waassaabee
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/26/07
Posts: 2692
Loc: Central California Coast
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I emailed Celestron a couple of days ago regarding a 'No Response 17' error. Keep in mind I bought my CGEM in May and due to weather, probably don't have 50 hours on it. Now that the weather is clearing and nights are longer, it wants to act up a bit. I asked about a H/C swapout, but they want the mount as well. I asked if they could put my Trouble Ticket in the queue, and I'd drive it down when my time came up. They tell me that wouldn't help as it would still be 30 days even if I drove it down to them (maybe I'm not getting through...). It's a warranty repair I explained... And when they had my non warranty CG5 it was there close to three months, but the work was done in two days (I call frequently). So I'm just curious if anyone has any insight to Celestrons operations. By profession I am a logistics engineer for a large aerospace contractor and have never encountered a reputable organization with policies such as this. Is there a magic word or secret handshake I'm supposed use?
And my previous telephone communications with them were not what I'd call satisfying.
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Gary
34N 120W
-My kingdom for blue squares!-
WO Megrez 90FD/TV 0.8x FR/FF
AT8RC
mini Borg 50/Q-Guide/PHD
CGEM
Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader mod - o.o
My Friend Flickr
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George Methvin
sage
Reged: 01/30/06
Posts: 459
Loc: Central Texas
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Its call the golden rule...the man with the gold makes the rules. Sounds like you do it there way are no way at all, not much you can do I guess. I work for the Goverment and it sounds like they are taking a lesson for them. If it makes sence it will never be used but if its a idea that will never work it get used....LOL Good luck.
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waassaabee
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/26/07
Posts: 2692
Loc: Central California Coast
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Just like the addage:'If it works, fix it till it's broke...'
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Gary
34N 120W
-My kingdom for blue squares!-
WO Megrez 90FD/TV 0.8x FR/FF
AT8RC
mini Borg 50/Q-Guide/PHD
CGEM
Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader mod - o.o
My Friend Flickr
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Lane
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 11/19/07
Posts: 1494
Loc: Frisco, Texas
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I sent a Sigma camera lens in for the free firmware upgrade so it would work properly with my D300. I did not get that lens back for 8 months. In fact I bought a Nikon lens to replace it after the first 2 months went by. When it finally came back I had no real need for it anymore. I figure the actual upgrade probably took them 2 hours.
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CGEM, ORION SIRIUS, AT Voyager
OTAs: C6, C8, C9.25, C11, Pronto, ED80
Orion 9x63, Fujinon 10x50 & 16x70
Ethos 13, 17 Nagler 9t1,12t4,16t2,22t4 Panoptic 27,35
Antares 1.6x, TV Powermates 2x & 4x, TV Barlow 3x, TV Plossl 8,11,13
Baader Hyperion 21, 8-24 Zoom, UO HD Ortho 6,7,9,12,18
TMB Planetaries 3.2,4,5,6,7,8, Pentax XW 10,14,40
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waassaabee
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/26/07
Posts: 2692
Loc: Central California Coast
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Another example of poor customer relations!
I'm waiting to hear what C has to say today! Seeing as how I've only gotten the error twice, I'm planning on running it till it breaks.
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Gary
34N 120W
-My kingdom for blue squares!-
WO Megrez 90FD/TV 0.8x FR/FF
AT8RC
mini Borg 50/Q-Guide/PHD
CGEM
Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader mod - o.o
My Friend Flickr
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Chris Rowland
sage
Reged: 02/28/05
Posts: 267
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What about the people who's repairs would have been delayed because you wanted yours done NOW?
Chris
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payner
sage
Reged: 03/22/07
Posts: 431
Loc: Bluegrass Region, Kentucky
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I have only once had to use Celestron's repair shop for warranty service. It was for my CGE tripod leg. They were timely in response to getting a RMA so I could ship it to them. They told me it would be about 30-days for the tripod to return; all things considered I didn't think that was unreasonable. I received it back in like-new condition in three weeks. A pleased customer. I think they will work your repair in as quickly as they can, but given how the unforeseen often arises they give themselves some wriggle room.
Randy
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Santel MK91 Deluxe Rumak
Takahashi FS-128
Takahashi FS-152
Takahashi TSC-225
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waassaabee
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/26/07
Posts: 2692
Loc: Central California Coast
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Quote:
What about the people who's repairs would have been delayed because you wanted yours done NOW?
Chris
I'll have to read my post again... I don't believe I said anywhere I wanted it done now. What I DID say to C was put my trouble ticket in the queue and send me an email a few days prior to it coming up and I'll drive it down. (I still wait 30 days, but I can use the mount till then...)
Do you work for Celestron?
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Gary
34N 120W
-My kingdom for blue squares!-
WO Megrez 90FD/TV 0.8x FR/FF
AT8RC
mini Borg 50/Q-Guide/PHD
CGEM
Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader mod - o.o
My Friend Flickr
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waassaabee
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/26/07
Posts: 2692
Loc: Central California Coast
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Randy, My previous experience with Celestron was by no means a nightmare, and the CG5 came back as good as new. I'm just curious why they continue to be 30 days behind the curve for as long as they've been in business. If a repair takes two days, then receiving, checkout, packing and shipping shouldn't take 28. Maybe it's the corporate thing (the Golden Rule). I know small business can't survive like that.
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Gary
34N 120W
-My kingdom for blue squares!-
WO Megrez 90FD/TV 0.8x FR/FF
AT8RC
mini Borg 50/Q-Guide/PHD
CGEM
Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader mod - o.o
My Friend Flickr
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Adrian Lopez
sage
Reged: 10/22/08
Posts: 267
Loc: Puerto Rico
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Quote:
I don't believe I said anywhere I wanted it done now. What I DID say to C was put my trouble ticket in the queue and send me an email a few days prior to it coming up and I'll drive it down. (I still wait 30 days, but I can use the mount till then...)
That's an interesting idea, but ultimately you're making a request that falls outside Celestron's established procedure. It seems they have adopted a "first come first served" procedure that's ordered according to the time they actually receive your equipment rather than the time the repair ticket was issued. They'd have to alter their procedures in order to assign your mount a different spot on the queue than all the other equipment they get that particular day.
