[Antennas] Lack of Customer Service Support - Cushcraft
Eugene Rippen
[email protected]
Tue, 5 Feb 2002 20:12:51 -0800
Servicing what one produces is usually an integral part
of the entire scheme of operation. .
The plan to stonewall requests for repair parts will
eventually terminate most businesses.
So ... my feeling is, when told '"We don't have that part
anymore. You will have to buy a whole new one."
My reply is: "You betcha. But I'll buy from your
competitor". And I mean, tell them to their face.
Don't just whine and pout. And be sure to tell all
the supervisors you can reach.
Being told that you should buy "their update or
modification" just smells of an original defect.
While we're bitching .... Do any of the big Ham
transceiver manufacturers carry all replacement parts past
10 years, or how about 7 years. (3 years?) That's called
planning obsolescence.
As conservative with our equipment as most hams are,
I would think that the producers who would promise
to have any and all replacement parts for the longest
period, would get a leg up on their competition.
Of course that only works when the company stays
in business.
I hope someone is sending these emails to Cushcraft,
or we are only a bunch of whimps and whiners, flailing
in the wind, our own wind at that. That cushcraft has
given a lot of good service, means nothing if they give
bad service, and then don't try to amend.
It like saying he isn't a really bad person, he didn't
shoot ONE of his kids.
Gene (complain, complain, complain)
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ron W7MRR" <[email protected]>
To: "RM" <[email protected]>; "'LEE R.WICAL'" <[email protected]>; "'Bill
Mills'" <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 05, 2002 6:50 PM
Subject: RE: [Antennas] Lack of Customer Service Support - Cushcraft
>
> Dear Ron:
>
> Your detailed defense of Cushcraft was probably 100 words more than I
got when I made my inquiry to Cushcraft. I believe if you read the whole
tread, you will find similiar criptic and unsupportive responses from
Cushcraft to others making such requests.
>
> You see they didn't say it costs to much, it takes too much time, or we
don't have the resources to provide this service. To there credit, they
didn't say their business is too complex for simple minded Hams to
understand as you have. What they did say was that Hams didn't have the
inherient ability to change out a RF choke and therefore needed to buy a
complete new assembly. Probably very profitable for them, but also a
transparent attempt to gouge a customer in need.
>
> Your business lesson 101 is an hypothetical discussion which overlooked
some facts. The company was nonreceptive and condesending. No explanation
was offered or suggested. This kind of treatment demonstrates a lack of
business accuman; in particular, their failure to at least attempt to deal
in a civil way with customer needs shows a total lack of understanding of
basic marketing principles. If you were in a business where your customers
could pick up a microphone or send an e-mail [to a user group like this one]
and tell the world how poorly you treated them, wouldn't you make an attempt
to deal with the problem in a civil fashion?
>
> So Ron, the real bottom line is that Cushcraft does make some good
products, but this doesn't mean they shouldn't attempt to provide customer
support.
>
> Ron W7MRR
>
> P.S. I didn't understand the "old farts ham" comment at the conclusion of
your monolog. Perhaps you could explain how this adds to the supposition
that treating customers badly is somehow all right.
>
>
>
>
>
> --- On Feb 3, 2002, RM wrote:
> > Unless you really had BAD human interaction, please first understand
> > that the cost of carrying parts in a small company is EXPENSIVE and can
> > normally be a money losing event with resulting bad customer
> > impressions.
> >
> > Unless one understands the concept of selling 'value added' spare parts
> > then you really do not understand the problems that small companies have
> > in stocking and selling individual piece parts to the consumer.
> >
> > A Five dollar part (i.e., a choke) could cost the company 100 bucks in
> > its administration of it as a spare part.........Would you like to buy a
> > 100 dollar choke.
> >
> > However, the company could sell you a subassembly, the value added
> > concept, off of its production line without losing money. But being hams
> > and perhaps not understanding the 'real' cost of piece part spare parts
> > you figure you are getting screwed.
> >
> > If you have a human problem with a company, call management and give the
> > company a chance to fix things.......Support the company if the product
> > is good....Avoiding truly good ham radio supplier companies will surely
> > drive the cost of ham radio stuff up...... Instead of buying off the
> > self antennas you get to buy all of the parts from various commercial
> > venders and build your own antenna.
> >
> > Figure the cost of doing that...... The bottom line is that Cushcraft
> > provides very good antennas to a very tiny business base (the old farts
> > ham radio folks) at a decent price.
> >
> >
> > Ron...........NU1U
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: [email protected]
> > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of LEE R. WICAL
> > Sent: Sunday, February 03, 2002 14:51
> > To: Bill Mills; [email protected]
> > Subject: [Antennas] Lack of Customer Service Support - Cushcraft
> > Importance: High
> >
> >
> > Fellas:
> > The bottom line is quit buying CUSHCRAFT antenna! Then you don't
> > have to worry about parts and bad Customer Service from them...which is
> > NIL and NONE.
> > I did!
> > They don't get any more antenna money from me any more.
> > Besides....There are better products in the market place. Those that
> > don't serve, they die on the vine!
> > Lee
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > At 12:16 PM 2/1/02 -0000, Bill Mills wrote:
> > >I had a similar experience with the Cushcraft Customer Service
> > >Department
> > in year 2001. After two telephone calls and two letters to the Customer
> > Service Department trying to obtain the correct replacement parts for
> > the D-40 rotatable dipole antenna, I sent a letter to the President of
> > Cushcraft. I received the correct parts within 7 days of posting my
> > letter.
> > >
> > >Too bad Bill Cushman is deceased. I am sure he would not tolerate
> > the
> > incompetence of the current Cushcraft Customer Service Staff.
> > >
> > >Regards,
> > >Bill Mills
> > >KC4AA
> > >
> > >
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