eRockets...
 

Randy Boadway has done a lot for our hobby and as owner of eRockets generally delivers quality service and goods to us rocketeers. He deserves our thanks and patronage.

But my personal experience has been a little mixed - in my parts orders, there has almost always been one erroneous part (nose cone or body tube). Sometimes an email to Randy fixes the problem, sometimes not. As an example, back in February, I ordered 3 LT-150 body tubes - I got 2 LT-150 tubes and 1 LT-175. I sent an email to Randy and I got an apologetic email stating that the correct tube was on the way and a tracking number.

The tracking always said "Label created." The tube never arrived.

No big - it's only a body tube, right? But coming on top of past mistakes, I found myself a bit frustrated. Lacking the tube, I tabled my plans to clone an early 1960's AeroDart.

Randy went through a serious illness, so allowances should be made. Hard to run a business from a hospital bed.

Then I saw the NARAM-62 Manufacturer's Forum and the eRockets Cherokee Pro. It was the perfect gift for a rocketeer friend (who is a Cherokee-D fanatic) on his birthday late next week. Excited, I placed the order and shelled out the extra bucks to have it shipped by UPS. Packages sent to me by the good old post office (USPS) are significantly delayed and I have yet to receive one that shipped several months ago - tracking says it is still in Ogden, Utah. So I paid the money to have it shipped via a carrier (UPS) I know reliably delivers on time to my region.

With the usual eRockets speed, the order was filled and I got the shipping notice today.

Scheduled to be shipped by USPS Priority Mail - the EXACT thing I paid to AVOID. No, there was no error on my part. I clearly selected UPS shipping.

So I tried to contact eRockets to avoid the disaster. Emails unanswered, phone just rings. I know Randy is at NARAM, but if he can't service his customers during this time, shouldn't he have stopped filling or shipping orders for the week? Other vendors do this.

To say I am a bit mad is an understatement. One or two mistakes are quite forgivable, but this has now evolved into a pattern. eRockets always screws up my order in some way, and this time it will probably mean a late present to my friend. I guess eRockets ships by whatever means they choose, regardless of what the customer selects and pays for.

Get your crap together, eRockets - "mostly right" is not a good epithet for a business.

The only comment I have is that UPS looks a lot like USPS. Still, I understand your frustration.

Sadly, I’ve had about four orders with eRockets since they assumed Semroc. I don’t think there has been a single one that did not have a wrong part sent. One I did request a fix for (and Randy worked it out), the others I have just let go.

I’ve become a bit gun shy though to order again.

Earl

SINO !
Semroc In Name ONLY., which is a sad state for what was once the finest "hobbyist oriented" company in the industry.
The Semroc of Carl/Sheryl/Bruce strived to get it right ALL THE TIME and EVERY TIME.

It is not fair to compare Randy to Carl/Bruce/Sheryl. He should run the business his way, and I wish to point out that he is releasing some nice stuff. I am grateful he rescued Semroc from oblivion.

However, I do expect to get what I pay for.

I’ve NEVER EVER had sketchy service from erockets.

I hate to say me too
 

Hi Everyone!:

I hate for my first forum post to be negative. But I have to agree with several others. I had excellent service at first from erockets, but then lately I have been getting orders with missing parts. That being said, the problems were resolved, but it is still a little unsettling. I was even beginning to think they had it in for me or something!!

The biggest issue when when I finally decided to get the Estes Saturn V Sky Lab kit. I order it, pay for it, and then nothing. Then a few days later I get this sketchy e-mail request for additional shipping money to pay for shipping via UPS. . .I really wish they had e-mailed me first, saying they hadn't charged me enough for shipping. I would have been ok with that. So I paid the request, and the kit finally shipped some four or five days later. STRANGE. I e-mailed THEM and stated that I thought they should have e-mailed ME when they discovered the shipping was insufficient and I would have been more comfortable with the whole thing, but I received NO reply from them.

Having said ALL this, I realize the sad truth that GOOD help is hard to get these days, and all these issues may not be Randy's fault, BUT. . .

Sincerely,
J.W.

Randy Broadway has faced some serious health issues the past year. Plus, everything and every person has been affected by the pandemic. So, it wouldn't be surprising if those things have affected his business.

But, we (JonRocket.com) deal with eRockets/Semroc a lot and didn't notice much of a difference. Replies to emails may have been a little slower than in the past, but that was about it.

We only get kits from eRockets/Semroc and have had very few issues over the years. When we have noticed an issue or had a customer report one, they have been quick to resolve it.

Parts may be a little different. Being able to choose from a wide array of individual parts is a benefit of shopping at a smaller retailer like eRockets. But, I know from experience that correctly filling parts orders can be challenging. No matter how well organized you think you are, parts magically jump from one bin to another. And parts with similar names or part numbers can be confusing even to an experienced "picker." There is a reason Estes only sells a few packages of standardized parts.

The topic for this area is described as "Rocketry Vendors can post their products here."

I suggest this thread is off-topic and should be moved to another area.

You are correct. I moved it. Nothing wrong with the thread so everyone should feel free to keep posting. It was just mistakenly placed in the incorrect area originally.