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Celestron Omni XLT 120 (f/8.3) Refractor
William Optics 1.25" Dielectric Diagonal
Celestron 4, 6, 9, 15, 25, and 32mm EPs
Nikon Action Extreme 8x40 Binoculars
Canon Digital Rebel XT
RA Sweep Calculator (find objects without GoTo)
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waassaabee
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/26/07
Posts: 2692
Loc: Central California Coast
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Quote:
Quote:
I don't believe I said anywhere I wanted it done now. What I DID say to C was put my trouble ticket in the queue and send me an email a few days prior to it coming up and I'll drive it down. (I still wait 30 days, but I can use the mount till then...)
That's an interesting idea, but ultimately you're making a request that falls outside Celestron's established procedure. It seems they have adopted a "first come first served" procedure that's ordered according to the time they actually receive your equipment rather than the time the repair ticket was issued. They'd have to alter their procedures in order to assign your mount a different spot on the queue than all the other equipment they get that particular day.
I guess it's some of that Hopey, Changey stuff....
I wonder... if I sent them an empty box to put on the shelf, and a note with my phone number inside... 
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Gary
34N 120W
-My kingdom for blue squares!-
WO Megrez 90FD/TV 0.8x FR/FF
AT8RC
mini Borg 50/Q-Guide/PHD
CGEM
Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader mod - o.o
My Friend Flickr
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Stew57
member
Reged: 05/03/09
Posts: 82
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If they have a 30 day backlog of repairs they need better QC or they sell an awful lot and could put some more techs on. NO excuse for such poor service. Makes me regret my celestron purchases.
I wouldn't last long if I conducted my business like that.
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7331Peg
professor emeritus
Reged: 09/01/08
Posts: 718
Loc: North coast of Oregon
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I'll stay with the smaller companies (such as Astronomics/Astro Tech, Televue, Stellarvue, Feathertouch, Losmandy, Kendall, Agena) just because of this kind of thing. I read a previous thread about a person driving over to JMI, which was nearby, walking in, and getting a repair taken care of on the spot. That kind of service is what makes dealing with the smaller companies a real pleasure. Unfortunately, it seems the larger the size, the less flexibility they show in dealing with repairs.
John
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Dennis Sakva
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 10/19/04
Posts: 1306
Loc: Kiev, Ukraine
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FYI No response 17 error is 99% due to bad cables. They are too rigid and often loose contacts. Replace them with softer cables and you problems will go away.
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skybsd
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/01/08
Posts: 596
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Hi,
I think you're being a tiny bit unrealistic about what you're expecting here.
If Celestron's turnaround time (which, by the way isn't a big secret) for resolving RMA'd equipment is 30-days, then its 30-days - why is that so hard to accept?
As suggested by previous responders, in all fairness, it should not matter one bit if you drive it down to Celestron (or any manufacturer for that matter), once it arrives, your item goes into the queue - simple.
Is it possible that you actually believe that there'd be a tech sitting there with nothing else to do when your mount comes in?
To add more perspective, Celestron mounts (and telescopes) in Europe that need repair also get sent back to Torrance, and into that same queue.
I'll tell you what.., 30 days sounds loads better than the 6 to 8 mounts we get told here in Europe.
Regards,
skybsd
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Luigi
Post Laureate
Reged: 07/03/07
Posts: 4933
Loc: MA
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>>>If Celestron's turnaround time (which, by the way isn't a big secret) for resolving RMA'd equipment is 30-days, then its 30-days - why is that so hard to accept?<<<
If it's 30 days, but it takes only two days to resolve, then the item is spending 28 days on a shelf somewhere collecting dust. Who benefits from this, the customer, Celestron? At times (with other manufacturers, not Celestron), I suspected it was a policy adopted to dissuade customers from sending items in for service, encouraging them accept minor problems or issues they otherwise wouldn't, and thereby reducing the amount of warranty work performed. I certainly have nothing to suggest this is the case with Celestron.
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17.5" f/5 Dob. IM-715 MCT. 120ED. Lunt 60mm Ha.
Zeiss, Leica, Fujinon, Nikon, Pentax, Bushnell bins
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wsuriano
member
Reged: 11/13/07
Posts: 77
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I had a problem with the HC on my CGEM and they wanted the whole mount back. However, I tried the HC from my CG5 and told them that the mount worked fine with a different HC. With that, they accepted just the HC. Beg, borrow or steal (not really) another HC to make sure it can be isolated as an HC problem and then call them back.
Bill
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Meade 8" LX90 GPS w/wedge
Meade 5000 80mm APO
Vixen 5" Newtonian
Orion 120mm f/8.3
Orion ST 80mm
Meade ETX90 PE
CGEM
CG-5 ASGT
iOptron MT
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GShaffer
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/28/09
Posts: 642
Loc: Augusta GA
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Where did he say he wanted it done NOW?.....He asked if he could be put in the repair que and drive it down when they were ready for it.
Quote:
What about the people who's repairs would have been delayed because you wanted yours done NOW?
Chris
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APM 8" f/9.0 Achro
Meade 6" AR6 f/8.0 Achro
Celestron C11, Intes MK67
Vixen ED102SS, FL102S, ED102S, NA140SS, R200SS, WO Megarez 80 w/TMB Fluorite Optics
SV70ED, AT66ED
LXD75/LX200, Ioptron Mini-tower, SP, GP-DX, CG5 ASGT, LXD650, GM-8, GM-100, G11, Gemini 40
4" portable AP convertable 44" or 70" pier
APM 100mm Binos Millenium Mount, Dobstuff 10" DOB
Augusta GA
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waassaabee
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/26/07
Posts: 2692
Loc: Central California Coast
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7331Peg, I had seriously considered a G11 at the time, but with Gemini it was starting to add up $$... My CG5 had treated me well, and I was familiar with the controller so CGEM made sense.
Dennis, It seems to be related to the short cable on the hand controller. Some situations stretch it to a point I think it breaks contact at the mount connection. Maybe an extension is in order to reduce the strain.
skybsd, The 30 day is no secret, I knew that going in. And it's the one thing that makes a lot of people hesitate to deal with Celestron. All I'm suggesting is a flexible policy that might actually foster better customer relations. I'm big on process improvement and their process hasn't changed since it's inception, so we all just roll over and accept it.
Why don't they certify technicians worldwide at some of their Premier Select Dealerships? Let them bench stock some high failure rate parts. It's not rocket science.
