My experience with Fifer Hobby has been pleasant since I have been ordereing from them since 2006. Take my advice and REQUIRE insurance on items that you order from them.
I ordered a Lenz digital system for my model railroad from them, a $351 purchase. It arrived smashed and upon opening the box I found the throttle broken and the liquid crystal in the LCD display leaked all over.
I contacted Robin at FHS and immediately started getting the excuses. First I was told to contact the post office because "they would cover it". She stated that the post office covers shipment up to a certain dollar amount for free. Having done business on eBay for a decade I knew this was not true, but I contacted the post office anyway. Unlike UPS which provides $100 coverage on any package, the USPS does not provide insurance unless it is purchased. They were real sorry, but that was about it.
So I contacted Robin again and she suggested I contact the manufacturer, Lenz. Why, I don't know. Naturally Lenz was sympathetic and offered to sell me a replacement throttle. Of course, it wasn't Lenz's fault that their product was damaged. Their warranty does not cover items damaged in shipment. Their warranty covers manufacturers defects. They were real sorry also, but that was it.
So after speaking with Robin again, the solution was "WE'LL WE DIDN'T DO THE DAMAGE", so thats it. I don't think that I am being unreasonable to expect a retailer to deliver me a product that is useable. I realize that "it wasn't their fault", but hell It certainly wasn't MY FAULT. So now I have a $350 Lenz product that is worthless. I'm not trying to sabotage anyones reputation here. But I would advise that if you do business with a company over the internet REQUIRE INSURANCE on your shipment. Else you might end up with a busted up piece of merchandise that no one wants to take responsibility for.
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