Two months ago, I took my FT-897D into Radio City for repairs. I told the person writing up the repair ticket that it suddenly stopped receiving for no reason. I looked at the ticket, and that was, word-for-word, what was on it. That was the sum total of my knowledge of the situation. How much description do you need to convey that a radio does not receive?
A few days later, of course, I found out that this is a fairly common problem with the Yaesu FT-897D. The Service Menu becomes corrupted, and it needs a software alignment. Had I known earlier, I could have merely written down the software parameters and entered them in. Yaesu rates this a 20-minute job in their repair facilities. I felt relieved, because I was sure that a competent tech would know about this situation with the model, and be able to align it fairly quickly. Had the the radio not been sitting in a pile at Radio City at that moment, I could have confirmed for myself if this was the issue and told them exactly what I needed done.
Today, however, I got a postcard from Radio City asking for "more information" before they could start work on the radio. Did they even turn it on? How could someone turn it on, connect it to an antenna and, hearing nothing, wonder what was wrong with this radio? So they want me to call them with "more information". Of course, they are closed when I call, and they have no voicemail. No email, either -- just a "sweepstakes entry" form. Even when I do reach them, what am I supposed to tell them? It's been two months since I've seen the radio, and the symptoms are hardly fresh in my memory at this point.
I could have sent this to Yaesu three times in the two months that it's sat there at Radio City, and all that they've done is scratched their heads over what "suddenly stopped receiving for no reason" means. I'm no expert, but I'd start by looking at the receiver, if I were a service tech presented with that information. KE0NA (Dave) heard me talking about it on the air, and immediately connected the dots with the Service Menu alignment. He doesn't repair amateur radio transceivers for a living, either. It should take under two minutes to determine if that's the problem. It probably took them longer to scribble out the postcard and mail it, asking me for "more information".
If you take your car to a mechanic and tell them, "The alternator light is blinking", that should be enough "information". I shouldn't need to mention that the headlights seem dimmer, because the mechanic would probably notice that if he/she would actually start the car. If your car sat in their lot for two weeks, and then you got a postcard asking for "more information" on the problem, how irritated would you be? Am I expected to diagnose the radio's issue and tell them exactly which part to replace? If they would simply turn the radio on and try to receive a signal, they would know everything that I know immediately. "The S-meter reads very low on repeaters that are normally full-scale, and these repeaters come in very weakly" is pretty much another way of saying that the radio receives poorly. Would that offer the clarification that they lack? Because that's about all that I can give them.
So, I'm just going to pick up the radio and send it Yaesu. In the two months I've waited for this postcard, I've heard stories from other hams with unhappy experiences trying Radio City for repairs. It seems that the usual routine is a six-month wait, resulting in a radio that has the exact same problem that you brought it in there for. You're basically paying them to store your radio for several months. Since it seems obvious that they're unaware of this Service Menu problem, I'll confirm for myself that the software parameters have been reset. Even if that isn't the issue, I feel more confident that a professional technician will be able to figure it out than whoever is playing one at Radio City.
I often hear hams extolling the virtues of Radio City, and the need to support them with your business. Yet, more often than not, when you go there looking for something (assuming that they actually open) you find that it's not in stock. Sure, they can order it. Hey, I can order it, too.
Maybe there's a reason that they are the only store within 500 miles. Maybe it's an unsustainable business model. I'm puzzled over what "value" they are actually offering. Advice? There's plenty of that on the air. The chance to fondle a piece of gear before buying it? Ask someone that owns it already to let you play with it. Or return it if you find out that it's not what you're looking for. Is that a hassle? So is taking a day off of work to drive out to Mounds View because their hours cater to retired people. So is calling them from work because they don't have email or voicemail.
When I pick up my FT-897D from Radio City, it will most likely be the last dealings with them on my part.
No comments:
Post a Comment