XRAY - Model racing cars

XRAY has carefully set up dist networks to provide customers service, for example all kits bought in North America from a authorized XRAY shop came with the new white pistons. Furthermore this is a "running change" what is so different with AE doing various running changes on their TC3 through the years? AE was not forced into providing those new updated parts to all customers that bought previous models.

This situation is different but the same. XRAY has listened to customers and have made positive quick change. If your new to XRAY then enjoy that you have a company that listens to your needs. Other companies, keep faulty weak parts in production for years and just ignore the customer complaints. customers complain.... here customers complain about new updated parts. What makes people happy?

As for dist channels, dist's have to take care of the shops and customers that purchase from them. In this case it makes perfect policy for the manufacture (XRAY) to provide pistons via a dist for the exact amount of kits that dist has bought. That way everything is proper and organized. Would it be right for XRAY to send an additional 200 pair to compensate for grey market cars to every dist? Should XRAY simply guess how many to send to each dist? would any major worldwide company ( any market) do that? If you think so give your head a shake. The amount of wasted funds would be staggering. The only fair way to handle this is through the dist with the exact amount of pistons for every kit that the dist ordered.

For the guys that bought grey market for whatever reason, You made the conscious decision to buy grey market goods, like anything you get what you pay for, typically (again with anything in this world) its a trade off, you chose to accept the lower price offered by EBAY and with that, you also chose to have no support in situations like this. With the money you saved by buying grey market go buy the pistons from a local dealer.

I mean if you buy a APPLE MAC computer from EBAY, and you want to get warranty, Apple requires your proof of purchase and it must be from a Apple authorized dealer, Grey market is tough to get coverage from. My point is this is common practice in every level of consumer products. So why should XRAY be different? because they sell model cars? It's a business and it has to operate on corporate policies.

Everyone is happy with trying to beat the system but then whine when their own inpatients cause them trouble.

Supermaxx rich made a statement about "gouging" If everyone made the conscious decision to buy from their local shop and through the proper channels the prices overall would drop since the turn over and volume would be higher. For lot's of people this is a hobby/sport, for others its employment. Wherever your income comes from, It probably is effected somehow by grey market, look at the music and movie industry, pirate movies and music are putting people out of jobs, its the same with R/C. If you truly are proud of your economy, support it and it will support you.

Just my 2 cents and my personal opinion.

"Grey Market"...????????

ether way BAR NONE...they bought it from XRAY????
simple yes or no??????
i would have to guess a Yes...??? the car came from someone???
and since they do not sell direct some dealer someplace had to buy it??
cause that sure aint no "Wholesale" price!!!!! and they dont sell direct!!!
i wont even get into the price thing cause i know how much they are and i must say the dealers are making PLENTY!! so even for the dealers to help a little it is a "Drop in the Bucket".......
same goes for the Hypers the dealers only pay 225.00 for a car that sells everywhere for around 400.00 plus!! and we do mold injection as well so even though the part for the molds at first will run if done from outside sources about 2200 to 3300 hundered dollars they probaly do it "In House" and that part at most cost them about .15 cents...to make?
so yea only after so many kits they should help a little? but just because someone bought it from ebay or in my case from Europe...should not mean they should not get help and support??
that in itself is bogus.......in that case the car should have never been relased at all untill it was available world wide with parts.....
now on the other hand if they( the dealers) were asked not to release the car untill a certian date then that is there fault the dealers they should not released the car early? there at fault? not XRAY's so ether way so one is saying because some cars were bought from north America they get parts??
but outside they dont because some dealers and places decided to sell a car early??
me i have not had any problems with m cars no biggie?? but for everyone else i get upset for??i think it is sad for them cause this is an expensive sport??
personally i run the XRAY's but i sell Kyosho's as well...i sell the 777 for 350.00 why cause some people need a little help? and for 500.00 plus on a kit is pretty steep??
same reason i have pissed off a bunch of manufactures for selling our bodies for 10.00 world wide.....why cause everyone needs a little help...
same for XRAY if there was a problem in the beginning they should help? and not penilize those outside of North America...??? or those for buying a car early???

I have a question for all those that think XRAY is doing the right thing by telling us to go back to where we purchased our car from to receive the pistons. My local Hobby Shop here in Bermuda only sells OFNA kits and parts so how do you suggest I go about getting my pistons? I got my car from RC-Mushroom in Hong Kong because the states didn't have any parts or kits in stock. I order most of my supplies from Atomic Hobbies in Miami who still to this day don't have kits and parts. Do you think its fair that I should have to go back to RC-Mushroom to get these pistons when I plan on not ordering from them anymore as soon as the US becomes fully stocked? I don't even have an account with Mushroom a friend ordered the kit for me. I for one have broken a piston and now run Kyosho shocks all the way round. I've owned several buggies and never even used droop screws and never broken a piston before, so I do think the black pistons were a little more brittle then the whites.
In saying all this I think the XB8 is ine top notch buggy and I do think XRAY is doing one hell of a job trying to correct everything that they are encountering. Keep up the good work XRAY.

You sell the 777 for $350....but the regular 777 is all over the place for as low as $320....

How much is your SP1????

Buy some electronics overseas...the Pacific rim gets it first...then contact the north american arm of the country when you have issues. You don't get coverage.

Contact the head office and almost universally they'll put you back onto the source distributor because they're not set up to handle a million small orders. Their infrastructure is designed to handle smaller numbers of large orders.

Possibly as an extra service the local distributor might be able to help walk the parts through the process by acting as liaison with the overseas distributor, but that is going to cost them time and money. As you know the markups are to cover services. So your complaint should be with the dealer that sold you the it and won't support it as opposed to the local entity that received nothing.

I still say contact the source of the product inquiring about the parts....in writing. If they do not respond or return an unfavourable response, then send that to the distributor in that region...if you STILL don't get the answer you're looking for then and only then does it get escalated to the parent company so that they can adress the grander issue of lack of support by one of its distributors.

Personally, I'm glad that I waited for the kit so that I could have the support of a local distributor and not have to deal with these hassles.

The only way to get global support as you're proposing is for Xray to act as its own distributor, filling every hobby shop order from its warehouses in Europe....or by them investing heavily and planting warehouses worldwide....option 1 means longer leadtimes for all orders....option 2 means massively increased costs

The system as it exists is fine. People just need to operate within the system instead of always wanting their cake and eating it too!!

If you go to Xray with a documented trail indicating that you tried to get the updated parts through the proper channels and were denied, then I'm sure they will do whatever they can to not only remedy your situation but ensure it doesn't happen in the future.

When you go directly to them without having even attempted the proper process, it liekly wo't show up on their radar since there is a system in place to handle the situation...you just chose not to use it.

Exactly...approach the store you purchased from first...if they don't help..then go to where they got it from..the distributor...then if they don't help..go direct to Xray...

Goign through these steps via email so that there is a paper trail makes things nice and easy.

Ok, I sent to them email.
I hope that they will send me the improved part.

Thanks Mario,
Our local distributor in Hong Kong replied the replacement scheme is active. I can contact my local dealer for replacement.
Thanks again Mario & Xray.

my kit has the black pistons in it. I just called my LHS and let him know.

http://www.cruizinrcs.com/

any idea how long before he gets them?

profile updated. I have a fantastic LHS and he is taking care of me.