Telescope Reviews: PST returned after 8 weeks at Meade still broken

Folks, this just keeps getting worse and worse.
Today I have spoken to everyone from the technician to the senior vice president of customer service Chris Morrison.

Every single person has completely ignored my requests for satisfaction with somethng like "we are not authorized" OR "WE CAN'T DO THAT"
They actually had the nerve to say that I needed to send them proof of purchase for the case and stand that they lost! They have had the proof of purchase for these items for the last 11 weeks in the box with my PST!
Chris Morrison VPO Meade emailed me finally and graciously offered to replace the case and stand even though "I had not proven to them that I actually sent it in". Can you believe that?
I told him that if I had screwed up every single aspect of a 3 minute repair job that has now taken 11 weeks I would want to satisfy a customer with a little more than a 1 paragraph terse email graciously agreeing to bring me back to zero.
Here is the email exchange:

-----Original Message-----
From: Stephen W. Ramsden [mailto:ramsden@mindspring.com]
Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 11:31 AM
To: Carlos Hernandez
Subject: Stephen Ramsden

Carlos,

As per our phone conversation on 10_15_08 I have attempted to send you the proof of purchase for my case and stand.

Then of course I realized that it was in the box that I sent back to you with my PST in it and hopefully is still in that box that is currently on its way back to me. I was told to include it in the box when I sent my PST in.

You may call my Telescope Retailer here in Atlanta to confirm this purchase if you want.

Tim Nix at Camera Bug in Atlanta, GA sold me the scope a few months back and he can verify that I bought the following items from him this year:

1 Coronado PST with case/stand/ set of 4 CEMAX eyepieces $999

1 Coronado SM40 PST double stacker etalon $799

1 Coronado SM90 SolarMax Telescope with Case/Stand/set of 4 CEMAX eyepieces $7200

Now, back to our conversation; if you want to send me a new case and stand that would be fine but it hardly makes up for the complete inability for your company to satisfy even 1 of the 15 or so promises since this affair began. Every step of the way, you, Omar or Andres has very politely promised things that never happened due to the disorganization of your facility or just plain indifference to my needs as a customer.

I understand things are hectic there but I believe that a significant gesture on your part is in order to satisfy a loyal customer who advertises your product to thousands of potential buyers each year through my school outreach programs.

Look around your shop and find a double stacked 40,60 or 90mm scope and send it out to me. Or find a SM40 stacker for my used PST. OR, send me a CaK scope of any size. Something, anything used or new. Show me that you value my business and regret having treated a good customer like dirt for the last 11 weeks.

Please forward or show this to Ty or Scott (the VPO that I was promised would call me within an hour----5 hours ago!)

Please show them the facts of this matter and ask them whether they think that return business is important or not.

I expect at least an acknowledgement that this email has been received and shown to the VPO…today.

I am going into work now. If someone bothers to call about this problem please leave a message with a direct phone number and I will return the call promptly.

If I do not here anything as has been the case so far. You will lose this one customer and I will tell this story on every single web service I can find and to every one of the hundreds of kids and adults I show your scope to each year.

This experience has been completely unsatisfactory.

Stephen W. Ramsden

Atlanta ARTCC

Atlanta, GA USA

404-543-7616

REPLY:
[snip, spaceydee, moderator]

AND FINALLY MY LAST EMAIL ON THE MATTER (edited by my girlfriend due to understandably foul content....)

From: Stephen W. Ramsden [mailto:ramsden@mindspring.com]
Sent: Thursday, October 16, 2008 2:08 AM
To: 'nataliefanderson attorney at law'
Subject: RE: Stephen Ramsden

Dear Mr. Morrison,

I received your email response to my query regarding a severely botched and delayed warranty service job and lost equipment. Frankly, I am disappointed at your response. I am a LOYAL customer with a legitimate problem. Your dismissive response was not the resolution I hoped to get from the senior Vice President of the leading telescope company advertising it’s quality of work and service. I have tried repeatedly to get this issue solved through numerous phone calls and communications to your company, yet you seem unaware of the actual problem. It appears you have not spoken with the parties involved and do not understand the numerous mistakes, inaction, hassle and avoidance tactics I have experienced with Meade.

I first sent my telescope to Meade for warranty service in late July. The service center kept it for almost almost eight (8) weeks. When it was finally returned to me, no repairs had been made. There was a strange pink paper in Spanish in the package, and a 20mm eyepiece that did not belong to me. It appeared repairs on scopes were mixed up or simply never done.

After wasting hours on hold and speaking to numerous customer service representatives who had no idea how to help, I was finally forwarded to Andres (Andrew) Riveras in late September, after receiving my unrepaired telescope back from your service center. Around Sept. 29, Mr. Riveras apologized for the probem and told me to send the telescope back to him. He stated he would pay for shipping via 2nd day air and guaranteed a 2 day turnaround. This was especially important to me as I was scheduling solar lectures at schools and needed to know how long this 2nd attempt at a repair would take. I specifically verified this turnaround time, and made it clear that my lectures would be dependent upon receiving the telescope by the end of the following week. Andres clearly reassured me and stated that he would have the telescope reapired and back to me by end of the following week.

