FRAUD Warning!

Started by Greg Kittinger · 17 · 11 months ago · scam, warning
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    Greg Kittinger said 1 year, 8 months ago:

    Back in November, I spent about $30 ordering some paint from HobbyWorld, ostensibly based in New Hampshire. I received an email saying the paint was back-ordered, but my CC was charged anyway. I followed up multiple times - both by phone and email - and never received the paint (I ordered from elsewhere in the meantime) nor a refund. Because they don't have a physical address, there is not a way to post Google reviews, but I did find a facebook page, and low and behold, it was replete with similar experiences posted by others. I would recommend avoiding this vendor at all costs and spreading the word. I suspect this is either a scam, or at the least a very unscrupulous enterprise, and not worthy of our patronage: https://hobbyworld-usa.com/

    1 attached image. Click to enlarge.

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    John vd Biggelaar said 1 year, 8 months ago:

    Thanks for warning us, Greg @gkittinger

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    Spiros Pendedekas said 1 year, 8 months ago:

    Thanks for the heads-up, my friend @gkittinger!

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    Jay Mitchell said 1 year, 8 months ago:

    Thanks for the warning @gkittinger !

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    Tom Cleaver said 1 year, 8 months ago:

    These guys have been bad news for awhile. There was a long thread about them at The Other Place a few months back.

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    George R Blair Jr said 1 year, 8 months ago:

    Thanks for the info, Greg (@gkittinger). Getting the paint and weathering stuff I need is always a problem at my local hobby store, so I have one or two online places that have good stocks and short shipping. My wife is a quilter and she says there are similar problems with some places offering things they don't have.

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    Greg Kittinger said 1 year, 8 months ago:

    UPDATE: When I sent the link of this review to the HobbyWorld email address, I finally received a response from Matthew Bole, the sole proprietor of this online store. He did send me a refund (about a buck short of the amount owed) via PayPal. It is disappointing that it takes so much effort to get some folks to respond, but at least social media leverage can sometimes help remedy ill-treatment.

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    Robert Royes said 1 year, 8 months ago:

    Good looking out, Greg.

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    Spiros Pendedekas said 1 year, 8 months ago:

    Indeed, my friend @gkittinger!

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    Alan Li said 1 year, 8 months ago:

    What makes this vendor a definite "No-no" is how its website is prepared: I went to the website and clicked on "About us" at the very bottom, and I see this:

    1 attached image. Click to enlarge.

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    George R Blair Jr said 1 year, 8 months ago:

    I am glad you got your refund, Greg (@gkittinger). At some point it becomes more about the principle of the thing than the actual money.

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    Matt Dyer said 11 months, 3 weeks ago:

    Over past 20 or so years, I have spent thousands of dollars with hundreds of vendors on the Internet. I imagine I am no different than the rest of us. With all of those vendors and all of those sales I have never once been ripped off. I have never once failed to get a refund when something was out of stock or became unavailable. EXCEPT for this vendor. I ordered some Hataka paint from them, they immediately charged my credit card, and then I heard nothing. I emailed them. No reply. I tried to call, but it went straight to voicemail. I did go to my credit card company eventually, but I was told that the transaction was over 90 days old so they could not help me. The only difference between this guy and Jesse James is that Jesse James used a gun. With so many good vendors out there ready to sell us the hobby supplies that we need, there is absolutely no reason to think of sending an order to http://www.hobbyworld-usa.com. I hate to be negative here, but this vendor is in a bad class by himself.

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    Felix said 11 months, 3 weeks ago:

    Sorry to hear about the bad experience you made, Greg.

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    Tom Cleaver said 11 months, 3 weeks ago:

    Well said Matt!

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    Michel Verschuere said 11 months, 3 weeks ago:

    Thanks Greg!