Keysight 34461A insane repair price - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Hensingler
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2017, 04:42:32 pm
content: My 3.5 year old little used 34461A died the the other day. Turns out a side effect of the 1kV input rating fiasco is the warranty has been extended to March 2018 so I returned it for repair under warranty.I then get quoted £695 for repair (by unit exchange) including calibration and 3 year warranty.Current price for the 34461A is £764 and it isn't hard to get 5% discount reducing it to £726.Who sane wouldn't spend an extra £31 on a brand new meter and keep the dead one for spares even if just for the test leads and fuses?I still expect to get it repaired under warranty, however, if it were not for the 1kV input fiasco my 33461A would simply be scrap for spares after 3.5 years, pretty disgusting.

author: HighVoltage
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2017, 06:23:04 pm
content: Why would they quote you a repair?You have full warranty and don't have to pay anything.I had several repair claims with Keysight and they always took care of me very well.

author: PA0PBZ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2017, 06:47:42 pm
content: Quote from: HighVoltage on April 07, 2017, 06:23:04 pmI don't think they already added the 1KV warranty extension, at least not on my 34461A. (As seen on the "My Keysight" page)

author: plesa
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2017, 06:55:09 pm
content: Quote from: PA0PBZ on April 07, 2017, 06:47:42 pmMy 34461A with expired warranty do not have 1kV warranty extension yet.I will ask them again and point information in bulletin.Can you describe the fault you have?

author: Hensingler
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2017, 07:28:33 pm
content: Quote from: plesa on April 07, 2017, 06:55:09 pmIf you are talking to me, I just turned it on for the first time in a few weeks and it sits with a keysight logo on the display.

author: Keysight DanielBogdanoff
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 07, 2017, 07:44:33 pm
content: Our repair services are generally skewed towards servicing high-end equipment ($10s of ks to $100s of ks). This means that even if you have a lower cost unit, it'll still get the royalty treatment in the repair center, and that comes with corresponding cost. We have been and continue to work on lowering that cost, but if the unit is sub 1k, it's commonly not going to be worth the $ for us to repair it for you.3.5 years is definitely a short lifespan for that unit, and I'm sorry you've had the issue at all. That being said, it's not a bad idea to get the extended warranty just for some peace of mind.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2017, 08:10:27 pm
content: Quote from: Hensingler on April 07, 2017, 07:28:33 pmThat's called a boot freeze and typically only a software problem but without access to the UI there's little chance of installing new firmware. Some manufacturers have a key sequence to override the freeze by rapid presses of a particular button.

author: 6thimage
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2017, 08:43:47 pm
content: On the 3446xA you can get into a recovery image by connecting to the serial connector on the back of the front panel.As long as there is no underlying problem, it would take less than half an hour to fix and wouldn't cost anything in parts. Whilst you'd want to check that the problem was fixed - you might go as far as replacing the front panel board - it should only cost a couple of hundred at the very most. It would be worth, in this case, Keysight charging for the work done rather than having? a fixed fee.

author: HighVoltage
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2017, 08:47:56 pm
content: Quote from: Hensingler on April 07, 2017, 07:28:33 pmIs it booting far enough that the remote access is working and you could update the firmware over LAN?

author: Hensingler
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2017, 10:07:06 pm
content: Quote from: Keysight_DanielBogdanoff on April 07, 2017, 07:44:33 pmA repair price of 96% the cost of a new unit is ridiculous. If your repair systems are so inefficient and expensive then don't bother just replace with new at half the price and still make a profit.

author: taemun
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2017, 02:39:45 am
content: That repair price might just be what they quote for "in warranty" units, because corporate is paying for it. It's probably just the way the repair center gets money out of Keysight corporate. I'd hope it was more reasonable if the end user was paying.

author: TheSteve
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 08, 2017, 02:43:50 am
content: Just checked the Canadian pricing which is $1407.00 CAD to buy, the repair/unit exchange price is $956.00 CAD - so not quite as bad but still awfully high.

author: TheSteve
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 08, 2017, 02:58:45 am
content: You probably wouldn't be as satisfied had you paid anywhere close to list pricing.

author: Hensingler
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2017, 02:22:14 pm
content: Quote from: taemun on April 08, 2017, 02:39:45 amThe quote was asking for a purchase order from me.Quote from: TheSteve on April 08, 2017, 02:43:50 amThe £695 included repair £493, calibration £126, and 3 year warranty £76. I don't really see how they can repair without calibration and there was no option not to buy it.Keysight pricing puts these meters beyond economical repair regardless of fault. You would probably keep the test leads and fuses, throw the rest in the trash then buy a new one.

author: SkyMaster
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2017, 03:14:08 pm
content: I share Hensingler deception.But where is the Keysight 34461A manufactured? (I am assuming it is manufactured in a low cost country)What would be the selling price of the 34461 if it was manufactured in a "developed" country?

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2017, 04:04:40 pm
content: Quote from: Keysight_DanielBogdanoff on April 07, 2017, 07:44:33 pmIf you're not interested in doing repairs on lower cost gear, you should at least provide decent service information* and parts/software** so users can do it themselves or get it done by a third party.* A block-diagram level only diagram does not constitute decent service information.** Software to allow a unit to be recovered from any degree of firmware/data corruption

author: orin
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2017, 08:01:45 pm
content: Quote from: Keysight_DanielBogdanoff on April 07, 2017, 07:44:33 pmI was charged a whole $115 for a three year repair agreement for my '61A...

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2017, 08:05:19 pm
content: Quote from: orin on April 08, 2017, 08:01:45 pmI guess it will be a good idea to get mine covered by such a repair agreement as well as soon as the factory warranty runs out. $115 is not an absurd amount and I assume Keysight charges a similar amount in Europe.

author: Cerebus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2017, 10:44:09 pm
content: Quote from: Hensingler on April 08, 2017, 02:22:14 pmFrom a different vendor who'd stand behind their product with a sane repair and servicing policy. In this instance Keysight is asking for more to repair an existing unit than they'd ask from one of their distributors to supply a brand new unit. Heck, at least they could make the repair price to the end user the same as the distributors buy price for a new unit and ship the customer a new replacement unit. What the hell has happened to the Hewlett-Packard I used to know and love?Anybody any repair experience with Keithley on similar priced products (e.g. Keithley 2000)? Are they as insanely priced, or is there still some intelligence left there? (If there is, don't tell anybody at Danaher, they'll have it surgically removed.)

author: orin
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 09, 2017, 01:43:04 am
content: Quote from: nctnico on April 08, 2017, 08:05:19 pmI'd bet you'd have to remove the US$ sign, put a Euro sign in its place and then add VAT... probably still reasonable.