WinWing - quality issues and terrible customer service experience

[CalypteAviation]

Let me share something about my experience with WinWing products. I own several, and three of them have (or had) defects. None have been fixed or supported by WinWing.

The photo shows a broken part of the Finger Lift for the WINWING Orion2 set.

The construction of this part causes all the force exerted by the user when moving the throttle back to idle to act on the block shown on the left side of the photo, creating an upward force on the broken part. Eventually, it breaks. I’m not sure whether this is due to a faulty unit or bad design—probably both. The finger lift is now unusable.

Issues like this happen. However, they seem to happen to me more often with WinWing than with other manufacturers. Over two years, I’ve experienced three small mechanical issues with WinWing, compared to two issues with Thrustmaster in ten years.

As I said, these things happen. What matters is how a company responds when they do.

WinWing’s policy appears straightforward: unresolved tickets (as in my issue with the Orion Throttle Connector) or outright denial of claims. There’s no “We’re sorry this happened; we’ll replace this $2 plastic part,” or even “We’re sorry this happened; you probably overloaded the device. Pay us $5, and we’ll send a replacement.” Instead, they respond:

"Dear customer: our products have endured hundreds and thousands of violent tests before being put on the market. Usually, it won’t be broken unless mishandled. Sorry, this situation is not under warranty."

End of story. At this point I’m expected to buy another finger lift (not available), which might also break under similar conditions—or not. Who knows? Perhaps I’ll get a better part this time.

Contrast this with my experience with Thrustmaster (TM). My Warthog had a hat switch malfunction close to the end of the two-year warranty period. TM’s customer service was prompt and asked whether I wanted to send the joystick for repair or fix it myself with the part they’d provide. I chose the latter, received the part, replaced it, and it’s been working fine ever since. Another switch (also a hat - on the throttle this time) failed after 5-6 years of use. Again, TM sent me a replacement part at a very low cost (cheaper than buying from my usual supplier of electronics). I fixed it within 10 days, spending a few bucks and 30 minutes of my time.

Now, I’m considering my options. As someone into DIY, I’ll probably make the part myself, just as I made a proper mount for the WinWing Rudder Damper (another defect I had). I also tinkered with the throttle connector, which had a 3% tolerance (compared to near-zero relative movement on the Warthog throttle). That ticket is still unresolved: “Dear customer, let me check with our tech team to find a solution for you” (May 6, 2024). They’re still checking now in December.

Conclusions:

• Among the WinWing devices I purchased, three had mechanical defects.
• None of these problems have been resolved by WinWing.
• The company offered no support, no replacement parts, and no solutions. Some messages were ignored, others responded to with “let me check” followed by months of silence. The latest response suggested, in a more formal tone, to go elsewhere for help.

While their prices are competitive, this situation feels disappointing. I seem to have missed the disclaimer: “Buy at our prices, but don’t expect post-purchase support.”

 

I hope this is a developing story and that a resolution will be reached. I’ll continue pursuing their support, but…

You know how it is. We’re talking about a $2 plastic part breaking and the manufacturer (who sold me over $1k worth of equipment) refusing to take any responsibility. This raises a question: what happens when a $300 or $500 device breaks? I assume the outcome would be the same.

This is the experience I wanted to share because I believe everyone should be aware of the (lack of) support WinWing offers alongside their products.

[CalypteAviation]

Yeah, a developing story.

 

WinWing offered to send the replacement part for $25 

 

[Despayre]

That story isn't great, however...

That looks like it might be easily fixed in 1 of 3 ways pretty quickly/easily:

1)  You could slide up your idle detent to cover that gap, and adjust your throttle throw appropriately (I'm not crazy about reducing the throttle track, but it'd work).

2) You might even be able to crazy glue that, looks like it separated at a seam in the plastic, pretty clean break.

3) You can likely find the files, and have someone local 3D print you a replacement, probably cost you 10 bucks.

I get that the thrust of this post wasn't about possible solutions, and more about how unimpressed you are with Winwing's responses, and that's reasonably valid, but at the end of the day, this still looks like a pretty minor fix that I don't know I would have called Winwing for in the first place (except to maybe call and ask how much for that specific rail to be mailed to me, and yes, $25.00 feels like a bit of a gouge, agreed).

