Tower Hobbies No Coupons on Axial Kits

[cmbscx10]

this is what I sent....


I am disappointed in the decision of tower hobbies to not allow coupons on axial crawler kits and rtr’s. That was the reason I bought from tower to begin with. The policy started with traxxas and now axial, who is next? What is next, no coupons on replacement parts from certain manufacturers? I wont be ordering anything else from tower hobbies now. I will go to Amain, Rpp, Value hobby and others who offer better deals on the same products.

I also will not be ordering anything from your ebay side either, omni models. I just purchased a set of high clearance scx10 knuckles from omni models, if I had seen this before I purchased them I would not have done so. Its too bad this policy was enacted. Do you remember what happened to J.C. Penny when they enacted a similar policy on coupons? I do..and still to this day I don’t shop there."thumbsup"

Harold Miller

I am disappointed in the decision as we all are. I personally banned TH when i got screwed on my Yeti XL kit. I have been a member since 83, bought multiple RC, Heli's, planes an boats but that didn't seem to have any merit.

As the saying goes "You should learn something everyday". I just did. I never knew Omni was/is Tower Hobbies. I buy a Arse load from them but not any more. A Main and RPP have been my go to for years and looks like it will stay that way with more $$ going to them

 

[snapon boy]

I got a very similar reply. I messaged them back and said that there decisions is there choice but upsetting you customer basis before Christmas not the brightest idea.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

 

[moondaddy]

I seen this last night/this morning while doing a little prechristmas window shopping on tower. Also of note is tower has all scx10's listed as discontinued except for the deadbolt.....

 

[Bry73]

Before you get really mad at Tower Hobbies, which is Hobbico, who also is Great Planes, which the distributor to all of your local hobby shops. So now having Tower sell their product cheaper than your local hobby shop is hurting their business also. When you by from Tower where do you go for tech support, product knowledge and parts available on hand when you need it that day. I like being able to go into my local hobby store and get parts when I need them, sometimes I may even have to order a part becouse the store can't stock all parts for all makes and models, but that is OK. Sometimes I order then online or better yet I have them order it and not have to worry about shipping and get it in a few day's. But having someone in the store that you may also go crawl with and has knowledge of what you are talking about is valuable. So Hate on Tower if you must, but just remember that it may also be helping your local store stay in business.




(Disclaimer, I am employed by a Local Hobby Store, that has had to compete with own distributor that offered coupons to their online customers at Tower Hobby)

 

[Jeff Jenkins sr]

I've been a tower customer since the 80's also and this will change my buying from them also. Why pay to be a member just to get screwed.

 

[moondaddy]

Why pay to be a member just to get screwed.

Exactly this, although the first order you place gets you back that $5. Lets be honest here, most of us shop at tower because of the b.a. coupon codes. Now the only thing they got going is easy pay and I avoid that like a drinking party at Bill Cosbys house. All this is making me second guess sending back the yeti xl kit tower sent me when i ordered my wraith....

 

[JatoTheRipper]

Keep up the emails, guys! I got a response from customer service and then management. They are listening!

I seen this last night/this morning while doing a little prechristmas window shopping on tower. Also of note is tower has all scx10's listed as discontinued except for the deadbolt.....

The SCX10's were discontinued because of the release of the SCX10 II.

 

[Huber1918]

Before you get really mad at Tower Hobbies, which is Hobbico, who also is Great Planes, which the distributor to all of your local hobby shops. So now having Tower sell their product cheaper than your local hobby shop is hurting their business also. When you by from Tower where do you go for tech support, product knowledge and parts available on hand when you need it that day. I like being able to go into my local hobby store and get parts when I need them, sometimes I may even have to order a part becouse the store can't stock all parts for all makes and models, but that is OK. Sometimes I order then online or better yet I have them order it and not have to worry about shipping and get it in a few day's. But having someone in the store that you may also go crawl with and has knowledge of what you are talking about is valuable. So Hate on Tower if you must, but just remember that it may also be helping your local store stay in business.




(Disclaimer, I am employed by a Local Hobby Store, that has had to compete with own distributor that offered coupons to their online customers at Tower Hobby)

Bry,

I am guessing you are referring to the hobby store in Little Canada? I do not have this pleasure, My local hobby store carries 0 I mean 0 crawler stuff.. I was actually in the twin cities a few weeks ago and bought a KIT locally because they had it in stock..

My local hobby store has prices 10-20% higher then what normal prices are on tower, rpp,etc. Why would I pay extra if they have to order it?

If I had a local hobby store that would have the stuff I needed or was able to offer fair prices, I would do so!

 

[curvedwallride]

My local hobby store has prices 10-20% higher then what normal prices are on tower, rpp,etc. Why would I pay extra if they have to order it?

Don't forget that local tax, which can range anywhere from 5%-12%. Tack that on and you are looking at upwards toward 30% higher than online retailers that may offer free shipping.

IF your shop had the things you want... The great saying goes "We can order that for you", but then you can do the same online. It's a fine line to have to walk.

 

[dna4engr]

I was just on the Tower website and although the coupon codes don't work on kits (the big disclaimer pops up when you apply a coupon code), they do work on parts. So if you order a bunch of Axial parts you can get the coupons. This makes more business sense for Hobbico and Axial as the markup on parts is usually a lot higher, so they can afford to give discounts on those if they make their margin on the kit sales.

 

[mikemcE]

Hmmm I still remember the LHS, guess mom and pop can't make a living in the store.

If you want axial or Traxxas pay the price to play. I want to see the corporate millionaires in the hobby industry.


Hang up and Drive

 

[mikemcE]

I've been a tower customer since the 80's also and this will change my buying from them also. Why pay to be a member just to get screwed.

