I bought a Walkera QR Series obstacle avoiding quadcopter, model HM-QR_InfraX. It was represented as a brand new, complete, ready to fly kit. All the buyer was required to buy were the AA batteries to power the transmitter. I purchased the quadcopter online through an agent who advertised for numerous sellers. After waiting a month for delivery and not receiving the aircraft I paid $107 for, I complained. I’d used PayPal to purchase the quadcopter (Transaction #9LW70895R8058631Y) and thought I could rely on PayPal’s buyer protection plan. A week after I filed my complaint I received a registered mail package from Hong Kong, the send date coincidental to the date of my complaint. In the package was an unsealed (“opened box”) QR Quadcopter box. I opened it and discovered that there was no transmitter, it had been removed. You could easily see where it was supposed to be, but it was missing this crucial component of the kit.

I modified my complaint to PayPal, stating that I had received the merchandise, but it was missing parts important enough to make the item useless. PayPal accepted the claim and warned that it would take up to 30 days for them to perform an investigation. Seven hours later PayPal informed me that they had decided the claim in favor or the vendor, reporting that said vendor stated that I had received what I’d paid for. Since what I bought was claimed to be a redy to fly kit I disagree. However, PayPal does not permit appeals and their decision is final. That’s quite some buyer protection plan. Obviously,  I’d just thrown $107 out the window.

Where’s the Transmitter!

As a 100% disabled veteran, suffering from Multiple Myeloma, a debilitating and fatal bone cancer, I live on a fixed income. My few dollars are important to me and the loss of over a hundred bucks was deeply felt. All I wanted was an R/C aircraft I could fly indoors where my physical situation keeps me.

Needless to say, I won’t be buying any more products from Walkera or their agent –who is only identified as an@sunyou.hk. There is no simple way to contact Walkera directly, their website is in Chinese and even page translators can’t make much sense of it. Usually when buying online purchasers get some sort of email confirmation. I was never sent an order confirmation and the purchase was made through a referral agent who has no responsibility for the behavior of the vendors. I hold the vendor responsible for ripping me off anyway. I also hold PayPal responsible for failing to protect me from a vendor who failed to tender the item paid for. Personally, I feel that this vendor is predatory and hides behind national and language barriers to exploit the caveat emptor ethic.

The package with labels as sent

I strongly caution anyone who purchases offshore products, especially from Chinese merchants like an@sunyou.hk, to think twice. Even PayPal’s supposed buyer protection is worthless against these dealers. I suggest that you make your purchases through companies owned and operated by your fellow countrymen. I know that I will not buy from any non-American vendor in the future. It is sometimes difficult to tell; companies claim to be US Dealers when they are actually just agents of an offshore company doing business in America. (A practice I think should be illegal).

I am posting this in hopes it will prevent others from being taken advantage of in the way I was. Please learn from my mistake and don’t trust foreign sellers! You may think it makes for a lower price by buying from discount agents, but it’s not much of a discount if you end up with nothing the way I did.