Carlton Hobbies — Attraction in Waterford Township

First and foremost I love this store because it is a small privately owned mom and pop shop. Dane and his daughter are incredibly knowledgeable and have decades of experience. It may be convenient to just order whatever rc model you want online. However, being able to actually go into the store and speak with people that know their business makes such a big difference. Especially for people like me who aren't well versed in this hobby.

Between my wife and I we made multiple trips to the store before we found the right fit. My wife first got me a crawler which I didn't want. I wanted something with more speed. They took care of this promptly and without any issue. My wife chose the Typhon mega as a replacement. It was a great choice but had I been there I would have gotten the next tier up. I planned on upgrading the mega but when I looked into doing this I realized it made much more sense to just buy the Typhon 3s.

So now it was time for me to make the trip. I went in there and spoke with them about what I was looking to get out of my car. They agreed getting the 3s would save me money. I would have been buying the upgrades I wanted from them so they would have profited much more from me keeping the Mega. Given I didn't drive the Typhon Mega, Dane and his daughter Sarah once again returned my car without issue. They also waited right until closing time for me to get there as I had to run back home to get my box.

Good service is the way these businesses survive in this modern era of technology. The thought of Amazon snuffing out small business like this drives me crazy. Though I highly doubt that they would stand a chance at snuffing Carlton Hobbies. We need to support small individual businesses like this in our communities. Their prices are just as good as Amazon. Yes you have to actually get in your car and drive there. No you can't just click a button and order online. The wealth of information someone like Dane has, who has been at this for over two decades, is priceless. If you need a new RC car, plane, boat, etc. please go give these guys your business. They will do their absolute best to inform you and to make sure you get the best model in your price range. They will also gladly help you with any issues you run into. In other words,...

I purchased a waterproof servo upon recommendation of salesman. Installed servo into brand new Axial Yeti. Drove about 10ft and noticed I didn't have steering. Servo was buzzing loudly. I returned to Carlton the next day and recounted my story. I was immediately informed they handled zero warranty issues. I asked where their policy was written. I was referred to a sign next to the register saying "no returns, exchanges, or refunds on ANY rc part. I was not made aware of this ridiculous policy when i made my purchase. I was under the impression that the advantage of brick and mortar over ecommerce was the customer service experience. Clearly this is not their goal. I don't know what their main sales are in but they are clearly not rc oriented. Tower hobbies or amain will warranty and or replace/refund no questions asked. Especially when there is clearly a defective product. Aside from that, they have almost no inventory, have no knowledge of ANY mainstream rc products and they are rude to boot. Their answer to almost every question is "we can probably order it". Can't everyone with a phone? I am all about buying local but NOT from these people. Seriously, drive to Larry's or Dirtburner and save yourself some heartache. Worst hobby store, worst selection, worst return policy, rude people. Also below reviews fake. They are written by the people that work there. Call them and ask about their return policy and see for yourself. Ask them what rc cars/trucks/planes/drones they have in stock. ...

Completely under-whelming! Mediocre selection and stock......Would rate -5 were it possible..... Spoke to the owner about some specific micro tools needed for a project. Was told the tools were available, and that he would open the store at 10AM the following morning... Arrived at 10:45AM to find the place closed, dark, and deserted.... Returned a second time to purchase some plastic model glue to finish a project..... I was quite rudely informed that he demanded a $10.00 minimum purchase before he would run any card transaction at all......

Merchant rates are arguably higher than they should be perhaps, but not so high as to make necessary this kind of SHABBY customer experience....

This guy should seriously think about closing up and retiring!!!!! Obviously he thinks little of being in a customer facing...