[APML] OT: Worlds Worse Customer Service

["Jim Janusz" <jjanusz@dc.rr.com>]

Hi APML,

I have a tale of customer abuse and aggravation that you just might not
believe.  In our hobby of expensive equipment and few vendors it has been
the norm to expect excellent customer service.  Companies like
Astro-Physics, SBIG, and Scopeguard are ones I have had positive experiences
with that would get my business over and over.

So here's my story.  I received a gift of a new Lumicon hypering temperature
controller from a friend.  Upon first putting it in service I made the
mistake of not testing it and just attempting to hyper four rolls of 120 TP.
Since the controller is a fixed temperature type I just let it come to
temperature and did not keep a close watch.  Mistake.  While I was not
watching, it went up to over 75 degrees C and would likely have started a
fire if not caught.  Well my friend spent over a week getting a return
authorization and I could finally return it, at my expense.  Lumicon tested
it and confirmed that it was defective and sent me another one.  I should
have known better.  This one was also bad, holding temperature around 57 or
more.  Another call to Lumicon resulted in their asking for me to send it
back again, this time only the sensor, again at my expense.

By now you would think that any good company would have been going out of
their way to keep the customer happy.  Not Lumicon.  When my Dell Laptop had
a problem, Dell shipped me a return box and a Fed Ex pre paid label and had
it back to me in four days.  By now it had been weeks and I still did not
have a working controller.

As bad as this was it get worse.  The second bad sensor was returned to
Lumicon via USPS Priority Mail with delivery confirmation and was promptly
lost by the PO.  At this point the management at Lumicon refused to send me
a replacement until the old one was returned, unless I paid them another
$50.00.  Now I have never had a working unit, months have gone by and the
losers at Lumicon could care less about their customer.  They have even gone
as far as to make veiled accusations that I still have the sensor, even
though they know that I had a tracking number and filled out a loss report
with the PO.  They continually quote policy that they are not liable for
damages and that I'm LUCKY they are willing to replace it, after I return
the old one at my expense, after their seven day return limit.  What crap!

There's more but I won't bore you with more tale of woe.  Let it be said by
me that I vow, never, ever, to do business with those losers at Lumicon
again.  In fact I will go out of my way to avoid them and recommend that all
of my friends do too.

Sorry for the long OT post, but if I can save someone from the same fate,
it's worth it.

Jim

Astronomy  Web Page at:
http://www.astroimager.net/


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