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Public Perception Poll - White's Electronics & The MX Sport Update


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Ok, big experiment here, so please take this seriously. I have the ear of a person at White's to whom I have expressed a few concerns. I am posting this here and on Tom's forum only because both forums have knowledgeable, thoughtful members and no censorship of honest opinions. Let's live up to that here with some quality responses. Please, no bashing, and no people trying to sway things. Just honest opinions intended to be helpful to White's. If you have a problem, offer a solution.

The question at hand. Did White's do enough to notify people of the firmware issue? If you have an MX Sport, were you notified? if so, by who? White's directly? Your dealer? Or did you just hear about it on the forum or by word of mouth? Are you satisfied with how it is being handled? If you know about the issue, but are not sending in your unit, why not? Any other comments for White's?

I am going to point my contact at this. The goal here is to help White's with feedback via the power of social media. Let's show this forum has people worth paying attention to. Thank you in advance for any helpful feedback you may offer.

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I think it was a good thing I'm on this forum. I just don't know if i'd heard about it. I will say for my dealer he said if I need help let him know.

Now that I got it back the depth is some what less than before. That's air testing in the same place and condition as before. I'd like to make the same test but this time it would be outside.

Chuck

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Cannot talk on any of questions below the first one. Because I haven't bought mine yet.


But "Did Whites do enough to notify people of the firmware issue?"

 

Hell yes!

There was a total acknowledgment and a quick smart stating of the problems, with the statement that those that were happy had no need to send their units back.

Or those that would prefer to have new firmware on their machines were givin perfectly clear instructions by Whites on how to box/label and post it, and an estimate of turn-around.

 

One of, if not the quickest, re-calls for want of a better word, than I've seen before.

The company has no need to feel embarrassed by the issue, they haven't lost face in my respect ...it happens.

The important thing is they stepped up to the plate. Across many platforms ..forums, dealers, FBook, direct notification to buyers.

They even gave young Tom an extra job to do, and he did it correctly. Be a nice time to give the kid a raise...

 

Hey, how many total recalls should Minelab have made but lacked the guts? My count is 7 ...

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The quick response by whites was one of the reasons I bought one. I think they helped their public image with the recall. I'm confident if I have a problem, they'll take care of it . 

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My thought is that if it was not for this forum and Steve's report the time frame would have not happened. Phone calls directly to the factory initially resulted in no answers. Only after a forum member was cornered (also a Whites employee) and he wiggled some purse strings in the headquarters did we start to see some action. Then it was piece meal at best at first and only because of forum pressure did they do things like finally post the shipping labels. The problems seem to still be marching on with reports that received units have been loaded with the wrong software and have to be returned again. Somewhere on the end of this repair line a quality control inspection is going to have to happen. Whites you are better than this and unless you want further commentary, you had better re group and accelerate the repair end of this and do it in a manner that we can again brag about owning a new Whites machine. Your present fix is very lacking and the reports are starting to stack up on forum threads about it. The ball is now in your court. Being you are classed as a "mom and pop" business you had better listen to mom when she says "EITHER DO IT OR GIT OFF THE POT"   a loyal customer   

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I believe White's did a good job in notifying people of the firmware issue.

I truly believe that the factory and their distributors respond to issues they may have on their products as one of the best in the industry, their dealer network is a issue in responding to customer complaints, problems and training.

I believe when a problem is brought to their attention from social media or others sources,  they need to address that problem and monitor that problem thru feedback from customers having issues. Also consider using customers outside their circle of field testers, in testing new products or designs.

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Because this is a new machine It is very hard for any company to jump on something that has not been on the market long enough to even get a Dozen Reports back,, What we all have to take on board is  1) Whites started to React within days of the first models having some Issues come to the Surface WHICH was about 10 days from the release date because it took the users that long to workout what was happening, So Whites started to Rally the Troops as it where,

My overall experience with Whites has always been good but since some of the engineers and management have left It seems almost impossible to get any honest Answers even on past products, In fact it is easier to get answers from the NSA, We are talking past product here and I am not asking for them to tell me company secretes or what they are working, I have tried a few times this past month to find out info for the machines I have, One of the first things Whites as a company need to Review is their Honesty Policy because it does not exist.

