Re: [Elecraft] Earning Customer Loyalty
Well said Eric. I don't see it as a problem but my post was meant to display the excellent customer service I received from Elecraft. I have nothing but praise for Elecraft, their design, after sales service and in fact the whole shooting match. I don't understand the wingers and whiners who moan about every little screw and misalignment etc. Most questions on this forum could be self answered by reading the book! Hey if you don't understand the book, or can't build a radio - then don't buy one! Buy one already constructed. Now I'm climbing into my flame retardant suit! Tom GM4FDM Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ, Elecraft wrote: We test -all- of the various modules in the K3 prior to shipment (both kits and built K3s). The VFO A/B encoder issue cropped up recently and was a problem at the Bourns factory that they have now corrected. (Fortunately the problem only showed up on a very small percentage of encoders.) But in my opinion, for an expensive encoder like this one, we never should have seen any failures, no matter how few. We pay a premium for these encoders. We always 100% tested them here, but obviously a few slipped through, by passing here and then failing shortly afterwards. In general the encoder, if it is one of the small percentage that is going to fail, fails in the first hour or so of use. Once we understood what was happening (after beating up Bourns asking for an answer for a number of weeks..) we built an encoder burn in fixture where we run 100% of the encoders for an extended time before testing them. That in turn catches the offenders. In general, if an encoder runs for an hour or two, it doesn't fail. Bourns has also made changes to their automated assembly process to eliminate this as a possible issue. We want ZERO failures of encoders. I'm sure we'll see a few more for a little while, but I don't think many are getting by us now. :-) 73, Eric WA6HHQ Tom Wylie wrote: I had also to replace an encoder which was faulty at the outset, however, the dis-assembly of the front panel was very easy and straightforward and only took a few minutes. I don't understand the difficulty de Tom GM4FDM --- avast! Antivirus: Inbound message clean. Virus Database (VPS): 081211-0, 11/12/2008 Tested on: 12/12/2008 08:59:28 avast! - copyright (c) 1988-2008 ALWIL Software. http://www.avast.com -- So I met the bloke who invented crosswords today. I can't remember his name, it's P something T something R. --- avast! Antivirus: Outbound message clean. Virus Database (VPS): 081211-0, 11/12/2008 Tested on: 12/12/2008 09:06:15 avast! - copyright (c) 1988-2008 ALWIL Software. http://www.avast.com ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: Re: [Elecraft] Earning Customer Loyalty
David Ferrington, M0XDF wrote: This thread is only the second I've seen mentioning failed decoders, so 3 of you here I think and the previous mention, back in February I think was one - that's 4 out of at least 1933 units! I have a very small intermittent problem in the encoder on my KX1. Elecraft will replace it for me, however I've figured out how to get around it, and I really don't want to take it apart now. Maybe later. Rather a low failure rate, although of course very inconvenient if it's you. Casualty rates are way down -- very good, unless you're one of them. I forget who I heard this from but it was at some point where the US Government was debating Low Intensity Combat. Seemed like a contradiction in terms. Hope to find lots and lots of K3's in the ARRL 10 Meter this weekend. Ten has been such a wasteland lately. 73, Fred K6DGW - Northern California Contest Club - CU in the 2009 Cal QSO Party 3-4 Oct 2009 - www.cqp.org PS to Santa: I've been good this year. I promise you, I'm telling the truth. I'd like some sunspots in 2009. Doesn't have to be a lot, just an increasing trend that keeps up. ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
RE: [Elecraft] Earning Customer Loyalty
Hi Ken, I only recently qualified as a radio amateur but it's impossible to avoid stories like these. I've yet to see one negative comment aimed at Elecraft and even the most critical of reviews of Elecraft products only seem to come up with minor suggestions which often times find their way into the products either as a future option or a firmware update. The other benefit of dealing with Elecraft is that you deal with Elecraft and not a dealer or distributor who, even in my limited experience, seldom approach acceptable levels of customer service. As a UK amateur, the only downside is that the recent massive devaluation of the pound has made Elecraft products very expensive. If only we'd joined the Euro :( But then again, as this has had the effect of pushing up prices of other manufacturers products, you're certainly no worse off choosing Elecraft.David (M6SPV) Date: Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:49:32 -0800From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: [Elecraft] Earning Customer Loyalty I had a two week old K-3 fail after I brought it to PEI for CQWW. The VFO B knob stopped working so I couldn’t even change menu settings. I was able to use the radio in CQWW. I brought it home, got an RMA and sent it in to Gary. Within days he called me to tell me it wouldn’t fail on the bench, but that he was going to change the VFO B encoder anyway. That is the kind of pro-active customer service that earns my customer loyalty. I know, I’m preaching to the choir here. Still, it is nice to see a company, any company, doing it right with both product and service. 73, Ken, K6LA / VY2TT _ Get a bird’s eye view of the world with Multimap http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/115454059/direct/01/___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Earning Customer Loyalty
