[Elecraft] communications on KX2 Mic's (MH3)

[David Gilbert]

That's ridiculous.  Any company that had your attitude would be out of 
business.  No way should anyone have to keep track of emails on a 
listserver to know where their order stands.  I can't even believe you 
would think it so.

Wayne has plenty of time to post regular updates on his personal ham 
radio operations, but not enough to make sure his customers have someone 
sending them regular updates on orders they have paid for months 
earlier?  This isn't about supply chain problems.  This is about 
Elecraft's basic responsibility to keep paid customers informed.  
"Personal hand holding" is what Elecraft used to be known for, and it's 
no longer valid for them to blame the lack of it on fires and supply 
chain issues.

Several years ago out of pure curiosity I did a survey of over 2,000 
more or less randomly chosen reviews on eHam.  Almost ALL of the ratings 
of 1 of 2 (out of 5) were for poor responsiveness and customer service.  
Not product features, not product cost, and not reliability ... but for 
bad communication and apparent lack of care.

Dave  AB7E

owner of a K1, K3, and KX2


On 10/8/2022 8:54 AM, Rick NK7I wrote:
> This is well beyond tiresome now.
>
> They HAVE stated the situation via email, to the group(s) recently.  
> Lack of attention by the reader/s is NOT their fault. They won't take 
> the time for personal hand holding, that time is better spent 
> assembling and shipping what product they can move.
>
> They can't sell what they can't get.  The last order THEY got was 
> sub-standard, sent back to await a new shipment (a few weeks ago).
>
> ALL shipments of ANY type have been tediously slow, worldwide.  A 
> month setback creates a year of backlog; the entire world was shut 
> down for over 2 YEARS.  It will take a decade or more to get back on 
> track as we know it.  Normal doesn't exist anymore.
>
> If you NEED a mic, get another until the one you want (and ordered and 
> paid for) is eventually available.
>
> The rest, is noise and whining, showing complete lack of understanding 
> and patience.  Let's END this thread.
>
>
> 73,
> Rick nk7i
>
>
> On 10/8/2022 8:22 AM, Mike Smith VE9AA wrote:
>> Dave/AB7E seems to understand the point 100% correctly and a lot of 
>> you are
>> twisting my (and others) words.
>>
>>
>> The point is not that I don't have a microphone or that I couldn't 
>> cobble
>> together a connector for from another brand of mic.
>>
>> I could even (I suppose) find an alternate on Amazon or somewhere 
>> (should I
>> have to buy another mic?)
>>
>>
>> The point is, almost a year ago I purchased a KX2-shack-in-a-box kit 
>> and it
>> came without a mic (it was purchased and paid for as part of that 
>> kit) and I
>> had to inform Elecraft once it arrived that I was shorted a mic.) 
>> Nothing in
>> the paperwork nor any communication before it arrived stated it would be
>> arriving w/o a MH3 mic, so this was a surprise.
>>
>>    I even have an email from Wayne from January 10th,2022 that states 
>> (in
>> part) ".We should have MH3s back in stock in several weeks. Will that
>> suffice?..."
>>
>>
>> It's a long way from early December 2021 when I finally was invoiced 
>> (after
>> I submitted my purchase request in October or November) 2021 and finally
>> paid for my KX2 shack-in-a-box kit (which I love by the way_) (or 
>> even Jan
>> 10th, 2021_)
>>
>>
>> All I am saying is..there has been zero communication like "we know 
>> we owe
>> you a microphone and when we get them you'll be on the top of the 
>> list when
>> we get them.) ZERO.
>>
>>
>> All I have is a couple (now very old) emails from Wayne from early 
>> January
>> that "it must have be an oversight" (which I accept; Hey - nobody's 
>> or any
>> company is perfect) I get it.
>>
>>
>> I accept the oversight.  I accept the backorder.  I check the 
>> Elecraft site
>> for shipping status.  I know they don't have them. I deal with 
>> electronic
>> parts and service over 11,000 devices as part of my everyday job.  I
>> communicate with my "customers"
>>
>>
>> Do I know that THEY know I am owed one?  Well, not really.  I have 
>> (now old)
>> emails from January from Wayne-that's it.  I know he has much bigger 
>> fish to
>> fry than some mic for a New Brunswicker on the other side of the 
>> continent.
>>
>> I know it won't be Wayne that (hopefully) eventually boxes up and 
>> ships me a
>> mic. It's whoever keeps track of old, long since departed orders.
>>
>>
>> If I am going to wait nearly a year (or maybe more), it might've been 
>> nice
>> to get an email every 4-5 months from a
>> shipping/receiving/purchasing/billing dept staff member saying "we 
>> haven't
>> forgot about you".
>>
>>
>> As of now, myself and all others that I've been in touch with(on this
>> particular issue), have rec'd nothing. We don't know if:
>>
>> The person boxing up the KX2 kits didn't know there was supposed to 
>> be a mic
>> included
>>
>> or
>>
>> They boxed up the kits anyways to get 95% of the product out the door to
>> waiting customers
>>
>> or
>>
>> Even if they have record of the folks who have complete kits vs kits 
>> missing
>> mics.
>>
>> or
>>
>> Something else.
>>
>>
>> We just don't know.
>>
>>
>> Communications have been non existent from the shipping dept (ever) 
>> and none
>> since Jan 10th . 2021 (from Wayne himself, who seems quite 
>> knowledgeable and
>> friendly btw)
>>
>>
>> Sincerely,
>>
>>
>> Mike VE9AA
>>
>> Oh, and lest anyone think I am mad. No , I am not mad.  Overall I am 
>> very
>> happy with my $10k+ worth of Elecraft products.
>>
>> It just doesn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling to maybe order a K4HD 
>> (or two
>> for SO2R) when the time comes.
>>
>> ==============
>>
>> That isn't the point at all, it isn't what I said, and you know it.   I
>> simply believe that the folks who have paid for stuff many months ago 
>> should
>> be kept regularly informed ... directly, not via word of mouth. It's not
>> expensive for Elecraft to do so.  They just have to care a bit more.  
>> They
>> know exactly what the status of everything is at any point in time.
>>
>>
>> Dave   AB7E
>>
>>
>>
>> On 10/7/2022 12:43 PM, Richard Hill wrote:
>>
>> I understood that ordered microphone parts were substandard when 
>> delivered
>> and new parts had to be sourced, delaying production.
>>
>>
>> Would you have preferred they delayed shipping the shack in a box 
>> until the
>> mics were available?
>>
>>
>> NU6T
>>
>>
>>
>> On Fri, Oct 7, 2022, 12:12 PM David Gilbert <ab7e... at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>      I believe his point includes the lack of any communication
>>
>>      updates. I've
>>
>>      suggested before that a single clerk could post regular updates
>>
>>      here on
>>
>>      any backorder situations.  Even if they just stated the same thing,
>>
>>      people would know where they stood instead of wondering if they had
>>
>>      simply been forgotten (as some folks actually have been).
>>
>>
>>      Other companies I've been associated with and have worked for
>>
>>      understand
>>
>>      this much better.
>>
>>
>>      Dave   AB7E
>>
>>
>> Mike, Coreen & Corey
>>
>> Keswick Ridge, NB
>>