From: leadfoot@sw.stratus.com (Mark Curtis)
Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: Re: Kenwood Service SUCKS!!!
Date: 25 Aug 92 19:41:07 GMT
Organization: Stratus Computer, Inc.

In article <1992Aug25.154021.1810@cbnews.cb.att.com>, wrb@cbnews.cb.att.com (wallace.r.blackburn) writes:
> In article <sims.714745101@sauron.msfc.nasa.gov> sims@sauron.msfc.nasa.gov (Herb Sims) writes:
> >
> >That's right, and even when I did need it the service was very good.  I think
> >that people just expect Kenwood to drop whatever their doing the instant a
> >person calls, forgetting that there might be other people haveing problems
> >to.  I wish I was more like those other people who make everything perfect
> >and never made any mistakes with a design.  As far as I am concern Kenwood
> >has an execllent repair/service department.  I however, cannot speak for the
> >advertisement/PR department.

> Nobody expected Kenwwod "to drop whatever their doing the instant a person
> calls".  They had the radio for at Kenwwod for 1 1/2 fucking months!  This
> was after the dealer had it for a month.  When I talked to the service tech
> at the dealer, he complained that he hadn't received callbacks on 3-4 calls
> to Kenwood's dealer support line - just voice mail.  He called the person's
> supervisor and got his voice mail - and still never got a callback!
> 
> This is not just a reasonable delay, or whatever - THIS IS LOUSY SERVICE!
> I am so happy for those of you that haven't had to use their repair
> service (this is sarcasm for anyone that doesn't recognize it), but don't 
> tell me I should be happy or that my expectations are unreasonable - they're 
> not.  (Note proper use of the contraction they're - short for "they are" as
> opposed to "their").

I have sent two radios to Kenwood.  One has been to Kenwood three times.
This radio has a problem with the ALC circuit.  It doesn't work like any
other radio of the same type I have been able to test.  It doesn't work
like the service or owners manuals state either.  All three times I included
a detailed letter stating the problem and possible fixes.  Each time they
didn't fix the problem.  To make it worse they tried to cover their butts
by lying to me.  They told me that there wasn't a problem.  When I pointed
out that the owners and service manuals stated differently, he became real
quiet.  I asked why when I tested five other radios of the same type
none of them have the same problem, he was silent again.  Three tries no
fix.  $15 in shipping and at least seven weeks turn-around time each time
I sent it in.

The other radio has been to Kenwood twice.  It has had a problem with the
speech processor from day one.  It doesn't work.  All it does is crank up
the mic gain.  If you readjust the mic gain control it makes no difference
on the other end.  No one has been able to tell if the processor is on or
off.  Other Kenwood radios also use an audio stage speech processor and
they make a difference.  This radio's doesn't, but it isn't just mine.  All
of the radios of the same type I have tested, four so far, have exactly the
same problem.  Kenwood's answer is that there is nothing wrong with the
radio.  My answer is poor engineering.  Why didn't they just use the circuit
from their other radios?  This circuit is useless.

My biggest beef with Kenwood service is how long it takes them to work on
something.  UPS take two days max to ship the radio.  Kenwood's shipping/
receiving department takes at least that long both ways.  Twice it has
taken over a week to go through their shipping department.  Only once has
it taken less than two months to get a radio back, that time it only took
seven weeks.  Kenwoods service manager traced the dates on one of my radio's
trips.

UPS			2 days
Kenwood Shipping/Rec	5 days
Kenwood Service shelf	23 days
Kenwood Bench time	2 days
Kenwood Shipping/Rec	3 days
UPS			2 days
------------------------------
Total WORKING DAYS     37 days

Now add in the weekends and you have two months.  Of the 37 days
only four were UPS.  To make things worse Kenwood's serivce department
doesn't consider it any of their problem that their shipping and
receiving department takes so long.  I pointed out that to the customer
it didn't matter who at Kenwood was sitting on the package.  He couldn't
have cared less.  He thought 23 working days wait in the service department
was good.  I don't!  I know several people who have sent out and received
back their ICOM HF radios in that amount of time.

Mark