My radio is S/n #1272 The B encoder failed 1 day after build. An email brought a new encoder to Scotland in 3 days, but why did it fail in the first place? Is it a bad batch? Tom GM4FDM I just love my K3 Ken Widelitz wrote: I had a two week old K-3 fail after I brought it to PEI for CQWW. The VFO B knob stopped working so I couldn’t even change menu settings. I was able to use the radio in CQWW. I brought it home, got an RMA and sent it in to Gary. Within days he called me to tell me it wouldn’t fail on the bench, but that he was going to change the VFO B encoder anyway. That is the kind of pro-active customer service that earns my customer loyalty. I know, I’m preaching to the choir here. Still, it is nice to see a company, any company, doing it right with both product and service. 73, Ken, K6LA / VY2TT ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com --- avast! Antivirus: Inbound message clean. Virus Database (VPS): 081210-0, 10/12/2008 Tested on: 11/12/2008 09:20:37 avast! - copyright (c) 1988-2008 ALWIL Software. http://www.avast.com -- So I met the bloke who invented crosswords today. I can't remember his name, it's P something T something R. --- avast! Antivirus: Outbound message clean. Virus Database (VPS): 081210-0, 10/12/2008 Tested on: 11/12/2008 09:25:53 avast! - copyright (c) 1988-2008 ALWIL Software. http://www.avast.com ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
RE: [Elecraft] Earning Customer Loyalty
I think many of us experienced failed encoders, mine failed the 1. Day of arrival. VFO A. But as always the customer service from Elecraft is excellent and a new encoder arrived after a few days. Most likely there have been a tough pressure at the production line in the past and the quality control have failed in some cases. I can live with this since the products otherwise shines like diamonds :-) 73, Trond LA8NHA K1#2575 K2#6594 K3#1933 -Opprinnelig melding- Fra: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] På vegne av Tom Wylie Sendt: 11 December, 2008 10:26 AM Til: Ken Widelitz Kopi: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Emne: Re: [Elecraft] Earning Customer Loyalty My radio is S/n #1272 The B encoder failed 1 day after build. An email brought a new encoder to Scotland in 3 days, but why did it fail in the first place? Is it a bad batch? Tom GM4FDM I just love my K3 Ken Widelitz wrote: I had a two week old K-3 fail after I brought it to PEI for CQWW. The VFO B knob stopped working so I couldnt even change menu settings. I was able to use the radio in CQWW. I brought it home, got an RMA and sent it in to Gary. Within days he called me to tell me it wouldnt fail on the bench, but that he was going to change the VFO B encoder anyway. That is the kind of pro-active customer service that earns my customer loyalty. I know, Im preaching to the choir here. Still, it is nice to see a company, any company, doing it right with both product and service. 73, Ken, K6LA / VY2TT ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com --- avast! Antivirus: Inbound message clean. Virus Database (VPS): 081210-0, 10/12/2008 Tested on: 11/12/2008 09:20:37 avast! - copyright (c) 1988-2008 ALWIL Software. http://www.avast.com -- So I met the bloke who invented crosswords today. I can't remember his name, it's P something T something R. --- avast! Antivirus: Outbound message clean. Virus Database (VPS): 081210-0, 10/12/2008 Tested on: 11/12/2008 09:25:53 avast! - copyright (c) 1988-2008 ALWIL Software. http://www.avast.com ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Earning Customer Loyalty
This thread is only the second I've seen mentioning failed decoders, so 3 of you here I think and the previous mention, back in February I think was one - that's 4 out of at least 1933 units! Rather a low failure rate, although of course very inconvenient if it's you. 73 de M0XDF, K3 #174 -- Dear God, Did you mean for the giraffe to look like that or was it an accident? -Norma [Children's Letters to God, 1991] On 11 Dec 2008, at 09:48, Trond Stubberud wrote: I think many of us experienced failed encoders, mine failed the 1. Day of arrival. VFO A. But as always the customer service from Elecraft is excellent and a new encoder arrived after a few days. Most likely there have been a tough pressure at the production line in the past and the quality control have failed in some cases. I can live with this since the products otherwise shines like diamonds :-) ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Earning Customer Loyalty
