I've used HLJ a few times now -- for Encore Ironhide & Ratchet, Encore Sky Lynx, and Henkei Astrotrain. I've been very happy, with the exception of surprisingly high shipping for Sky Lynx -- 4000 Yen (~$37) -- vs. 680 Yen (~$6.50) for each of the other two orders. I had pre-ordered Encore Omega Supreme in February. After discovering the high shipping for Sky Lynx, as well as finding out about the upcoming Guardian recolor, I canceled the order in March and received the cancel confirmation. This past Wednesday, I received an e-mail notifying me that my Omega Supreme had shipped (!) with a shipping charge of 4700 Yen (!!). Naturally, I e-mailed them immediately, and forwarded back the copy of the cancellation confirmation. Omega has now already arrived, and HLJ has said they will refund my order amount, but only after I ship the toy back to them. They said they will also add the amount of my return shipping expense to the refund. I'm a bit concerned, though, as I'll be out ~$180 with no item in-hand, taking it on faith that they'll refund me when the toy gets back to them. Has anyone had an order snafu like this with them before? If so, did they follow through with refunds as promised and in a timely fashion? Any anecdotes will be appreciated.
I have never been in a situation like that with them, but they are good people and they would never purposely rip you off. Their customer service is pretty good.
I've always had wonderful experiences with HLj and use them all the time... there was a period when I was spending ~400 dollars a month from them. Their shipping might seem high, but it's a function of rising everything and EMS shipping and the exchange rate... but items always zipped to me incredibly fast. Their customer service is also excellent when you have a problem. They'll clear this right up for you.
I've had amazing expieriences with their customer service. I got to keep a couple of wrongfully sent items and I have always gotten a refund or replacing item. iDD
Nothing like that, but I've had other customer services issues with them (minor stuff, nothing intentional or anything like that) and they always resolved them quickly and politely.
I don't suspect they're overcharging for shipping. I was just caught off-guard by the steep increase from 680 Yen to 4000 Yen. Sky Lynx's box was big and heavy, but not nearly 6x the size and weight of Ironhide + Ratchet. But it seems that perhaps Sky Lynx and Omega are too big for the SAL rate, or something, and they had to use EMS. Just wish I'd known that ahead of time in Sky Lynx's case. My question here is just regarding them following through with refunds as promised. Other than the occasional minor complaints of slow responses to e-mails, I've never heard a negative word about HLJ. I just wanted to make sure I hadn't missed some horror stories. EDIT: Sorry if Toyark was the wrong forum for this. I know it was about a TF toy purchase in this case, but HLJ sells other toys, so I wasn't really sure where it should go.
Hope it works out for you It indeed is a sensitive situation. Is it possible to have the recipient to pay the shipping when you send it back? If so, you can ask them to refund first?
They did the same automatic upgrade from SAL to EMS to me with my Sky linx and now Omega also. I think it has to do with the size of the box or the amount of the item purchases.
I bought the Takara Masterpiece Starscream from them. When I got it, it was missing a part. I sent them an email about it & they sent me the missing part with no problems & no extra cost. I'd say they're reliable.
i really doubt a big company will rip you off over a few dollars, have some faith! btw how much did the henkei cost with shipping?
Yeah it is the size of the box. I've been ordering things from HLJ since 1998, not for Transformers but for Godzilla products. I've also been ordering things from other Japnaese companies-my entire experience is summed up in that shipping from Japan is extremely expensive (intuitively) once you break the threshold of a certain shipment size. EMS also offers tracking, insurance, etc. that you normally couldn't get using SAL, which becomes a necessity when shipping a large box. to give you an idea: shipping something from Japan that is in excess of 48"L X 20"W X7"H is more than $250...yeah i know cause i was contemplating buying something that came in a box that large till i discovered the shipping fee. The customer service is extremely good, I'm 95% sure you won't have a problem with the refund.
Thanks for the input, all! It cost ~$26 (2680 Yen -- 2000 for the figure and 680 for SAL shipping). And it arrived in 7-8 days. Considering that every US webstore I've seen had Astrotrain listed for $25 BEFORE shipping, I was pretty happy. Of course, I think HLJ was out of Astrotrains the last time I checked.
