Squadron Big News?

redraider56

So what is the problem everyone has with the search engine?  I find it quite simple to use and have never had any problems with it

If you type in "Bf109" you get five hits. If you type in "Bf 109" (with the space in the middle) you get 360 hits. If they're not even consistent about how they label their own stuff (and, in all fairness, how could they be, with the volume of stuff that they carry?), how can the customer be expected to guess which nomenclature they use? A good search (like the late great GM's) would find either.

waikong

I will be very happy if you revamp their site. Their search was indeed easy to use, but unfortunatley didn't find what you want maybe 40% of the time. I'm talking about knowing having a kit (saw it in their flyer), and can't find it by typing the name. Have no idea what algorithm they use for their search engine to have such poor results.

Finding the kit to order is the first step. But I decide my purchase from price and service, in that order, most of the time. It is big news when Squadron can catch up with other internet shops.

Thanks Kingthad, Jeff got in touch with me and made things right. I hope they will soon be able to use USPS again, because they have great prices on a lot of things.

For supplies, SprueBrothers does a good job, very good shipping prices. The now defunct GreatModels was, well, great. I also order from Hobbylinc.com, they have more general hobby supplies than specific items like masks and seatbelts. Jachobbies.com has excellent prices on 1/48 aircraft, my specialty. All these companies are shipping USPS, so no scam fees.

I have contacted one of the persons that Kingthad suggested, but heard nothing from them since last week. I will see if that goes anywhere.

Oh My GOOD GRIEF, if only I read your post earlier! I got reamed $18 on a $25 order by FedEx! They're almost as bad as UPS!

I have ordered from Squadron for YEARS - since around 2005, at least a few items every month - and I am now scrambling around to find an alternate mail-order supplier. My days of doing business with Squadron is over :-(

-- JN

CANADA/FOREIGN - AIRMAIL: (Actual Shipping Charge)

Sure, I paid $13 for a letter sized envelope. That must cost $13... NOT.

I found out after I pushed the Order button that they had that policy in the T&C, which I did not read before. My bad, it will never happen again. But for a US company that ships to consumers in Canada, they might as well stop shipping if they don't use USPS.

The carriers are charging brokerage fees that are always 30% to 50% of the value of the shipment. Canada Post, which handles USPS parcels here, charges $5 at most, regardless of value, but most of the time, for parcels under $200, they don't bother. Sometimes they ask for tax. I am OK with that and always pay it. But it's $5 and/or 13%, not 50%.

This order, by the way, consisted exclusively of paint masks and PE seatbelts. It could have (and it did) fit in an envelope. I even paid shipping insurance, so stupid I was...

I will email them again tonight, but one word, Fedex, on the shipping page, would have saved the aggravation. This is what makes a great company, showing important information up front, not hidden somewhere in the T&C. I work in IT, I know how easy is to change a web page to add a word, if only the will to do it exists.

oh, even simpler than what just happened to me with my order at a similar vendor

in both cases,,,,paying attention to details saves money

Rex

and yes, I am not naming the vendor,,,,,,,,it was NOT their choice, so can't be their fault

And then, sometimes, you just have to pay attention to a companies statement of policies...

"CANADA/FOREIGN - AIRMAIL: (Actual Shipping Charge)

• As of January 22, 2012, the USPS made certain procedural changes mandatory that are incompatible with our current shipping system hardware. The required changes are out of Squadron’s control and are unfortunately exorbitant. Until further notice, we will ship all international packages (INCLUDING CANADIAN) via ‘FedEx International Economy’ (even though confirmations will show FedEx 2nd day-they will not be sent via this method). We do not know what international postage will be up front as the package first has to be picked, packed, valued, size dimensioned, and then weighed at the shipping station as well as being matched up with your country code. "

So what is the problem everyone has with the search engine?  I find it quite simple to use and have never had any problems with it

how many bottles of paint, glue, thinner, primer or putty were in your order?

with any US based mail order,,,,,,one bottle or tube of any of those will bump you off from the US Postal Service,,,,,,,,,they will even argue with you at the counter allllllll day if you try to mail acrylics

once the USPS is bumped out of the picture,,,,,that leaves Fedex or UPS as the shipper,,,,it is the same for all model vendors in the US,,,it is not a Squadron only deal

Rex

Medicman71

 

Cadet Chuck:

 

Perhaps if you sent a letter to the general manager of Squadron explaining your concern, they could resolve this.  I have found them to be responsive to customer feedback.