Yes, accepted and I'm sure Elecraft have a handle on how many returns they are getting. I also understand that not everyone air's their problems here, which makes such judgements difficult, or even invalid - something I hadn't considered. 73 de M0XDF, K3 #174 -- The trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit. -Moliere, actor and playwright (1622-1673) On 11 Dec 2008, at 13:34, wa6riv wrote: I also had a failed B encoder. Many of us work with Elecraft and don't say much. Some component failure is expected. Ted In a message dated 12/11/08 02:03:41 Pacific Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: This thread is only the second I've seen mentioning failed decoders, so 3 of you here I think and the previous mention, back in February I think was one - that's 4 out of at least 1933 units! Rather a low failure rate, although of course very inconvenient if it's you. 73 de M0XDF, K3 #174 -- Dear God, Did you mean for the giraffe to look like that or was it an accident? -Norma [Children's Letters to God, 1991] On 11 Dec 2008, at 09:48, Trond Stubberud wrote: I think many of us experienced failed encoders, mine failed the 1. Day of arrival. VFO A. But as always the customer service from Elecraft is excellent and a new encoder arrived after a few days. Most likely there have been a tough pressure at the production line in the past and the quality control have failed in some cases. I can live with this since the products otherwise shines like diamonds :-) ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Earning Customer Loyalty
Much more to it than mere inconvenience. I spent hours on the job - diagnosis by disassembling the radio, swapping the encoders, reassembling the radio, verifying the problem followed the encoders, getting a replacement encoder from Elecraft, disassembling the radio, installing the replacement encoder, then reassembling the radio. Most of you guys who assembled the kit know how difficult front panel remove/install is. I feel that my problem could have been avoided if Elecraft had been testing each individual module before shipping them - mine was DOA, and was likely DOA before shipment. I suggested then that Elecraft should check each and every module before shipment - should be pretty easy to do there on the bench in a test device. I don't know if they are testing them now. Jerry W4UK At 04:57 AM 12/11/2008, David Ferrington, M0XDF wrote: This thread is only the second I've seen mentioning failed decoders, so 3 of you here I think and the previous mention, back in February I think was one - that's 4 out of at least 1933 units! Rather a low failure rate, although of course very inconvenient if it's you. 73 de M0XDF, K3 #174 -- Dear God, Did you mean for the giraffe to look like that or was it an accident? -Norma [Children's Letters to God, 1991] On 11 Dec 2008, at 09:48, Trond Stubberud wrote: I think many of us experienced failed encoders, mine failed the 1. Day of arrival. VFO A. But as always the customer service from Elecraft is excellent and a new encoder arrived after a few days. Most likely there have been a tough pressure at the production line in the past and the quality control have failed in some cases. I can live with this since the products otherwise shines like diamonds :-) ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Earning Customer Loyalty
I had also to replace an encoder which was faulty at the outset, however, the dis-assembly of the front panel was very easy and straightforward and only took a few minutes. I don't understand the difficulty de Tom GM4FDM Jerry Flanders wrote: Much more to it than mere inconvenience. I spent hours on the job - diagnosis by disassembling the radio, swapping the encoders, reassembling the radio, verifying the problem followed the encoders, getting a replacement encoder from Elecraft, disassembling the radio, installing the replacement encoder, then reassembling the radio. Most of you guys who assembled the kit know how difficult front panel remove/install is. I feel that my problem could have been avoided if Elecraft had been testing each individual module before shipping them - mine was DOA, and was likely DOA before shipment. I suggested then that Elecraft should check each and every module before shipment - should be pretty easy to do there on the bench in a test device. I don't know if they are testing them now. Jerry W4UK At 04:57 AM 12/11/2008, David Ferrington, M0XDF wrote: This thread is only the second I've seen mentioning failed decoders, so 3 of you here I think and the previous mention, back in February I think was one - that's 4 out of at least 1933 units! Rather a low failure rate, although of course very inconvenient if it's you. 73 de M0XDF, K3 #174 -- Dear God, Did you mean for the giraffe to look like that or was it an accident? -Norma [Children's Letters to God, 1991] On 11 Dec 2008, at 09:48, Trond Stubberud wrote: I think many of us experienced failed encoders, mine failed the 1. Day of arrival. VFO A. But as always the customer service from Elecraft is excellent and a new encoder arrived after a few days. Most likely there have been a tough pressure at the production line in the past and the quality control have failed in some cases. I can live with this since the products otherwise shines like diamonds :-) ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com --- avast! Antivirus: Inbound message clean. Virus Database (VPS): 081210-0, 10/12/2008 Tested on: 11/12/2008 18:12:44 avast! - copyright (c) 1988-2008 ALWIL Software. http://www.avast.com -- So I met the bloke who invented crosswords today. I can't remember his name, it's P something T something R. --- avast! Antivirus: Outbound message clean. Virus Database (VPS): 081210-0, 10/12/2008 Tested on: 11/12/2008 18:34:15 avast! - copyright (c) 1988-2008 ALWIL Software. http://www.avast.com ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Earning Customer Loyalty
