Too many unsatisfied customers..

[sssmiller]

I'm not posting this as a hateful customer. On the contrary, I'm just wanting to point something out.
I would be an ideal target for your marketing. I'm new to the hobby, just bought an entry level detector and realize this is something I'd like to pursue. I researched detectors of mid to higher level, and the CTX 3030 was the machine that I found myself comparing others with. But with all the testimonials on how well this machine finds and IDs targets, not to mention all the extra features that no other detector even comes close to, it was a done deal. Until I attended a local club meeting. I spoke to one gentleman there who loved his explorer 2, until he had to have it serviced.
After I heard his story, I researched the net and found similar stories of poor customer service.
It took a few days to let it sink in because I was already sold on the CTX 3030 and was looking forward to playing with all the features. But I decided to go with a company that had a strong customer relationship and lineage.
I'm not going to say what I chose. I'm not here to support your competitors. I just hope you understand how important it is to get customers that are new to the hobby. They usually become product loyal.

David

 

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[sprailroad]

I think the same could be said about ANY business or service. No matter what brand, make or model of anything, and as far as to what one might read on the "Net"?, well........., the best place to find out about a detector or the service of one, would be right here on T-Net, for the 30-30, the Minelab sub-forum would be the place.

 

[sssmiller]

I'm not trying to ruffle any feathers, believe me, it was a hard few days to walk away from the ctx after spending months deciding on it. The first testimony was in person. Most of the other results did come right here on treasurenet.
It sounded like kellyco may have had something to do with it, I'm not sure.
And yes, all product manufacturers will have some problems time to time, but if another company stands out among the rest, for better or worse, customers will make their decisions accordingly.
I am very upset.I didn't want to "settle" for a detector. I wanted the ctx. But the other company's reputation among hobbyist was superior from my research.

David

 

[sprailroad]

No feathers ruffled, I fully understand, we both do. Whatever you decided on, enjoy it, and I do hope you find some really great items.

 

[sssmiller]

Thanks!!

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

You walked away from a fantastic detector. Remember satisfied customers don't post their satisfaction only disatisified customers.

 

[eman1000]

I can't comment on Minelabs service as I have not used it myself. Check the Minelab section out though because I did read where someone recently sent their CTX in and they were happy.

What I would say is that I am not aware of a direct competitor to the CTX3030? The closest thing might be the deus and there is no shortage of negative reviews on it.
There is the Makro but I'm not sure if they have a service center in North America?

The CTX is not only a big jump from the ACE in terms of technology but also in weight so another point to keep in mind.

 

[Gare]

I bought a supposed to be new CTX detector off of a dealer ship here in Ohio. Some days it would work and some days it would not . Minelab ALWAYS paid shipping BOTH ways ! after the 3rd time Minelab just sent me a BRAND NEW detector package. The dealer i bought it off of would not call me back. I was ok with Minelab's attempts at fixing the problem. I have owned minelab products since about 2000 I have had a few issues with some machines. I HAVE ALWAYS been able to talk to the repair service. I could EVEN UNDERSTAND THEM ALL !!!
My last dealings with them were as follows. A person on my FB page offered a package deal of a Minelab Excalibur 2 and a couple AT pro's seems his brother commited suicide and needed the money for his funeral. The complete deal was not a great deal but not a bad one either. I already took the excalibur to Fl and had issues with it. IT still had warranty on it. I called Minelab and talked to Repair. They issued me a call tag and again paid shipping . I sent it out on a Tuesday to there repair service in Pa. I flew home Thwe next day i shipped it. The following Wednesday my repaired excal was at my door

I have had dealings with other manufactures and Minelab does not have to take a Back seat to ANYONE 1!!

I now swing a Deus because of its weight . Only reason at my age it matters

 

[smokeythecat]

I have only had service with Tesoro and Garrett Detectors. Their service was 100% wonderful. Good luck with your decision.

 

[Jason in Enid]

..... it was a done deal. Until I attended a local club meeting. I spoke to one gentleman there who loved his explorer 2, until he had to have it serviced.
After I heard his story, I researched the net and found similar stories of poor customer service.
It took a few days to let it sink in because I was already sold on the CTX 3030 and was looking forward to playing with all the features. But I decided to go with a company that had a strong customer relationship and lineage.

David

Here's your problem, you aren't looking at all the information. OK, you saw some negative reviews about CS (and yes there USED to be a bunch). Did you bother to look at the dates fo those complaints? Did you research anything about the service center, where it USED to be and where it is NOW? Did you bother to research for the recent reviews of ML's service in the US (because there have been a bunch of those too)?

You got a biased personal opinion and then you only looked for reinforcement of THAT opinion. I dont care what detector anybody uses and if you dont want a ML, its no skin off my back. Buy what youre happy with, but as TH said above, you missed out on buying a great detector.

