Very annoyed

[kevingambrell]

Well Im glad I didnt spend out money on this product. I understood from the HobbyCNC web site the aupport had to be got from the Yahoo newsgroup. So i went to the group applied for membership and got turned down! Im a member of loads of astronomy groups and activly participate in many of them. Why would I be refused membership for a comercial product support group?
Stupid beyond comprehention.

Regards kevin

P/s on principle I shall look for another source of controler board

[sendkeys]

try again might have hit the wrong button or was thinking u were a spammer. But it's wrong for sure.

[kevingambrell]

I have just re applied, il give it one more try, I would like to use one of the boards but not if I cant get support.

Thanks for the reply

[itsme]

Hi there,

Apparently membership is only for paying customers. I think you can only become a member once you've already bought one of their products.

The main reason why I went with Xylotex and not HobbyCNC was for this very reason. I had many questions that needed answering before I bought a board and HobbyCNC's setup didn't work for me. I wasn't keen on sending HobbyCNC many emails with all my questions and often wanted a broader opinion on a particular subject (from other owners). Xylotex has a similar support setup, however you can join the group without being a paying customer - this somehow gives the feeling of a more relaxed atmosphere.

I guess I can SORT OF understand why they do it this way, but it seems that it may be losing them some customers. Who knows???

Regards
Warren

[ger21]

You have to purchase the product before you can join the support forum.

[rippersoft]

You can post your questions here and the users of the product will be more than willing to answer them, if they can. What questions do you have?

[CNCRob]

That would make me look for other alternatives also.

Originally Posted by itsme Hi there, Apparently membership is only for paying customers. I think you can only become a member once you've already bought one of their products. The main reason why I went with Xylotex and not HobbyCNC was for this very reason. I had many questions that needed answering before I bought a board and HobbyCNC's setup didn't work for me. I wasn't keen on sending HobbyCNC many emails with all my questions and often wanted a broader opinion on a particular subject (from other owners). Xylotex has a similar support setup, however you can join the group without being a paying customer - this somehow gives the feeling of a more relaxed atmosphere. I guess I can SORT OF understand why they do it this way, but it seems that it may be losing them some customers. Who knows??? Regards Warren

[Evodyne]

Guys,

I do NOT own the hobbyCNC products. After reading Kevins post I did apply, just to test the waters, stating "I am looking for support for HobbyCNC products as recommended on their web site". I DID get approved.

Lance

[kevingambrell]

I got a reply from NobbyCNC. I sent this:
Dear Sir
> I am about to purchase a board from you, his my be
> prevented due to the Yahoo group hobbycnc refusing my
> membership. I am a member of a number of groups and
> have not been refused before.
> Why has my membership been denied and how can I get
> support with out the membership? I would like to buy
> your product but it is looking more unlikely as events
> unfld.
> Please respond before I make my decission.
>
> Kind Regards Kevin Gambrell

I recieved this:

Group is for customer support...until you purchase from us you are not
a
customer. Simple.

Regards,
Dave Rigotti
HobbyCNC.com

To be honest I find it stagering how a company can try to sell a product with the kind of mentality. Yes Ok if I had not stated that I intended to buy the product I could understand it but I said in my application to the group that I was trying to find out more about the board.
Well to sum up id rather carry on with out CNC than buy from them.
To be honest I looked around the net and there are much better boards out there for not a lot more money so thats what il do.

All the best Kevin

[widgitmaster]

http://www.campbelldesigns.com/breakout-board.php

Try this LPT interface, it works like a charm!
Eric

[Nige]

I ordered a HobbCNC board in June for delivery to the UK.

It never arrived...

I have no proof it was lost in the post or even if it was ever sent, but their attitude was simply 'tough'...

If I send a product in the post and it gets lost the least I will do is offer to send another at cost price, if not free...

The product may be OK but the customer service needs a little work...

Nige

[kevingambrell]

Well After this I will be looking to source another choice of boards. To be honest I thought that this kind of mentality had all but gone from businesses but it seems not.
The part I find strange is the fact that this is an American company, I lived in Boston for almost 10 years before moving back to the UK. In those 10 years I came to the conclusion that customer relations was the most important thing when doing business in America.
I guess that this goes to show that there are exceptions to every rule. I would not buy from HobbyCNC and I would not recomend the web site to any one.


Regards Kevin