And TWO,,, You Whites, You Build the Machines and you do not have to pay for them but you expect us to Buy them but you never give use what we ask for, You Build machine that you want to Build and expect us to Adapt to them, That's not how it works, Geology Dictates What we Need Not You and Not us, this is not a personal Rant, That is the Facts of detecting, Unless the machine has the controls to make it work in hostile places then we ( The Buyers ) have no Use for them, And If things don't change and you are no longer prepared to Listen to us then I WILL be replacing my machines with those from a New Comer who is prepared to listen and who are already Building the Machines that we Ask For, because of my dedication to Whites in the Past I am NOW embarrassed by Whites new Vision when it comes to the Video's that you make, And your field Testers and engineers need to get on the same page, I no Longer trust either your field Testers or your engineers because one of the two is not relaying the correct info and if that keeps happening then that is going to do serious Damage to Whites Reputation that we Once Knew, because at present many of us are now looking to other companies for what we need  because there Is one person we know of who has sent his machine back and now it is worse than it was before he sent it back and his machine is now suffering from a 25%+ Depth Loss, 

As this is one of the knowledgeable Sites It might benefit us all if you will work with such persons and then maybe Whites could be what it once was, But at present I fear that we have had the Best that Whites can do and those days are now Gone..

As a Very Serious Whites User, apart from the Products there are a couple of things that are Paramount to us Detectorist/ Prospectors and that is to know that the Companies who  we invest our time and hard earned money in to are Listening to our needs whether it is Features that are needed / products and help when things go wrong, But above all else Openness and Honesty has to be the Common language between us the end user and Whites as a company. If I can have those 3 things The I will stick with Whites till the Day I die and that includes things like products being phased out or Issues with a product like we have had with this new machine, If I can ask a question like these and get an honest Answer then I will stand by Whites if they will Stand by Me.

Again I would like to thank TOM for his Efforts and his honesty even when he had to Swim against the Tide.

Take Care,, John.

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2 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Ok, big experiment here, so please take this seriously. I have the ear of a person at White's to whom I have expressed a few concerns. I am posting this here and on Tom's forum only because both forums have knowledgeable, thoughtful members and no censorship of honest opinions. Let's live up to that here with some quality responses. Please, no bashing, and no people trying to sway things. Just honest opinions intended to be helpful to White's. If you have a problem, offer a solution.

The question at hand. Did White's do enough to notify people of the firmware issue?

No, I don't think whites has done enough to inform the people that bought one, what is going on.

If you have an MX Sport, were you notified?

I have the MX Sport and no, I wasn't notified.

if so, by who? White's directly? Your dealer? Or did you just hear about it on the forum or by word of mouth?

On your forum (Detector Prospector), I was doing a internet search to see if anyone else was having issues with the long tones, I thought
it might have been due to the large D2 coil, thought the smaller 6x10 coil might help, trying to find out before I ordered the smaller coil.


Are you satisfied with how it is being handled?

Yes, other than a 3 to 5 week (or more) period that the machine will be in transit to Whites, get repaired and in transit back. Missing out on a lot of hunting time.

If you know about the issue, but are not sending in your unit, why not? Any other comments for White's?

Constructive criticism, hard to say this as a long time Whites fan:

The last 3 machines that I bought from Whites all had issues new out of the box, V3i came new with a bad D2 coil, MX5 came new with pin point/tone issues, MX Sport now has tone issues.
Whites made each one right, but, 3 out of 3 new machines with issues? Whites needs to do better than that if they want to stay competitive.

Whites machines, when they have the bugs worked out are as good as any out there...
That is why I keep using them.

I will say Whites has the best customer service that I have seen, it is just that lately, I have been using it to often...lol

 

I am going to point my contact at this. The goal here is to help White's with feedback via the power of social media. Let's show this forum has people worth paying attention to. Thank you in advance for any helpful feedback you may offer.

Posted this on Tom D's forum also.

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Here is my two cents. If not for this forum I would not have known about the issue, although I did notice something was amiss. Thanks to to Steve and others for their experience and ability to convey to Whites in more technical terms their observations. But I wouldn't have known about the mx sport in the first place without this and other forums. I also had heard of Whites exceptional customer service and dedication from others and even though I was concerned, (a couple of days seems like a long time when a potential problem arises) Whites has done well. I realize technical support is a two way street and both parties need to access potential mistakes with a product and it's use. Could they have done better? Sure, but they could have done a lot worse. In these day of rapid information exchange thirty or forty days can seem like a long time but it's still pretty quick when you think about it. It couldn't hurt whites to have a person does PR on the forums from time to time. Not necessarily 24/7 but after a major release just to see how customers are getting along? 

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I have purchased 3 Whites detectors previously but when I saw the MX Sport weighed 4.23 LBS and took 8 batteries I failed to pay further attention. I refuse to purchase another VLF unless it weighs 3.5 pounds or less, it is just painful to swing heavy detectors.

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