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Gary
34N 120W
-My kingdom for blue squares!-
WO Megrez 90FD/TV 0.8x FR/FF
AT8RC
mini Borg 50/Q-Guide/PHD
CGEM
Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader mod - o.o
My Friend Flickr
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Phil Cowell
sage
Reged: 05/24/07
Posts: 376
Loc: Southern Tier NY
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Quote:
7331Peg, I had seriously considered a G11 at the time, but with Gemini it was starting to add up $$... My CG5 had treated me well, and I was familiar with the controller so CGEM made sense.
The Gemini is a German product. If it fries you'd be going through the same process with the electronics. I found the support for the Gemini upgrade I added to a CI-700 to be sadly lacking.
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If it'll fit on a sig you don't have enough
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skybsd
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/01/08
Posts: 596
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Hello Luigi,
Quote:
If it's 30 days, but it takes only two days to resolve, then the item is spending 28 days on a shelf somewhere collecting dust. Who benefits from this, the customer, Celestron? At times (with other manufacturers, not Celestron), I suspected it was a policy adopted to dissuade customers from sending items in for service, encouraging them accept minor problems or issues they otherwise wouldn't, and thereby reducing the amount of warranty work performed. I certainly have nothing to suggest this is the case with Celestron.
You and (others with this view) are failing to understand that it does not matter how long it actually takes a tech to fix a given problem. The fix itself may well take 2 days (or even half an hour), but there is a queue your product goes into on arrival - its that simple.
Its no different to the overwhelming majority of tech support delivery solutions, or in fact most restuarants even. It doesn't matter what you order, you could order an egg salad sandwich, it goes into the kitchen's queue, and gets prepared when its turn arrives off the carousel.
I'm not defending Celestron - in fact its Celestron's OTA and mount RMA policy that made the difference in my decision to go Losmandy - but fair is fair. What the original poster is complaining about is no more than a lot of folks who believe that their problems are more deserving of faster resolution that everyone else's.
Regards,
skybsd
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Billydee
super member
Reged: 01/23/08
Posts: 184
Loc: Winter Haven, FL
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G-11 & Gemini problems can be taken care of on Yahoo Groups. I bet there are 15 messages per day on the "Losmandy" or "Gemini" Groups that will assist you in any problem that you have. Those guys love helping you and it is all free and help comes in hours not days.
Luck, Bill
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skybsd
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/01/08
Posts: 596
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Hello,
Quote:
skybsd, The 30 day is no secret, I knew that going in. And it's the one thing that makes a lot of people hesitate to deal with Celestron.
Understood - just so we're on the same page - this policy was in fact for me, the deciding factor in my selecting a Losmandy G-11 over the CGE.
Quote:
All I'm suggesting is a flexible policy that might actually foster better customer relations. I'm big on process improvement and their process hasn't changed since it's inception, so we all just roll over and accept it.
Be that as it may - I'm sorry for dragging them into this, but do you also complain about release management to Roland at Astro Physics, Yuri at TEC, or Vic at Stellarvue? No one would doubt the dedication, effort and expertise at each of their enterprises, but they have their waiting lists and lead times that we all live with, and even when these are delayed, we are happy to suck it up, aren't we?
Quote:
Why don't they certify technicians worldwide at some of their Premier Select Dealerships? Let them bench stock some high failure rate parts. It's not rocket science.
Now THAT'S the $64,000 question - however, Celestron don't have "dealerships" as you may understand the concept - they have DISTRIBUTORS in each geography to supply sales to EMEA, Africa and Asia-PAC - who, in turn drive sales via their own respective (regional) networks of resellers and dealers. In this model, the associated overhead, liability and costs fall to the distributor - not Celestron.
Don't get me wrong - believe me, I would love for this to change, but Celestron's policy is really not unique, and is quite common practice across other market spaces.
As for rolling over and accepting it - I DID my bit the day I decided to go Losmandy - your move.
Best of luck with your support issue, by the way 
Regards,
skybsd
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waassaabee
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/26/07
Posts: 2692
Loc: Central California Coast
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Well I guess I been skooled...
skybsd, I play the lottery once a week in hopes that I can afford some of the gear you mention. Not everyone has the luxury of being able to own the best, so we have to settle for what we can afford. It's just a hobby after all.
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Gary
34N 120W
-My kingdom for blue squares!-
WO Megrez 90FD/TV 0.8x FR/FF
AT8RC
mini Borg 50/Q-Guide/PHD
CGEM
Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader mod - o.o
My Friend Flickr
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gnowellsct
professor emeritus
Reged: 06/24/09
Posts: 729
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Quote:
I'll stay with the smaller companies (such as Astronomics/Astro Tech, Televue, Stellarvue, Feathertouch, Losmandy, Kendall, Agena) just because of this kind of thing.
John
I had a mount go to Losmandy that was there six months (Titan). I think Losmandy works on a triage system where certain known issues get taken care of quickly and things that require thinking get taken care of...less quickly.
Anyhow, here's my 2c on this topic: You need a backup mount. I am blessed with several, but I wouldn't want less than two. It may be that the AP900QMD has to go back to AP (it went back twice) but I had the G11 and the Super Polaris and could keep myself happily occupied. Ditto with the Titan's voyage home.
Now we could say: things should not be this way. That's true. However, it's probably not wise to tamper with a company's procedures. It can lead to confusion on their part. It seems at one level reasonable to say well just start a ticket and when you're ready I'll bring it down. But they don't necessarily know how to make that arrangement in a way which keeps someone from spending half a day going through the repair queue trying to find the mount that isn't there. And it may even be that they use a physical queue, moving the repair items up.
It's also possible that some items get sent back to China for repair or replacement. Sending them *back* to China would be easy and cheap because freighters go back to China empty.
Anyhow I'm not surprised that they don't want to work out a special deal for someone who's close by. Put it this way. Los Angeles has about 1/20 U.S. citizens and within a few hours of Celestron you probably have 1/10 or 1/15 U.S. citizens. Think of the thousands of scopes they sell. Now think of 5 to 10% of those owners requesting special treatment....
Although Celestron is not General Motors, it is a large enough company that it doesn't fit the call-up-the-owner model which a lot of us have gotten to know.
A Super Polaris without drives often sells for less than $200 and is a wonderful little replacement mount for a sick ASGT. Some people might actually be converted to the Super Polaris in fact. In any case another strategy is to pick up a used ASGT for $500 and when the "real one" breaks cannabilize the other or use the other while the real one is out for repair.
regards
Greg N
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"Aperture will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no aperture."
featuring selected astrojunk:
bunch o' widefield eyepieces
bunch o' narrowfield eyepieces
couple o' Barlows
couple o' scopes
couple o' mounts
couple o' tripods
and a pier 'n' stuff
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skybsd
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/01/08
Posts: 596
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Hi Gary,
Its all good, man.
