Fluke Follies - Dead Parrot Sketch - The Fluke 87V Factory Error Saga Continues - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: SgtRock
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 03, 2013, 05:34:05 pm
content: Greetings EEVBees:--I had to give up trying to communicate with the Fluke suits about my Factory Error Fluke 87V with the "Wrong Hole" syndrome. It would seem that they ,hilariously enough, are unable to actually read email from Fluke owners before answering them. Please see the attached pictures and then read the below reprint, which is between the multiple quote marks, of my attempts to communicate with Fluke about my Fluke 87V with the mislocated black female plastic jack guide. It is somewhat reminiscent of Monty Python's "Dead Parrot" sketch. To anyone who thinks that I am merely scheming to get a new meter on the cheap, or that I am trying to make a profit on this deal; just let me say that, you are absolutely correct. The below sketch will read best if you start at the bottom, where the first email occurs.""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""Dear Anne:--I do not know why "Fluke Service Status" ended up with this, as I requested that it be forwarded to Management, as you can see from my earlier email. You seem to have somehow formed the mistaken impression that I was seeking warranty service, which is indeed not the case, as a careful perusal of the preceding emails, paying particular attention the part which says "I was just giving Fluke first opportunity at this one of kind meter. Not trying to get it repaired" will verify. I merely thought that Fluke might want to obtain possession of this factory error Fluke 87V, and so I was offering Fluke the first go at it. Please have a closer look at the pictures I sent, and reread my email, then contemplate for more than a few minutes, before answering. Also please have an Engineer, or someone familiar with Fluke parts, and the manufacturing and soldering thereof, take a look at the pictures. Clearly the Jack Receptacle is either an out and fraud or it is a manufacturing error, by no stretch of the imagination could it have resulted from an incorrect repair, the very idea is risible. The picture of the soldering of the Main Board clearly shows no obvious signs of ever having been re-soldered. Here again it is either an out and out fraud or it is a factory error, as no incorrect repair could possibly look like that. So your assumption "that the item may have been incorrectly repaired prior to ... purchase" would require a chain of events so unlikely as to boggle the mind, no?--Please note that I did not ask you to assume that this Fluke 87V is a factory error. I offered to send you the meter, at my own expense, to allow you to inspect it and make your own informed opinion, did I not? Then I offered you the opportunity to obtain the meter, if by chance you decided you did not want a defective and possibly unsafe item to remain at large. Clearly I did not ask for a warranty replacement or repair. You put words in my mouth.--I hereby rescind my offer to swap my one of a kind Fluke 87V to you for a new one. I have placed this item for sale on eBay as a novelty item, since you, apparently speaking for management, seem to think that there are no possible safety issues with the meter as built. So the meter will likely eventually sell to someone, and as one wag on EEVBlog said, perhaps it will end up in the Extech display at the next big electronics show. By the way, the meter works reliably, flawlessly, and accurately as do all of my many, Fluke instruments purchased on eBay, And I plan to buy more, being Fluke's biggest fan. You may review my comments on this meter and other Fluke instruments at the EEVBlog, where my nom de plume is SgtRock. I think you will find that all of my comments on Fluke are laudatory and affable. I welcome any further comments you may have.Best RegardsClear EtherOn 03-05-2013 09:30, Fluke Service Status wrote:> Hello ,>> I am sorry but we cannot provide a no-cost trade for your Fluke meter purchased from eBay as they are not an authorized seller/distributor of Fluke items. We can, however, evaluate at the standard cost and provide a replacement option only if repair is unsuccessful. This rate is $256.00 for this item.>> In viewing the pictures I do not assume the unit input jack assembly to be a factory error, but that the item may have been incorrectly repaired prior to your purchase. Sorry but it is Fluke policy: no warranty support on any items that are declared repaired or acquired from unauthorized sellers or unauthorized repair centers.>> Should you choose to repair we require an RMA to send in your unit, please have your model and serial number available. We require a net 30 PO made out to Fluke Electronics or credit card information, please include all bill/ship information, email address and phone info--as well as your choice of service required. We will provide you with an address to send it in once the RMA is created. You can create your own order online atwww.fluke.com/serviceRMA, or you can contact us via phone for an RMA. Exception pricing may apply as final warranty is determined by our lab.>> Thank you,>> Anne C.>> This Quotation is expressly conditioned upon and subject to Fluke Standard Terms and Conditions of Sale, found athttp://www.fluke.com/fluke/usen/home/termsconditions.htmor available upon request. It is expressly agreed that any terms and conditions in Buyer's purchase order and/or acknowledgement of acceptance which are different from, contrary to, or in addition to Fluke's shall be of no force nor effect unless modified in writing and signed by an authorized representative of Fluke.> -----Original Message-----> From: > Sent: Thursday, May 02, 2013 11:40 PM> To: Fluke Service Status> Subject: Re: Factory Error Fluke 87 V>> Dear Steve:>> --I still have not heard from management, with regard to this defective and unsafe Fluke 87 V. I dare not try to sell it except as a novelty item, because the user might end up being led to confuse, Volts, Amps and Common inputs, leading to a possibly unsafe situation. Please see again the attached pictures. I would be glad to ship you the meter, and if you are convinced it is not fraudulent, I would be willing to trade for a new unit. This may quite possibly be the only one of its kind, considering the odds of the "input jack assembly" being assembled incorrectly, and then that mistake not being caught when the meter was assembled, this could not have happened too many times, and should be of interest to someone at Fluke.>> Best Regards>> On 11-10-2012 14:39, Fluke Service Status wrote:>> Hi ,>>>> I have forwarded your request to the management team.>>>> Thank you,>>>> Steve K>> Fluke Customer Care>> service.status@fluke.com>> For quicker response time please contact Fluke directly at>> 888.993.5853>>>>>> -----Original Message----->> From: >> Sent: Wednesday, October 10, 2012 5:56 PM>> To: Fluke Service Status>> Subject: Re: Factory Error Fluke 87 V>>>> Dear Steve K:>>>> --I do believe you missed the intended point of my original email. I was just giving Fluke first opportunity at this one of kind meter. Not trying to get it repaired. Please forward the email to someone who could make a decision on making a trade to obtain the meter.>>>> Best Regards>>>> On 10-10-2012 12:44, Fluke Service Status wrote:>>> Hi >>>>>> If you would like to send your unit in to our service lab to correct this please give us a call at 888.993.5853.>>>>>> Thank you,>>>>>> Steve K>>> Fluke Customer Care>>> service.status@fluke.com>>> For quicker response time please contact Fluke directly at>>> 888.993.5853>>>>>> -----Original Message----->>> From: >>> Sent: Tuesday, October 09, 2012 2:39 PM>>> To: Fluke Service Status>>> Subject: Factory Error Fluke 87 V>>>>>> Dear Fluke:>>>>>> --I have a Fluke 87 V, I bought on Ebay which has a black jack guide (see attached pictures) at the milli;/micro amp hole, and a red guide at the common hole. This is likely the only Fluke 87 like this in the world. I was wondering if you would be interested in acquiring this meter. I did not know exactly where to send this email so if you would forward it to the appropriate office, if yours is not the right one, I would appreciated it.>>>>>> Best Regards"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""--If I hear anything more from Fluke, regarding warranty service, or anything else for that matter, I will post it.To: Dave JonesIf you would be willing to have a look at this item and venture an opinion, I would be glad to pull if off of eBay and send it to you, assuming all resposibility and costs of shipping both ways.To: EveryoneI would welcome any comments about the safety implications of this error, as I am not sure one way or the other."Happy for you to desoldering, please."Wun Hung Lo 1948 -Best RegardsClear Ether

