wolfman_4_ever
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 07/15/11
Loc: El Segundo, Ca, So. Cal
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Re: Orion customer service?
[Re: wolfman_4_ever]
#5626503 - 01/16/13 04:16 PM
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Worst customer service on the planet earth. I take their catalog and RTS it and put won't sell parts to second owners and send it back
Well I just had the most pleasant chat with a rep at Orion. I have an All Sky Cam Gen 1 It has the menu controls on a switch on the outside of the camera housing. Well 1/7/13 was the final day of my 1 year warranty. Late in Dec., we had a bunch of rain which caused this switch to malfunction.
A few months ago Orion came out with a Gen 2 all sky cam which adds PC control (got rid of this switch) and beefed up with Dew controller.
I sent the all sky cam back on 1/2/13. Just made it for warranty. Or did I? The Gen 1 dew controller worked worth pie. I had to drill a hole in the side of the all sky housing and add two 2" dew strips with separate power and just run them all day to remove dew. (so cal beach.. 10 months out of the year the dew is everywhere). I was afraid this modification would void my warranty. To my surprise, I received a call from Orion stating they upgraded my all sky cam gen 1 to a gen 2 version. All I had to pay was $50 for the new housing.. Jumped all over that!
Orion has jumped up the board when it comes to customer service this time around. Is this because the All Sky Cam is their product? Will they do the same for a product they re-brand as their own? Is the cost of the item also a factor? Time will tell.
Thanks Orion! 
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Paul G
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/08/03
Loc: Freedonia
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Re: Orion customer service?
[Re: spongebob@55]
#5626535 - 01/16/13 04:31 PM
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You bring up a good point, spare parts from China just may not exist. I was talking with a Dell XPS tech support guy and he told me when a new model is produced they have enough spare parts manufactured to barely meet their projected need for their 3 year warranty. Usually they guess close enough, occasionally like in my case they guess low and run out for in warranty machines in which case they ship a new machine.
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spongebob@55
sage
Reged: 12/26/11
Loc: Bergen Co. New Jersey
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Re: Orion customer service?
[Re: Paul G]
#5816473 - 04/22/13 10:21 PM
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Well, my recent experiences certainly show decreasing levels of service and knowledge. Standard answers w/o really listening, switching to 'technical' and still no detailed answer or any motivation to get an answer, and on line help which takes 4-5 minutes for a response. Very poor imo for what is in effect an online sales company. And once again, no NEAF presence.
Edited by spongebob@55 (04/22/13 10:22 PM)
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DaveJ
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 01/07/05
Loc: NE Ohio
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Re: Orion customer service?
[Re: spongebob@55]
#5816538 - 04/22/13 11:08 PM
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Well, my recent experiences certainly show decreasing levels of service and knowledge. Standard answers w/o really listening, switching to 'technical' and still no detailed answer or any motivation to get an answer, and on line help which takes 4-5 minutes for a response. Very poor imo for what is in effect an online sales company. And once again, no NEAF presence.
I've been attending NEAF for the past ten years and Orion only had a presence one time - and that was the year they advertised huge Dobs at ridiculously high prices. I think they realized they were way out-classed at NEAF.
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terry59
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/18/11
Loc: Colorado, USA
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Re: Orion customer service?
[Re: spongebob@55]
#5817247 - 04/23/13 11:26 AM
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Well, my recent experiences certainly show decreasing levels of service and knowledge. Standard answers w/o really listening, switching to 'technical' and still no detailed answer or any motivation to get an answer, and on line help which takes 4-5 minutes for a response. Very poor imo for what is in effect an online sales company. And once again, no NEAF presence.
I find their customer service to be ok, their "tech support" to be very poor and their policy of not supporting subsequent owners bad so I choose to vote with my wallet. Although I own some of their gear, I will not purchase any in the future.
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KD58
super member
Reged: 11/23/12
Loc: West Texas
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Re: Orion customer service?
