat for my son for his birthday and both items were reived damaged and NOT in working condition .. Tried calling to return or exchange them , we were told to tkae 4 different pictures of all items, with box , outside the box etc.. twice and e-mail them . A return number was promised to us but to this day it was never given to us , their customer service is non-existant . Such a waste of time and money , please don't go through what we went through . Our American Express is handling this claim for us , but I find this ridiculous!!! Read all the reviews and don't believe the few positive ones because they are false !!! The quality is cheap , made in China crap and does not work !!! wish I took the time to read all these reviews first , NEVER AGAIN !!!! Don't bother calling them because no one will ever answer !!!"

"Never buy anything from Banana Hobby! I made the mistake of buying two (2) planes. Something was wrong with each. Plane one had one thing wrong. Plane two had three things wrong. That was not the main problem. You get the worse customer service in the universe. You have to Waite on the phone 30 to 40 minutes every day. EXAMPLE: Plain # 1: I had a bad ESC. It started smoking when I plug it in. Their solution, take some pictures and e-mail it to us. I did. After three days, I call to find the status. (Wait on the phone? right!!)Now, you will have to send it to us. Why you did not tell me this in the first place, you would have it by now. So, at my cost and after two weeks, I have not received the part. I know this is the problem because I went out and spent $50 to get one and it works, no problem. OH, by the way, it's going on three weeks now and I have not received parts for plane #2. I call (I'm retired) and they have not "processed" it. "

"I ordered the 7 ch F-16. The order process went smoothly. I recieved my shipment and got it put together. I had difficulty getting the reciever to bind with the transmitter and contacted customer support for assistance. I was e-mailed a video with binding instructions. I still had no luck. I sent 2 e-mails seeking further assistance. That was 2 weeks ago and haven't heard anything. Repeated phone calls only get met with insane holding times. I believe the reciever is bad based on consultations with other hobbyist's I failed to do my research on this company but I have to agree with other customer comments that this is not a company to order from. The support for life motto ends when you get your product as the make it next to impossible to talk to a real person to resolve issues. I finally gave up on trying to get any assistance to resolve the issue and will steer clear of this company ! I have one word of advice for Anyone who is considering buying anything from bananna hobby.....DON'T ! The reviews are dead on and are not just a disgruntled customer ! "

"I have ordered from Banana Hobby twice but will never order again. At first I ordered two tanks, one came broken with a broken drive wheel, it looked like someone had tried to glue it. It took quit sometime to get an RMA to send it back. By then the other tank had broken so I got an RMA to send it back.

It took six months to get replacements. Maybe the replacements weren't in stock, if so they should let the customer know.

Finally when the two replacement tanks came only one worked. The tank that was broken in the first place was the tank that was broken this time. I didn't want to go to the hassle of getting an RMA so I opened it to see if I could fix it. The circuit board is held on with only one screw and the board had broken right at the screw.

I couldn't fix it, it needed a new one. But because of the hassle from the last RMA I wasn't about to send this tank back so I just ate the $80.00.

Banana Hobby needs to work on their customer service. One thing I learned from this experience is to at least check the Better Business Bureau before purchasing from online companies.

I won't go back to Banana Hobby again. "

"i would never recomend buying from theese jerks. you call and wait 25-30 minutes than they play phone transfer games and tell you to e-mail them, you get no replys i tried writting 5 times called numerous times and tried to get my proplem solved. i ordered a 4 ch blitz 50mm fighter jet and it was supposed to be RTF out of the box i assembled it, it came with no instructions for the remote or reciver, and i think the reciver was used but not positive, i'm getting pay pal involved and better business burrow"

"DONT EVER,EVER BUY A PLANE FROM BANANA HOBBY!!!! Purchased a p-38 lighting about 2 weeks ago. Spent my time putting it together. Bench tested it because a friend of mine purchased the A-10 from them and it caught fire on its second flight. Thank God I did, mine almost caught on fire just running the motors . Both motors came loose and would have burned the plane to the ground if I didnt imediatly unplug the battery. I owen many Edf jets and prop planes. This one is by far the worst quality plane I have ever put together. Her is the conversation I had with them through email.. ENJOY!! Please wait for a site operator to respond. Thank you.

