- Step 1: As soon as your package arrives, check that the correct items have been sent to you. Whilst we have multiple checks as we prepare your shipment, unintentional human errors can occur and the best time to verify everything is perfect is as soon as you receive your delivery. Check the cartons carefully as parts or small items can cometimes move around and easily be caught inside packaging or void-fill.
- Step 2: Do not throw away any of the original packaging materials, such as boxes, instructions, inserts, bags etc. until you are satisfied with your order. If a problem arises it is normally much easier to resolve if everything is together - there's nothing worse than contacting us regarding a missing part and learning that it is carefully protected inside the foam protector, on its way to land fill in your local municipality because it was accidentally disarded.
- Step 3: Carefully inspect all merchandise, taking care not to damage packaging.
- Step 4: Please keep the supplied Hobby Warehouse invoice or packing slip / invoice slip with your important records. This helps us to more easily track the history of your purchase. If a problem occurs you can refer back to this information (or the order reference information that we email to you) to quickly enable us to understand which product you are referring to when you need assistance from us.
- Step 5: Enjoy your new product!
Manufacturer Manuals and other Guidelines
An important first step, but frequently overlooked, is to read all instruction manuals before installing, testing & using your goods. Enjoying hobbies can sometimes entail the use of complicated products, instruments and high speed devices. Please be certain to carefully follow the instructions set out by the manufacturer in order to minimise the potential for problems.
Hobby Warehouse wants you, our customer, to enjoy the products you purchase from us, and there's nothing more upsetting to us to see a customer frustrated and upset for an entire weekend only to discover that a small step was overlooked in the product use - such as a safety switch on an RC boat doesn't function unless it detects that it is submerged in water! Please take the time to read the manufacturers instructions.
High Speed Products or Items that Fly
An essential habbit to form in many hobbies is to test prior to use. If it is a product that flys, it is quite important to test prior to take-off just as a real pilot would test an aircraft. The same reasoning applies to products that move at high velocity and may get away from you before you can stop it. This is to ensure parts are functioning and are in working order, and also ensures that components have not been broken or worn-out during previous use, worked their way loose, or have become faulty. Discovering a loose component or malfunction whilst in mid-air may lead to serious damage.
Damage sustained as a result of a crash or misuse are not claimable under warranty. In these instances please contact us to assist you with servicing or repair, refer to the guidelines below.
Batteries and Battery Chargers
Engaging in electronic hobbies often involves dealing with rechargeable batteries. These batteries are not the same as household batteries, are not intended for normal household use and therefore require additional precautions. If you are unable to strictly adhere to these precautions or the product is intended for children, restrict your purchase to products that involve alkaline AA or AAA batteries only for safety reasons.
- Never recharge batteries unattended or overnight, recharging should always be supervised.
- Always recharge batteries in a fire-safe, cool and well ventilated area.
- Never allow children to handle or recharge batteries and electrical items.
- Store batteries in a fire resistant bag or area, and ensure terminals cannot short out.
Not following these precautions can lead to damage to the battery, damage to the product, fire or serious injury! Please visit the following page for more information on battery safety click here
Goods Returned for Warranty Found to be Working
As some items returned to Hobby Warehouse are found to be in working condition, we may charge a freight fee for their return back to you but we will never charge you any testing or troubleshooting fees as hobby shops often do! Please take the time to carefully troubleshoot your product issue with our assistance if you encounter difficulties, we are here to help wherever we can.
In instances where purchasing mistakes have been made or there is a change or mind, we may sometimes be able to provide store credit or exchange for the goods if they are returned in resellable condition and in original packaging. If you have a product that was purchased in error, please contact our support team via our contact form to determine if this is possible in your case.
Goods Returned Found to be Physically Damaged
Products that are physically damaged via impacts, use of incorrect fuels, incorrect batteries, foreign objects or any other form of physical alteration/misuse that causes a problem may not be covered by warranty. In these circumstances however please contact Hobby Warehouse for service assistance whereby parts and repairs may be performed at a nominal cost - we want you to continue to enjoy your product when these situations occur. At Hobby Warehouse we are proud to assist customers to not only avoid paying high prices on products and components, but also to avoid the high costs associated with item servicing that is often encountered at expensive hobby stores.
Nitro and Petrol Powered Products
Products that employ the use of nitro or petrol forms of power often require a level of adjustment, tuning and troubleshooting. For these reasons we recommend them for intermediate and advanced users only. Because experience level and mechanical experience varies considerably amongst hobbyists, the adjustment and tuning of nitro or gas powered products is applicable under warranty as it is not a manufacturing fault. Hobby Warehouse can assist you however if you need assistance to tune or adjust your product. We have also written and provided a number of tuning articles in the Knowledge Base section of this website.
When Warranty Assistance is Needed
When a fault or problem with your order occurs, we're here to assist - whether its a minor issue or a major product fault it is important to immediately stop using your product and contact us via our website contact form. If there is a minor fault we will offer to repair, replace or refund the item. In the event of a major fault you may elect a repair, replacement or refund. Please note that replacements will be subject to stock availability and we shall do our best to meet your requirement, otherwise a refund may need to be offered or in some instances we can replace with a similar or superior item.
Warranty and Return Procedure
If you have a product that requires either operational assistance or help claiming your warranty, please:
- Step 1 Collect details of your original purchase from Hobby Warehouse, this will have been emailed to you and can also be found on your packing slip records.
- Step 2 Fill out the contact us form, being sure to include your email address, name and original order details.
- Step 3 Please provide information on the product model number found on your order (please check your order confirmation email), plus a description of the assistance required or the fault experienced with as much detail as you possibly can.
- Step 4 Wait for our support team to respond to you, generally within 24 business hours.
Warranty Periods and Turnaround Time for Returns
Most products purchased from Hobby Warehouse carry express manufacturer warranty periods of twelve months, and we can sometimes assist customers outside of those periods depending on the reasonable nature of the item. Some products such as supplies, tools, reburbished, single use products, hobby products or toys may not reasonably be expected to last long periods of time - in these instances we may still be able to help repair or replace parts at a nominal cost. Hobby Warehouse is very reasonable in these circumstances and always complies with consumer guarantees, so we're here to help where possible.
Hobby Warehouse processes warranties promptly and within a reasonable period from the time that they are received by us. Please understand the time involved for a warranty claim may for example include: the time it takes for you to send us the item, our time to test, repair or replace the item, and the shipping back to you, our customer.
The best approach to follow if you need assistance with an item purchased from Hobby Warehouse, is to contact us. If you have any further questions on our warranty or returns guidelines, please do not hesitate to contact us!
The Australian Consumer Law and Your Rights
The Australian Consumer Law (ACL) protects consumers by giving them certain guaranteed rights when they buy goods and services. For example, the ACL requires that goods must be free of defects, and do what they are meant to do. Services must be carried out with care and skill. These rights, which the ACL says automatically apply whenever goods or services are supplied to a consumer, are called ‘Consumer Guarantees’.
Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. You are entitled to a replacement or refund for a major failure and for compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage. You are also entitled to have the goods repaired or replaced if the goods fail to be of acceptable quality and failure does not amount to a major failure.
Consumer Guarantees have no set time limit but generally last for an amount of time that is reasonable to expect given factors including the cost and quality of the product or any representations made.