waassaabee
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/26/07
Posts: 2694
Loc: Central California Coast
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Just curious about other peoples experience.
I just sent my CG5 for some work, and the comments from a few were quite negative. Seems to me an outfit like Celestron would be more responsive.
So far I've heard they are very slow to respond and will end up being expensive.
My experience with getting to the point of an RMA was rather frustrating so I'm hoping that wasn't the tip of the iceberg...
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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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Alph
sage
Reged: 11/23/06
Posts: 259
Loc: Melmac
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Quote:
I'm hoping that wasn't the tip of the iceberg
It is a strong indication of potential problems. My experience with Celstron is mixed. Lower your expectations. More often than not they don't fix what you have asked them. So watch out. Trust but verfy.
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waassaabee
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/26/07
Posts: 2694
Loc: Central California Coast
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Lower my expectations? That's just not right.
Where does one send your Celestron equipment for repair? I have a suspect Motor Control board and no one else has that part.
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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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Alph
sage
Reged: 11/23/06
Posts: 259
Loc: Melmac
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Quote:
Where does one send your Celestron equipment for repair?
You have no choice. Tell them to call you before they ship it back to you, and when they call, ask them to double check the telescope because you had unrepaired equipment shipped back to you in the past.
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waassaabee
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/26/07
Posts: 2694
Loc: Central California Coast
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They are only a couple of hours away... Maybe I should go pick it up when they are finished and ask for a demo...
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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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rmollise
Post Laureate
Reged: 07/06/07
Posts: 4566
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Quote:
Just curious about other peoples experience.
I just sent my CG5 for some work, and the comments from a few were quite negative. Seems to me an outfit like Celestron would be more responsive.
So far I've heard they are very slow to respond and will end up being expensive.
My experience with getting to the point of an RMA was rather frustrating so I'm hoping that wasn't the tip of the iceberg...
I've been dealing with them for the better part of 34 years. They have always resolved any problems I've had. Oh, at times they could have been quicker, and once they scared me (I sent an Ultima 8 drivebase for repair and they lost it for a little while.  ). In the end it has always worked out, and the prices have been reasonable (the bitterest pill these days is the shipping). One hint? Don't deal with 'em on the email...use the cotton-pickin' telephone.
--------------------
Uncle Rod
Rod's New Book:
Choosing and Using a New CAT
Available now!
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rmollise
Post Laureate
Reged: 07/06/07
Posts: 4566
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Quote:
Lower my expectations? That's just not right.
Where does one send your Celestron equipment for repair? I have a suspect Motor Control board and no one else has that part.
Where do you send it? You send it to Celestron if you are in the U.S. Make darned sure you really need the Motor Control Board, though--that is _not_ a common failure point.
--------------------
Uncle Rod
Rod's New Book:
Choosing and Using a New CAT
Available now!
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Lord Beowulf
professor emeritus
Reged: 10/13/08
Posts: 674
Loc: Cedar Park, TX
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It's funny that I just logged on to go post something about Celestron still not returning my SkyScout after having it for almost a month and this is the first post I see! This is now almost three months that I've "owned" one without having one that works (second RMA).
I don't know what's happening at Celestron, but it's certainly not looking good. This is certainly not a good time to be disappointing your customer base. If they aren't in trouble now, they will be if their quality and customer service don't improve.
Beo
--------------------
Celestron 8SE w/ Zhumell Focuser, Orion ST-80 & StarShoot AG. 11" NexStar GPS w/ MotoFocus.
CGEM w/ ADM Saddle, Knobs, and SBS Dual Saddles.
Modded Canon 450D & Nikon D90 DSLR w/ various adapters.
Denkmeier PowerxSwitch S2, WO 1.25" & 2" Dielectric Diags.
TV 8, 13, 17 mm Ethos, 1rpd 30 mm, Astro Tech 40 mm, Celestron 1.25" EP & filter kit.
1.25" Filters: TV OIII Filter; Lumicon selector, UHC, H-Beta, & Deep Sky.
f6.3 reducer/corrector & SCT filters.
Various custom carrying cases.
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waassaabee
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/26/07
Posts: 2694
Loc: Central California Coast
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Rod, Yes I did ship it to Celestron in Torrance. I'm north of Santa Barbara a bit, so I could drive down and pick it up. Combine it with a stop at Santa Monica Music and Woodland Hills Camera & Telescope, a bite to eat along the coast.... I'd better have em ship it...
I only shipped last Friday, and it was received Monday so it aint no thang just yet. And I'll definitely call to keep in touch. But in my area we don't have any cotton pickin' telephones. Would a lettuce pickin' telephone work?
