Need some advice from you guys.  So in December I ordered some Virpil stuff, one of their bases + stick + collective etc. etc.  And mind you, I get dozens of packages delivered to my house every year...

I knew going in shipping may take a while, and sure enough January passed, February went by, and no shipment.   Now, I had various family emergencies around that time, and for various reasons wasn't home much, and didn't check my non-work e-mail until recently (May).  In my inbox are 3 emails in successive weeks in March, all from Virpil, I think one from Virpil-in-Europe and maybe the last two from Virpil-USA.  Anyway, they told me UPS brought the items to my house, but since I wasn't home to answer the door, they left with the items.  (!)   Supposedly Virpil has reversed their charges, although I haven't had a chance to check on that yet with my bank.

Should I ask Virpil to re-send the items and hope I'm home when they deliver?  Or at this point, I'm 5 months in just to get a decent collective and stick setup??   How do you guys do it?  All I want is a decent stick, and really a collective.  It's very frustrating.  Is shipping with VKB-brand sticks or whatever it's called any easier?  Or are you all using various Thrustmaster HOTAS setups?

To be honest, it sounds like UPS did the right thing. They attempted to deliver and no-one was there to sign for the packages so they returned them to the sender. Assuming that Virpil is true to their word that they reversed the charges, you've been made whole so no harm there in my opinion.

As to whether you should order from them again: I don t have their collective but I do own one of their CM3 throttles and it's one of the best pieces of kit I own. Well worth the money in my opinion.

On the other hand, if you're handy and have access to a 3D printer, you could try making your own. 

 

Not sure how it works everywhere but here in Canada (at least in my city) UPS will often drop the package at the post office for pick-up if they miss me at home. You could set up a free account with them online and put some delivery preferences in place.

VKB Sim - I have an older Gladiator stick that uses Hall sensors. Best piece of hardware I own, I'd recommend it without hesitation. Good for all aircraft including helicopters. Heavy base, and the plastic parts are not flimsy. That said, I was not impressed that after paying purchase+tax+shipping, one day later I got a customs invoice from UPS for another $60. Oh well. Still money well-spent.

Just a note for anyone in Canada (and possibly other countries) contemplating a purchase from Virpil, even if you buy from Virpil USA the country of origin for customs purpose is Belarus.  As of now Canada has sanctioned Belarus including removing their “Most-Favoured-Nation Tariff” treatment, which basically means anything imported from Belarus will cost you an arm and a leg for customs on top of regular tax etc that must be paid.  

For me it was an unexpected $600 charge.  To their credit, Virpil warned me about this before shipping my collective (but after I had already been waiting for months for it to ship) and allowed me to cancel my order without penalty (other than my time spent looking forward to receiving the hardware). 

Hopefully at some point once the sanctions go away I’ll be able to re-order as it looks like great gear and I do appreciate Virpil giving me the option to cancel my order.

Edited May 21, 20233 yr by regis9