Customer Service good and bad

[Shadow Catcher]

I have had two examples of customer service in the last week. I had a problem with our Morningstar SureSine inverter the terminals for the DC in are very robust, the AC out not so much (plastic terminal metal screw) and I stripped one of the screws. I email Morningstar and a day later got a call and explained the situation, he asked for the serial number which I provided and two days later I had a new inverter no questions asked and they did not want the old one which still works. I can kind of understand the problem as the terminal is soldered to the PC board inside but I will still try and salvage it and keep it as a spare.
Contrast this with a Nikon lens that failed at Yellowstone last year, the plastic inside broke and the front zoom lens element cluster broke free. All I had was the telephoto zoom. Sent it to Nikon for repair $105 and some weeks later and I have it back, seven months later the rear lens cluster breaks free and I send it back with proof it was less than a year from repair, conflicting stories repair grantee is either one year or six months and they sent it back un-repaired. Debated buying a better lens but for what I am using it for I can not justify 400+dollars and the made in China quality still is doubtful. So I bought a replacement from Best Buy $119.

I should have looked to see what the replacement vs new cost was and saved my self a good bit of wear and tare, but I trusted Nikon and its reputation (it no longer has one) for quality.

[kc7wzl]

hehe I'm reminded of a quote from armageddon movie....
Russian ship, USA ship no matter all made in China!

[eamarquardt]

I'm considering buying a marine autopilot ($4K). I had an AMS on our previous boat. It failed a couple of times but the factory (a small outfit) fixed it and, eventually, upgraded it to MOSFETs versus relays. I'm sure the inventor/owner is now long gone (he was in his 70s in the 1980s) as the business has been sold and moved from the Bay Area to Seattle. After reading a bit it appears that the AMS units do not have a GPS interface. I've no need for a GPS interface as I don't think it's a good idea to rely on the GPS and autopilot to make course changes when one should be keeping a watch and paying attention. But this lack of providing the latest and greatest features (that some may find useful for their needs) is a lack of customer service. In addition there are several reports on the net about poor repair service by AMS. Even though I think the AMS drive itself (versus the control module) is the most robust, reliable, and uses the least current of all autopilots I'm not considering buying one of their units because of the poor service and their failure to keep the product updated (I think the company may lack the expertise of the "eccentric" but arguably brilliant original inventor/owner of the company).

I kinda think that the reason customer service is so lacking today is that everything is disposable and manufacturers do not repair their products any longer but just replace defective units. I kinda think that by not seeing the failures firsthand they're making a mistake and not learning where their products could be improved. I had the same experience that you had (replacement and permitted to keep the original) with a sprinkler controller from Orbit. After I had the replacement in and working, figuring I had nothing to lose, I took apart the original unit, cleaned all of the contacts, and returned it to working order.

Yer right it's often more cost effective to replace than repair. As a bonus, if you purchase an identical replacement you end up with spare parts and perhaps extra batteries.

Buyer beware.

Cheers,

Gus

[Corwin C]

PLEASE ... if you have children at home, instill in them a sense of pride for a job well done. It doesn't matter what the job is, washing dishes, installing computer chips, hauling trash, or completing corporate budgets, if we don't learn the value in workmanship everything will be lost. If we aren't willing to stand up straight and admit to the world what we have accomplished during the day, without excuses, in complete and honest detail, then we can do better ... and no one should accept anything less. I think I'm going to quote myself on that...

Recently my parents have been finishing up the construction of their home. We started out doing all of the work ourselves, but when health issues became quality of life issues, the decision was made to hire some help. Unfortunately, even "professionals" can do shoddy work. We were willing to pay for quality ... unfortunately there are very few around who are interested in quality anymore.

[pmowers]

A friend was out on the Cumberland River when he saw a straight line in a brush pile in the river. The straight line was an Orvis fly rod and reel. The rod tip was broken off and the pawls in the reel had rusted out. Figuring, since Orvis has a lifetime warranty, "Why not?", he sent them in to Orvis, and was up front with how he had acquired them. Orvis cleaned and rebuilt the reel and only charged him about $10, but said that the rod was not repairable. Orvis then sent him a new rod with a note apologizing for accidently throwing the rod away instead of returning it to him. Now that is customer service!!!

[48Rob]

Not only customer service, but a company obviously dedicated to maintaining their reputation.

Although expensive to repair and replace things that were not their fault, they, and other companies with similar policies get a lot of free advertising because of it.
I'd never heard of them, but If I was shopping for a fishing setup...I'd remember the story posted here...and would try to buy their product.

Sears is another big name, and a smaller, but closer to home company is Li'l Bear Teardrop Parts.
I've bought from Sears because of the reputation, and will soon be buying from Grant for the same reason.

Rob

[Shadow Catcher]

Rob
Unfortunately Sears has taken the low road with regards to power tools. A local company who made compressors for Sears is now defunct, they could not get their compressor quality down far enough in in hours/life expectancy. hand tools that used to be made in Cleavland by Vulcheck come from overseas. When my Sears torque wrench failed it was replaced by one that will not go down as far and that can not be calibrated. This started before Walmart started to dig for the lowest price/quality.
I now buy hand tools at Harbor Freight life time guarantee and quite likely made in the same factories.

[48Rob]

I'll have to agree with you there...
Sears reputation is not what it once was...

I used them as an example because of the widely known name, I gave up on their power tools about 15 years ago.

It is too bad, but in todays economy, enough people are willing to sacrafice quality for price.
Not saying it is good or bad, but it certainly is part of everyones lives.

Many mechanics like the big brand names because of real, or perceived quality.
I've found many of Harbor freights tools to be quite adequate.
My son who is a Master Tech for Volkswagon buys a good portion of his tools and supplies there also.

I expect you are correct about where the majority of tools originate.

Rob

[PKCSPT]

"I'll have to agree with you there...
Sears reputation is not what it once was..."

Ditto, used to love Sears, last experience not so much. The sad thing is its getting harder to find a company that values loyalty in its customers. I don't mind paying a bit more for well made American made products or GOOD customer service. If I can find it.

[pmowers]

What is really wrapping around my axle with companies like Sears is that they are serving as a "front-end" for others. If you look on-line, I bet that less than 1/3 of the stuff on their website is actually sold or serviced by them. Sure, you can order something from the site and pick it up at the store, but try to return it. Sears didn't sell it to you, so why should they accept it for return?