DO NOT BUY AEGs from eHobbyAsia

Sam Fisher · 17-06-2014 4:40pm #1

Reasons:

Items you purchase from eHobbyasia DO NOT match their description on the website.
AEGs you purchase can be destroyed by local custom office EVEN with letter from eHobbyAsia stating the power output is under 1 joule (it's not under 1 joule when tested contrary to their website).
eHobbyAsia DO NOT deal with after sale customer with honesty and professionalism.

These are not false accusations, I have proof.

mack1984 · 17-06-2014 10:21pm

Never had a problem with them myself. Would help if you posted evidence

Sam Fisher · 17-06-2014 11:53pm

I have been ordering from them for years and never had a problem. Also I have been recommending them to others but not any more.

I purchased an AEG from their shop on the 18th April. The FPS on their website for the AEG in question is quoted at 310fps and a letter dated 22nd April from their company which was shipped with the AEG also stated that "the Airsoft toy's muzzle velocity is under 1 Joule of muzzle power". However when the AEG was tested, the reading was at 389.0 FPS using 0.20g 6mm BBs. This equates to approximately 1.4 joules. This was tested again on a different chronograph and the reading was familiar. I have a video footage of this as evidence.

As you can imagine, because of this I cannot participate in any airsoft activities in this country with this AEG and I am in breach of the Criminal Justice Act 2006. To prevent me from being prosecuted with criminal charges, I will have to reduce the power of the AEG at my own cost.

I emailed eHobbyAsia on the 26th April regarding this matter and I asked for reimbursement for the cost of downgrading this AEG (ie. parts + labour = roughly €60). The autoreply from eHobbyAsia stated that:
"Your email is important to us. Normally, your email will be answered within 24-48 business hours by our customer service representative." I did not receive a response from them so I emailed them again on the 8th May. Only then I got a response:

"Please understand we have absolutely no control on Ireland import policy and we
have happy trading history with our Irish customers over the years."

I told them I fully understand that they certainly have no control on Ireland import policy. I also told them that:

They have control on ensuring that their products match their description on their website.
They have control on ensuring that the products they ship ARE under the 1 joule limit according to the letter they enclosed with the product.
They will not have happy trading history with the Irish customers if this dishonesty continues in a sport based on honour.

Finally on the 12th of May, eHobbyAsia replied:

"Please advise how you wish to process."

I asked for a reimbursement on the credit card for €60 and told them to inform me once this is done. I heard nothing and emailed them again on the 24th May asking them to let me know once they have credited my credit card. I also warn them in that email they have left me with no choice but to go public regarding this matter.

I check my credit card statement this month and no sign of credit.

If you need further evidence, I can forward you my correspondence with eHobbyAsia along with the power testing of said AEG.

Kashkai · 19-06-2014 3:38pm

€60 to downgrade the fps seems a bit much? A lower rated spring is a tenner which should do the job of bringing the aeg under one joule. Even if you couldn't do this yourself, most airsoft shops would do it for you for ten to twenty euro labour costs.

With regard to your original comment, buying directly from foreign stores carries more risks than the money you save. Buy your aegs and pistols in Ireland as you at least can go back for decent after sales service.

Sam Fisher · 19-06-2014 10:07pm

M90 spring costs me €9.50. One shop in Dublin wanted to charge me €40 and would take up to a week to do. Another shop doesn't do downgrade at the moment. Including commuting to the shop, drop and collect, would cost me just over €60. I eventually did it myself. Clocked in at 318fps. But that's not the point.

Nobody should threat their customers the way eHobbyAsia did and from speaking to a few of my airsoft buddies, I am not the only one who had the bad after sale treatment.

I would always buy from shops in Ireland. However they don't always have what I want.

Witcher · 19-06-2014 10:11pm

You did it for yourself but still asked for €60?

Sam Fisher · 19-06-2014 10:44pm

I am sorry Blay, but you are missing the point.

To answer your question, I did asked for €60 and because eHobbyAsia didn't want to look after their customers, I had to ask someone to show me how to do it and then had to do it myself. I would have much prefer to drop it into my local shop, have a professional to fix it, pay them, and walk away with a legal AEG and knowing that I can always go back to them with any problems.

All I wanted to do was to share my bad retail experience with the airsoft community hoping it won't happen to someone else. But instead I feel like I am being accused of trying to cheat someone else out of €60.

Steve · 19-06-2014 11:21pm

This just goes to show that you would have been better spending your money with a local Irish retailer.

They get the same hassle importing the guns and have to deal with customs and returns and downgrading.

Sam Fisher · 20-06-2014 12:07am

Buying local was my first choice. Again, they didn't have what I wanted.