Your line-up isn't anything to sneeze at either 
For what its worth, I'd love to have your comparably easier access to darker sites over there - trade?
Best wishes!
Regards,
skybsd
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Kal
sage
Reged: 07/31/06
Posts: 201
Loc: Sydney, Australia
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Quote:
If it's 30 days, but it takes only two days to resolve, then the item is spending 28 days on a shelf somewhere collecting dust. Who benefits from this, the customer, Celestron? At times (with other manufacturers, not Celestron), I suspected it was a policy adopted to dissuade customers from sending items in for service, encouraging them accept minor problems or issues they otherwise wouldn't, and thereby reducing the amount of warranty work performed. I certainly have nothing to suggest this is the case with Celestron.
Not mentioning names, but this was certainly the policy of a large (US) computer company with their phone support (at least in the past, and BEFORE it was outsourced to India). Keep the customer in the phone based support system as long as possible trying trivial things, sending out a technician as a last possible resort. I'm sure many people simply gave up before getting their entitled warranty repair work done.
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CG-11 • 130mm f6.3 StarFire EDF Gran Turismo • SV90TBV • ETX90EC • 25x100 BINOCULARS • Toucam 840K hacked to a 900NC • DSI Pro
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waassaabee
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/26/07
Posts: 2692
Loc: Central California Coast
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Greg, I am still kicking myself for getting rid of my CG5 after I had it refurbed (3 months @ C), but the CFO kicks back my requests/justifications for redundant equipment. She still doesn't understand how I can enjoy a hobby that frustrates me the majority of the time..
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Gary
34N 120W
-My kingdom for blue squares!-
WO Megrez 90FD/TV 0.8x FR/FF
AT8RC
mini Borg 50/Q-Guide/PHD
CGEM
Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader mod - o.o
My Friend Flickr
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7331Peg
professor emeritus
Reged: 09/01/08
Posts: 718
Loc: North coast of Oregon
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Quote:
Quote:
7331Peg, I had seriously considered a G11 at the time, but with Gemini it was starting to add up $$... My CG5 had treated me well, and I was familiar with the controller so CGEM made sense.
The Gemini is a German product. If it fries you'd be going through the same process with the electronics. I found the support for the Gemini upgrade I added to a CI-700 to be sadly lacking.
For what it's worth, my G11 is the basic model without the Gemini Goto sytem. The idea was to keep it simple and affordable.
Aber, ich spreche Deutsch! Alles ist gut!
Aufwiedersehen.
Johann
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Stew57
member
Reged: 05/03/09
Posts: 82
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I can not agree. If there is a que at all it should be because there are defective units already inline awaiting repair/replacement. A mandatory 30 day wait is incredulous. I see no mention of this at any Celestron website.
If there is no one in line he would have to wait 30 days for his equipment to be looked at? A 30 day que because of defects is too much. If it had been common knowledge. of this 30 days+ no matter the defect, I would never have purchased my Celestron. If the wait is some policy of Celestron's it is a bad one that willturn off customers. If it is due to a backlog of defects they need more service techs. Unless of course the defect rate is excessive and the QC needs improvement.
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waassaabee
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/26/07
Posts: 2692
Loc: Central California Coast
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Quote:
For what it's worth, my G11 is the basic model without the Gemini Goto sytem. The idea was to keep it simple and affordable.
Aber, ich spreche Deutsch! Alles ist gut!
Aufwiedersehen.
Johann
I suppose you can still hook that up to a laptop, or at least I'd have to... I'm not as much an astronomer as I am a wannabe photographer that happens to take pictures of things very far away at night. 
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Gary
34N 120W
-My kingdom for blue squares!-
WO Megrez 90FD/TV 0.8x FR/FF
AT8RC
mini Borg 50/Q-Guide/PHD
CGEM
Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader mod - o.o
My Friend Flickr
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Luigi
Post Laureate
Reged: 07/03/07
Posts: 4933
Loc: MA
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>>> but there is a queue your product goes into on arrival - its that simple.<<<
If the queue length doesn't change (say 30 days) that means the rate of arrival of items and rate of fixing them is equal and they're behind by 4 weeks. If they made a one-time effort to clear up that 4 weeks delay, the queue length could be close to zero. Naturally, some small queue is desirable to absorb random variations in the arrival of units for repair so as to even out workload.
IMO, given the variabilities in return rates and productivity of the repair department, the only way the queue could remain fixed at 30 days is if it's artificially enforced.
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17.5" f/5 Dob. IM-715 MCT. 120ED. Lunt 60mm Ha.
Zeiss, Leica, Fujinon, Nikon, Pentax, Bushnell bins
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ottovonrotton
member
Reged: 01/01/09
Posts: 65
Loc: Where is Port Perry?
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Don't forget warranty depts cost money and don't make any. so the less spent on techs and such the less cut into your profit... new products (with minor bugs)= 30 day delay... but not forever.
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Go Modern, Go Gas, Go Bang!
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sailor70623
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 01/12/08
Posts: 939
Loc: Ok.
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How long do they have to wait for the replacemnet parts to come from China? That maybe part of the problem too. A week to get it checked out and order needed parts, a week to get the parts, a week to put the parts on, a week to get it back to you, not bad. It takes FreightLiner 10 days to replace a windshield wiper motor.
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Corornado PST
LB 16" & 12"
Z 10"
LX50 8"
8" CPC
ETX127
102&90mm MAKs
80mm Richfield APO
70mm refractor
ETX60
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Stew57
member
Reged: 05/03/09
Posts: 82
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A warrant dept does cost money. It is the nature of manufacture. If it is excessive and you have to cut it it says volumes about your quality control. Poor service chases return customers away. If your service policy becomes common knowledge your initial customers will look somewhere else. So do you cut more service with a 60 day wait
If (big IF) this 30 day wait before celestron even looks at warranty work is true, I regret my recent purchase on principal. I certainly would have voted with my $$$ to support a more customer centered manufacturer.
I did have a problem with my purchase and they took care of it in a timely fashion (about a week to replace a dead hand controller).
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waassaabee
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/26/07
Posts: 2692
Loc: Central California Coast
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Regardless of it all I requested an RMA this morning as I got a 'No Response 16' yesterday morning whien finishing up some flat files. This is sounding very similar to the scenario my CG5 went through. That ended up being a Motor Controller board, but it came back like brand new...
