HobbyTown — Attraction in Santee

Mark and his crew are great. The store works like a well oiled machine. Every employee adds a specific specialty to the machine in order to make it run like a top. I’ve spent Close to $10k there because it’s one of or local mom and pop shops. It’s not some retail giant where the owner is nowhere to be found. The nature of the hobby ALWAYS brings repairs. They will always do what they can, but to buy ANYTHING instead and I’ll be this hobby With expectations for it to last a lifetime is not feasible. Items might last 1 run or a 1000. Growing up in the hobby we had to build every piece on rc vehicles ourselves with absolutely no warranty whatsoever. Now they come ready to run out of the box. You can’t expect the retailer to honor the assembly that manufacturers assemble. Mark and his team have to de escalate and educate novice RC buyers constantly. In my opinion they go above and beyond if something goes wrong. The hobby has strayed away from people building and assembling vehicles for themselves, this leads to amateur people buying expensive vehicles , breaking them, and expecting the retailer to pay them back out of pocket. When they break people automatically want to blame someone other than themselves. I will tell you from experience and as a business owner Mark and his crew spend more time ex banned for tyranny and providing FREE repairs for people in order to maintain a good relationship with his customers. In all reality you could go to a hobby store and they’ll tell you every sale is AS IS and every hour of repair is at a premium. Bottom line this is a great store Where you can get an honest answer from the og guy guy is going home to get wner whom is backed by a very knowledgeable staff. Support your local mom and pop shop. These are the good guys whom will do everything in their power to maintain a positive relationship with...

Went to purchase an expensive RC Car for my Adult son's Birthday. Was helped by what seemed to be a very experienced and helpful employee. He steered us toward a particular brand that several employees could not quit bragging about. The manager also seemed knowledgeable and helpful. That is until AFTER the sale! During the purchase I specifically asked about a warranty etc due to the expensive nature of the item and the fact that is is made of many moving parts. I was told that if there were any issues within the first week that they would handle it in store, but that beyond that the manufacturer would be responsible for it. The car broke on the very FIRST day of use. We went to the store to see about returning it, only to be told that at least 3 employees, including the manager, are dealing with the same broken piece on the same cars, and that parts will be in "soon" and that they do not offer returns or exchanges once opened... So two days prior they sold us a car that had apparent known issues with an exact part (while bragging about its durability, even going so far as to say that when their more expensive cars sit in need of repairs that THIS particular car is the one they reach for because "it's so durable and always ready to play with" , and then two days later can't stand by their "warranty" or even allow for an exchange (and upgrade!) to a model they also carry that has more readily available parts. I feel like we were swindled with our purchase, having gone in their without experience (and were taken advantage of as females) who were naive enough to believe the store sold items with integrity. I will not be going back, personally. And my overall pleasant first impression is definitely now overshadowed by their lack of customer service after the sale. And now my son's Gift sits broken, one day after use, and $200 is...

This place is terrible unless you’re a total beginner and don’t know any better. They never have the stuff in stock that shows in stock there’s 1 worker than knows a decent amount about RC’s the owner knows absolutely nothing and neither do any of the other workers. They don’t even have simple common parts in stock and the excuse is “we only do inventory every couple years. They’ve only been in business at the Santee location for a little longer than that. I drove a long way multiple times to get stuff that shows in stock online then I call to make sure it’s in stock and I’m told it is only to get there and be told “ahh yeah sorry” F this place. If your in San Diego drive to hobbytown Temecula the owner Justin knows a ton is an avid Racer and even the girls that work there know more than anyone working at the Santee location.

(Edit after owner’s reply) I’ve actually spoken to the owner multiple times in person about these issues. This isn’t frustration — it’s experience. I gave feedback directly, privately, and repeatedly. Nothing changed. So I left this review.

Suggesting I’m just “having a bad day” is insulting — and completely sidesteps the real issue: your shop isn’t prepared to serve anyone who actually knows the hobby. If you can’t keep track of parts or answer basic questions, at least own it instead of gaslighting the customers who care enough to help you improve. Maybe the owner should have somebody walk into his own store and see the treatment he gets from like the chick at the counter. Minimum wage minimum effort what can I...