You are now chatting with 'Brad'. Thank you for waiting. May I have the last 6 digits of the order# if you have an order with us; If you do not have any order with us yet or need for help on other inquries, then how may I help you?

Kevin: bh18-104977

Kevin: hello?

Brad: how are you today sir, how can i assist you this afternoon?

Kevin: I have never delt with a company as HORRIBLE as Bananahobby and need to speak a supervisor!

Brad: i am a manager, once again, how can i assist you this afternoon?

Kevin: Call me, or give me your direct line because what I want to explain is to long to type xxx-xxx-xxxx

Brad: there are other customers that i am assisting as well so i will not be able to call you. i am only available through this chat service. i would be happy to help you with any issues that you were having though

Kevin: I just spoke with one of your customer service people and can not believe that someone that rediculous can work for you. I have never delt with any company that treats its customers like this. I have a p-38 that I have never flown with two fried motors and have called, emailed, and sent pictures to you guys. Was told a tech was going to call me then found out through customer support that the techs dont call people. If I cant talk to you then have any availble supervisor call me

Brad: no one is going to call you sir. the notes say here that you bench tested the motor for 5 minutes

Brad: thats a very long time on electronics

Brad: especially with no airflow cooling them

Kevin: The propelers cool the motors, I bench test all my planes. The problem was when the motors came off on there mounts. This is the only plane I have that the motors are held on with 2 screws? The reason why I bench tested the motors is because a friend of mine purchased a A-10 from you guys and it caught fire on his second flight. If it would have been in the air when this happened it would have burned the field down that we fly next to. Why would you put 100% satisfaction gaurentied when this plane if it is so porly made. This is not the first plane I have owned. I bench test all my stuff and have never had a issue. Now I buy one of your planes, Have a issue. Call you guys, send you photos and im treated like a lier

Brad: the warranty is void when user error is the case which is what it seems like you should never run it on the ground that long and the prop would not supply sufficient cooling on the ground. i think you should look into that before we go any further. i do fly myself

Kevin: It is not user error!!! Are kidding me. If I would have flown this plane into the air and it caught on fire, crashed into the ground and burned up the field i would be screwed!!! The propelers provide the cooling to the motors and the esc. The air flowing over them helps but 90% of the cooling is provided by the propelers!

Brad: totally not correct at sir. why dont you take it by an local hobby shop or even call in and ask them, will running my electric airplane on the ground for more than 5 minutes during a bech test harm any of my electronics

Brad: and see what they tell you

Brad: once again, the warranty does not cover user error, we even have it listed on the website to follow the preflight check list as part of the warranty

Brad: and it specifically goes over this on that list

Brad: http://www.bananahobby.com/rc-models-tips-pre-flight-check-procedure-for-r-c.html

Brad: *DO NOT EVER “Bench Test” your aircraft or helicopter by running the aircraft at more than 30% Throttle power on the ground for a length of time more than 5 SECONDS. DO not RUN at FULL THROTTLE on the Ground for more than 3 Seconds. There is no air cooling over the power system and can cause a thermal ESC shut down or failure!*

Kevin: Ya already did guy. They agree and do the same thing to there planes. You add says 100% satisfaction guarenteed!!!Oh and buy the way, if you taxi your plane you have to run it on the ground for more then 5 seconds at over 30% power to get it lined up to take off!!!!

Brad: the warranty also says

Brad: The 30 Day warranty is null and void if the item has been altered or abused. Examples: Mishandling the product, modifying or removing helicopter parts, dropping, and/or disassembling the item. Unless instructed to do so by a Banana Hobby representative, do not do any of the things previously mentioned to your item.

Brad: so i believe the 100% satisfaction is voided as well since you misused it

Kevin: Oh I misused it! I havnt even flown it!!! Did you read my last message.. How are you suppose to taxi the plane if you can only run it for 5 second!!!!

