So I went out to the local track today, which isn't all that local to me, about 40 miles one way. I've been out of 1/8th scale for a while. They had a nitro day today and I just bought an RC8Be, but I threw it on the track anyway to turn a few laps during practice. I was sliding all over the track and quickly realized the Proline holeshot tires that came with the kit weren't going to work. So I walked up to the shop which is a good walk from the indoor track. I pick out some tires, mind you the last time I bought tires they were all knobby, like Proline Badlands. So I pick up some M2 Bow Ties, 2 sets, mounted about 60ish dollars. And they had bag of the spare parts I just bought off that other guy, so I got another bag and some rear hubs. Walked out for $71. I got back down to the track and some guys there I had just met say, lets see what you got. I showed them and they suggested something softer. No big deal, I walk back up to the LHS to exchange the tires. No dice, I "opened the package"
This is what the package looked like, at the time, I hadn't even touched the package, the lady at the counter put them in a bag and I walked out. I pulled the other package out as it was on top and it was sealed fine, to show the guys at the track when they suggested I get a softer compound. You cant tell what the tires are by looking at them, so all this guy did was read the tab, M2, Soft, etc, I put them back in the bag. So the only person to ever touch the half opened bag was the lady that put them in there.
It gets worse. I go back to the track and tell one of the guys I met there that they wouldn't exchange them. He walks over to a guy he knows that works there, he tells the guy that works there the story. The guy that works there grabs me and goes to talk the owner who is on the loud speaker calling the races. The owner looks at the bag and asked how long ago I bought them. I said maybe 10 minutes, heres the receipt. The other asks the owner, "are we good to exchange them"? he says yeah. We get in the guys truck that works there, he drives me back helps me pick out the right tires and we get to the counter, and the girl rings the tires up and tells me how much they are, the guy that drove me up there, who works there, said "the owner" said it was ok to exchange them" Then the lady behind the counter gets loud with the guy that brought me up there who also works there, and says to the worker, in front of me, "I just told this guy to come back tomorrow and talk to the owner!!!!" ( Lady I live an 80 mile round trip away, so $14 in gas and $5 for the toll bridge and Im going to come back tomorrow?) So he says the owner says its ok. So she says "Well Im going to call him because we dont take things that are open" mind you I pulled it off the shelf just like this. She hangs up with the owner who told her over the phone, that they will take back the un-opened ones only. We just showed the owner the same package, and he asked me when I bought them, "10 minutes ago" now he tells her something different?
I kept my cool and walked out with the other worker, he drove me back to the track, but the more I thought about it, the more frustrated I got with it. needless to say Delta RC has lost my hobby business forever. And to think when I went back to get the tires exchanged, I had made my mind up to get the Spektrum DX3R sitting in the cabinet. So for a package of $30 tires, you could have stapled shut, it cost $320. I will probably still race there, but I will be sure to bring my own parts and tires. If I brake something 5 minutes after I get there, Id rather just go home.