This store is very customer friendly. They greet you as you come in and they acknowledge your presence as a customer. Besides the employees, even the manager takes his time to check and see if you have any questions. The customer service is great and they have many items on sale. I just wish that they had a larger selection of tank kits and Vallejo paints. This is the best hobby store around! read more

I've visited this shop several times over the years as well as the hobbytown in St Charles and Lake in the hills. This is by far the worst hobbytown around. The owner will charge you for anything. Need a 2 min solder ? That'll be $5 !! Regardless of whether you bought the connector from him or not . I'm surprised he doesn't try charging people a cover just to come in and look around. Oh yeah, there is no return policy if there's an issue with an rc product.. If it's broken in the box too bad. He hands you off to the manufacturer everytime. He takes no responsibility for it and has no clue about customer service. I wish so much he would sell his shop to someone who actually cares. SAD read more

I'm spending the afternoon reading reviews on yelp, and for this particular business, it always seems to me that any of the 1 star ratings this location gets is due to misunderstanding, more so on the part of the customer. That said, while the old adage "the customer is always right" is something any business owner should consider, this way of thinking is obsolete, especially when customers cross the line. Most customer dissonance can be mitigated if you just talk to the sales people like human beings. I'm into Gundam modelling and photography, and every time I go into this location, I'm always greeted, and I don't feel rushed making a purchase. Due to its location, I can only come here when me and my wife visit my mother in law as she lives in the area; my point is, I can spend an hour browsing the store and the salespeople don't stand over your shoulder and follow you around. They're pretty quick to ask if you do need help, however. My only complaint (if I really have to have one) is their limited selection on Gundam items (yes, I'm quite aware that they're a hobby store, not a niche business for Gundams). Hobbytown pricing are generally higher compared to online stores, but the last couple of visits I've had, they've had some sales on some Gundam sets which were comparable to online retailers. Sometimes you make purchasing decisions when you can actually see the item in hand, which brick and mortar stores fulfill. I've met Glen (I think that's how it's spelled), the manager, and he's pretty friendly from what I've seen. I rarely give reviews, but I don't think these 1 star reviews give this location justice. Been here more than once, and while I haven't had an experience that would change my mind about this store, I have to throw my opinion in favor of this store. read more

Let me start off with this: I've been shopping at this location for the past year and a half and never had a problem. The return and exchange policy that they HAVE to follow is posted at every checkout counter. That's not to say that everyone there isn't willing to help you get your problem fixed though. The very first day I went in the store and bought a RC truck. That night the speed control broke. I called the next morning and asked if they could help me. Guess what, they did. They called the manufacturer and got me a replacement speed control. It was that easy. When I bought a truck that I had second thoughts about and DIDN'T open it, I was able to return it. I've never been treated with anything but respect from the entire staff, and never been lied to. They greet everyone as they walk in the door and ask if they need help, and say goodbye/have a good day when people leave. The owner runs a very good store in my opinion. He surrounds himself with great employees that are always ready to answer a question. If they don't know the answer, they find it quickly. It really bugs me to see the negative reviews about this store as they don't reflect the real way the store is. I was in the store when 2 of the people who posted reviews were there and lets just say I've seen more mature 3 year olds. Give this store a chance and I'm pretty sure you'll keep coming back like myself and quite a few others do. read more

Worst hobby store ever.I am not going back there.LIke 2 weeks ago I went there to get charger with 7.2volt battery,this time they were nice.A week later when I was there to buy something else,same thing -nice people.But two days ago ma battery went bad so I decided to return it to the store I bought it from.NO-the guy said.It is used,so you have to deal with the factory.What???Did I buy it from you or from the factory???So this is RETURN POLICY of Hobby Town USA.Think twice before YOU buy something from this GREAT store. read more

In response to Glen of Hobby Town. Thank you for illustrating my point of not-so-bright employees. You say we did not read the instructions because they were still in the packaging. If you knew the products you sold... or just simply looked in the box, the instructions come in a ZIPLOC bag - thus, we placed the instructions back in the bag, zipped it up and brought back all of the packaging when we tried to return/replace the faulty helicopter. And as I stated in my previous writing... yes we know your employees restarted the helicopter. That's not the issue. We could start the helicopter just fine, too. The problem is FLYING the helicopter. In mid-flight (about 2 minutes into flying), it dies and can't be restarted unless you take the battery out and replace with another battery, then it dies again. We tried to ask one of your employees to fly it and see that it will die after being started (since he felt it was us not knowing how to fly it that was causing the problem) ... but, as I stated earlier, he said he didn't know how to fly it. And apparently no one else knew how to fly it either at your store since we were told there was nothing that could be done. We had nothing to lose by letting your guy fly it - it wasn't working anyways so it wouldn't matter if he crashed it. You can respond negatively all you want to my rating of your store or the many others who have left messages on this site instead of trying to help - but that just shows the poor customer service at Hobby Town. Those in your store, and now you based on your responses on Yelp, are more interested in proving they're right (even when you're clearly not) that you forget about listening to and satisfying customers - those, like us who came in for the first time, and thought you had great products to offer (and would've have come back for additional products had it not been for this horrible first experience.) Then when we brought them home they didn't work. We asked for your help, received none and basically we were told "you're out of luck." Not much incentive for anyone to shop where they drop a lot of money for something that has a 50/50 chance of working and you have no recourse if it doesn't work. read more

