Keysight policy - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: msknight
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2023, 02:42:15 pm
content: Thought I'd just note this in for people's records.I never win anything, so I thought I'd e-mail Keysight for product recommendations to upgrade my Rigol.What I received back was a request which... given my original e-mail to them, they obviously knew I am a hobyist/learner and in theory I could have fulfilled their request with both them and me, knowing that my fingers were crossed behind my back when I gave the confirmation, with a very heavy wink... but at this time of my life with what I'm facing(I won't bore you with that)I didn't feel like officially lying. I might feel otherwise at a different point in my life, but hey.Quote

author: Black Phoenix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2023, 02:54:11 pm
content: Already been discussed to oblivion -https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/keysight-officially-lost-the-plot-dont-buy-if-youre-a-hobbyist/

author: nigelwright7557
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2023, 02:56:07 pm
content: Maybe worried a rookie might do something wrong and blow it up costing them a fortune ?

author: msknight
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2023, 03:06:38 pm
content: Quote from: Black Phoenix on March 17, 2023, 02:54:11 pmCrikey. You ain't kidding when you say, "Oblivion."

author: tv84
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2023, 03:23:51 pm
content: Quote from: Black Phoenix on March 17, 2023, 02:54:11 pmIt's much worse... Before that thread, the topic started here:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/a-broken-34470a-and-keysights-terrible-customer-service/

author: msknight
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2023, 03:37:56 pm
content: Quote from: tv84 on March 17, 2023, 03:23:51 pmOh good grief.At the end of the day I can understand Keysight's position and the business choices they've made. It's to my detriment, but hey ho, that's life. Nothing to get bent out of shape over. Wish I could get their kit, but sometimes the suits say no.

author: adam4521
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2023, 05:54:37 pm
content: They are really doubling down and building out the 'suitable' and 'unsuitable' in their rubric, aren't they!

author: 0culus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2023, 06:12:45 pm
content: I would unironically tell them that yes, I do have a business and you can send the correspondence to 367 Addison Avenue, Palo Alto CA.Bill and Dave must be spinning.

author: mendip_discovery
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2023, 08:32:22 pm
content: Yet the USA side seems ok to do promotions and competitions aimed at the amateur market.Just curious if there was some daft EU rule that has forced thier hands.I am currently doing cal work onsite becuase Keysight don't want to do it. The customer is spinning as they have started to realise the certs were not fit for purpose (test rig with temp, 3 phase, current etc and all they did was two pressure gauges). They couldn't even get the label on the machine straight ~20°.

author: JohanH
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2023, 09:06:48 pm
content: Quote from: mendip_discovery on March 17, 2023, 08:32:22 pmIt's this that pisses people off. They would be a perfectly normal company if they didn't do this stuff. It's like trolling and goes too far. When they stopped supporting amateurs and hobbyists, they should have stopped these things, too. But yes, this has been discussed over and over in the other threads.

author: AVGresponding
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2023, 09:14:38 pm
content: Seems largely a warranty issue; statutory consumer warranties are a lot longer than typical business ones in the EU and UK and have fewer exclusions, and also they want to upsell the Keysight Care or w/e it's called, which is basically a subscription to Customer Services.

author: BillyO
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2023, 10:01:56 pm
content: Well, maybe they are trying to give a leg up to Siglent, Rigol and GW Instek. Us unwashed idiots can't be trusted with their overly sophisticated loveliness, so we'll go buy the other stuff. Then when we're asked at work what we'd recommend for a round of scope upgrades we'll say something like "Oh, how about these Siglent SDS7000 series".Keysight my arse. More like Shortsight.Yeah, Bill and Dave are rolling and have been since that petty dictator Fiorina took the reigns in 1999 and destroyed the once greatest tech company in less than 2 years.

author: switchabl
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2023, 10:56:56 pm
content: Quote from: BillyO on March 17, 2023, 10:01:56 pmI am not exactly a fan but I am not sure how much of a long-term impact she had on the T&M side. If I recall correctly, by the time she became CEO, the decision to spin off Agilent had already been made and the IPO happened a few months later.

author: 0culus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 18, 2023, 04:14:40 am
content: Quote from: switchabl on March 17, 2023, 10:56:56 pmThe rest of HP got turned into a steaming pile though. See their current rent seeking behavior with their printers.

author: 0culus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 18, 2023, 04:18:30 am
content: Quote from: AVGresponding on March 17, 2023, 09:14:38 pmEven so, it's in their best interest to get some good publicity in the industry by not crapping all over hobbyists. The number of warranties they'd have to honor probably isn't that large anyway, and a nonzero number of those hobbyistsalsoinfluence purchase of T&M equipment at work, and this kind of behavior leaves a bad taste. I know next time I need to buy something at work, I'm definitely gonna check out other brands and shop around rather than just buying Keysight.My comment above about sending the paperwork to 367 Addison Ave. was only partly in jest. Today's Keysight wouldn't give those two garage knuckledraggers the time of day...you know only the two guys that founded the damn thing in the first place.

author: AVGresponding
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 18, 2023, 07:30:08 am
content: Quote from: 0culus on March 18, 2023, 04:18:30 amI agree with you completely, but the bean counters have long since gained control, and they seem to see no value in the likes of us.

author: mendip_discovery
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 18, 2023, 11:40:50 am
content: With a hobbiest they buy 1 or 2 high value products. A business might buy more gear exp when you say you need a scope to go with that freq gen then they sign up to the Keysight service plan that just sneaks up over the years.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 18, 2023, 02:06:15 pm
content: Quote from: mendip_discovery on March 18, 2023, 11:40:50 amEveryone understands this.But as others have said: this leaves a bad taste in our mouths and makes us less likely to recommend or choose Keysight productsat work.That and the whole “advertise to consumers but don’t let them buy it” bullshit.

author: robert.rozee
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 18, 2023, 02:26:43 pm
content: Quote from: mendip_discovery on March 18, 2023, 11:40:50 amthe size of the respective markets is irrelevant. it is all aboutREPUTATION. keysight have managed to significantly damage their own reputation, something would take a great many years to repair. not that i expect them to attempt to make any such repairs. more likely keysight will move on to different market segments - perhaps healthcare products, or battery chargers.cheers,rob :-)

author: TimFox
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 18, 2023, 03:32:00 pm
content: Quote from: switchabl on March 17, 2023, 10:56:56 pmDuring Fiorina's proxy fight to solidify her control of -hp-, she ran a very disturbing ad in the business sections showing a battered -hp- 200 generator (which looked like it had been used in a football game), and posed the question of if the company should remain at that level.Historically, the 200 series (as it evolved) is one of the best-sellingf T&M equipment of all time.

author: AVGresponding
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 18, 2023, 10:08:46 pm
content: Quote from: mendip_discovery on March 18, 2023, 11:40:50 amQuote from: robert.rozee on March 18, 2023, 02:26:43 pmIn point of fact, I doubt that the hobbyist market is trivial; yes the individual purchases may be tiny, but how many hobbyists do you think there are for every blue-chip company that places multi-million dollar orders?

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 19, 2023, 01:09:56 am
content: are we gonna start a new keysigh thread there is already one going for a long time and many pages of this and thatis this new thread relevant, or a new rant once again ? a never ending variation on the same subject ?

author: msknight
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 19, 2023, 06:41:35 am
content: Quote from: coromonadalix on March 19, 2023, 01:09:56 amI hope not! I didn't realise the depth of history on this when I posted, "for information," basically. The discussion seems to have hit a round robin anyway and Keysight isn't going to change, so I do hope this thread dies :-)

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 19, 2023, 12:11:00 pm
content: Locked. Please use the other thread.