unpcbs "... I wouldn't have ordered ... I'm a bit disappointed ..."

[Gary Hvizdak]

Bill Wrote ...

WHOA!  Had I known that I wasn't getting everything necessary to put all of
the un-modules in my basic K2 as I build it, I wouldn't have ordered. I
thought I read carefully. The additional cost of the required parts would be
PENNIES! I'm a bit disappointed as you can probably tell :-(  I considered
posting this to the list but will keep it private for now as you intend to
elaborate. Maybe you can see my way of thinking? Maybe not.

Bill  K3UJ

--

Good Morning Bill,

    Thank you for your "sight unseen" purchase of our product, and I
apologize for your upset.  You are not the first person to raise the issue
of the eight SIP female jacks and the KNB2 supplied replacement 2.7 k ohm
RFR88 resistor.  More than a month ago an experienced builder-for-hire also
asked why we weren't including these parts with our kit.

    As unlikely as it might seem, these eight gold plated female jacks would
have added many dollars to the overall materials cost for this kit, rather
than just pennies as you suggest.  This would have required a prohibitively
higher retail price.  Therefore, we only provide the necessary parts (eight
gold plated male SIP headers, and five discrete components) to populate the
six header PCBs themselves.

    In the morning I will revisit our unpcbs homepage, and will ensure that
this point is made very clear.  Also, in case there are others who are
unclear about this issue, I'm posting my reply to your message on the
Reflector.

    In case it isn't obvious, I'll mention that the high cost of the eight
female jacks is precisely why they are not provided with the base K2.  At
$599, it sells for nearly 30 times what you paid for your Deluxe Package
version of our kit.  I would hope that this 30X price difference alone would
be sufficient for you to be able to forgive us for not including these
parts.

       --- - - - ---

    Whereas the "Products & Prices" section of our unpcbs homepage
http://home.cfl.rr.com/garyhvizdak/KI4GGX/unpcbs.htm#Products_and_Prices
clearly lists what is included with our "Boards & Parts Kit", it makes no
mention of what else is required.  This omission isn't the result of any
devious intent on our part.  Rather, it depends entirely upon what options a
given K2 already has.  Still, I can see how this could be an upset for
someone who is just getting started, especially with a bare K2.

    In addition to substantially increasing our kit's retail price, another
reason that we chose not to include the eight jacks, was that many users of
our product will already have some if not all of these jacks on hand if not
already installed in their K2.  Besides, you can obtain these parts directly
from Elecraft for a much better price than we could possibly offer them to
you.

    Further, in addition to these jacks, K2 owners with either bare or only
partially loaded K2s, will likely want to get all of the "K2 parts" that are
supplied with the options which they don't yet have.  Realize though, that
there is a tradeoff in purchasing all of these parts up front, since you
will eventually end up with duplicates of them, when you finally do get the
options.  However, in exchange, you will have eliminated a great deal of
rework, such as having to completely disassembly your radio to install a
small handful of parts.

       --- - - - ---

    As the designer this product, I consider it an engineering marvel that
we are able to offer it at such a low price.  If you don't concur, then it
may not be for you?  This is perfectly fine, as we long ago realized that it
wasn't for everyone.  This is a question that ultimately you will have to
answer for yourself.

    If you are unsure as to whether this kit is for you, that's okay too.
In that case I invite you to use the Reflector to discuss this question with
some of the dozens of other guys and gals who have ordered this kit.  I also
invite you re-visit the "Introduction" section of our homepage,
http://home.cfl.rr.com/garyhvizdak/KI4GGX/unpcbs.htm#Intro since it was
recently updated with considerable new material that was originally in our
User's Guide.  This includes the entire section that was entitled "Are
[They] for You?".

       --- - - - ---

    Our intention is to offer a well engineered PCB based un-module header
kit at the lowest possible price, so that every K2 owner can justify having
a set.  To do this, we feel that we need to do several things: 1) offer a
high quality "value added" product; 2) offer an irresistible value; 3) offer
a low base price; and 4) ensure that each of our customers is completely
delighted, both with us and with our products.

    If you already know that you will not be delighted with your purchase,
then we would prefer to refund your purchase before your order ships, to
save you the $5 shipping and handling charge.  Given what you now know,
please write to Ken (at [hidden email]) if you desire a refund of your
purchase.

73,
Gary, KI4GGX
K2 #4067

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[Dan Barker]

That's easy.

 Offer the Complete Package (Male only) for $17.95
 Offer the Complete Package Plus (include the females) for $21.95 (or
whatever).

Dan / WG4S / K2 #2456 (KNB2, R160, KAT2, KPSK2, but no KAF2 nor Xverter. So
I'd NOT have the females on hand for 4 of the 9 (I count 9 - Where'd you get
8?)

<snip>
    In case it isn't obvious, I'll mention that the high cost of the eight
female jacks
</snip>

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