Brad: you are never suppose to taxi more than down and back, you can also damage motors and ESC by taxi'ing it too long as well

Brad: i think you need to read up more on electric deducted fan aircrafts

Kevin: Your amazing!!! You dont care about your customers from what all the reviews say. I thought they were wrong, but all the reviews about Bananahobby are true. You argue with your customers, you do not provide a service. By far you and your company are the Worst people I have ever delt with.
"

"I ordered an F 4 from Banana Hobbies on 8/12/10. All went well until I tried to taxi the plane. As soon as it started to move there was a lowd BANG. The motor and fan had exploded. I called Banana Hobies and was told to send a photo. I did not hear from them. After a week I called and was told that the Tech, Pete was not in. I called a week later and was told that Pete had said that I had run the motor too long on the ground and had burned it up. This is obviously not the case as seen in the photo. I called again. Pete was still not in. I asked to have him call me. I was told that wsa not pssable. I asked to speek to a manager, that was also not possable. I e-mailed asking to speek to a manager, that went unanswered.
The obvious conclusion; If you buy anything from Banana Hobbies you are on your own. There is no customer service, there is no Tech service. Their rating of 3 out of a possable 10 is way too high, it should be "0".
Lee Crowder "

"I have used BH for a couple years now and had not had but a couple issues. I was always treated fairly and was taken care of. Being in the hobby for 37 years I have come to realize that problems do arise. Even back in the early 70's I purchased US kits with things missing or balsa cut incorrectly. As a hobbiest I would do my own fixing and make a perfectly flying model. I do not work for BH. I only buy there products and fly them. I use my own 2 part epoxy to glue everything and have the know how about gluing foam products. I have yet to have a failure except for my own dumb thumbs. Just got the F-4 II Pro upgrade and it came with some issues. Being a modeler I know how to take of of the situation, but did let BH know of the concerns. The plane is currently in a paint shop to add a high gloss clear coat. My choice along with my DX-7 for control. I will also use my own metal gear 55 mini servos. I am satisfied with the products so far and will continue to use BH."

"Extremely negative to Banana Hobbies. We ordered and received a remote controlled airplane. We tested the remote control electronics as the first step before assembly of the plane and found it did not work. we requested RMA numbers following all the procedures and got no response. Sent it over and over and called and have not received the RMA or a call back to this day. We now have a $160 pile of junk and no satisfaction. WILL NEVER ORDER HERE AGAIN! AND ADVISE NOONE ELSE TO EITHER!

Totally Bummed!"

"9-16-10 bananahobby,what a bad experince this was.I should have done homework on them I wish I never did bussiness there, spend $150.00 on my first ducted fan jet, what a waste, what a joke, what a piece of crap,plastic hinges,plastic horns,not what I call ouality, or the best on the market,siad it could be easily hand launched,it cannot,I tryed 3 times crashed every time on take off,broke fixed and wrote them with my concerns,complained to them,sent photos,called 3 times, there responce "pilot error" 1 of there best lines.I've flown for 3 years not a expert.but I know crap when I see it, have had 4 planes, if you are going to purchase a plane,a beginer or for a child, try hobbyzone,parkzone,nitroplanes. anybody but them,read reviews,ask rc clubs, do not believe everything you read our see on there web site,every info page says almost the same time for all products,this was a bad experence,not happy,done what I could to resovle this problem with them there responce was sorry "pilot error""

"The worst instructions I have ever seen.
The F-15 arived in a very short time and in good condition.but the one picture page of so called insructions are so small I need a magnifine glass to see them,& who needs to be shown how to glue on a canopy come on.........after assembling most of the plane I hoked up the D/F unit to try it out at half throttle the fan came apart and pieces flew alover the bench. I E mailsd BH and they said to send them pictures,so they could evaluate it ,I did that and have not heard from them again. Im still waiting with a damaged plane I never got to fly.....I will not buy from them again...."

"Contrary to the assumption of one thread, all positive respondents are not employees of Banana Hobby. In fact, a few of my order numbers for nearly 25 planes are as follows: bh18-105484, bh18-105366, bh18-104050, bh18-103890, bh18-103139, bh18-103137, bh18-102467, bh18-99524, bh18-98546, bh18-98670, bh18-95460, bh18-93174, bh18-90676, bh18-89939, bh18-88683, bh18-88140, bh18-87935 and bh18-87810. A few are prop drive - most are jets. While I have many favorites, only two fell below my expectations. Meanwhile, I have made purchases from about every other supplier that can be found on the web with mixed results. So, in comparison, Banana Hobby models are the very best quality I have found.

