Hobby Partz Problem
 

I ran into a new problem a few days ago.
I ordered a couple of batteries from Hobby Partz last fall, for the first time, when I was home in Canada. Got very good service. Now I am in Florida for the winter I decided to order a few more things things from them. I got an email from them stating

"The order is currently on hold for security purposes. For verification we need you to
fax or email us a copy of your credit card and your ID or driver license"

When I called them to ask why the phone rep said because my last order went to Canada and because my next order went to the USA the need confirmation

Now I paid for the order both times through PayPay. I do this because supposedly useing PayPal adds a layer of protection from fraud. PayPal had not problem with the different addresses. I explaned the residence situation, and I have no way to copy the credit card and driver license and any way there was no way I was going to put this information in an email for any smart hacker to see, the rep could not suggest any way to solve the problem other than do what the "policy" is. So needless to say I suggested what he could do with the order(along with cancelling it).

The good side of this excercise is that later I did a search on one of the items I had ordered and discovered that it has a very poor rate with a high failure rate.

I am begining to beleive that Hobbie store are more expensive but service is usually a whole lot better

Re: Hobby Partz Problem
 

nothing new several US stores are very hard to deal with in regards to shipping. Think Canada is some far off foreign land that mail doesn't go to. I have used paypal to pay for and have registered a second address to ship to in the US. I have not found any places that will not ship to the secondary US address.

Re: Hobby Partz Problem
 

I have never had too many problems up to now, esp. since I started useing PayPay. I am lucky when it comes to ordering out of country. I try to order from Canadian sources while in Canada and since I spend winters in Florida and I order from US stores while here. I have some very good US friends who I see often during the summer and if I need something I can not get in Canada I have it sent to one of them. Also have a friend who has a US mail box in Detroit tha can be used. It works well and avoids custom and brokerage troubles.

Re: Hobby Partz Problem
 

Unless both addresses have been verified they may not ship to the second one. Paypal only covers shipments to verified addresses.

Another way to do it is to add the second address to the credit card. Easy enough to do, just call your credit card company, verify who you are and have the address added. I've done that for my work address.

Re: Hobby Partz Problem
 

good solution Chang.
We dis the companies when they have lax security then we dis them for appropriate security. It is most reasonable to be reluctant to ship to a different address than on record. It's not shipping to Canada that is the issue. It's shipping to snowbirds! Get a second name - then you can stay south for the whole 7 month winter and not lose your health coverage :)

Re: Hobby Partz Problem
 

Thats the most idiotic thing anybody has said to me in years. What brought this on? Isn't useing a second name fraud?

Re: Hobby Partz Problem
 

Its not a paqypal issue. I have had PayPal orders sent to my winter home here for years. I've tried the second address thing before I went to PayPal and it only works occasionally.

The issue is that Hobby Parts wanted me to send personal info over the net or fax it to someone who may or may not use it for criminal purposes. Had it happen before and I am very cautious now. There has to be a better way. But I suspect that my order is just a drop in the bucket and means nothing to lose it, there are lots more people ordering every day.

Re: Hobby Partz Problem
 

I agree that faxing information is not the most secure way of doing things but what they're trying to do is prevent fraud and I can also see their side of things since in a fraud case the credit card company takes the money away from the seller since it was their fault for not checking. Companies have different policies about this so I guess as the consumer you choose on whether you agree with the policy and if you don't then you shop elsewhere.

Re: Hobby Partz Problem
 

If PayPal approves it does that not release the vendor from any fraud? Is that not what PayPal is all about? Protection for the purchaser as well as the vendor? I do not know. Does anyone?

Anyway this did not start as a rant about Hobby Partz, just a comment on the service, and the way they treated me, I never meant to "dis" (what ever that means) Hobby Partz. There are lots of comments on how customers are treated, good and bad and neutral, on this and other sites. I just passed this on as information for others who may find themselves in like situations.

By the way I just did a quick count and found that I have ordered on line from at least 18 companies over the past 2 years and this is the first time I have ever been asked for this kind of "proof". And you are right, there are too many vendors who want my money to worry about one company.

Re: Hobby Partz Problem
 

Hardly idiotic Cliff. Snowbird spouse gets a card with the us address and has it verified with your favorite hobby supplier or you get a card with a different bank with your us address as primary. I used Wells Fargo.
But if it makes you feel better to call me an idiot, go for it.