Be Warned: www.dronesforless.co.uk (especially if buying from the U.K.)

[Rip]

www.dronesforless.co.uk

This company is NOT actually based in the U.K. and nor does it ship items from the U.K., the website is very misleading with its .co.uk address, London phone number and London physical address. Dronesforless is actually in New York.


DronesForLess,
77 Beak Street, Suite 311
Soho, London, W1F 9DB
United Kingdom
02036 171 867
[email protected]


Just be warned that if you think you are buying from the U.K., you are not, so returns and warranties will be difficult and probably expensive.

I've personally made an order with them (believing they were in the U.K.) for over £500, I've since emailed them several times with zero reply...

Reviews
Drones for Less is rated "Great" with 7.8 / 10 on Trustpilot

I have no problem with buying from abroad as long as I'm made aware up front that I am doing so so I can make an informed decision as to whether the monetary saving is worth the risk of difficult returns/warranties/issues. In my case the exact same items are available in the U.K. with free next day shipping for just £10 more than from DronesForLess. Had I known what I know now of course I would have not used DronesForLess.

 

[slartibartfast]

Avoid. This company is USA based and a risk to buy from. Their small discounts are not worth the effort and stress.

The website has a soho, London address and a London phone number but they operate and despatch from the states. Thankfully I paid through PayPal. I didn't want to buy from overseas as the £25 saving was not worth the wait, possible import problems (I've had issues with anything containing batteries at customs before), complicated returns, warranties, non uk plugs etc...
Trying to cancel once you find this out is a huge problem.
Finally on 12th Sept, nearly a month later, PayPal found in my favour me and forced a refund.

Dronesforless uk website is a front they are not based in the UK and do not distribute form the UK. They are disorganised & incompetent and it's a major problem to get a refund. It's all well and good them claiming that paying by PayPal or credit card protects you but only if you want a lot of agro and are prepared to wait a month until they are forced to act.

 

[Rip]

Wow. Well I'm screwed it would seem. I paid by credit card. I've had zero response from DronesForLess, all I've had is a tracking number that doesn't exist.

 

[Rip]

I've been listening to their crappy on hold music on the phone for 20mins now, not even sure if there is anyone there as there is no business hours listed on their website. I keep getting the "all our agents are currently busy, please continue to hold".

 

[Rip]

I've made a duplicate order with www.HeliGuy.com, a known and trusted UK seller who I've bought Heli's from before, my items have free next day delivery and free returns, all for £10 more than what I paid DronesForLess.

As for the order from DronesForLess, my credit card company say that legally they have 28 days to deliver what i ordered, so:

• If nothing arrives in that period then I'll call my credit card company and I expect I will get a refund from them right away.

• If said items do arrive but in a less than satisfactory condition then rather than embark on the returns process with DronesForLess I will again deal with my credit card company who 'should' refund me as long as I can prove I've posted the items back to DronesForLess.

• If said items arrive in a satisfactory condition then I either have to deal with a return with DronesForLess or sell said items on eBay for a small loss (I guess it'll be whichever works out cheaper for me).

There really should be a sticky on this site somewhere about www.dronesforless.co.uk

 

[slartibartfast]

I've made a duplicate order with www.HeliGuy.com, a known and trusted UK seller who I've bought Heli's from before, my items have free next day delivery and free returns, all for £10 more than what I paid DronesForLess.

As for the order from DronesForLess, my credit card company say that legally they have 28 days to deliver what i ordered, so:

• If nothing arrives in that period then I'll call my credit card company and I expect I will get a refund from them right away.

• If said items do arrive but in a less than satisfactory condition then rather than embark on the returns process with DronesForLess I will again deal with my credit card company who 'should' refund me as long as I can prove I've posted the items back to DronesForLess.

• If said items arrive in a satisfactory condition then I either have to deal with a return with DronesForLess or sell said items on eBay for a small loss (I guess it'll be whichever works out cheaper for me).

There really should be a sticky on this site somewhere about www.dronesforless.co.uk

The site shouldn't be allowed to exist. It is a phantom front for a USA company. They state on the website that they send tracked but not signed which is a worry but if you refuse delivery your credit card should refund you. Good luck I'm on a mission to let people know about this company. Post your experience on as many review sites as you can

 

[Rip]

Yes I saw that it's not signed for after I made the order, what if it's left out in the rain or even stolen after being left on my doorstep?!

If I'm home when it's delivered should I just refuse delivery do you think?

 

[slartibartfast]

I would but if they don't ask for a signature then they cannot prove delivery can they? I think it's best to tell them you will be refusing receipt and pursue a non receipt claim with your credit card. This company is a nightmare and I'm sorry you are also having to deal with them. I wish I hadn't! Everything from order confirmation to delivery is shoddy and there are others saying the original manufacture packaging, warranty and manuals are replaced or removed to reduce shipping costs. The discount they offer is not worth the stress is it? Have a look on trustpilot to see what other people think and have done. I am pursuing them because I think customers should get what they pay for from whom they think they are paying. In my case I couldn't even get a refund for something they hadn't even sent until PayPal stepped in and took the refund from them.
People need to know the full facts about this company. The UK site is a front as is the UK phone number and address. It's deceitful.

If a manufacture seal is removed you have no assurance the item is unused and an non UK warranty, charger plugs etc.. are an additional problem.

 

[Rip]

I would but if they don't ask for a signature then they cannot prove delivery can they? I think it's best to tell them you will be refusing receipt and pursue a non receipt claim with your credit card. This company is a nightmare and I'm sorry you are also having to deal with them. I wish I hadn't! Everything from order confirmation to delivery is shoddy and there are others saying the original manufacture packaging, warranty and manuals are replaced or removed to reduce shipping costs. The discount they offer is not worth the stress is it? Have a look on trustpilot to see what other people think and have done. I am pursuing them because I think customers should get what they pay for from whom they think they are paying. In my case I couldn't even get a refund for something they hadn't even sent until PayPal stepped in and took the refund from them.
People need to know the full facts about this company. The UK site is a front as is the UK phone number and address. It's deceitful.