--------------------
Gary
34N 120W
-My kingdom for blue squares!-
WO Megrez 90FD/TV 0.8x FR/FF
AT8RC
mini Borg 50/Q-Guide/PHD
CGEM
Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader mod - o.o
My Friend Flickr
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George N
professor emeritus
Reged: 05/19/06
Posts: 672
Loc: Binghamton & Indian Lake NY
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Quote:
.....She still doesn't understand how I can enjoy a hobby that frustrates me the majority of the time..
You play golf too????
I would not be surprised to find out that Celestron repairs are not done in California and that the items are forwarded to a lower cost labor market for repair. The shipping would be more than off-set by the savings in labor cost and maintaining an inventory of spare parts. I know that that is certainly true for Meade because the Meade rep told me so over the phone (Meade repairs are done in Mexico). The repair sheet that came back with one item I had them repair had a bunch of hand-written notes in Spanish on it.
Losmandy G-11’s? I know of three non-GoTo G-11’s owned by friends that had their electronics fried (all via operator error) in the last 5 years and all three took about a month to get fixed. They all needed new circuit boards installed.
It’s all about money. If you want better service you need to be prepared to pay more for the product up front.
--------------------
George N
Obsession 20
Optical Guidance Systems 10" F/9 R-C Cass
6" F/5 & 8" F/8 home-made Newts
MI-250 mount
SBIG STL-1301E CCD
Member, International Dark-Sky Association
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gnowellsct
professor emeritus
Reged: 06/24/09
Posts: 729
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Quote:
Quote:
.....She still doesn't understand how I can enjoy a hobby that frustrates me the majority of the time..
You play golf too????
I would not be surprised to find out that Celestron repairs are not done in California and that the items are forwarded to a lower cost labor market for repair. The shipping would be more than off-set by the savings in labor cost and maintaining an inventory of spare parts. I know that that is certainly true for Meade because the Meade rep told me so over the phone (Meade repairs are done in Mexico). The repair sheet that came back with one item I had them repair had a bunch of hand-written notes in Spanish on it.
Losmandy G-11’s? I know of three non-GoTo G-11’s owned by friends that had their electronics fried (all via operator error) in the last 5 years and all three took about a month to get fixed. They all needed new circuit boards installed.
It’s all about money. If you want better service you need to be prepared to pay more for the product up front.
Well four weeks is a pretty typical turn around at Astro-Physics too. At least for my projects. I wasn't worried because I had a spare mount and EXPECT a new mount to have a break in time.
Whatever the causes may be, 30 days is what you get in the astronomy biz--and slower. My Acer screen got repaired and shipped back after three weeks and they're probably as big as all the astro companies combined, x 10.
Greg N
--------------------
"Aperture will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no aperture."
featuring selected astrojunk:
bunch o' widefield eyepieces
bunch o' narrowfield eyepieces
couple o' Barlows
couple o' scopes
couple o' mounts
couple o' tripods
and a pier 'n' stuff
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waassaabee
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/26/07
Posts: 2692
Loc: Central California Coast
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Quote:
Quote:
.....She still doesn't understand how I can enjoy a hobby that frustrates me the majority of the time..
You play golf too????
 
No golf for me, yet.
Hopefully I can get some imaging done this weekend, send it off Monday and have it back before the next New Moon.... 
But if not, so what... Having played guitar for 40+ years you'd think I'd know about niche market sales and repairs.
--------------------
Gary
34N 120W
-My kingdom for blue squares!-
WO Megrez 90FD/TV 0.8x FR/FF
AT8RC
mini Borg 50/Q-Guide/PHD
CGEM
Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader mod - o.o
My Friend Flickr
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Paul G
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/08/03
Posts: 2268
Loc: Freedonia
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Quote:
I would not be surprised to find out that Celestron repairs are not done in California and that the items are forwarded to a lower cost labor market for repair. The shipping would be more than off-set by the savings in labor cost and maintaining an inventory of spare parts. I know that that is certainly true for Meade because the Meade rep told me so over the phone (Meade repairs are done in Mexico). The repair sheet that came back with one item I had them repair had a bunch of hand-written notes in Spanish on it.
Losmandy G-11’s? I know of three non-GoTo G-11’s owned by friends that had their electronics fried (all via operator error) in the last 5 years and all three took about a month to get fixed. They all needed new circuit boards installed.
It’s all about money. If you want better service you need to be prepared to pay more for the product up front.
Exactly. You don't get what you don't pay for. Meade, Celestron, and other astro companies are squeaking by in a horrible economy, they're not going to fund a very robust repair process.
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Gus
Tasco 4.5 Reflector EQ Telescope
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groz
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 03/14/07
Posts: 1071
Loc: Duncan, BC
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Quote:
Greg, I am still kicking myself for getting rid of my CG5 after I had it refurbed (3 months @ C), but the CFO kicks back my requests/justifications for redundant equipment. She still doesn't understand how I can enjoy a hobby that frustrates me the majority of the time..
Well, see, there's your problem. You need to get her somewhat interested in the hobby too, then the problem of 'spares' solves itself. If you look carefully at the photo, the one on the left is 'mine', and the one on the right is 'hers'.
Whenever I suggest we may need spares of something, the answer is invariably 'thats not a bad idea'. Mounts, telescopes, cameras, got spares of pretty much everything here...
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waassaabee
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/26/07
Posts: 2692
Loc: Central California Coast
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Groz, the wise one! 
Oh how I've tried... 
But she's already pretty busy with work, and she is very involved in the local wine industry. So when she comes rolling in at all hours, the last thing she wants to do is hang around outside in the 'cold' (SoCal?). Bless her heart, but she's not real technical either so the mechanics and such is something she has no desire to get involved with. She will stop by when she comes home, ask how's it going, show me the picture tomorrow, good night sort of a thing. It's all good... Me and the dog like the quiet anyway... 