Here are some comments about what others in this blog are saying:

Build times - First of all, most models come with a tube of glue, and the problem is most likely the drying time. Personally, I use hot glue sticks and a gun. For example, I just built the high-end F4 Phantom in 40 minutes. The F18 mid-priced takes about 20 minutes. So, it’s probably technique - not BH that is causing the problem.

Radios - Let's be serious. I fly a 10 Ch Futaba on everything. It costs about $500. The 7 channel receiver is $99 and the 14ch receiver is $199. Most of the 30 or so guys I fly with have similar highly programmable and reliable radios. So, how can anyone expect the same features, performance and quality from a $15 combo?

Order line hold times - Sure they are busy. They sell a lot of planes at a very low cost. I buy everything on line in about 2 minutes per transaction.

Support - This is where BH needs to put a lot more effort. However, I have visited the warehouse and it is clear that they are just having growing pains. They have a lot of orders and lots of new models in the queue. Most people recognize this and return again and again. So, the demand has clearly grown faster than staffing. But, don't sell yourself short on quality expecting any better overall support elsewhere. Like most, BH has excellent support stories and disappointing ones. Meanwhile, an unfortunate syndrome is the type of customer who will tie up a customer care line for an hour to complain about their $15 radio. Get the message – this class of radio is the same junk everyone else sells. So, delete them from your orders. At least BH gives you this option (Nitro and others don't).
Meanwhile, I try to show the respect for their time that I hope my customers will show me (I sell $million software - not $100 planes). This frees the available staff for others who need them - a good policy where ever you do business.
"

"WORST HOBBY COMPANY I HAVE EVER TRIED TO DEAL WITH, NOT ONE BIT OF SATISFACTION HERE, 30 MINUTES OR MORE ON HOLD AWAITING CUSTOMER SERVICE, NEVER ANSWER EMAILS TO CUSTOMER SUPPORT, HERE IT IS THE END OF AUGUST AND MY A10 I BOUGHT FROM THEM IS STILL NOT FLYABLE. THEY GET YOUR MONEY AND THEN DROP YOU THRU THE CRACKS. THEY LIE ON THE DESCRIPTIONS OF THIER MODELS ON PERCENTAGE OF ASSEMBLY AND DO NOT KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A "RTF" AND "ATF". THIER PRODUCT LINE IS A CHEAP OVERSEAS REPRODUCTION FOR LEAST AMOUNT OF COST TO THEM AND MAXIMUM COST TO THE CUSTOMER.
ON RECIEVING MY "RTF" A10, IT TOOK 6 HOURS TO ASSEMBLE, 8 MORE TO DRY, DURING PREFLIGHT FOUND A BAD MOTOR, BAD GEAR SERVO, AND BAD BATTERY. IF I WAS IN THIS BUSINESS AND SENT SOMEONE THIS KIND OF STUFF I'D BE OUT OF BUSINESS. OH AND BE REST ASSURRED THAT THEY WILL DELAY ANYTHING THEY CAN SO THAT THE 30 DAYS THEY ALLOW FOR RETURNS WILL EXPIRE.
I RATE THEM A -1000 ON A SCALE OF 1-10.
I WILL NEVER PURCHASE FROM THEM AGAIN AND I AM PERSUING FURTHER ACTIONS AGAINST THEM.
WORST HOBBY SHOP ON THE LEFT COAST.
IF YOU VALUE YOUR MONEY, SPEND IT ELSE WHERE!!!

BANANA HOBBY GETS A BIG FAT -0 WITH 0 STARS, FOR 0 HELP."

"I just received an electric SR-71 from Banana Hobby and can say that the service I received from them was excellent. This product is outstanding and just the right price. Shipment took 7 days from California to Tennessee which is only 5 working days. I called their Tech Dept. for help and they responded with the correct answers. What more can a customer ask for? I just placed another two orders for an electric F-14 and Osprey V-22. I will continue to do business with them based on the service they provided me. Thank you. AAA+++ "

"Warning!! DO NOT buy from banana hobby!!! I was stupid enough to ignore the bad reviews and I got ripped off. First of all they sent me a non functional transmitter and receiver, I sent it back for a refund and they paid me $15.00 for both which doesn't even cover the shipping I paid to send it back! Trust me, don't do it, there's lots of other places that are better and cheaper "