Keithley rant - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: IanJ
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 12, 2014, 10:17:39 am
content: Hi all,rant mode ONSo my Keithley 2015 THD needs a new display.......and I read on these forums that another guy in the UK got a display from Keithley UK for £55 approx.........Great I thought........I'll contact them.Sent in my enquiry (via general email, and also online form).....no responce for a few days......then I gets a phone call from a sales guy trying to sell me a new DMM.......Noooooo I said....I just want the parts, so the guy said he'd make sure my enquiry was forwarded on.10 days have passed and still nothing.WTF!..........honestly, this is the UK over and over and over. Seems like loads of companies still don't know how to take the web seriously.rant mode OFFIan.

author: grumpydoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2014, 11:02:39 am
content: Try sandra.verlinden@tektronix.com

author: Mark Hennessy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2014, 11:45:37 am
content: You did better than me. I simply got a notification to say "your message was deleted without being read"Suspect this will be the only Keithley product I'll own.Mind you, my support experiences with Fluke have only been slightly better. They did have the parts I wanted, and at a reasonably price, but wanted to add a massive postage and handling charge that made the job uneconomical. I no longer have that DMM.I remember that long thread about an Agilent DMM that only reached a satisfactory conclusion because of the embarrassment that was being caused.It's pretty obvious that all these big companies have had things too easy. By mostly dealing with businesses, the T&M manufacturers have become complacent. Now that enthusiasts and hobbyists are finding the budget to buy decent gear - even if it might only be "entry level" as far as these manufacturers are concerned - they are going to have to get a lot better at dealing with those of us who have limited budgets and some expectation of product longevity and customer service (and blog sites and social media accounts)To end on a positive note, my recent experiences with Thurlby Thandar have been really superb. The "big boys" can learn a lot from these guys.

author: IanJ
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 12, 2014, 12:03:11 pm
content: Quote from: grumpydoc on October 12, 2014, 11:02:39 amSent.

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2014, 01:41:48 pm
content: I have had the same experience with the current Tektronix. An inquiry into purchasing a part to make repairs led to no progress positive or negative but did result in lots of sales calls. The same often happens if I make an inquiry on their web site which requires clicking through with a message that includes "Do you want to be contacted by a sales representative?" even when I indicate no.On the positive side, the Tektronix sales representatives are always pleasant to chat with so I have that going for me. It is not like dealing with customer support for the phone company, ISP, or bank where a majority of the time they have such a strong foreign accent that I cannot understand most of what they say.Of course Keithley, Tektronix, and Fluke are all owned by Danaher Corporation and competition between them is lower since they all became one big happy family.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danaher_Corporation

author: grumpydoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 15, 2014, 10:52:38 am
content: Quote from: IanJ on October 12, 2014, 12:03:11 pmAny joy?