Despite this, Meade sent a UPS label for 7-8 day ground service, clearly making a 2 day turnaround by the end of the week impossible. I attempted to work with the company and upgraded shipping to 2nd day air. This mistake cost me $38 in shipping costs. I sent the telescope to the Irvine address given me per Meade’s, Andres’ , and the shipping label instructions, not realizing that the telescope would be repaired in Mexico. My 2 day shipping was pointless, as the telescope had to be shipped from Irvine to Mexico via ground shipping that took 6-8 additional days. I would not have paid the extra shipping costs, had I known it was a complete waste of effort. If Andres knew that this extra shipping to Mexico was required, his assertion that I would receive my repaired telescope by the end of the week was clearly false. I am additionally unsure why I was told to send the telescope to Irvine in the first place. I made it clear that time was of the essence. Sending the telescope to Irvine and then to Mexico cost me another 6-8 days shipping without my telescope. It should have gone straight to the repair facility in Mexico.

Twelve (12) days later, on October 10, I called to locate my telescope. It was far past due. I spoke with Andres again, and he told me that he had just received the telescope, that morning, twelve (12) days later. Again, this is clearly not a two day turnaround. During this time, I was forced to buy another used telescope for the lectures I was already obligated to do. I would not have scheduled these lectures had I known the true turnaround time.

Andres said he would “take care of” the problem within 24 hours and ship the telescope and accompanying parts back to me by 2nd day air. I also spoke to Omar when Andres was not at work, and I spoke to Carlos. I am assuming that Carlos Hernandez is the man mentioned in your response. Omar and Carlos had no idea what was going on but yet again, like Andres, they both politely assured me they “would figure out the problem and take care of it.” Additionally, when speaking with Carlos, I discovered for the first time that Meade had lost both my mount and my case in all of the shipping mess. I never heard back from either Omar or Carlos. This cost me much more money.

On Monday of this week, I received an email stating my package had been shipped via UPS Ground from Irvine, not 2 day air from Mexico, with an expected delivery time of another eight (8) business days. Again, the package should have come straight to me from the service facility in Mexico, instead of going to Irvine and then to me. Additionally, this is clearly not the 2 day turnaround I was guaranteed by your employees and representatives. Additionally, no answer was given regarding my lost mount and case. All of the complicated route changes likely contributed to my case and mount being lost.

Today, I again spoke with Carlos. Carlos had not handled the problem, and instead, told me he was referring me to the 2 senior vpo’s that were arriving at the plant today. He stated one of them would call me back within the hour. 5 hours later, I had still received no phone call. I finally called Meade again, and I wasted another 20 minutes trying to get through customer service to someone who actually knew about the problem and could resolve it. I finally spoke to Ty Robertson, who listened carefully to all of the details described above, but did nothing to fix the problem. I have not received any resolution to this problem.

You failed to discuss any of this mess with Andres. I am glad you talked to Ty and Carlos. However, based on your response, I am sure they did not give you all of the details and might be attempting to downplay the myriad of screwups. Noone in authority seems to understand the problem, despite hours on the phone with Meade employees. Additionally, no one from Meade appears to want to remedy the problem

Your lack of concern and the comment that “we're committed to make it right by replacing the Malta tripod and case" make it obvious to me that no one is making this right. Replacing my equipment that you lost is only half of the problem. You have ignored the outrageous delay, the hassle trying to work with customer service, the false promises made by your employees, and the significant costs Meade has created for me, the customer.

I had to purchase a used PST in order to meet the schedule of my solar outreach program because after 11 weeks and 2 trips through your companies “repair” facility, I could not get any satisfaction on a 30 minute repair job.

More importantly, nowhere in any of my correspondence and countless ignored phone calls to Meade have I demanded that you give me a free DS 90mm scope. I am fully aware of the cost of a double stacked Coronado Solarmax 90mm scope as, unfortunately I purchased one from Meade 5 months ago to augment my outreach program.

When I bought this hugely expensive scope I was counting on Meade to stand behind the warranty of all of my Coronado products in a timely and efficient manner.

I did requested a goodwill gesture to compensate me for the costs, lost time, and incompetence I have endured while your company has bungled and mismanaged this repair job for two and a half months. It seems you would want to to maintain goodwill and the loyalty of a customer who uses 5 of your most expensive solar/night scopes on a weekly basis, in a charitable outreach program that effectively advertises your name to hundreds of potential buyers yearly.

Instead of a genuine attempt to make this right, you have insulted me while still failing to fix the problems. I requested a goodwill gesture that was not a case or mount, because I have already had to buy a replacement case and mount while waiting for Meade to do their job. I requested non cash compensation from Meade to recompense me for me having to buy a replacement telescope and case and for the extra shipping costs to Irvine then to Mexico. Again, I would never had paid for 2 day shipping had I known that the scope had to go to Irvine before a 5 day UPS ground trip to Mexico. I was promised explicitly a 2 day turnaround from Andres for the second trip through the process.

I do not think it unreasonable to request that you compensate me for my wasted time and energy and excessive shipping costs by sending me another refurbished or new PST, CaK PST, SM40, SM60 or whatever you feel is commensurate with this level of dis-service. That is what is called a good will gesture to make up for colossally poor customer service and costs incurred by me, the customer, for your companies disorganization and incompetence.

Chris, one more thing. The proof of purchase for my PST/case/stand/CEMAX eyepiece set that you insinuate doesn’t exist has been in your service department’s possession for the last 11 weeks. I was required to send it in with the PST both times in order to prove that I really bought it. Surprise, surprise that there is no record of it at your facility, just like there is no record of my case or MALTA stand. You are not “doing me any favors” by simply replacing what your repair techs lost.

I am sorely disappointed and will be sure to share this information and email with all of my friends in the astronomy community.
Stephen W. Ramsden

Edited by spaceydee (10/16/08 11:49 AM)