Customer Service expectations

[RandomGuy1]

Is it unreasonable to expect a (very expensive) dive light returned under warranty to at least be looked at within a week of receipt? I had my canister light fail on me two weeks ago. When you turn it on, it just blinks a few times and goes off. I contacted the company, requested an RMA for warranty work. Shipped the light back to the company. Watched the tracking # and saw that it was received on 10/30. Sent a follow up email on 11/1 to make sure it was received and to see if they had looked at it yet. Did not get any response to my email. Called today to see the status of it, and was told they hadn't even looked at it yet, were getting ready for dema so it would be after dema before they could even look at it. Pretty irritated right now, but are my expectations too high?
Oh, and the light was purchased new by myself and is still under warranty. Light was not flooded. No physical damage to light at all.

 

[Wookie]

Yes, but only for the timing. You didn’t tell us you needed rush service, or you had a Virgin cave trip over DEMA.

As long as you bought it from a reputable vendor (UW light dude, light monkey, dive rite) it will be fixed, and I’m sure you will be happy.

DEMA is a huge PITA to get ready for, especially for manufacturers.

 

[yle]

To be fair, getting ready for DEMA is a big thing. You may have just caught them at the worst possible week of the year.

EDIT: Wookie beat me to it by a couple seconds...

 

[drjtprice]

Purchased from whom? How long had you had it? If from an LDS did you talk to them before shipping back to the company?

 

[RandomGuy1]

So trade shows trump customer service? It was purchased from a reputable online shop, and returned directly to the manufacture.I specifically left them out in case I was being unreasonable. Mostly I'm a little upset that a $$$$ light failed on me for no apparent reason.

 

[muzikbiz22]

Preparation for a trade show by a manufacturer, be it dive lights, consumer electronics, musical instruments, home lighting & automation, sporting goods, automobiles, scuba gear, etc., can be VERY hectic in the weeks leading up to it. Logistics for the products, as well as your booth/display (some can be 80 feet wide by 40 feet, and 2 stories tall) starts 30 days prior. The preparation for your product samples (presumably these are this years new model/technology) can be fast, furious, very last minute with changes/revisions, software/firmware issues, and a nightmare. Engineering is usually involved, Production, and Marketing are all making sure that when these things show up for the convention, that they work !! More than likely the Sales team is also preparing for conversations on the floor, as well as a prelimary Sales meeting with staff, Reps, and Dealers. Bottom line, resources at the factory/Corporate HQ CAN be that tapped. A dive light manufacturer on a smaller scale, might be a bit more agile, or not. DEMA is a big deal for them and I'm sure they making sure that every sample they send to the show WORKS ! They are spending a chunk of money and they are wanting to ensure that the ROI for the expenses is maximized. That's not to say they can't take 5 minutes to bench test your light and render it's disposition or status. Just depends I guess.

 

[drjtprice]

If it is an LED, a light that flashes for a bit then goes off is not getting enough power. In flashlights it is a sign that the battery is bad and needs replacing. So it could be a bad battery the canister. The online shop would tell you if they thought you were unreasonable but that doesn't matter now, as you sent it to the manufacturer. You are to be commended for not naming names in anger, but knowing the company would help judge the reasonableness of the delay. If a small company, then a big show will take everyone to get ready (not just diving, the local astro shop stops shipping around the big astro shows as they don't have enough staff to do both, and can't afford more staff.

 

[AfterDark]

Unreasonable no, impatient maybe.
Buying online is a two edge sword. For example had that lite been purchased at the LDS around here and couldn't be fixed in time the LDS owner would have loaned one for a dive trip etc.

 

[yle]

So trade shows trump customer service? It was purchased from a reputable online shop, and returned directly to the manufacture.I specifically left them out in case I was being unreasonable. Mostly I'm a little upset that a $$$$ light failed on me for no apparent reason.

It's not a matter of one "trumping" the other. It's just a matter of people being really busy right now with something they have to get done, and so they prioritize. Certainly from your perspective it seems like they're not prioritizing well. But DEMA has a way of distorting manufacturers' perspective. Assume they really are good people that want the best for you... they're just very very busy people right now.

As for it being a "$$$$ light" that failed... cost isn't really related to reliability. I'd put my old Honda Civic ($16k out the door, brand new) against a Ferrari any day in a reliability contest (21 years, 322,000 miles... has never spent a day in a shop.)

 

[RandomGuy1]

I think the irritating thing is they said they haven't even looked at it yet...could be something simple and already on its way back, but they haven't even checked.