 

 

Same here. I've always heard that they have great customer service. And i've never heard of them using FedEx exclusively. Just give them a call and I'm willing to bet that they'll be more than willing to help you.

Eh. They have pretty decent customer service - if you call. They did a solid job once when they sent me a wrong item. Got the correct one sent my way, and they let me keep the incorrect one (SAC gear struts for a Trumpy Jug) gratis.

I've had better customer service dealings with Great Models when they were around, and never had cause to actually contact Sprue Bros customer service.

$25 handling fee? ouch!!! I've had nothing but good results from Sprue Bros...

Cadet Chuck

Perhaps if you sent a letter to the general manager of Squadron explaining your concern, they could resolve this.  I have found them to be responsive to customer feedback.

Same here. I've always heard that they have great customer service. And i've never heard of them using FedEx exclusively. Just give them a call and I'm willing to bet that they'll be more than willing to help you.

A phone call would work also. Ask for Jeff or Mackey.

Thad

Perhaps if you sent a letter to the general manager of Squadron explaining your concern, they could resolve this.  I have found them to be responsive to customer feedback.

Fellow Canadians, stay away from Squadron! They stopped using USPS and now ship Fedex. I just got hit by a $25 (on a $50 order) "brokerage" fees. Of course, when ordering from GreatModels (their last sale) or Sprue Bros or many eBay stores I had no problem, because USPS/Canada Post charges at most $5 for brokerage, if they bother at all.

So when I ordered, the Squadron web site was showing just "Shipping" and the price, no mention of Fedex. Very poor website, they should have written right there the shipping company, before I put in my card number.

As soon as I got an email from Fedex I realized the mistake I did, and I emailed Squadron immediately telling them to cancel my order. From the moment Fedex receives the electronic information and send the first email until they actually receive the package there is a window of opportunity where Squadron could have stopped the parcel, if they really cared about the customer. But no, it did not happen. They never even acknowledged my email.

Compare this to JacHobbies, which has refunded me a few dollars because the shipping was cheaper then what their web site estimated.

So this was the last time I ordered from Squadron, and will give them a negative review wherever I can.

Count me among those that rarely use Squadron due to the cumbersome search engine.

Yep, Scalehobbyist has the best search engine among hobby shops.  Their prices are great and their services are superb.  They are my go-to store. 

If anyone at Squadron is reading this, Please follow this sites search engine as an example.  The best I have ever used.  The ability to filter down is wonderful.

I will be very happy if you revamp their site. Their search was indeed easy to use, but unfortunatley didn't find what you want maybe 40% of the time. I'm talking about knowing having a kit (saw it in their flyer), and can't find it by typing the name. Have no idea what algorithm they use for their search engine to have such poor results.

I always thought that Squadron's search engine was very easy to use compared to Sprue and GM.  The only annoyance was the having to hit the search button twice at the beginning.

From a Squadron rep that posted on another model forums is that they're completely revamping their web site and search engine. They know that their web site sucks and that they lose some business from it.

I would be happy if they improved thier service to equal that of Sprue Brothers.  To me there is no reason an order in by 2pm shouldn't ship the same day.  But that is just me....

plastickjunkie

I read somewhere here on this forum that a salesperson over the phone said they were redoing their search engine very soon. I hope they are doing just that.

......maybe.............

....they're backing Manny's Presidential campaign??

that was the rumor I heard to,,,

I read somewhere here on this forum that a salesperson over the phone said they were redoing their search engine very soon. I hope they are doing just that.