Minelab And Customer Communications

[OregonGregg]

I guess without those quirky engineers, we wouldn't have much in the way of good detectors. But there is one detecting manufacturing company that has something the others do not......they have a Dilek. What a difference having a Dilek makes. 

[jasong]

I seem to have the opposite experience - Minelab customer service has always been top notch to me and I wish more companies would do what they do. They literally overnighted me parts when I called since I was leaving town in 2 days and had no address in the field (and sent me an extra just to be safe), and always resolved my other issues right away. They called me back once just to check on me too. Apologized instantly the one time they made an error.

Nokta on the other hand - well, I still don't have a working detector after 2 years.   All that happened is I was referred back to Kellyco when I contacted them directly, the same Kellyco that had already botched up, and kept passing blame (and charged me for their errors in shipping) twice already.  Who then proceeded to keep sending me broken detectors with the exact same problems (I suspect they sent me the same detector back on at least one occasion). Now, 4 detectors later, still don't have a working one. Gave up. Posted about it twice, after trying all other avenues since Nokta seemed to respond to public posts - nada for me. Just a total and complete waste of $700 and being entirely ignored. A frustrating and baffling experience all around for me and I will go out of my way to recommend avoiding them, especially since even now no one has tried to make it good, just...nothing. Did people actually get customer service from Nokta or just shovelled off to Kellyco?

I'll take the engineers any day...

[Guest Tnsharpshooter]

Fortunately I got to communicate and spend some with engineers while in the USAF.

They can be different,,the same as people in general.

As far as manufacturers communication with the detecting public.

Most can do better.

I mean how much time does it take to cut and paste good information to multiple sources like internet detecting forums,.facebook, etc. ?

I think some manufacturers take the stand,,,only tell US what we need to know (this obviously what THEY decide) vs what we really should be told.

Some manufacturers  probably think the less info passed out,,the less questions to come in.

And answering intelligent questions does take time.

And to them time is $$$.

A detector manufacturer just like any other manufacturer,,can probably get away with passing less info, as long as they make a great product without problems.

But this is a huge gamble nowadays,,with more real time communications.

A negative trend with a product,,word traves fast!!

Better to be established communications wise ahead of time,,,in case some thing goes WRONG and folks are looking for help.

Good subject here Steve.

 

 

[Nokta Detectors]

1 hour ago, jasong said:

I seem to have the opposite experience - Minelab customer service has always been top notch to me and I wish more companies would do what they do. They literally overnighted me parts when I called since I was leaving town in 2 days and had no address in the field (and sent me an extra just to be safe), and always resolved my other issues right away. They called me back once just to check on me too. Apologized instantly the one time they made an error.

Nokta on the other hand - well, I still don't have a working detector after 2 years.   All that happened is I was referred back to Kellyco when I contacted them directly, the same Kellyco that had already botched up, and kept passing blame (and charged me for their errors in shipping) twice already.  Who then proceeded to keep sending me broken detectors with the exact same problems (I suspect they sent me the same detector back on at least one occasion). Now, 4 detectors later, still don't have a working one. Gave up. Posted about it twice, after trying all other avenues since Nokta seemed to respond to public posts - nada for me. Just a total and complete waste of $700 and being entirely ignored. A frustrating and baffling experience all around for me and I will go out of my way to recommend avoiding them, especially since even now no one has tried to make it good, just...nothing. Did people actually get customer service from Nokta or just shovelled off to Kellyco?

I'll take the engineers any day...

Hello there... I am quite surprised with this post. It is true that we refer customers to Kellyco because  they are the authorized repair center. It is just more convenient for people in the USA. However, once we refer them to Kellyco, we assume that the problem is being handled and the customer is taken care of. Can you please do me a favor and email me with details of your issue and I will personally make it right for you.  dilek@noktadetectors.com 

 

[Norvic]

[GB_Amateur]

10 hours ago, jasong said:

Nokta on the other hand - well, I still don't have a working detector after 2 years.   All that happened is I was referred back to Kellyco when I contacted them directly, the same Kellyco that had already botched up....

That has been my concern about Nok/Mak from early on -- if you have a problem (in the US) with your detector you have to deal with a whale of a company (Kellyco) that, among other things, sells Long Range Locators (LRL's).  The latter points to 3 things:

1) LRL's work as advertised.

2) The company selling them is dishonest.

3) The company selling them is incompetent.

Carl has $25,000 saying it isn't #1.  Who's putting up the $ for #2 and #3?

 

[Steve Herschbach]

Kellyco is currently the service center for both Minelab and Nokta/Makro, among others. Singling out Nokta/Makro for using Kellyco as a service center would be unfair unless your concerns extend to other companies employing their services. Every major manufacturer has a relationship with Kellyco, including the one Carl works for.

That said, I understand your issues with LRLs and the companies that sell them. 

[GB_Amateur]

2 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Singling out Nokta/Makro for using Kellyco as a service center would be unfair unless your concerns extend to other companies employing their services.

Of course you are right.  The reality is some companies can't afford to set up their own service centers around the globe, and asking customers to send products overseas for repair would likely be a nightmare.  If I were in Nokta/Makro's shoes (or Minelab's for that matter), what would I do?  They apparently don't have a lot of options in the US, maybe only one....

I'm with a lot of you -- wanting Nok/Mak to succeed, not only because they are a company that makes products I use, but particularly because they have been so enthusiastic in a) listening to customers, and b) cranking out products (quickly!) that fit the customers' needs.  Oh, and there's that 'communication' issue discussed in this thread that they appear to be pretty darn good at.  So if my comments can be interpreted to be a diss of them, I made a mistake and apologize.

Reality is that in some ways the US companies (e.g. Whites, First Texas, Garrett) have an advantage when it comes to servicing detectors owned by US customers.  That makes it more likely their products will be bought here than from non-US competition, if all other things (especially performance of the actual devices) were equal.  I suppose they have similar problems/challenges when it comes to servicing their products sold in other countries, too.

 

[jasong]

When I dealt with Minelab, I spoke with them directly and they sent me parts directly. Also, with Fisher I sent my GB2 directly to them and they did the repairs. I've never dealt with Kellyco for any repairs except with these CoRes. Just my experience, I have no idea which companies have deals with what service centers.

I wonder if Kellyco "repairs" LRL's too? I find that concerning. Kinda like going to a doctor who prescribes pixie dust, doesn't inspire confidence. 

That said, I'll be patient once again and see how this gets dealt with - I responded to Dilek last night and forwarded our old email chains where I had already explained this as it was happening in 2015, with no resolution. 

I'd love to finally get a working detector, but the reality is it's been so long that I've already planned to buy a Deus. It's a bit like finally receiving an outdated computer you bought but never got to use 2 years ago, all the reasons I bought it for are gone now and if it had been functional I would have sold it already to fund the next purchase.