If a manufacture seal is removed you have no assurance the item is unused and an non UK warranty, charger plugs etc.. are an additional problem.

Yeah maybe I'll do that then thanks. I'll give trading standards a call tomorrow too, they'll only investigate companies like this if a decent number of consumers make complaints against them.

 

[slartibartfast]

Yeah maybe I'll do that then thanks. I'll give trading standards a call tomorrow too, they'll only investigate companies like this if a decent number of consumers make complaints against them.

Ive already reported them but I think PayPal have had to get involved a few times too from reading other reviews. Hopefully they will have to take down the "uk" website soon

 

[Rip]

Ive already reported them but I think PayPal have had to get involved a few times too from reading other reviews. Hopefully they will be out of business soon

Well I didn't use PayPal. I'll call my credit card company again tomorrow and ask them what they want me to do regarding taking delivery or refusing delivery, if I do what they say then surely the whole process will be quicker.

 

[slartibartfast]

Well I didn't use PayPal. I'll call my credit card company again tomorrow and ask them what they want me to do regarding taking delivery or refusing delivery, if I do what they say then surely the whole process will be quicker.

Fingers crossed Rip and look forward to hearing that you get it sorted.

 

[Neon Euc]

This is not the first time I heard if this.. So sorry guys to hear that. If it helps I got mine from very.co.uk on a "buy now pay 12 months later 0% APR. and despite a few mishapes on my end... I got my drone exchanged 5 times no questions asked (long story about 5 exchanges... But it was my fault and I sent it back each time to be on the safe side)

I hear maplins also do that but you may have to put a deposit down. Argos does the same as very with 0% APR but only if you paid it all before 12 months... If not then you will get charged. And to be honest I am black listed... My credit rating is poor... God knows why very trust me lol

 

[slartibartfast]

This is not the first time I heard if this.. So sorry guys to hear that. If it helps I got mine from very.co.uk on a "buy now pay 12 months later 0% APR. and despite a few mishapes on my end... I got my drone exchanged 5 times no questions asked (long story about 5 exchanges... But it was my fault and I sent it back each time to be on the safe side)

I hear maplins also do that but you may have to put a deposit down. Argos does the same as very with 0% APR but only if you paid it all before 12 months... If not then you will get charged. And to be honest I am black listed... My credit rating is poor... God knows why very trust me lol

Dronesforless needs to be exposed. it is not a UK company and is hell to deal with if you're a UK customer. It is very wrong that they pretend to be UK based and I'm doing all I can to make sure people are aware. Buying from the states is fine as long as you do so with full knowledge of what you are risking regarding delivery, charger incompatibilities, import issues, warranties etc... for the discount offered but deceit is very wrong.

 

[Rip]

Dronesforless needs to be exposed. it is not a UK company and is hell to deal with if you're a UK customer. It is very wrong that they pretend to be UK based and I'm doing all I can to make sure people are aware. Buying from the states is fine as long as you do so with full knowledge of what you are risking regarding delivery, charger incompatibilities, import issues, warranties etc... for the discount offered but deceit is very wrong.

Exactly. For the record it was a CrystalSky 5.5" screen plus a Phantom controller mount that I ordered. Either way I've ordered another from HeliGuy so one way or another the one from DronesForLess is going back to them with the official reason for the return being something along the lines of "I was mislead at the point of sale" so maybe they'll learn their lesson. Only downside being that I'll be out of pocket for the duration of the return/refund process.

 

[Neon Euc]

Its a nightmare. I mean I get lots and lots of things from China (phones, drone parts, electric unicycles) and no problems at all... It saved me hundreds on spending money but I agree with the fact that fake advertising being abroad is not good. One thing I can say... If you want anything cheap and good quality then download an app called aliexpress.. I got earphones there for 67p and they blow my £15 skull candy ones out the water on sound quality. However I tried others for the same price and they have been really bad. But all things drone related like shoulder straps, backpacks, camera protectors.... Never had a bad deal

 

[Rip]

Its a nightmare. I mean I get lots and lots of things from China (phones, drone parts, electric unicycles) and no problems at all... It saved me hundreds on spending money but I agree with the fact that fake advertising being abroad is not good. One thing I can say... If you want anything cheap and good quality then download an app called aliexpress.. I got earphones there for 67p and they blow my £15 skull candy ones out the water on sound quality. However I tried others for the same price and they have been really bad. But all things drone related like shoulder straps, backpacks, camera protectors.... Never had a bad deal

Nice tip thanks!

 

[slartibartfast]

Its a nightmare. I mean I get lots and lots of things from China (phones, drone parts, electric unicycles) and no problems at all... It saved me hundreds on spending money but I agree with the fact that fake advertising being abroad is not good. One thing I can say... If you want anything cheap and good quality then download an app called aliexpress.. I got earphones there for 67p and they blow my £15 skull candy ones out the water on sound quality. However I tried others for the same price and they have been really bad. But all things drone related like shoulder straps, backpacks, camera protectors.... Never had a bad deal

No one has a problem buying from the states or china when they know that's who they are dealing with. My 'war' with dronesforless is that they deceive buyers by using a fake UK website, address and phone number... amongst other things.

 

[Rip]

I buy from all over the world all the time, but when I'm making a relatively expensive electrical purchase I tend to stick with the UK for ease. DronesForLess have presentedthemselves as a UK company, NOT COOL.

 

[Kcgunesq]

Sound like an alter ego for one of the many infamous NYC based electronics and camera "stores".