Hi all,
I have a LOFTech TS-2 that the fine tune pot broke on.
I wrote the company to see if it could be repaired and they said sure send it in.
After weeks of not hearing from them I wrote them and they then acknowledged receipt.
Now weeks later they said it is ~$200 if I want it back. For a fine tune pot.
I will NOT be picking it up as they never gave me a quote nor advised me of any policies before hand.
So the point of this post (other than to ensure any buyer knows the type of business they are dealing with) is to say there is a repaired TS-2 available (for $200) if you are searching for one.
I have a LOFTech TS-2 that the fine tune pot broke on.
I wrote the company to see if it could be repaired and they said sure send it in.
After weeks of not hearing from them I wrote them and they then acknowledged receipt.
Now weeks later they said it is ~$200 if I want it back. For a fine tune pot.
I will NOT be picking it up as they never gave me a quote nor advised me of any policies before hand.
So the point of this post (other than to ensure any buyer knows the type of business they are dealing with) is to say there is a repaired TS-2 available (for $200) if you are searching for one.
Three business ways of looking at this -
1- The customer should stipulate that an estimate is required if no price is offered.
2-If the customer said= "go ahead I want it fixed " then the customer has no legal comeback.
3- Many firms have fixed prices for broken parts as they know the work involved but some firms take into account any other damage that occurred due to the initial fault.
Moral ? -- get a fixed price upfront that implies a legal contract has taken place between the company and customer---also read the companies conditions including the small print.
1- The customer should stipulate that an estimate is required if no price is offered.
2-If the customer said= "go ahead I want it fixed " then the customer has no legal comeback.
3- Many firms have fixed prices for broken parts as they know the work involved but some firms take into account any other damage that occurred due to the initial fault.
Moral ? -- get a fixed price upfront that implies a legal contract has taken place between the company and customer---also read the companies conditions including the small print.
I asked if they could fix the fine tune pot... They said yes then did "additional" unrequested, work on the device and want to charge me for it without approval.
It is NOT their place to assume what the customer wants. The clear request was for one part to be changed. They agreed and then proceeded to do additional work on their own accord. There was no contract stated or implied for anything other than the fine tune pot.
That leads to part-3-
while replacing the part it was noticed -----was cracked/broken ,especially if it is mounted on a PCB .
They could say-- in sending the customer back the unit with only the control replaced it would not function due to--say cracks in the PCB or other damage .
Insist on being billed with an itemized account to see what additional work was done .
$200 is a lot of money for a potentiometer even a "gold plated one " but nowadays labor charges well exceed the value of a new part.
while replacing the part it was noticed -----was cracked/broken ,especially if it is mounted on a PCB .
They could say-- in sending the customer back the unit with only the control replaced it would not function due to--say cracks in the PCB or other damage .
Insist on being billed with an itemized account to see what additional work was done .
$200 is a lot of money for a potentiometer even a "gold plated one " but nowadays labor charges well exceed the value of a new part.
In the US there are a number of consumer protection laws that would prevent them from charging you for unapproved work. They are usually required to provide an estimate and get approval before starting any work. its seems messy now that they did the work and cost you an instrument that carries an (unreasonable today in my opinion) retail of $1100.
The pot should be a $5 item at the most. $100 labor to handle the unit is typical so not a surprise that they managed to get to $200. Still with no estimate and no communications not good business practice. You are almost 1/2 way to a QA401 (which also has better mfr support) and a much more capable device.
The pot should be a $5 item at the most. $100 labor to handle the unit is typical so not a surprise that they managed to get to $200. Still with no estimate and no communications not good business practice. You are almost 1/2 way to a QA401 (which also has better mfr support) and a much more capable device.
Your right USA consumer protection law is miles ahead of the UK .
I got into trouble on a very well know UK consumer help website which I had been on for years as I pointed out the advantages of being a US citizen in consumer law.
This went down like a lead brick and I was "timed out " , all I was trying to do was help UK citizens .
I am in contact with many US organizations on civil rights etc and know quite a bit of US law.
It seems political expediency comes first on that site not engineering truth.
Minnesota, where Loftech is, is on the forfront of 'right to repair" legal efforts. Not passed yet but soon. I find the efforts of some companies (Apple?) to lock down their products really annoying. For many years the US military was a major consumer of advanced test equipment and required detailed service info for the bids. It created a broad base of really good tech knowledge and ex mil service people who could fix things. A lot of that is being lost along with the skills to fix and invent that came with it. Hopefully this move will reverse some of that loss.
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