(PM me the 'special' ph#... )
Beo, Yours is not the first fiasco I've heard about. I've been troubleshooting this issue for months. Intermittent No Response 16 & 17. Reflash the MC life is good. Then the period of time between flashing the MC started to get shorter till a week or so ago when I did it and it failed in minutes. Then I did it again right away and No Response immediately. Good voltage, good connections (everything cleaned and reseated), mechanically OK. I have multiple emails to/from Celestron over the months, some intelligent!
I want to think that the horror stories are few and far between....
Film at eleven.
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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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CounterWeight
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 10/05/08
Posts: 1292
Loc: PDX chronoplast
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Count youself lucky. They never did respond to my emails on 3 of 4 issues.
1)CGE runaway in dec... thy'd never heard of it happeneing... ever. After repeated effort, and a lot of LD charges, I was told I don't know how to plug cables in.
2)PA shifting on tightening set serews, they'd never heard of that either."Accurate polar alignment is impossible due to many factors"
3)CGE HD tripod legs, movement when tightened with a 35 lb. payload.
When I called (after getting no email response) they had amnesia and said "no one ever had a problem like that before... and no record of my emails. The one response I did get was that I shouldn't expect any software 64 bit compatable as there is no interest in it by anyone other than me.
Thankfully, they do answer the phone and as Rod said, it's the best way to get them and try to start a dialogue. They are supposed to enter notes when you call, so I recommend also getting names and times for reference, as you'll most likely call more than once.
I don't consider my interaction with them all that pathetic, useless, and unproductive. Sure there is much better out there.
Look at this this way... they are striving to be second best at customer support...
who is first?
anyone else.
--------------------
 - 
CGE (Frankenmount mod.)
Onyx 80ED, Tak FS-128 #02058, TEC APO160ED #030
CCD: Orion SSPDSCIv2, SSI3, SSAG
diags, ep's, tubes, filters, Binocs
My CN Image Gallery
Experience is a difficult teacher, it gives the test first, and gives the lesson later
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rmollise
Post Laureate
Reged: 07/06/07
Posts: 4566
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Quote:
But in my area we don't have any cotton pickin' telephones. Would a lettuce pickin' telephone work?
(PM me the 'special' ph#...)
My point was simply: talk to them on a telephone, don't use email.
--------------------
Uncle Rod
Rod's New Book:
Choosing and Using a New CAT
Available now!
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waassaabee
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/26/07
Posts: 2694
Loc: Central California Coast
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Understood Rod, just trying to inject a little humor in an otherwise potentially ugly situation.
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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: 2694
Loc: Central California Coast
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So I called Celestron today, talked to Derek. Nice young man that was more than helpful. Tells me they just got it today in the Service Dept. (Signed for 10:00am Monday, Service Dept Wednesday? Must be a BIG place) He explains how I'll receive a written estimate within 30 working days... 30 DAYS!! The estimate? Well it's a non warranty repair, and we have a lot of Christmas presents that are warranty repairs ahead of you (my wording, but that's essentially what he said). Hmmm. Mind you, he tells me, we're not a big organization (1.5 days in Receiving...) and we are working through the backlog...
Crimony!! I need another 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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johnfdean
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 06/04/06
Posts: 1031
Loc: southern tip of Illinois
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I have had no problems with Celestron customer service, BUT I have only used them for information. I have never had to send anything back.
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Celestron C6 f/5 by Vixen with Polaris GEM
14" Tscope dob f/4.7 with Argo Navis
80mm Nighthawk on Eq 2
Celestron C-4 f/10 GEM
Sky Scout
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rmollise
Post Laureate
Reged: 07/06/07
Posts: 4566
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Quote:
Understood Rod, just trying to inject a little humor in an otherwise potentially ugly situation.
Roger that...just want to make sure everybody is clear that if you use the email, you will add on substantial time to how long it takes to get it fixed. I tested (with real problems, not foolin' 'em) both Meade's and Celestron's email "Ticket" systems some time back with less than stellar results...
http://uncle-rods.blogspot.com/2006/10/your-uncle-rod-gets-ticket.html
Have things improved recently? Maybe. AFAIK, however, it's still best to talk to 'em if you want to get their attention in a hurry.
--------------------
Uncle Rod
Rod's New Book:
Choosing and Using a New CAT
Available now!