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Gary
34N 120W
-My kingdom for blue squares!-
WO Megrez 90FD/TV 0.8x FR/FF
AT8RC
mini Borg 50/Q-Guide/PHD
CGEM
Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader mod - o.o
My Friend Flickr
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mich_al
super member
Reged: 05/10/09
Posts: 122
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30 days ? Bought my CGEM in June. My July Celestron repair estimate was 3-4 weeks. 7 weeks till I got my mount back. The September repair got priority because of the first fix, 4 weeks till I saw it again. When it came back they had 'buried' the HC inside a glob of packing material. When I called and asked about it the kinda blew me off and said wait a few days & see if it arrives. Not being a happy camper I persistantly insisted, over the next half hour, they get one on the mail ASAP. Finally, they must have looked up some shipping photos, they led me to it exactly. I could EASILY have thrown the HC out with the packing. BTW the auxillary packing vs original shipping box was their idea. All in all I like my mount but if it fails again anytime soon I'm dumping it right after I make them repair it again. In the end, mostly because of the repair situation and the frequent need for it, I VERY LIKELY won't buy Celestron again.
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skybsd
professor emeritus
Reged: 02/01/08
Posts: 596
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Hello,
Man.., that's lame support service..,
I remember clearly the pre-release chatter surrounding this mount, I'm sorry to hear that you are one of those that got burnt on that mount.
From some reports, it does look like some of them got rushed (dumped?) out the door.
Best wishes.,
Regards,
skybds
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mich_al
super member
Reged: 05/10/09
Posts: 122
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Quote:
Hello,
Man.., that's lame support service..,
That would be the polite version of what I thought.
Quote:
I remember clearly the pre-release chatter surrounding this mount, I'm sorry to hear that you are one of those that got burnt on that mount.
From some reports, it does look like some of them got rushed (dumped?) out the door.
When they get slapped together and shipped without enough testing there will be some lemons and I got one. Sadly it came back from Celestron, California not any better, and tech support guys that blow ya off are not to be tolerated. Hey companies. Its rapidly slipping away and it will NEVER return. Go ahead and burn me a couple of times. How many people do you think will read post like this and remember for a long time ?
Edited by Charlie Hein (11/16/09 08:02 AM)
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waassaabee
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/26/07
Posts: 2692
Loc: Central California Coast
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I got my RMA# today, and possible showers for a couple of days predicted. Hmmm. Saturday night is predicted clear... Maybe I'll wait to ship, after all I will need some fresh data to keep me busy while it's gone.
--------------------
Gary
34N 120W
-My kingdom for blue squares!-
WO Megrez 90FD/TV 0.8x FR/FF
AT8RC
mini Borg 50/Q-Guide/PHD
CGEM
Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader mod - o.o
My Friend Flickr
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DaemonGPF
Post Laureate
Reged: 03/22/08
Posts: 3559
Loc: New Mexico
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Well, for what it's worth at least they are responding to you.. Have you tried Meade? They just flat out quit responding to me all together when I had a faulty DSI.
--------------------
-Josh
http://cleardarksky.com/c/AlbuqNMkey.html
My AP Gallery
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waassaabee
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/26/07
Posts: 2692
Loc: Central California Coast
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Never dealt with Meade, I'm still a relative n000b and only owned Celestron mounts. I will definitely be turning up the gain on my next mount though!!
--------------------
Gary
34N 120W
-My kingdom for blue squares!-
WO Megrez 90FD/TV 0.8x FR/FF
AT8RC
mini Borg 50/Q-Guide/PHD
CGEM
Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader mod - o.o
My Friend Flickr
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DaemonGPF
Post Laureate
Reged: 03/22/08
Posts: 3559
Loc: New Mexico
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Hopefully it all works out. I'm going to be likely returning to Celestron for my next mount purchase shortly, I have to say I haven't had any issues working with them, and I've been mostly happy with all of my Celestron related gear over the years.
--------------------
-Josh
http://cleardarksky.com/c/AlbuqNMkey.html
My AP Gallery
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waassaabee
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/26/07
Posts: 2692
Loc: Central California Coast
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I'm sure it will all work out. When I sent my CG5 in due to similar symptoms, I expected a huge bill and a long wait. It being a few years out of warranty guaranteed a long wait, but my bill was well under $100, and they did a service at no charge. It was however gone so long I bought the CGEM...
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Gary
34N 120W
-My kingdom for blue squares!-
WO Megrez 90FD/TV 0.8x FR/FF
AT8RC
mini Borg 50/Q-Guide/PHD
CGEM
Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader mod - o.o
My Friend Flickr
|
George N
professor emeritus
Reged: 05/19/06
Posts: 672
Loc: Binghamton & Indian Lake NY
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Quote:
Never dealt with Meade, I'm still a relative n000b and only owned Celestron mounts. I will definitely be turning up the gain on my next mount though!!
If it makes you feel any better, I saw a friend’s new AP 1200 fail on the first attempted slew and it took a month to get it repaired.
--------------------
George N
Obsession 20
Optical Guidance Systems 10" F/9 R-C Cass
6" F/5 & 8" F/8 home-made Newts
MI-250 mount
SBIG STL-1301E CCD
Member, International Dark-Sky Association
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waassaabee
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/26/07
Posts: 2692
Loc: Central California Coast
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Quote:
Quote:
Never dealt with Meade, I'm still a relative n000b and only owned Celestron mounts. I will definitely be turning up the gain on my next mount though!!
If it makes you feel any better, I saw a friend’s new AP 1200 fail on the first attempted slew and it took a month to get it repaired.
I've resigned myself to the fact that, 'schtuff happens'. Kinda sad to hear that about an AP1200 though, but I'm sure there are stories such as this with most, if not all mounts.
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Gary
34N 120W
-My kingdom for blue squares!-
WO Megrez 90FD/TV 0.8x FR/FF
AT8RC
mini Borg 50/Q-Guide/PHD
CGEM
Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader mod - o.o
My Friend Flickr
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Steve C.
super member
Reged: 01/24/08
Posts: 103
Loc: Sugar Land, TX
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I'm not privy to Celestron's staffing, but I imagine that at most they have only a couple of technicians around who do the actual work of diagnosis and repair. When you consider that at minimum, each technician probably costs at least $50,000/year in salary and benefits (you don't fix telescopes with minimum wage people), and that they are a cost instead of a revenue center, the thirty day policy makes a little more sense.
Each technician can probably handle at most a few issues a day.
--------------------
Steve Clayworth
Astro-Physics 130 EDT F/8
Celestron 9.25 NexStar GPS
Celestron C-11
Celestron C-8 Classic
Meader ETX 125AT
Tele Vue Pronto
G-11 Gemini
5mm Radian, 8mm Ethos, 9mm Nagler Type 1, 17mm and 24mm Baader Hyperion, 40mm Meade Plossl, 20mm TV Plossl, 1.8x TV Barlow
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gnowellsct
professor emeritus
Reged: 06/24/09
Posts: 729
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Quote:
If it makes you feel any better, I saw a friend’s new AP 1200 fail on the first attempted slew and it took a month to get it repaired.