I am not into trains, RC toys and other stuff, so my (updated) review is based off model kits and paint. I had previously given 4 stars; I knocked off a star because the Gundam model kits appeared to be priced a little high. I have been back numerous times since my first review and realized that prices are pretty much standard in comparison to most stores that are not having a sale. I am really thrifty so I remember any places that have good deals. Comparing HobbyTown USA prices to Amazon or eBay is not fair, especially if the online seller does not charge tax or has free shipping. However, just yesterday I bought a master grade G Gundam kit from this store, and it was around $25! Even online with free shipping it is at best $30, if not a good amount higher. They had an RX-93 ver Ka and a Hi Nu ka version for about $67 each. Another great deal. I did see a few kits that may have been a little high, but again, I was thinking of eBay where the seller was overseas and offered free but extremely slow shipping. My point is that their prices range from about average to in some cases, really good. Occasionally, some kits are priced a little high, but that happens anywhere, especially on niche hobbies. Their selection changes often so it is worth going back if it feels light. If you build model kits, a little more geared towards Gundam, this store hosts a meetup on the 2nd Saturday of each month. Meet a great group of people, share techniques, admire others builds, and occasionally there are contests. Good times. A common reason for the 1 star reviews is the return policy. People are spoiled by big box retailers who will return anything. Places like Walmart have more clout with vendors simply due to the volume of stuff they buy from them; the vendor can afford Walmart's loose return policy since they make far more sales. It sucks when something breaks, or the item in question ends up being junk, even when there is no fault of your own. Sometimes the consumer just has to deal with the manufacturer. If you are buying anything that is delicate or has moving parts, be prepared for breakage. It sometimes, but not always, helps if you can open the box to check for visible damage first. Even though I am not wild about it, I cannot blame Hobbytown for their return policy. Try blaming the manufacturer for a bad product, not the store that sold it. Anyway, this store is a good amount out of my way, but I still try to go when I can. read more

Absolutely awful Customer Service from the owner. They will not stand behind their products and if there is any issues whatsoever they will refuse to even exchange it for you. The owner was inconsiderate and maybe feel like I was stupid. I highly recommend you use a different HobbyTown do not go to the Schaumberg location! read more

The guys while fairly knowledgable are basically high school miscreants that will snap back, roll their eyes, or snare when you ask a novice question. I came here with an issue with my car. I needed a repair for an item and asked what the charge would be, the young man pointed at the sign($30 an hour + parts) and I agreed to it. I even bought my own supplies(parts and extras) since I knew I was going to need more anyways at home for other projects so I should have only been charged for labor, right? WRONG, upon coming up to the cash register thinking it'd be only $7 considering it took him 11 minutes(yes, I timed him), instead the little miscreant comes from around the corner and spurts out "charge him $30", to which the manager, seemed fine with. At which point did the repair take 60 minutes? So either the labor rate is wrong or they charge whatever they feel like charging. No to mention in the 11 minutes he took for the repair, he fiddled for about 4-5 minutes in the front office looking for something and answering customer questions, but I wasn't really going to complain since I thought it would be less than $10. Nope won't be shopping here ever again, Overall this is probably why this place get's bad reviews, people don't want to deal with stuff like this when you can shop for less elsewhere. read more

I visited the Schaumburg location with my 10 year old son who received a Traxxas RC car at Christmas time. He's a novice and when a part broke after a crash we came to HobbyTown USA to find out what we needed to do to fix it. I'm a single mom and I try my best, but repairing an RC car would have been hard for me even with internet tutorials. The helpful young man (regrettably, I didn't ask his name) at the parts desk got the piece we needed. But then he went above and beyond. I think based on my questions he could tell that neither my son nor I was sure of how we'd replace the broken part so he offered to 'get us started.' He guided my son through the repair, patiently helping when needed, but having my guy do the bulk of the work so he will learn what to do next time. I was very impressed with his professionalism and helpful nature. He made this mama's job easier today - and I couldn't be more thankful. Your kindness and expertise is appreciated!! We'll be back. read more

good place.. a bit strict return policy.. dont go there if u want a slow rc car that u can play around with ur 1 and 2 year old kids. go to kmart...... hobbygrade rc r fast and powerfull... read more

went to store several times and gave the benefit of the doubt. after the workers had cost me money on my nitro t maxx in the spring of 2012, i gave them another chance. then i went to store for parts on a small heli (these parts i had found on their discount table) went to the reg to find out someone had put a 50% sticker on the wrong thing. Do you think that they gave it to me for that price! hell no. they acted like i did it. IM 40 YEARS OLD. lol i dont need to knock of 50% on a product that is $10. strike two! NOW i called the store and talked to the manager and asked for a 1/24th scale 4 wheel drive truck so I can run cars inside with the kids as i got them the 1/36 scale cars. He told me it would be $89. cool ill be there. just to go in to find out the car is $109. what a dick. I asked what car he was talking about and he pawned of one of the kids on me who said they don't even have one and it would be $109. I asked the manager that told me $90 if he could sell it to me for that price as I had drove in right in the middle of a snow storm. (we live in schaumburg). he said no with a chuckle and looked up my name in the system and said i had a $5 discount on my Hobby town card. the kid told me that it would be $49 to upgrade to the brushless setup just like the one they didn't have in stock. I said (like an moron) OK. I just called the store and now it will cost close to $100 with out battery. Brushless motor/speed controller and a receiver with a servo. where the hell did this come from? I address my problem with the manager and asked him if i could bring the car back and get the brushless one instead. he asked if it were open, and said no. this car has ran (1) charge and that was it. the car is 9 days old. I told the manager the issues i had with the misdirected information between him and the kid and that it would be a shame to loose a customer over kid giving customers the wrong information and for him pricing things wron and having customers drive in a hazardus conditions. he said " it would be a shame". I will never go back to that store again. I have spent close to $3800 in the past 3 years and that means nothing to Hobby town USA. My next move on Monday it to file a formal complainant with the city and corporate. for anyone that feels the same the info is :HobbyTown USA, 1233 Libra Drive, Lincoln, NE 68512: Email- customerservice@hobbytown.com, (402) 434-5050 read more