The easiest way to order is simply send me an email at bolt55@aerosente.com with the kit you want and your address - I'll then invoice you via Paypal. But before you order your kit it is important to me that you understand a little more about Aerosente and why I do this.
WHY I DO THIS
My name is Mike Smock and I am the proprietor of the Aerosente Glider Workshop. This is a hobby for me... a labor of love (nobody in the business of selling kits is in it for the money, at best you squeak out a modest income doing this). I started Aerosente because I love sailplanes - especially classic and vintage versions. I love building them and flying them, and Aerosente is a way of sharing this hobby with others. So what I'm saying is that I am not Nordstroms nor am I Amazon. I don't have millions of dollars invested in technology, I don't have operators standing by to take your phone calls, I am not ISO 9001 certified and I am not your servant. I don't look at you as a customer or a business transaction, you're a fellow enthusiast and over time perhaps a friend.
THIS PLACE IS A LITTLE MESSY ISN'T IT?
If you spend any time on the Aerosente web site you will see that there is a lot of stuff there. You will also notice that it is a touch messy, not unlike my shop, but if you give me a minute or two I'll generally find whatever I'm looking for. It is not unusual to have a visitor spend several hours on the site reading articles and looking at the photos. Most of my kits come with alot of detail published on the web site. Detail like manuals, build logs, historical photos, documentation, videos, etc. Publishing all this content comes with a hazard - it is difficult to make sure everything is up-to-date and accurate. So from time to time you may stumble across something that is inaccurate or out-of-date - for example when I update all the prices or contents of a my kits I may miss a couple of old prices or spec's. If so and things have changed, I'll notify to let you know that the price has changed or kit contents have been modified and give you the option of continuing or refunding your money.
IF YOU DON'T LIKE TO BUILD THEN YOU WON'T LIKE MY KITS
If you're looking at building a scale model for the first time it is important to understand a simple dynamic. We do this because we love the building process at least as much as we do flying the aircraft. If you don't like to build or you are expecting a model that is almost ready to fly then you've come to the wrong place. It's interesting to hear some guys say "why would I pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for a model that I then need to spend hundreds of hours building?" Well the answer is simply because we like to build. Building is entertainment for us. Flying is fun. When you pencil it out, compared to other forms of entertainment - building scale models is darn cheap, and your wife will always know where she can find you!
YOU DON'T GET DETAILED BUILD MANUALS WITH MY KITS
If you're the fussy type that needs everything to be perfect then don't get started building scale kits. Or, if you're the type that actually reads the instructions before you put something together then don't get started building scale kits. While some of my kits have manuals, most do not and require the builder to "noodle" things out on his own via the plans, build logs and interacting with the build community. All my kits have been designed by other hobbyists, not aerodynamic engineers - which means from time to time there will be errors on the plans or the parts that you'll need to correct. Most of the time we point these errors out - but not always.
I AM ALWAYS AVAILABLE BY PHONE OR EMAIL
The reason I mention everything above is to make sure you understand what you're getting into before you order. If you have any questions or potential concerns before you order then please give me a call at 415.234.6757 or email me at bolt55@aerosente.com. After you've ordered if you have any questions call me or email me. Remember what I said in the first paragraph about "not having operators standing by"? The reason for that is because I take all my own calls and answer all the emails. Generally speaking I try to take all calls as they come in and I respond to all emails the day I get them. I do ask that you not leave voicemail. Some of you will call and leave a detailed 5 minute voicemail that requires me to write stuff down and listen to it several times to understand what you said. Instead send me an email. I check my email about 10 times and hour.
WHAT COMES IN A KIT?
Each kit is a little bit different. Most kits come with all the major structural parts laser cut or CNC routed, basic hardware and plans. You will need to buy the long stock (spars, stringers, leading and trailing edges) and wing/fuselage sheeting, miscellaneous hardware and covering. Some of my kits have a detailed "buy-out" list for all the additional parts and pieces you need to buy, but many do not. I always recommend that you wait until you have the plans and the parts in hand before you do your buy-outs. Do your own take-off from the plans and generate your own list. And of course you will supply the servos, and other on-board electronics. Each kit has it's own specification so please review it to see exactly what you're getting and call me if you have any questions.
WHEN WILL MY KIT SHIP?
I don't know until I ship it. 99% of my kits will ship within 2-6 weeks of getting your order. Pinpointing the exact date is impossible because of how I run this business. I try to batch my orders, packing and shipping. Which means the date your order ships is contingent upon how many other orders I get and when I get them. I will not call you when your kit ships, but I will email you the shipping information so you can track your order. If you plan on 4 weeks you probably won't be disappointed. If it will be longer than 6 weeks I'll notify you via email. And it's not unusual to ship kits the week the order comes in. I'm sorry I can't be more definitive but it is the nature of the beast.
WILL ANY OF MY PARTS BE PLACED ON BACKORDER?
Everything should ship within 2-6 weeks of your order except for custom fabricated parts like canopies and instrument panels. From time to time my suppliers may extend their deliveries to me which will require me to put items on backorder. I try to keep stock items on custom parts but I'm not always able to match supply and demand. If I'm out of stock then it should generally be another 30-60 days before the item ships out. Because canopies and instrument panels are installed towards the latter part of the build this isn't a problem. Please call me or email me bolt55@aerosente.com to confirm if you have any concerns about backorders.
WHAT ABOUT RETURNS AND REFUNDS?
As I said above I am not Nordstroms - I can't offer "no questions asked returns and refunds". Because of the nature of the kit business it is very difficult to accept returns because of the hassle of repacking them, shipping them, and then being able to return them in good order to stock. Which is why I have attempted to explain in detail what you get and what you don't get from Aerosente. Because of the delicate nature of some of the parts from time to time the shipping process may damage some balsa parts. Most of the time you can repair the damage with a little CA. If not we'll cut and ship replacement parts. If anything is missing from the kit we will ship it out to you as soon as you let us know. Beyond broken parts or missing parts, if you just want to return your kit they I will have to charge a 20% restocking fee and you'll need to pay for shipping. Once I get the kit back I'll refund your payment less 20%.
HOW TO ORDER
Each kit is unique and ships in 2-6 weeks. There are two methods by which you will order depending upon the kit. On many kits there is a Paypal button that you can click and your payment will be handled directly by Paypal's checkout. For the larger more expensive kits you'll need to follow the follow process:
1. Send an email to bolt55@aerosente.com indicating the model and scale you would like to purchase. Also include your shipping address so we can calculate the shipping cost.
2. Upon receipt of your email we will issue you an invoice via Paypal for the cost of the kit, plus shipping and taxes if applicable. You can pay our invoice with any credit card - you do not have to be a Paypal member.
3. Upon receipt of your payment we will send a confirmation email indicating funds received and approximate ship date.
And of course should you have questions at all call me at 415.234.6757 or email me at bolt55@aerosente.com.
Aerosente guarantees each kit to be free from defects in both material and workmanship. If any parts are missing from the kit or are damaged due to workmanship of the product, please notify Aerosente for a prompt replacement of damaged or missing part. This warranty does not cover parts damaged by shipping, use or modification. Aerosente's liability will not exceed the original cost of the purchased kit. Aerosente does not control the assembly or materials used for final assembly, so no liability shall be assumed nor accepted for completed kits.
We accept a variety of payment methods including paypal and credit cards through paypal invoicing. Please email us at bolt55@aerosente.com or call 415.234.6757 if you have any questions or need assistance with ordering, we appreciate your business!
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