Steve · 20-06-2014 12:50am

Yeah, I understand that, I didn't mean to belittle your efforts of self importing airsoft guns - just saying it happens to a lot of people including retailers here and it's not always the fault of the foreign seller..

TheDoc · 20-06-2014 2:37pm

To be fair it's the risk you run buying from abroad.

I don't flatline advise buying local, unfortunately when you want something niche, or particularly high end, you most often then not have to go abroad.

I think this is the risk you run however, what I would say, is that rather then hassling ehobby asia, who mostly cater to markets where they can use 1+ joule, you should consider yourself lucky that the item came through to you at all.

I'd also state that , and probably highlighted under their ToC's, they are not in anyway accountable for the actions of the juristicions customs controls or policies. It's possible, due to what
can be the volatile nature of chronographing and all the varients, that it did chrono correctly for them when they did it before posting, and perhaps had some factors they were not aware of effecting their chronograph.

A spring will cost you what, €10? Sure if your not comfy you might need to pay someone to do it, or find someone willing to do it for you, or have a pop yourself. But I think that it's reasonable for the retailer, in this case ehobby, to ask you to send the rifle back if you are unsatisfied.

Asking for reimbursement for work you are carrying out, by a third aprty, can hardly be expected to be reimbursed by the retailer.

You wouldnt order jeans of the internet, and if they came smaller bigger then expected, get an invoice from a tailor and expect the retailer to reimburse you. You send the item back.

Think your getting a bit OTT for what's in reality not a big deal. You buy a spring and downgrade. I've got plenty of stuff down the years that has come to me over the limit, and I've not gone freaking out over it. I just go get it downgraded, realising it's one of the downsides ordering from abroad.

And it's not like there has never been a case of an irish retailer putting out a rifle over the limit by accident, or through variances/issues in their chronograping : /

TheDoc · 20-06-2014 2:41pm

Sam Fisher wrote: »

All I wanted to do was to share my bad retail experience with the airsoft community hoping it won't happen to someone else. But instead I feel like I am being accused of trying to cheat someone else out of €60.

I think the issue might be ehobby is a pretty reputable brands, with a lot of people in Ireland having bought with them down through the years.

A rifle coming over the limit, or maybe with an issue is not a new thing. You say yourself it wasnt your first order, so maybe you were never advised of potential risks that are involved, but I think some of the reaction you might be getting is because this isn't a new revelation, or in reality a showing of poor customer service.

I worked in Eirsoft, and there were occasions where people would come in saying there was some issue, they fixed it, and wanted to be reimbursed for the parts. It's just mental train of thought. Airsoft is subject to the same laws and rules of consumer law. If you have an issue or problem with an item or service, you need the retailer to address it.

Not to mention when you effectively open an AEG and work on it yourself, you've voided the warranty provided by the manafacturer, and they have no obligation to assist you. This was another one I dealt with a few times. Granted there was always a bit of leeway, but youd have people bring back a rifle saying it wasnt working, open it up and see mad stuff, with people trying to do things themselves.

If you bought a new car, a week in had a problem, you wouldnt started disassembling the engine, AEG is no different. If a problem bugs you enough you want it resolved by them, you need to ship it back. If its an issue that maybe you can resolve, when your factor in cost and effort, you just do it yourself and get on with it

gonko · 07-08-2014 1:32pm

If it came in above one Joule the correct action was to have the gun returned to them under their returns policy. They are not obliged to pay for you to sort out or modify the gun. You choosing to do that should have been done with prior agreement with Ehobby. I also think you seeking €60 is mad (they know how much springs cost I am sure). Just drop it in while picking up your bb's at your local store. 20 or 30 quid and your fixed and probably still saving on what an Irish retailer would charge...who knows.

goodlad · 08-08-2014 9:08am

I have ordered in loads of gun over the years and never had any hassle.

Any stubby i have bought usually comes in under the 1 joule. Mostly because the teeny barrels in them.

But other than that all guns i ever import were way above the 1 joule.
Yes they say they wilkl downgrade when i ask. Some places even charged me for a downgrade and then just jammed the hopup fully on to try force the fps down and didnt change the spring at all.

Its just something i have come to accept. Almost 20 guns import over the years and maybe 25% of them were under 1 joule. Never had any problems and i factor in the downgrade cost when buying.

That all being said. I find these days a lot of retailers will import you anything you want. I know hobbyairsoft make essentially nothing from the Redwolf orders they do. But they will still do it for people to keep the business in the country.

Then you have people like Blackscout Airsoft supplies who will literally import anything for you and his prices are generally very good.

Years ago you were essentially forced to import if you wanted something funky. But these days you can always find a retailer to import for you.

DO NOT BUY AEGs from eHobbyAsia

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