Advice on an ebay'ed Fluke 332B gone sour - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / repair

author: cellularmitosis
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 14, 2017, 01:10:54 am
content: Howdy internet,I picked up a Fluke 332B dial-a-volt off of ebay recently. It was described as "tested" and being in working condition:http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fluke-332B-DC-Voltage-Standard-0-1-ppm-resolution-Tested/263045424820However, upon arrival, this thing is in pretty horrific shape. The outer shell is all bent to hell. The thing literally looks like it has been thrown down a flight of stairs.There wasn't any obvious damage to the cardboard box, and it was fairly well packed in peanuts and such. It is possible that the Fedex man dropped it a few times without damaging the cardboard (it weighs probably 50 pounds -- wouldn't take much of a drop to bend the chassis), and it is also possible the seller simply neglected to mention what poor shape it was in.In addition, someone appears to have bodged in a replacement relay which is literally dangling by the wires. It would surely short against the chassis if you turned the unit upside down.Photos:http://imgur.com/a/5JwN6There is a safety lock-out switch which disables the unit while the outer shell is removed. Well, it is now sufficiently bent up that the microswitch doesn't close when the covers are on, so the unit is disabled all the time!If you manually close switch, you discover that the unit trips into over-current-shutdown mode as it crosses some threshold between 7.1 and 7.2V. This is reproducible in all three ranges: you cannot operate the unit above 7.200000 in the 10V range, 07.20000 in the 100V range, nor 007.2000 in the 1000V range.Video of the 7.2V threshold behavior:http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fluke-332B-DC-Voltage-Standard-0-1-ppm-resolution-Tested/263045424820Below the 7.1V, the unit appears to operate correctly.I originally negotiated a price of $225, which seemed reasonable, but that was before I knew the shipping would be over $80. At $312 shipped, I feel that this is a terrible deal, and certainly not in the condition I presumed when I bid.----I'm curious to hear anyone's advice! Especially if you've had experience with disappointing ebay experiences.The thing is, I'm not totally against keeping this thing with the idea of it becomming a repair, or even just to salvage the unobtanium matched-tempco resistors out of it, should the repair prove untennable.Is it possible to renegotiate the price after-the-fact? I certainly would have paid $50 in this condition, probably even $100, on the off-chance that I could repair it.

author: alm
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 14, 2017, 01:18:07 am
content: I would send a message (not a dispute!) to the seller that the object is significantly not as described. State that the product was advertised as "The item may have some signs of cosmetic wear, but is fully operational and functions as intended. This item may be a floor model or store return that has been used. See the seller’s listing for full details and description of any imperfections.". Note the mechanical and electrical defects, and that none of them were described in either the listing text or the pictures.Give the seller the choice between either returning the unit at their cost for a full refund, or a partial refund of whatever amount you find reasonable ($150 based on the figures you gave).

author: Samogon
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 14, 2017, 02:53:16 am
content: Not as described, use buyer protection.

author: cellularmitosis
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 14, 2017, 06:24:25 am
content: Oh my, I feel quite foolish now. There is a voltage limit adjustment knob. It was turned about 71% of the way up...At this point the unit works, but the chassis is beat to hell. Perhaps I can negotiate a small discount for that.Time to dial this thing in and start creating linearity correction curves for LTC2400 ADC's!