[Re: terry59]
#5817353 - 04/23/13 12:27 PM
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I bought my initial gear from them and they have been okay. Their live chat function is helpful and basic problems can easily be addressed through it. I have had problems with my Synscan on the Atlas and have sent it back to them for evaluation. They found it to be working and then I sent the cable back to them. When they found it to be functional, I wrote to them and they suggested sending the mount head back. They have been responsive but sometimes take a while to do so. I must confess that telephone technical support is not always satisfactory.
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BDS316
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 09/16/09
Loc: Sol 3
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Re: Orion customer service?
[Re: terry59]
#5819412 - 04/24/13 10:03 AM
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Well, my recent experiences certainly show decreasing levels of service and knowledge. Standard answers w/o really listening, switching to 'technical' and still no detailed answer or any motivation to get an answer, and on line help which takes 4-5 minutes for a response. Very poor imo for what is in effect an online sales company. And once again, no NEAF presence.
I find their customer service to be ok, their "tech support" to be very poor and their policy of not supporting subsequent owners bad so I choose to vote with my wallet. Although I own some of their gear, I will not purchase any in the future.
That pretty much sums it up for me, too.
Something to add is that I no longer trust their product ratings. Seems they don't post ratings that they receive that are less than positive. I submitted a rating on the XT8 that I purchased (yes I am the original owner) and I commented that the GSO 8 inch dobs were a better deal all-around. Guess what? They didn't post my review.
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csrlice12
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/22/12
Loc: Denver, CO
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Re: Orion customer service?
[Re: BDS316]
#5819598 - 04/24/13 11:46 AM
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Mostly (and it's not just scopes), I find that once it's out the door, you're on you're own....Quality Control and Customer Service went the way of the dinosaur after "maximizing profits" became the business model.
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Jarrod
sage
Reged: 01/20/13
Loc: SE USA
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Re: Orion customer service?
[Re: csrlice12]
#5819667 - 04/24/13 12:22 PM
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For me it's been a mixed bag. I've had some really great experiences with people on the phone and in the online chat and also some pretty bad ones where all they did was take a message and then not return my call for several days. When I needed them most, right after buying my scope that arrived with some defective parts, they dropped the ball. I ended up getting impatient and fixing what I could myself. They did eventually make it right and send me the rest of the parts that I needed. But I had to call and email several times, which was and is inexcusable.
I don't see what the fuss is about them not supporting secondhand scopes. It doesn't seem like a very profitable business (very time intensive versus the revenue it would generate) and not in their best interest. It's in the best interests of people who may never have been Orion customers, so I don't blame them for this policy.
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my_universe
member
Reged: 01/07/10
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Re: Orion customer service?
[Re: BDS316]
#5819686 - 04/24/13 12:30 PM
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I'm sure different companies have different rules for what passes as an aceptable review. No doubt for some, mentioning a competing brand in the review ("get Brand X instead") is a sure-fire cause for their rejecting the review.
Quote:
Something to add is that I no longer trust their product ratings. Seems they don't post ratings that they receive that are less than positive. I submitted a rating on the XT8 that I purchased (yes I am the original owner) and I commented that the GSO 8 inch dobs were a better deal all-around. Guess what? They didn't post my review.
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terry59
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/18/11
Loc: Colorado, USA
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Re: Orion customer service?
[Re: Jarrod]
#5819735 - 04/24/13 12:52 PM
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I don't see what the fuss is about them not supporting secondhand scopes. It doesn't seem like a very profitable business (very time intensive versus the revenue it would generate) and not in their best interest. It's in the best interests of people who may never have been Orion customers, so I don't blame them for this policy.
Since I said that I guess I'll respond. Take a look at the policy of higher quality gear; Losmandy, Paramount, SBIG, Atik, ad nauseum. They are the ones that will get my business in the future.
If/when I sell my Orion stuff I won't expect to recoup much because if anything were to happen to it, the next owner is on their own.
Edited by terry59 (04/24/13 12:55 PM)
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BDS316
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 09/16/09
Loc: Sol 3
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Re: Orion customer service?
[Re: terry59]
#5819869 - 04/24/13 02:00 PM
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I don't see what the fuss is about them not supporting secondhand scopes. It doesn't seem like a very profitable business (very time intensive versus the revenue it would generate) and not in their best interest. It's in the best interests of people who may never have been Orion customers, so I don't blame them for this policy.