Just to provide a bit of perspective, I've also had problems with the encoder...on my Yaesu FT-857D. It's the lower-lefthand knob that does double duty for menu selections and also has a push on-off selector function. When I ordered a replacement from Yaesu, the tech told me that this encoder, and it's being sensitive to inadvertent bumps, is a common failure item on this radio. Since they were fairly cheap, I decided to buy several to allow for future accidents as well. It was a hassle to replace, but I did it myself instead of sending it in for warranty service. Elecraft is not the only company that might have occasional issues with encoders. Cheers, Dave, K7DAA On Dec 11, 2008, at 10:34 AM, Tom Wylie wrote: I had also to replace an encoder which was faulty at the outset, however, the dis-assembly of the front panel was very easy and straightforward and only took a few minutes. I don't understand the difficulty de Tom GM4FDM Jerry Flanders wrote: Much more to it than mere inconvenience. I spent hours on the job - diagnosis by disassembling the radio, swapping the encoders, reassembling the radio, verifying the problem followed the encoders, getting a replacement encoder from Elecraft, disassembling the radio, installing the replacement encoder, then reassembling the radio. Most of you guys who assembled the kit know how difficult front panel remove/install is. I feel that my problem could have been avoided if Elecraft had been testing each individual module before shipping them - mine was DOA, and was likely DOA before shipment. I suggested then that Elecraft should check each and every module before shipment - should be pretty easy to do there on the bench in a test device. I don't know if they are testing them now. Jerry W4UK At 04:57 AM 12/11/2008, David Ferrington, M0XDF wrote: This thread is only the second I've seen mentioning failed decoders, so 3 of you here I think and the previous mention, back in February I think was one - that's 4 out of at least 1933 units! Rather a low failure rate, although of course very inconvenient if it's you. 73 de M0XDF, K3 #174 -- Dear God, Did you mean for the giraffe to look like that or was it an accident? -Norma [Children's Letters to God, 1991] On 11 Dec 2008, at 09:48, Trond Stubberud wrote: I think many of us experienced failed encoders, mine failed the 1. Day of arrival. VFO A. But as always the customer service from Elecraft is excellent and a new encoder arrived after a few days. Most likely there have been a tough pressure at the production line in the past and the quality control have failed in some cases. I can live with this since the products otherwise shines like diamonds :-) ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com --- avast! Antivirus: Inbound message clean. Virus Database (VPS): 081210-0, 10/12/2008 Tested on: 11/12/2008 18:12:44 avast! - copyright (c) 1988-2008 ALWIL Software. http://www.avast.com -- So I met the bloke who invented crosswords today. I can't remember his name, it's P something T something R. --- avast! Antivirus: Outbound message clean. Virus Database (VPS): 081210-0, 10/12/2008 Tested on: 11/12/2008 18:34:15 avast! - copyright (c) 1988-2008 ALWIL Software. http://www.avast.com ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
Re: [Elecraft] Earning Customer Loyalty
We test -all- of the various modules in the K3 prior to shipment (both kits and built K3s). The VFO A/B encoder issue cropped up recently and was a problem at the Bourns factory that they have now corrected. (Fortunately the problem only showed up on a very small percentage of encoders.) But in my opinion, for an expensive encoder like this one, we never should have seen any failures, no matter how few. We pay a premium for these encoders. We always 100% tested them here, but obviously a few slipped through, by passing here and then failing shortly afterwards. In general the encoder, if it is one of the small percentage that is going to fail, fails in the first hour or so of use. Once we understood what was happening (after beating up Bourns asking for an answer for a number of weeks..) we built an encoder burn in fixture where we run 100% of the encoders for an extended time before testing them. That in turn catches the offenders. In general, if an encoder runs for an hour or two, it doesn't fail. Bourns has also made changes to their automated assembly process to eliminate this as a possible issue. We want ZERO failures of encoders. I'm sure we'll see a few more for a little while, but I don't think many are getting by us now. :-) 73, Eric WA6HHQ Tom Wylie wrote: I had also to replace an encoder which was faulty at the outset, however, the dis-assembly of the front panel was very easy and straightforward and only took a few minutes. I don't understand the difficulty de Tom GM4FDM ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
