Customer Service...a defining factor in my order

[raroth7]

I've been reading the give and take on the stress of waiting for delivery.

I placed my order for a K3 yesterday, depending on a low-stress
transaction.  The constant flow of email messaging between the Elecraft
prime movers and the customer community is refreshing.  I speak with the
knowledge of the opposite pole of experience:  customer dis-service as I
suffered in a work situation.  In a nut shell, I'm just at the end of a
difficult project to replace the Land Mobile Radio system of a security
operation;  this the result of NTIA and DoD mandates to conserve
spectrum and provide for a "common air interface" and digital
modulation.  Let us just say that the products purchased were Brand "M".
  Promises for delivery updates were broken almost daily, with
maintenance of our project time line becoming a worthless exercise.
Sometimes, there was no talking with the Big M.  They hid behind layers
of voice mail fences and constantly left us hanging.

In contrast, the free flow of information, even disappointing info, is
almost constant within our Elecraft customer community and between it
and Elecraft.  This constructively communicative culture gives me the
confidence to purchase the best radio I ever hope to own.

73,

Dick ka1oz

--
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."

                                              --Benjamin Franklin 1775
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[wolfmanjack]

---- Dick Roth <[hidden email]> wrote:
> I've been reading the give and take on the stress of waiting for delivery...

Don't worry. With Elecraft, ship happens!

73 John K7Fd

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[Matt Zilmer]

Hi Dick,

From my experience, this is a *very busy* time at Elecraft.  My own
customer service issues were handled quickly and correctly on both the
K2 and now on the K3.

The problems Elecraft is facing right now don't have as much to do
with customer service - they're more correctly associated with
birthing a champion colt [not that I'm any expert on colt birthing].
Mistakes they make now are going to be very heavily leveraged against
them over a longer term.  They're being cautious and being sure of
what they ship.  This much is stated in Eric's Shipping Status Page
for the K3.

I monitor this list pretty carefully and keep my postings short and
infrequent [all current evidence to the contrary].  The only problems
Elecraft has had with the K3 so far are two -
a)  Shipping on time to the original promise date
b)  Being on time with shipping sufficient volumes to keep the hungry
hordes satiated

There appear to be no _major_ technical issues with the transceiver
from posting I've read on the list.  This doesn't mean there aren't
any at all, but it's indicative.

There were supplier issues that delayed them from July to late
October.  At volumes such as are expected for the K3, even when it's
in mass production, these always happen.  At Magellan, we have them
all the time with new products.  So does everyone else.  An Magellan
ships unit volumes per year in the millions.  We just start slow....

Shipping sufficient volume is quickly beoming a non-issue.  They're
improving their processes, adding brains and hands, and moving product
at a pace acclerated from the early rate.  There are reasons (I'm
sure) that Elecraft spokespeople are careful about their statements on
the web page and reflector - but most of these will be concerned with
remaining competitive and keeping secrets they must.

Now - the bright side.  My continuing impression of Elecraft customer
service and support remains very similar to that of white blood cells.
This is good - it's the type of system that you can't beat or at least
no one has come up with anything better.  

Elecraft is a small company, is customer-oriented, and has no layered
bureaucracy to slow it down.  If policy is made, I suspect it's
between the principals and their communications skills are top rate.
They don't have to go to a higher authority.  They're it.

I bought one of the early K3 units from the first production run.  I
came across a number of problems.  Each and every one was handled in
its entirely in only a few hours.  Most of them were my fault, a few
were theirs.  I believe all of the Elecraft problems I found have been
fixed, either in firmware loads or in the manual.

Somehow, they couldn't fix me remotely.  RTFM is a real good idea.
Each and every word in the manual means something and should be
understood and followed carefully.

BTW, I'm not affiliated with and do not work for Elecraft.

