RCI Customer Service is Great!! Made my Day!!

[ghutch]

Just got off the phone with RCI customer service.....had emailed RCI customer support about purchasing a new board for my old 6900F as i cant seem to get the $&.... thing repaired. Had sent it to a shop 6 months ago came back same as it was sent!! they could not find the issues. Surprise was I got an email back stating the board is not produced anymore...they are out of stock BUT they would call and email the factory ....check if they could locate one for me!!
I was very surprised....A Customer Service that really did try to support us!!!!! hard to find in todays world??
The Factory did respond but they had no stock.:sad:
Then the RCI Tech support folks called....a very helpful tech called my cell number asking what he could do to help....he cant get a board but says if I send it to them he will personally fix it....no might fix it or we'll look at it let you know....they will fix it..period!! he ask the issues etc.. talked about 20 minutes or so....then gave me an RA number and address/info for shipping.....GREAT thing was he can have it back to me in a couple weeks max.....fixed!!
I have called several "shops" nationwide, checking repair times and they varied from "we dont work on that radio" to "30-60 days turn around" & some offered to sell me another radio ?? rather than my having to wait for the repairs.....Some shops told me thay are RCI shops? .....found out today that most are not warranty repair shops at all....they warranty only the radios they have sold and modded. RCI has one factory warranty station in California.
After this refreshing customer service I decided to purchase another radio... 2970 ...2 year warranty. bumper to bumper
Just thought this forums members needed to know good or bad service as we buy radios....an many times the after sale service might be the deciding factor in a purchase. If we vote our pocketbooks or vote with our wallets the companies will listen....they might build a radio based on what we want or tell them we want?? something based on SSB Dx rather than selling Rat packed, super loud 200 watt AM monsters with tallk back,echo,chicken crows, whistles, bells and firetruck sounds? :bdh: anyway they made my day!

 

[n0zna]

sounds great,

i order a new ric2950dx from copper...it was doa,and called copper and they said to send it back to rci...i got the ra number and sent it in,that was on a Monday afternoon.I got a phone call from rci on a Wedsnday afternoon,and the tech asked what i wanted the radio to do as far as power settings,i told him 7am/am and cw and 17 on ssb...I was surprised on Thursday afternoon ups was at my door,and i opened the radio and it was at the power out i wanted with my w-4 Drake on 10 and 12mtrs and also was my shipping back to them was a check...what service from rci,i am very happy with them,so i bought a new rci2980wx and is great,use it every day on 10,all modes...was on 2950dx today on fm repeaters while i was running around here in Missouri...73 de JW

 

[ghutch]

That type of service makes a "Brand".....RCI has my vote and you have just added to the "good experience" of dealing with the company. These ideas or feelings about about a Brand or Company show up as are Loyalty as we purchase products..... They are the very things that make a company or break a company.....I have looked at many brands of radio over the last few weeks...export and ham....I have been in a buying mode. Just waiting on something to push me off the edge or influence me to make a "Brand" decision. Darn shame these radio companies are not on this website and many others asking "What do you want?" and producing it. a better mouse trap will sell.
Anyway I just wanted to note what I feel is GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE BY RCI.

 

[Mudfoot]

I have had great dealings with RCI as well.

Number one rule ordering from Copper: Use credit card.

 

[ghutch]

I plan to purchase from HI-PRORADIOS.COM has anyone had any issues or bad experiences ....anything I need to look out for? talked to the owner today seems like a no BS type guy...his prices seem to be fine....in line with with all the others. Told me he check the radios before they ship sets to factory specs....And he never ask me if I wanted a Rat Tune power pack added whistle and cow bell. :w00t:

 

[n0zna]

been lucky,

must of ordered 30 radios from copper and this is the 1st doa...i get all my ham stuff from hro...73 de JW

 

[Robb]

If you are referring to the 'Radio Supply Shop' as the RCI repair shop; then I have some real problems with them so far. They are the "Authorized Repair Station" for Ranger/USA.

Sent in a RCi-2995 DX and got it back six weeks after I sent it in (less than 400 miles away from where I live in CA). The flat rate labor charge for a 2995 is $120 plus parts & shipping. The radio worked for less than 3 hours and it stopped working again. The same problem it was having when I sent it in - in the first place - happened once again. I can assure that I treat ALL of my gear with great respect - simply because I really don't want to send any gear in and then have someone 'hold me over the coals'.

So I gave them a call again, and they told me to send it back to them again. Because their work is warranted for 90 days, there will be no labor charge. Of course, I would have to pay for shipping again one way ($39); but they said they would put it first on the list to get fixed and they will pay for the shipping back. Oh yeah; they also said that I will have to pay for whatever parts are needed - again. Fixing the same problem twice - and I will have to pay for the parts?!? Almost two weeks later, and no one at that shop has called me back yet. Phony!

I also sent them a RCI-2950 at the same time that I sent in the 2995. The flat labor fee for the 2950 is $70 plus parts & shipping. After they charged me for it, they told me it is un-fixable because the CPU needs replacing and they don't make that part any more. So I spent $120 for the radio, paid $13 to ship it to them, paid $70 for them to just look at it, and pay another $13 to ship it back. So I am the owner of a radio that I have $216 in to and have junk for my trouble. They just should have said 'well; since you had work done to the 2995, we will just charge you to ship the 2950 back since we can't fix it. They knew it had a CPU problem from the telephone conversation we had when I first contacted them. In fact, they could have just told me on the phone that they can't fix a CPU problem in the first place and save me the money.

Now, we will see just what happens with the 2995. Because of the way they handled the 2950 and the 2995 screwing up the second time, they are not my favorite shop. Next time, I will go to The Radio Shop. If it breaks again, I will start a thread and give that shop a really POOR review. The ball is in their corner now; we will see . . .

 

[ghutch]

Rob....I hope and pray I get better service than I did waiting 6 months and no repair!! If the shop was not going to fix it should have told me during the emails back and forth before it was shipped. I let everyone know if this shop experience goes bad.....hope it does not. :bdh: the shop is the one you have had the experience with.....hopefully they will become members and post on our forums....??
We as consumers or radio buyers need to stick together as a group....the power is in the numbers. I belong to a truck forum group and they get group buys and discounted rates for many products and services for the members. A member sets up a wholesale purchase plan for an amount of product....threads a notice on the forum....and the folks that want an item sign on. some good savings.....some have a minimum purchase amount but i've seen items with many members signed up. we could do this on radio gear. as slow as the economy is the radio dist's and mfg'er should be happy to sell to us as a group. a buck saved is buck earned....<gotproof> or a buck saved is another buck we can spoend on stuff?? <More audio>