Re: [APML] OT: Worlds Worse Customer Service

[Ray Butler <ray.butler@nuigalway.ie>]

Sorry to hear about your troubles, Jim, and thanks for posting them 
here. It is only through publicised consumer action that wayward 
companies are brought to book. This will hopefully improve matters for 
the rest of us.

I understand that Lumicon were resurrected, and are under new management 
now? If that's the case, these new boys have a lot to learn about the 
_profitability_ of maintaining excellent customer relations. Or they can 
keep treating customers like you badly, and ultimately commit commercial 
suicide.

Ray "having similar service problems right now, with a camera 
customisation outfit" Butler


Jim Janusz wrote:

> 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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-- 
Dr. Ray Butler (ray.butler@nuigalway.ie || ray@physics.nuigalway.ie)
Lecturer, Dept. of Physics || Computational Astrophysics Laboratory
National University of Ireland, Galway, University Road, Galway, Ireland.
Tel: +353-91-524411 ext. 3788   FAX: +353-91-525700

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