73 & Good Luck with your decision,
matt - WA6EGJ
K3 # 24
K2 # 2810

==


On Fri, 23 Nov 2007 21:56:44 -0500, you wrote:

>I've been reading the give and take on the stress of waiting for delivery.
>
>I placed my order for a K3 yesterday, depending on a low-stress
>transaction.  The constant flow of email messaging between the Elecraft
>prime movers and the customer community is refreshing.  I speak with the
>knowledge of the opposite pole of experience:  customer dis-service as I
>suffered in a work situation.  In a nut shell, I'm just at the end of a
>difficult project to replace the Land Mobile Radio system of a security
>operation;  this the result of NTIA and DoD mandates to conserve
>spectrum and provide for a "common air interface" and digital
>modulation.  Let us just say that the products purchased were Brand "M".
>  Promises for delivery updates were broken almost daily, with
>maintenance of our project time line becoming a worthless exercise.
>Sometimes, there was no talking with the Big M.  They hid behind layers
>of voice mail fences and constantly left us hanging.
>
>In contrast, the free flow of information, even disappointing info, is
>almost constant within our Elecraft customer community and between it
>and Elecraft.  This constructively communicative culture gives me the
>confidence to purchase the best radio I ever hope to own.
>
>73,
>
>Dick ka1oz

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[Matt Zilmer]

>Pretty well said, Matt.  The boys and girls in Aptos did a very unique
>thing.  A very small company with a very focused customer base, they
>came up with a radio that blows the socks off the competition, both
>performance-wise and cost-wise.  Their focused customer base went wild,
>are totally obsessed, and the very small company is struggling to meet
>the demand without becoming YaeComWood.  I sure hope they succeed, I
>have my K2/100 which I love, I waited 3 1/2+ years to come home from SE
>Asia, I can surely wait until next year for my K3.  BTW:  I have had the
>opportunity to play with one.  And I think my K2 is beyond belief!
>
>73,
>
>Fred K6DGW

Hi Fred,

Combined response to you, plus a few K3-Waiters asked for a little
more info from people operating the K3 the last few weeks.

--matt

The Elecraft folks came out way beyond my expectations too, and these
were high before the K3.  The problems they had in early production
with shipping to promise dates are *not* unexpected, if you understand
enough about the business they're in.  In this, their size is a major
asset, allowing a great degree of "overlap of sectors of
responsibility".  Everyone has involvement in customer support from
this perspective.  When I used the white blood cell analogy, it was
because at several points in the assembly timeline, I was having
multiple discussions with multiple Elecrafters.  It was overwhelming a
couple times.  But very positive in terms of support - I think no one
does it better.

The K3 is worth the wait.  Most things I've read about performance are
true within my ability to check them out.  The RX is quieter in terms
of internal noise, and I've never had an HF RX that picks out weak
signals as well as the K3 does.  One example of this was during SS
Phone.  I was working stations that no one else was bothering with,
only because I could hear them.  I can't credit many of these with
operating skill, since I'm fairly rusty.  Some yes, most no.

TX audio gets glowing reports too.  I usually don't have to ask;  the
praise for the audio just comes naturally in a QSO along with the
signal report.  And at 12W with a long wire, the only challenge is
being heard.  Not many receivers out there have near the sensitivity
or  selectvitiy of the K3.  And none have the BDR, which makes those
other two specs worth having in the first place.

IMHO, for most, it will be worth it to buy the K3/100 option.  You can
still operate QRP any time with the 100W held in reserve.  The
additional 10dB (1.6 S units) is enough to be heard under most
condtions, even the bottom of the sunspot cycle.  As soon as I can put
together the $, I'm going for the 100W PA along with a couple more
filters.

One thing that Wayne mentioned that *resonates* is the roofing filter
- that is the approach we take as to which to install (and in which
RX).  I'm using only the 2.7 KHz 5-pole filter, and haven't been
disappointed yet.  BDR was *still* much better than anything I'm used
to.  However, I'd recommend either 1.8 or 2.1 KHz SSB filters and 400
Hz CW, for contesting.  That way - let 'em get close to your freq, and
the only thing you have to worry about is being heard over them.

The K2 is still my favorite portable rig (no, not the only one I
have).  You're right - a properly built and aligned K2 probably beats
out most other full-size transceivers in terms of performance.  Where
most of the bigs stumble over themselves from one xcvr generation to
the next, Elecraft has a history only of outdoing themselves.  Having
known Eric for a while, it is an attribute I've come to expect and
respect.

I respectfully suggest that we cut the Aptos gang a few breaks.  They
won't be laying down on the job at all, and will only continue to
produce way-above-excellent results for all of us.  The more overhead
(noisy correspondence) the user base adds to their efforts, the more
it makes it difficult to meet the targets they've set for all of us.

73,
Matt - WA6EGJ
K3 #24


>

>- Northern California Contest Club
>- CU in the 2008 Cal QSO Party  4-5 Oct 08
>- www.cqp.org
>
>Expecting my K3 sometime early next year [ordered in Oct].

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