Free shipping to start, a minor upgrade for priority, I've saved 200 bucks this year from Tower as a gold member, over a grand with coupons on major buys, also you get better coupons as a club member.....

Explain this screwing ?


Hang up and Drive

 

[allanon1965]

Free shipping to start, a minor upgrade for priority, I've saved 200 bucks this year from Tower as a gold member, over a grand with coupons on major buys, also you get better coupons as a club member.....

Explain this screwing ?


Hang up and Drive

your first statement seems to imlpy shop at mom and pop places, then you say how much you have saved at tower...over 1200.00 bucks..so do you advocate frequenting the mom and pop stores or just saying that they are a bit higher so they can keep the doors open, which I completely understand and i have bought major items from the Local Hobby Shop.. I am by no means trying insinuate anything or piss anyone off. I just wondered if I understood what the point was you were making"thumbsup"

 

[mikebecher]

I can see a bit of a silver lining in this move - Axial must be confident that crawler sales are strong enough to forgo the extra incentive. Strong sales should translate to more investment in development and better toys for us in the end. I can stomach the loss of coupons if it means we'll see more quality rigs like the SCX10 II and RR10 Bomber. It also means more people are buying rigs and growing the hobby which is good news for all of us!

And for everyone still bashing on Tower Hobbies, keep in mind that this is a decision from Axial, not Tower, and all distributors will have to fall into line sooner or later. Traxxas did the same thing and it must have worked out OK for them since Axial is now following suit and I'd not be surprised to see other manufacturers do the same.

 

[calcagno45]

I can see a bit of a silver lining in this move - Axial must be confident that crawler sales are strong enough to forgo the extra incentive. Strong sales should translate to more investment in development and better toys for us in the end. I can stomach the loss of coupons if it means we'll see more quality rigs like the SCX10 II and RR10 Bomber. It also means more people are buying rigs and growing the hobby which is good news for all of us!

And for everyone still bashing on Tower Hobbies, keep in mind that this is a decision from Axial, not Tower, and all distributors will have to fall into line sooner or later. Traxxas did the same thing and it must have worked out OK for them since Axial is now following suit and I'd not be surprised to see other manufacturers do the same.

Or I think we'll see Axial sponsored events or branded Funny Cars driven by Antron Brown or someone similar. :shock:

 

[allanon1965]

I can see a bit of a silver lining in this move - Axial must be confident that crawler sales are strong enough to forgo the extra incentive. Strong sales should translate to more investment in development and better toys for us in the end. I can stomach the loss of coupons if it means we'll see more quality rigs like the SCX10 II and RR10 Bomber. It also means more people are buying rigs and growing the hobby which is good news for all of us!

And for everyone still bashing on Tower Hobbies, keep in mind that this is a decision from Axial, not Tower, and all distributors will have to fall into line sooner or later. Traxxas did the same thing and it must have worked out OK for them since Axial is now following suit and I'd not be surprised to see other manufacturers do the same.

That doesnt mean tower cant do coupons on their own...kohls has kohs cash which spends just like cash on items in their store, ANY item in their store... You spend a certain amount of money and you earn a percentage back as kohls cash..

That would encourage buying more small items that are more profitable for them and in the long run earn more money."thumbsup"

 

[mikemcE]

your first statement seems to imlpy shop at mom and pop places, then you say how much you have saved at tower...over 1200.00 bucks..so do you advocate frequenting the mom and pop stores or just saying that they are a bit higher so they can keep the doors open, which I completely understand and i have bought major items from the Local Hobby Shop.. I am by no means trying insinuate anything or piss anyone off. I just wondered if I understood what the point was you were making"thumbsup"

Both.

Smart buying on large purchases and upgrades. I price it out, add coupons etc, see bottom line. Tell my LHS what I'm getting and ask if they can order and match..... some items yes, others not close. I also like to get sundries, parts, oil etc locally. I usually get motors and esc's locally for warranty service...... this year I spent far more than normal, and I saved a bunch, also Towers ebucks....

I support both, Service and time do figure in.I pay priority, get it as quick as the lhs.... regular shipping, LHS wins!


Hang up and Drive

 

[camperwill]

It just so happens I had the RR10 bomber kit in my cart the other day and went to order it the next day and got a notification saying coupon codes cannot be applied to Axial vehicles. So I sent an email off to towerhobbies and this is the response:

Thank you for contacting Tower Hobbies. I do apologize for any inconvenience/confusion in the matter, however it is not only Tower Hobbies that has been restricted from using coupon codes on Axial vehicles. On November 1, 2016, Axial notified us that they will no longer allow retailers, such as ourselves, to use coupon codes on their vehicles. This is similar to the Traxxas M.A.P policy that was enforced earlier this year. Again, we do apologize for any inconvenience in the matter. As the retailer, we are required to follow the rules of the manufacturer, if we want to continue carrying their merchandise. If there is anything further that we may assist you with, at this time, please let us know.


Needless to say, I went elsewhere.

 

[norco kid]

Needless to say, I went elsewhere.

The problem is that Axial doesn't care WHERE you buy the kit, as long as they keep selling. It is NOT a Towerhobbies decision but an Axial one. As long as you buy an Axial kit from anywhere without coupons, you are supporting this decision and reinforcing their choice to implement this policy. If people can't resist and buy the kits anyways, then Axial is right because it would prove that the market can tolerate these higher prices.

 

[camperwill]

The problem is that Axial doesn't care WHERE you buy the kit, as long as they keep selling. It is NOT a Towerhobbies decision but an Axial one. As long as you buy an Axial kit from anywhere without coupons, you are supporting this decision and reinforcing their choice to implement this policy. If people can't resist and buy the kits anyways, then Axial is right because it would prove that the market can tolerate these higher prices.

Other vendors are still accepting coupons towards Axial kits but I never said I bought an Axial kit