[CalypteAviation]

1. Moving the detent forward is not a viable solution. Doing so would position the connecting screw that holds the detent directly beneath the break, exacerbating the issue. The detent would become less stable than it currently is, increasing the likelihood that the entire slide will break off. A better temporary solution is to move the detent to the most rearward position. The downside of this approach is that I lose nearly all control over the beta range in the turboprops, making it an impractical long-term solution.

2. Applying glue to the break point is also ineffective. If the forces at this point were sufficient to break the plastic, any glued connection would likely fail under the same stress.

3. My current approach is more comprehensive. I’m replacing the entire bottom arrangement — the slide and both detents — with a single aluminum part. While this option is slightly more expensive, it allows for precise milling to achieve a perfect shape. Once complete, I won’t need to make further adjustments since I already know the detent positions that work best for me. Milling my own afterburner (AB) detent will ensure I achieve the correct position with greater durability and stability.

However, my ability to create a custom replacement for the WinWing part does not change the fact that the original part is poorly designed and will likely break for other users as well. The core issue lies in the detent position. The "middle" position, in particular, is the most prone to failure since the arm of the applied force is longest in this position, increasing the stress on the part.

The fact that I have the skills and resources to correct this problem myself does not absolve the manufacturer of responsibility. They should provide a free replacement part promptly. The larger issue here is the manufacturer's reliability. If they cannot efficiently replace a simple $2 part, what can users expect when a more critical component, like a display or an electronic module, fails? We already know the answer — the warranty requires users to send the device to China at their own expense, where it will be "evaluated." Presumably, the same person who blamed me for misusing the detent would be responsible for that evaluation as well.

[Phantom711]

I know this is not the point, but I‘m really wondering why that thing broke there. There is not much force acting downward upon it. From the picture it looks as if it was/is under some tension. I‘ve got mine for more than 2 years now and all I have to do is to re-tighten some screws every once in a while.

[Dangerzone]

On 12/6/2024 at 12:05 AM, CalypteAviation said:

Yeah, a developing story.

WinWing offered to send the replacement part for $25 

 

How much time, and email back and forth did you have to do, just to get to that part? Did they come back quickly, or did you have to 'fight' to even get through to someone who was willing to offer a solution?

[Phantom711]

Maybe recheck the nut on the other side and if it‘s properly seated. If you could get rid of that tension that bends the rear part up then I would think that some superglue will fix that problem reasonably well.

Also, have you sanded down the afterburner detent? It looks very worn…

Edited December 10, 2024 by Phantom711

[CalypteAviation]

3 hours ago, Phantom711 said:

I know this is not the point, but I‘m really wondering why that thing broke there. There is not much force acting downward upon it. From the picture it looks as if it was/is under some tension. I‘ve got mine for more than 2 years now and all I have to do is to re-tighten some screws every once in a while.

Basically the detent is mounted on a slide. The slide has two attachment points in front and in the back. The detent is mounted with a screw beneath the front part of the detent.

nullSorry for the terrible picture. The slide is blue. Detent - red (attachment screw - red). Throttle rests on the detent where I drawn the green circle. That makes the force on the slide be applied by the screw and carried forward to the attachment point (yellow arrow). There the thing broke. Basically the whole force at yellow arrow is carried by a small joint that is 5 mm wide and 1 mm thick.

After it broke, it was visible how strong the bending force was. The throttle detent got unusable because even when lightly moved backwards the throttle would rise the detent a few milimeters.

 

3 hours ago, Dangerzone said:

How much time, and email back and forth did you have to do, just to get to that part? Did they come back quickly, or did you have to 'fight' to even get through to someone who was willing to offer a solution?

They were extra fast denying any responsibility (39 minutes exactly after I submitted my ticket). Then it took a day to get the offer of $25 replacement. After further exchange of the messages they offered a coupon to lower the cost to $20.

Developments since then: I emailed them using an email on their Facebook. They promised to exchange the part and updated the ticket to state that. I asked for further information about the replacement. They thanked me for my patience. 

At this point I have no information about the replacement, time of delivery or if it will really be shipped. 

3 hours ago, Phantom711 said:

Maybe recheck the nut on the other side and if it‘s properly seated. If you could get rid of that tension that bends the rear part up then I would think that some superglue will fix that problem reasonably well.

 

The nut seats properly. Still - it will exert the force - check the drawing and the mechanics of it.

3 hours ago, Phantom711 said:

Also, have you sanded down the afterburner detent? It looks very worn…

I reshaped the AB detent to limit the force applied then moving to AB.