Yup. Even the best falter. They just do so, on average, less than others. What was the failure? Controller or servo?
GN
--------------------
"Aperture will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no aperture."
featuring selected astrojunk:
bunch o' widefield eyepieces
bunch o' narrowfield eyepieces
couple o' Barlows
couple o' scopes
couple o' mounts
couple o' tripods
and a pier 'n' stuff
|
mich_al
super member
Reged: 05/10/09
Posts: 122
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Quote:
If it makes you feel any better, I saw a friend’s new AP 1200 fail on the first attempted slew and it took a month to get it repaired.
The difference is, I've seen 1 AP story and dozens of Celstron stories.
Edited by Charlie Hein (11/16/09 07:58 AM)
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waassaabee
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/26/07
Posts: 2692
Loc: Central California Coast
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Quote:
I'm not privy to Celestron's staffing, but I imagine that at most they have only a couple of technicians around who do the actual work of diagnosis and repair. When you consider that at minimum, each technician probably costs at least $50,000/year in salary and benefits (you don't fix telescopes with minimum wage people), and that they are a cost instead of a revenue center, the thirty day policy makes a little more sense.
Each technician can probably handle at most a few issues a day.
Excellent point and well taken.
So let the clock start ticking... I shipped on Friday, with delivery to Celestron today (Monday). And wouldn't you know it, the cloudy weather predicted blew out to pristine skies all weekend. I suppose I can shoot the Leonids tonight off a tripod...
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Gary
34N 120W
-My kingdom for blue squares!-
WO Megrez 90FD/TV 0.8x FR/FF
AT8RC
mini Borg 50/Q-Guide/PHD
CGEM
Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader mod - o.o
My Friend Flickr
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Bob Rumfield
member
Reged: 08/29/09
Posts: 20
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Well the delay of 30 days seems to me to be contributed to the mount being sent back to the real repair center Asia, where the mount was made.
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waassaabee
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/26/07
Posts: 2692
Loc: Central California Coast
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Quote:
Well the delay of 30 days seems to me to be contributed to the mount being sent back to the real repair center Asia, where the mount was made.
That has been suggested, but personally I find it hard to believe you could economically get anything through customs across the ocean (slow boat), checked out and serviced, back on a boat, and back through customs, then to Celestron, Torrance so they could ship it UPS back to me 2 hours north.
What does make sense to me is that they don't have much help, and no one is in a hurry to rush through the diagnostics or repair prcedures. When I sent my CG5 in some time ago, it came back better than when I first bought it. I still would consider buying a new CGE, but may just send it to Celestron for a checkout up front.
--------------------
Gary
34N 120W
-My kingdom for blue squares!-
WO Megrez 90FD/TV 0.8x FR/FF
AT8RC
mini Borg 50/Q-Guide/PHD
CGEM
Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader mod - o.o
My Friend Flickr
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AlexDJ30
sage
Reged: 09/02/08
Posts: 275
Loc: Monterrey, Mexico
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You have to pay a tribute to the weathers Gods waasaabee. Thats why the 30 days policy.
LOL hahahaa.
--------------------
Equipment:
- ETX 125 AT
- C6 ASGT
- WO 66mm SD
- 2.5X ED Barlow, 8-24mm Zoom Eyepice
- Canon EOS Rebel XSi
- Celestron Nextimagen
- Orion Starshoot CCD cam
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Moezilla
member
Reged: 07/16/09
Posts: 52
Loc: TX
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I'm currently awaiting my return as well, for my CPC1100. It was received Oct 23 physically but they didn't officially receive it in until the 28th. I was originally told it was 30 days when I sent it in and then when I posted a question to the online ticket, was told it was 30 working days from when they consider it received in house. At this rate, if they do it in the 30 day window, I'll see it in about 2 months. For high dollar items, they could use some work in their customer service arena. Didn't have the scope 90 days and it was in for warranty repair, not impressed with my first experience with them.
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waassaabee
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/26/07
Posts: 2692
Loc: Central California Coast
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Quote:
You have to pay a tribute to the weathers Gods waasaabee. Thats why the 30 days policy.
Hey I've got white squares on my CSC, isn't that enough? Besides, it's was cloudy for 3 months after I got the mount...
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Gary
34N 120W
-My kingdom for blue squares!-
WO Megrez 90FD/TV 0.8x FR/FF
AT8RC
mini Borg 50/Q-Guide/PHD
CGEM
Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader mod - o.o
My Friend Flickr
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GaryML
sage
Reged: 02/16/09
Posts: 322
Loc: San Diego, California
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Quote:
Quote:
Well the delay of 30 days seems to me to be contributed to the mount being sent back to the real repair center Asia, where the mount was made.
That has been suggested, but personally I find it hard to believe you could economically get anything through customs across the ocean (slow boat), checked out and serviced, back on a boat, and back through customs, then to Celestron, Torrance so they could ship it UPS back to me 2 hours north.
What does make sense to me is that they don't have much help, and no one is in a hurry to rush through the diagnostics or repair prcedures. When I sent my CG5 in some time ago, it came back better than when I first bought it. I still would consider buying a new CGE, but may just send it to Celestron for a checkout up front.
I dealt with the Celestron repair facility recently with the warranty repair of my CG-5 ASGT. The repairs are definitely done on-site in Torrance.
I had to call them several times AFTER the 30 day period had expired. I did not get a firm response as to when my mount would be fixed until I mentioned the magic words: "Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act" (California Civil Code, sections 1790 et seq.). I mentioned that they might find section 1793.2, subsections (b),(c), and (d) (requiring repair, replacement or a refund within 30 days) particularly interesting. Once I mentioned the magic words, the mount was fixed the next day. Since you are also in California, the magic words will work for you as well, should the need arise.
Bottom line: warranty repairs are not a source of profit for Celestron, but an expense to be minimized. Hence, they keep costs down with the minimal staff. When it is pointed out that there can be penalties for failing to provide warranty service within the time period required by law, then they will fix the thing to avoid the penalty. In my opinion, that is poor customer service. 