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7331Peg
professor emeritus
Reged: 09/01/08
Posts: 718
Loc: North coast of Oregon
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It's really a shame that the two largest telescope makers/vendors in this country are having such a difficult time. Mead has been struggling to stay in business for the last couple of years and now has a new CEO who previously held the job with that company. Hopefully the customer service issues at Celestron are not a reflection of the same kind of issues.
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gustave
super member
Reged: 05/24/08
Posts: 146
Loc: Annandale, NJ
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Celestron Customer Service just emailed me that they received my CPC 11 (fails to power up) after being shipped from NJ and that I would have to wait at least, probably more, than 30 days before it's shipped back. I can have it pushed up to the top of the list for $150. So that means that the more customers on the waitlist for repairs who shell out bucks for push up regardless of the date they were sent delays further the time I can expect my scope to be reurned. I guess this is one way a corporation can turn a problem (backup of poorly manufactured products) into an opportunity to make money. Together with shipping time round trip my CPC 11 will be gone for nearly a month and 1/2, maybe. Worst part is that there is no guarantee that the problem won't reoccur after the warrenty expires. My dealer advised me that it is doubtful they would reset the warrenty to start at 2 years when it returns for that specific problem.
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CPC 11
Earthwin Power Switcher
TV 101 Genesis
SV70ED
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Skylook123
Post Laureate
Reged: 04/30/05
Posts: 4781
Loc: Tucson, AZ
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Over the 15 years I've toyed in this hobby I've watched the Big Two and their customer service performance and to me, it hasn't changed much; seems like luck of the draw. I had a complex issue with Meade that required replacing the whole optics group (pimary, secondary corrector) of a 10" 2120 OTA that was 10 years old, and the time from when I took the packed OTA to the shipper until it was dropped at my door perfectly repaired was 10 days! Cost $550, but it was worth it to get essentially a new scope. I was happy. Then the drive wedge started dieing piece by piece, and they wanted $275 to look at it and much more to fix it. Got an Atlas instead.
With Celestron, in 1997 they started selling larger newt-dobs (11", 14", 17") and I ordered a 14". Promised in November. SHowed up at my local dealer's the next March. Every one of the five units across the size possibility that arrived at the shop had missing components. Luckily, min was only missing the lifting handles but some were missing ground boards, some were missing rocker box pieces. We talked with Celestron every week by phone; took until August to get the replacement parts. The Customer Service person I talked to had to go down to Discovery Telescopes in San Diego (who was producing the dobs for Celestron, Meade, and Orion at the time) and pick the pieces up.
So, seems like quite a variability, on a case by case basis, on the level of satisfaction one can expect.
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Jim
A Bad Night With A Telescope
Beats A Good Night Doing Anything Else
Tectron 18" Truss Dob/Sky Commander DSCs, "Derrick"
Meade 10" LX-5 SCT/Atlas-G "Ol' Blue Eye"
Orion 90mm refractor,
Meade 10" Starfinder Newt/JMI NGCMax DSCs,
Celestron 10x50 Ultima Pro
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Lord Beowulf
professor emeritus
Reged: 10/13/08
Posts: 674
Loc: Cedar Park, TX
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Well, I talked to the customer service rep at Celestron about my SkyScout as well as the CGEM issues. While he indicated that my SkyScout was marked for replacement, he couldn't tell if it had already shipped or was waiting ot ship or what. He claimed that the delays for both the CGEM and SkyScout are due to the fact that Celestron is now opening and testing every one when they arrive from Asia prior to sending them to the warehouse for distribution. Of course that's a good story for placating the customers when they call, but I'd like ot believe it's true! Just like I'd like to believe that he was there in Celestron's California offices as opposed to some call center in India, given the accent!
Beo
--------------------
Celestron 8SE w/ Zhumell Focuser, Orion ST-80 & StarShoot AG. 11" NexStar GPS w/ MotoFocus.
CGEM w/ ADM Saddle, Knobs, and SBS Dual Saddles.
Modded Canon 450D & Nikon D90 DSLR w/ various adapters.
Denkmeier PowerxSwitch S2, WO 1.25" & 2" Dielectric Diags.
TV 8, 13, 17 mm Ethos, 1rpd 30 mm, Astro Tech 40 mm, Celestron 1.25" EP & filter kit.
1.25" Filters: TV OIII Filter; Lumicon selector, UHC, H-Beta, & Deep Sky.
f6.3 reducer/corrector & SCT filters.
Various custom carrying cases.
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waassaabee
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/26/07
Posts: 2694
Loc: Central California Coast
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Beo, That's just not right. Have you tried elevating to a supervisor? I think I'll be asking for my new best friend Derek when I call back... and I'll be calling on a regular basis too!
--------------------
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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