[1000mp] Warranty Service -- a report from the front

Pete Smith [email protected]
Fri, 26 Apr 2002 07:40:51 -0400


In mid-March, I called Yaesu and was told that the warranty service queue 
was about 2 weeks long.  At the end of the month, as they were getting 
ready to move to Cypress, CA, I called and was told 3-4 weeks.  Made sense, 
I thought, because of the move.  I shipped my Mark 5 to them, timed to 
arrive the week after they moved.  It was accepted by Yaesu on Tuesday, 
April 2.

Yesterday, I called, hoping to find out that it was in work or on the way 
back.  Instead, the woman who answered said it didn't get into their system 
until Monday, April 8, and that the wait from that point would be 4-6 
weeks!  When I complained about the previous disinformation, she said the 
further delay was all because of the move, and they had not been getting 
much work done on service until just last week or so.  Then she said, out 
of the blue,  that she hoped it would be assigned to a technician in the 
next couple of days, and that she would see to it that I got a "courtesy call."

I pointed out that this wasn't consistent with a quoted 4-6 week wait, but 
she repeated her assurance that it would be assigned to a technician in the 
next couple of days, and that I would get a call.

At this point, I have NO idea what to expect, really.  They MAY be 
following a "squeaky wheel" queuing process, or she may simply have wanted 
to get me off the phone (her English was limited, which is another story -- 
why put someone with limited English on the phone to talk to customers, a 
large percentage of whom will be unhappy, or at least impatient?).  Anyhow, 
I don't have a warm feeling.

73, Pete N4ZR

Check out the World HF
Contest Station Database at
www.pvrc.org