author: Excavatoree
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2013, 05:40:16 pm
content: I wish I had the money to spend on that thing - It would be the crown jewel of my collection.(meant with all sincerity. That's has to be the most rare Fluke, unless there are some used on some spacecraft or something, and even then, there may be more than one of those.)I still wonder, does this happen at the jack vendor frequently? Do they scrap ones or even tens of these, and one got by to Fluke? How did someone at Fluke fail to notice? Given their failure to read and understand your e-mails, it's becoming more understandable.....)Safety, well, most people familiar with the Fluke would not make the potentially dangerous mistake, and an observant person would notice the jack color doesn't match the description. However, I bet there is a not insignificant number of people that would blindly put the - lead in the black socket.

author: mikes
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2013, 05:41:51 pm
content: Yep, you got the analogy right. Fluke's the guy trying to tell you the parrot is dead (would you like it fixed?), and you're the shop owner trying to tell them it's a valuable Norwegian Blue that's just pinin' for the fjords.

author: bmwnomad
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2013, 05:43:32 pm
content: Unsolder the port bar and flip it around. That would have been quicker than making all those useless emails.Whatever.Steve

author: Excavatoree
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2013, 05:45:54 pm
content: Quote from: bmwnomad on May 03, 2013, 05:43:32 pmThat won't work. It's one assy of 4 jacks, and the leftmost is larger. Rotated 180 degrees, it won't install. (holes won't line up.)(EDIT: Aww, crap. It's the RIGHTmost jack that is larger, overall. "You mean to tell me you can't tell your left from your right?")This truly is a case of the jack vendor installing the black ring in the wrong spot during manufacture.

author: bmwnomad
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2013, 05:50:46 pm
content: Give me a hammer, I'll fix it.

author: SgtRock
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 03, 2013, 05:51:49 pm
content: Dear Excavatoree:--Thanks for that, Sir. Indeed this one really is pining for the fjords."Does not squirrel crack nuts on bough of oak tree."Lao Fu 1410 1620Best RegardsClear Ether

author: mikes
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2013, 06:07:25 pm
content: BTW, what "safety implications?" It's a rated meter, UL, CSA, TÜV listed, from a well respected company. Plugging things into the wrong jacks won't cause any safety issue, although you might be able to damage the meter (and even that I doubt).

author: SgtRock
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 03, 2013, 06:30:29 pm
content: Dear Mike:--With regard to the "safety implications", the reason I ask the question is because I freely admit that I am far from an expert on these matters. With regard to the "Dead Parrot" analogy, I do not believe that I tried to convince Fluke of anything that is not true. Do you? With regard to the provenance and the genuineness of the item in question, if Dave does not volunteer to examine the macguffin by this time tomorrow, I will then make the same offer to Excavatoree. Truely I am not trying to get over on anyone, and I did not mean to irritate you. I just think that this is a very interesting item and is possibly worth more than one without the mistake."I wear suspenders and a belt. I am a security man all the way"Justin Wilson (The Cajun Cook) 1914 - 2001Best RegardsClear Ether

author: gxti
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2013, 08:27:37 pm
content: Just because something is unique doesn't mean it's valuable. In a sane world, a defective meter would sell at a discount! But every time I think "there's no way someone would pay a premium for that" I am proven wrong, so good luck to you sir.

author: ErikTheNorwegian
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2013, 09:48:21 pm
content: Quote from: SgtRock on May 03, 2013, 05:51:49 pmAs a norwegian i must make this clearWe DO NOT! I REPETE DO NOT want any Norwegian blue back to our fjords. Pining or not!Dead parots may be deposited to the nearest vet..It may contain deadly bird flu,.ErikTheNorwegian