 

[sssmiller]

Lol. I don't think you read all the post. I Want the 3030. I dont care what label it has. I just got concerned with the repair service. And Yes, I did intentionally look for bad reviews on the subject that concerned me, because... it concerned me. lol.
But you make a Very valid point that I thought about. I came back to post about it and didn't expect so many new post in such short time. Thanks to all of you for doing so. The point Jason made and I agree, I didnt call their repair center. I will look into that. Also I read a post about someone here in the states that sends his minelabs to europe for servicing and is very pleased with them. Where do you guys send yours to?
The negative posts seemed to be from 2014. If minelabs has already solved the problem that brought those bad moments about, an explaination would suffice, and have been very appreciated.
So I'll do as Jason says, or screams , keep on researching. Thanks Again

 

[Jason in Enid]

So I'll do as Jason says, or screams , keep on researching. Thanks Again

Just to shorten your further searches.... ML moved the repair facility a year ago. Its now handled by the owner of Fort Bedford detectors, although its separate from the sales business. Turnaround times used to be months, now its almost always within 24 hours. The only real delay is the time to ship it there and back. You still have to call the ML USA service center to get an RMA number and the shipping address. The repair facility doesnt advertise their address to cut down on detectors randomly arriving with no RMA and no idea what is supposed to be done.

 

[Rick K]

ML have made great strides in improving their repair services by the Ft. Bedford contract. Now you can expect prompt service.

The cost of replacement parts from Minelab, however continues to be a real issue - circuit board replacements seem to run into the many hundreds of dollars.

 

[Normsel]

I can tell you this. I just bought and Equinox 800 and the control module went haywire. I called Minelab and they sent me prepaid 2nd day air shipping label for UPS. I sent it in on a Thursday and received it the following Thursday. They were not only fast but very understanding. I know others that sent detectors in with lesser issues and had the same great customer service. Kellyco used to repair detectors for Minelab but Minelab does it themselves now. They may have had a few start up problems when they started repairing the detectors themselves. Meaning parts on hand and other stumbling blocks.

You can read all you want anywhere about any product and you will always find people unsatisfied with customer service. Yeah even here on T-Net.

 

[smokeythecat]

Normsel, I hear you. Glad you got it taken care of. Our machines are not cheap, I expect mine to work as described when I get them. How come I'm hearing "bad out of the box" about Minelab? More than once. I have never had a bad out of the machine from any company I have bought from going back over 30 years and that includes Whites, Tesoro, Bounty Hunter, Garrett. And that is a LOT of machines. I remember one person posting on their Garrett it had an issue also. Not much else I can remember. Whazzup?

 

[Jim in Idaho]

You walked away from a fantastic detector. Remember satisfied customers don't post their satisfaction only disatisified customers.

Not to be argumentative, TH, but there have been countless threads from satisfied customers of White's extraordinary customer service, as well as other brands. It really is all about the service after the sale.
Jim

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Not to be argumentative, TH, but there have been countless threads from satisfied customers of White's extraordinary customer service, as well as other brands. It really is all about the service after the sale.
Jim

Not taking it as argumentative at all , all I was saying is there are thousands of satisfied customers who don't post, who have nothing to do with forums or social media. I ask people all the time if they are on the forums or social media detecting pages and they say no.

 

[sssmiller]

As an update, I've been playing around with my non ML machine and am impressed. Thats not saying much as I'm a complete noob.
As far as my researches towards this area of ML, it seems the more I look into it (from passed customers experience) the more I find that both sides are right. It sounds like private repair outlets, ML certified, seems to be the culprit. On the private companies (Id really rather not say the name) defense, I hear the reason was more that excusable, but then reasons why service suffered isn't my concern. It's that the service was lacking in the first place.
It seems my concern was just. A lot of customers suffered from this incident. My original request in the first post was to simply have ML pay as much attention to the service end as they do promoting and developing their products. Minelab in my eyes did nothing wrong. They did what needed to be done with the situation. They did rectify the situation in regard to their image and customer support. It was the transition period that customers in need suffered. But that is unavoidable. At that point, ML could only minimize the poor service that customers experienced. Again, this is Completely My own opinion. Key word is "Opinion".
I am Very excited about my new machine. Ive been learning a lot more of the technical side of the hobby, rather than just listening to tones. And I still am not ruling out the CTX.
Thanks guys for all your input!

 

[Honest Samuel]

# 1. Best of luck with purchasing a new detector. Good hunting.

 

[adamBomb]

I've dealt with both Minelab and Fisher. Both were very easy to deal with. I would have no problem recommending either as far as customer service goes. Both of my dealings were in the last 5 years.