Al’s Hobbies Reviews 

What a gem of a shop. Popped in yesterday with my son to look at buying him his first RC Plane. They could not have been more helpful. Al took the time to explain all the different types and what we needed to get started. Will have no hesitation in going back for the next one!!

I have bought numerous models from Als Hobbies over the years from Model planes, cars etc and have always had great experience with them.
I can't fault the customer service over the phone and in store. If you go in store you are sure to have a good time with them and many a laugh had.
I felt this review is a reflection on the hospitality they give and customer satisfaction, they treat you like friends and it's just good old school shopping in a hobby shop. Keep up the great work, and I'll be seeing you soon for my next purchase,.

I sent my Spektrum NX10 transmitter to Al, after crashing its memory while updating the software. Al returned the TX to me "free of charge". It was out of guarantee and I was expecting a fair sized bill.
Well done Al, will be buying from you again.

My Spektrum DX9 had been exihibiting signs of bad or intermittent signal with several different models (Rx's). Gary found a problem and sent it for further investigation and repair. It took a while but the Tx was returned with a replacement RF board and still retained its DSM2/DSMX capability. Gary kept me informed during the long turnaround. Looking forward to stress free flying.

Al’s hobbies were so helpful and were able to find not one but 4 seemingly obsolete props for me. Pack them and send them that day. Super efficient and nice to hear a humans voice. Great service.

Prompt service. Nice people!

The ordered item got lost in the mail from Britain to Germany. My payment was refund without any problems. Very good service!

Always feel like i'm a VIP when visiting Als Hobbies.
Nothing is ever too much trouble for Ali and his team,and they always are able to assist with anything from spares , kits and engines all RC plus balsa wood. So glad I know you guys, you make my hobby so much more enjoyable.

Absolutely amazing can’t fault them one bit the guys are amazing and always very friendly and very helpful and always having good chat have brung multiple RCs crawlers , skid cars and Plans and always straight to the point and more then happy to help you with anything 5+ stars

At last, after 19 days, I have my order!
Al's really blotted their copybook with this one.
A delivery time of 5-7 days finally stretched to 19, with little or no communication from them.
It took an e-mail, threatening to cancel the order and get my money back to really spur them into action.
I appreciated that this was suppliers stock, but why promise something you can't deliver? Why not keep the customer informed where delays are possible and are being experienced? Why not offer full refund and allow customer to go elsewhere?
When initially chased, Al's said they hadn't received anything from me, (both e-mail and site form completed!). When answered there was no explanation as to why nothing was happening, just a simple "I'll look into it".
A reputable company has really left a nasty taste in this customers mouth.
Would I use them again?
Yes, of course, their prices and stocks are very competitive, but they need to get their ordering and customer service sorted out.
Update 2/8/23: -
"Hello, we're very sorry to hear of your experience. A number of issues contributed to this. Deliveries from all suppliers have been drawn out in the last year or so, so items often arrive later than advertised, although hopefully this is getting better. It is highly unusual that an order has been drawn out so long and we are incredibly sorry for this. We have also been updating the way we inform customers of deliveries, including more automation of our emails to provide clarification. Again our apologies, but hopefully the changes we are currently putting in place will avoid this in future."
I would sincerely hope so. No point changing the STAR rating as that is a reflection of the original event.

First time ordering from Al's Hobbies online, just a few servos. Delivery was quick enough and items were well packaged; would happily order from again :)

Absolutely fantastic service. Second pair of ice skates I have bought & they have been super helpful/friendly/speedy from start to finish. Won’t be going anywhere else for both my girls skates. 10/10

I recently bought some iron on film that didn't stick - despite using balsa block to prep the model & using various heat settings on my model iron.
I gave a very reasonable 3* review on Ebay, the delivery was good - the product was not..
I received a message from Al's hobbies basically asking me to remove my review.
I explained it was a fair review - I got another email suggesting I didn't know how to appy it (I've been applying various films on models for about 30 years!).
I got another email suggesting I had a faulty Iron..
I got a final sarcastic email to end the messages...
Don't buy from here if you later may need some proper customer service, they haven't a clue how to deal with issues...

AVOID!!! THIS SHOP ITS 3 STARS FOR A GOOD REASON PRE-ORDER 1 MONTH BEFORE AND WHEN IT CAME IN STOCK THEY WOULDN'T SEND IT BECAUSE UTTER CRAP TALK OF PAYPAL THEY ONLY WANT YOUR MONEY

Had a problem with a battery al checked everything, to make sure all was well.
5 stars should be 50000 stars .
Dont go anywhere else great honest man and a wealth of knowledge unsurpassed.
Thank you Al.
A shop for enthusiasts
Owned and run by enthusiasts.
Top top man .

(Re edit): [“I have finally received my order, and accept the sincere apology from Al’s hobbies for the inconvenience. I believe they are truly trying to rectify the current issues they are facing”] Ordered something from them, which was listed as 'in stock' and given a delivery timeframe of 5 to 7 days. However did not receive my order. So I emailed them a couple of weeks later to inquire. I did not receive a reply, so emailed again a week later. Finally after another few days had gone by. They got back to me simply stating that they didn't have the item in stock and were waiting for a supply. I have sent yet another email a couple of weeks later. Again no reply. I have not received a refund or correspondence from Al's hobbies.

Ordered model aircraft for Christmas present on 17th December 2021 did not arrive in time, not the end of the world so waited until 30th Dec then emailed them to ask about delivery status. They did not reply but initiated a refund with no apology or explanation, they are probably the most ignorant company I have dealt with poor customer service (none existent).As someone starting out in RC flying in the new year this is one company I will definitely avoid.

Ordered online and parts turned up the next day.

Was originally going to give one star as I waited for the item to arrive the amount of time you are asked to than a few more days and nothing. Never ordered from here before so opted to just get refund via PayPal. PayPal immediately refunded. Few more days later the item arrived. Contacted Als via the email given on their website to pay for the item again. COVID has slowed down post considerably.

Received First Class Service from these Guys.. I'm new to the RC World, so before I made my purchase, I required some answers, to a few simple questions.. Garry responded quickly, and gave me some helpful information,without any knowledge of me possibly make a purchase from him.. "Some of the other big guy companies didn't even reply" No profit I guess!!! I made my order that very day, and on its early arrival, came very well packaged. Included were some upgraded lipo's, sent as a gesture of good will, as the batteries I had ordered were not in stock. Sent at no extra cost I may add... Good old fashioned corner shop service, which is sadly lacking with some of the larger retailers. Al's Hobbies has gained another happy customer. *****