[Elecraft] To improve customer service (for the Classic gear)

Thu May 23 19:54:40 EDT 2019

Thanks Dave, that was all I needed to hear. Enjoy your vacation, have one for me in the Tiki bar!

Don, KE0PVQ

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From: Dave Van Wallaghen<mailto:dave at w8fgu.com>
Sent: Thursday, May 23, 2019 6:46 PM
To: donwilh at embarqmail.com<mailto:donwilh at embarqmail.com>; Doug Hensley<mailto:w5jv at hotmail.com>; Don Schroder<mailto:donanddeena at hotmail.com>
Cc: elecraft at mailman.qth.net<mailto:elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] To improve customer service (for the Classic gear)

Don,

I profusely apologize for the delay and lack of communication. As Don, W3FPR pointed out, Don was and I am a part time employee. For a whole host of reasons, that I won't go into at this time, the transition has been somewhat slow but I am making progress.

The amount of backlog has been overwhelming to an extent. But with Don's help we have managed to whittle much of it down.

I am not making excuses for the lack of communication and will improve my response as I work through this transition. Poor Don is supposed to be retired and still provides excellent support in my absence or heavy workload.

As he noted, my wife and I are on vacation well off of the grid. I do have some wifi here (sitting at the Tiki bar as I write this) but I am pretty much off the grid until next week.

I do totally love the Elecraft customer service paradigm and will continue to strive for that plateau. But it will take me a little time as I still work a fulltime profession as well as this part time venture plus family blah blah blah.

If I remember right, your rig was number 2 or 3 on my priority list and I will get right on it as soon as I return. I appreciate your patience in the interim and will be in touch soon.

73,
Dave, W8FGU

On May 23, 2019 13:03:13 Don Wilhelm <donwilh at embarqmail.com> wrote:

Doug,

Thanks for the nice words about my service.  When I was doing repairs
for the classic gear, I did not have a staff (like they do in
Watsonville) to send emails when the rig arrives, etc.  I would email
customers when I started work on it, ask any questions about what the
customer wanted when the RSA form was incomplete. and let the customer
know if there were significant delays.
Then when I finish with it, I would send the report to the office and
the sales staff would contact the customer about payment.
It is tough to keep up with emails, repairs and everything else when
there is a backlog of repairs.  So working with a staff of one (me) it
is difficult to keep up with customer communications in addition to
providing prompt repair service.

I was not a contract person, but a part time employee of Elecraft.

I am certain Dave WFGU (who took over for me, and is also a part-time
employee) is having similar problems.  In additions, he also works for
his Fire Department which has him at the station full time for stretches
between 2 and 4 days at a time, and he may not know that his XYL got a
repair package in during those days.  I know he is currently on vacation
and away from home - so any repair parcels are being held for him at the
post office or UPS.

Sorry that we cannot provide the same level of communications that are
available out of Watsonville, but we do the best we can.  I had an
advantage over Dave because I was not working a full time job when I was
doing that legacy repair work.

Some patience and understanding is required, and your tracking numbers
can be relied on - I never found them to be wrong.

Do not send an advance check with your RSA repair.  If a check is
discovered, it must be sent to Watsonville, and will not be cashed until
the repair is concluded.

Also, do not send your classic gear to Watsonville, send it as indicated
in the RSA instructions.  If you do send it to Watsonville, expect an
extra week delay because it must then be shipped to Michigan.
The newer (non-thru-hole gear) IS serviced at Watsonville, but NOT the
classic gear.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 5/23/2019 1:56 PM, Doug Hensley wrote:
Don, I think that is because the early stuff is farmed out to contract people who may not have an email routine going yet.  The K1 & K2's were usually handled by Don Wilhelm who just retired.  You might contact Elecraft support and ask them who they sent the rig to, when, where, etc.

Don had done all my K1 & K2 work and was just marvelous.  Hopefully Elecraft keep that kind of talent at hand.

Cheers,

Doug W5JV

Message: 20
Date: Thu, 23 May 2019 17:17:57 +0000
From: Don Schroder <donanddeena at hotmail.com>
To: Elecraft Reflector <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [Elecraft] To improve customer service
Message-ID:
 <BYAPR02MB58793D242E5910BEE56677F8AA010 at BYAPR02MB5879.namprd02.prod.outlook.com>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

A good morning to all!

I am sitting in my recliner, drinking a cup of java, and doing what I seem to do best, thinking,

I?m thinking; when I sent my computer into the Company for repairs (under warranty), the Company did something I had never experienced before. They ?GAVE ME A WEEKLY UPDATE? every Friday by email or phone call, to tell me the status of my computer! Every week, I knew what was happening to my computer, (1) had they received it? (2) Were they working on it? (3) What have they found? (4 ) What problems have they encountered?  (5) Is it fixed? (6) Have they sent it back to me?

On April 8th, I sent my K2 transceiver kit to Elecraft, to look at an issue I was having.

On April 10th, (2 days later) Elecraft received my K2. I know this NOT because I was notified, but because I researched the tracking number.

On May 7th, (29 days later), Elecraft cashed my deposit check that was sent with the K2. I know this NOT because I was notified, but because I researched my banking statements.

On May 23rd, (today, 45 days later) I am beginning to think I may never see my K2 again!

I?m thinking; wouldn?t it be nice if all Companies kept their customers ?informed? of a products status when sent in for repairs, like the computer Company did?

I?m thinking; this would be a GREAT improvement to customer service!

Don, KE0PVQ
Let the lava flow begin

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