--------------------
Sky conditions in San Diego, California:
Vixen VMC200L 8" corrected Cassegrain telescope on a Celestron CG-5 Advanced Series GT mount
Pentax eyepieces and Televue eyepieces & diagonal
Fujinon 16x70 Binoculars on a Manfrotto 028B/501HDV tripod
Celestron SkyScout
______________________________________________________
Avatar: Gemini North on Mauna Kea, November, 2008.
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Moezilla
member
Reged: 07/16/09
Posts: 52
Loc: TX
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Question on that, does that cover only people living in CA and is it 30 calendar days or work days?
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waassaabee
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/26/07
Posts: 2692
Loc: Central California Coast
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Thanks for the 'Magic Words"!! Hope I don't have to use them... My issues were nagging, but not a showstopper yet, but I decided to send it now to avoid the Christmas Crunch!! I'm sure they must get a huge backlog after all the presents are opened...
--------------------
Gary
34N 120W
-My kingdom for blue squares!-
WO Megrez 90FD/TV 0.8x FR/FF
AT8RC
mini Borg 50/Q-Guide/PHD
CGEM
Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader mod - o.o
My Friend Flickr
Edited by waassaabee (11/19/09 12:17 PM)
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AlexDJ30
sage
Reged: 09/02/08
Posts: 275
Loc: Monterrey, Mexico
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waassaabee celestron has far i know its a good company, i am not bashing but meade on the other hand on custom service...well if you think celestron is bad meade is....... you read my mind.
I think you should be prudent to wait at least the 30 days if nothing happens after that then yes use the magic words.
--------------------
Equipment:
- ETX 125 AT
- C6 ASGT
- WO 66mm SD
- 2.5X ED Barlow, 8-24mm Zoom Eyepice
- Canon EOS Rebel XSi
- Celestron Nextimagen
- Orion Starshoot CCD cam
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waassaabee
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/26/07
Posts: 2692
Loc: Central California Coast
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Alex, I'll definitely give them the opportunity to shine. But after 30 days, it's a new set of rules...
--------------------
Gary
34N 120W
-My kingdom for blue squares!-
WO Megrez 90FD/TV 0.8x FR/FF
AT8RC
mini Borg 50/Q-Guide/PHD
CGEM
Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader mod - o.o
My Friend Flickr
|
Wes James
Post Laureate
Reged: 04/12/06
Posts: 3450
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Quote:
Question on that, does that cover only people living in CA
They're in California, they have to conform to California law. And unless a statement specifically says "business" days- calendar days are assumed.
--------------------
Wes
Atlantic Beach, FL
Some bino’s from Miyauchi 5x32 Binon's up through Garrett 20x110 Signature's,
Some telescopes from a Stellarvue 80mm NHNG up through a couple of 8” reflectors…
And a wonderful 4.25" Delmarva Shiefspiegler!
Some good friends, made here on C/N.
Oh- several cats and a wonderful wife!
Anyone want a cat???? :-O
"When your work speaks for itself- Don't Interrupt" -Gamble Rogers
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Moezilla
member
Reged: 07/16/09
Posts: 52
Loc: TX
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Hmm, interesting. I'll keep that in mind, pretty shady if they're not conforming to the law and are pushing the 30 business day agenda.
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George N
professor emeritus
Reged: 05/19/06
Posts: 672
Loc: Binghamton & Indian Lake NY
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Quote:
Quote:
If it makes you feel any better, I saw a friend’s new AP 1200 fail on the first attempted slew and it took a month to get it repaired.
Yup. Even the best falter. They just do so, on average, less than others. What was the failure? Controller or servo?
GN
A cable got caught on something and ripped out, damaging the internal connector. Now that might be ‘operator error’, but my point was it took something like 4 to 6 weeks to get the mount repaired.
--------------------
George N
Obsession 20
Optical Guidance Systems 10" F/9 R-C Cass
6" F/5 & 8" F/8 home-made Newts
MI-250 mount
SBIG STL-1301E CCD
Member, International Dark-Sky Association
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George N
professor emeritus
Reged: 05/19/06
Posts: 672
Loc: Binghamton & Indian Lake NY
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Quote:
Quote:
If it makes you feel any better, I saw a friend’s new AP 1200 fail on the first attempted slew and it took a month to get it repaired.
The difference is, I've seen 1 AP story and dozens of Celstron stories.
That’s because for every AP mount out there, there are 3 dozen Celestron mounts! 
About a year ago I saw a Losmandy G-11 non-GoTo that got its board fried because the owner reversed the polarity when fixing a broken wire on his power supply. It took 4 weeks to get that mount repaired.
At least so far my Celestron CG-5 and Mountain Instruments MI-250 have worked flawlessly. I hope my luck holds out.
--------------------
George N
Obsession 20
Optical Guidance Systems 10" F/9 R-C Cass
6" F/5 & 8" F/8 home-made Newts
MI-250 mount
SBIG STL-1301E CCD
Member, International Dark-Sky Association
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GaryML
sage
Reged: 02/16/09
Posts: 322
Loc: San Diego, California
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Quote:
Quote:
Question on that, does that cover only people living in CA
They're in California, they have to conform to California law. And unless a statement specifically says "business" days- calendar days are assumed.
Correct. The specific law applies to the situation where both the consumer and repair facility are in California (which is the case for me and the OP). And 30 calendar days, NOT "business" days. I do not know what consumers outside of California may be entitled to in terms of consumer legal rights. There is also an exception for delays beyond the control of the repair facility.
Disclaimer: This is just a general discussion of this topic -- consult an attorney licensed to practice in your jurisdiction for legal opinions.
--------------------
Sky conditions in San Diego, California:
Vixen VMC200L 8" corrected Cassegrain telescope on a Celestron CG-5 Advanced Series GT mount
Pentax eyepieces and Televue eyepieces & diagonal
Fujinon 16x70 Binoculars on a Manfrotto 028B/501HDV tripod
Celestron SkyScout
______________________________________________________
Avatar: Gemini North on Mauna Kea, November, 2008.
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Charlie Hein
Postmaster
Reged: 11/02/03
Posts: 7961
Loc: 26.06.08N, +80.23.08W
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Quote:
Disclaimer: This is just a general discussion of this topic -- consult an attorney licensed to practice in your jurisdiction for legal opinions.
Indeed.
--------------------
"He's dead, Jim - I'll get his wallet, you get his tricorder." - Leonard "Bones" McCoy
Weston CSC:
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Moezilla
member
Reged: 07/16/09
Posts: 52
Loc: TX
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I'm sure it won't cover us who are outside of CA. 
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