Since I said that I guess I'll respond. Take a look at the policy of higher quality gear; Losmandy, Paramount, SBIG, Atik, ad nauseum. They are the ones that will get my business in the future.
If/when I sell my Orion stuff I won't expect to recoup much because if anything were to happen to it, the next owner is on their own.
+1
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jrcrilly
Refractor wienie no more
Reged: 04/30/03
Loc: NE Ohio
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Re: Orion customer service?
[Re: terry59]
#5819887 - 04/24/13 02:10 PM
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Take a look at the policy of higher quality gear; Losmandy, Paramount, SBIG, Atik, ad nauseum.
To be fair, those folks MAKE the product. Of course they have all the parts lying around; they use them themselves. A reseller like Orion is in a very different situation. The only parts they will have on hand are those they purchase and import to support their warranty.
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terry59
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/18/11
Loc: Colorado, USA
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Re: Orion customer service?
[Re: jrcrilly]
#5819995 - 04/24/13 03:06 PM
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Take a look at the policy of higher quality gear; Losmandy, Paramount, SBIG, Atik, ad nauseum.
To be fair, those folks MAKE the product. Of course they have all the parts lying around; they use them themselves. A reseller like Orion is in a very different situation. The only parts they will have on hand are those they purchase and import to support their warranty.
John - I understand completely but was not aware of their policy (they don't exactly advertise the fact) when I bought the gear. Also, my observation is that most people reselling Orion gear don't advise a buyer of that or price it appropriately to compensate for the risk. Would you buy a used car with that policy?
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csrlice12
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/22/12
Loc: Denver, CO
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Re: Orion customer service?
[Re: terry59]
#5820097 - 04/24/13 03:51 PM
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"Would you buy a used car with that policy?"
Most all used cars sold in America today, DON'T come with a warranty....obtaining parts is another story however....
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terry59
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/18/11
Loc: Colorado, USA
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Re: Orion customer service?
[Re: csrlice12]
#5820105 - 04/24/13 03:54 PM
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....obtaining parts is another story however....
And my point exactly 
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Paul G
Post Laureate
Reged: 05/08/03
Loc: Freedonia
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Re: Orion customer service?
[Re: jrcrilly]
#5820300 - 04/24/13 05:22 PM
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Take a look at the policy of higher quality gear; Losmandy, Paramount, SBIG, Atik, ad nauseum.
To be fair, those folks MAKE the product. Of course they have all the parts lying around; they use them themselves. A reseller like Orion is in a very different situation. The only parts they will have on hand are those they purchase and import to support their warranty.
In addition, those are mid to high end products, not value based imports like Orion. Again, you don't get what you don't pay for.
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Jarrod
sage
Reged: 01/20/13
Loc: SE USA
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Re: Orion customer service?
[Re: terry59]
#5820339 - 04/24/13 05:43 PM
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Cars are high-volume items and have many expensive parts that wear out. Telescopes aren't, and don't. If I had to feed my family by supporting used cars, or used telescopes, I know which one I would choose.
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aorion314
member
Reged: 11/15/08
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Re: Orion customer service?
[Re: Jarrod]
#5821134 - 04/25/13 12:20 AM
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aorion314 here,used to buy from the cupertino store on regular basis, but about 2 yrs ago there was a change over in staff and a quantum leap backwards in tech knowledge orion offers lots of products of which they have a very minimal knowledge about, usually equal to product insert only. Product ratings are patently false, and critical reviews which are factually accurate are rejected e.g. motorized 2 inch filter wheel with internet pleas for solutions to get interface connections to work several listings going back 3+ years, item now listed as a clearance product for sale. Sadly one must now be wary of product offerings by Orion, though their help videos are of some value.
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Jon Isaacs
Postmaster
Reged: 06/16/04
Loc: San Diego and Boulevard, CA
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Re: Orion customer service?
[Re: Jarrod]
#5821400 - 04/25/13 07:27 AM
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I don't see what the fuss is about them not supporting secondhand scopes. It doesn't seem like a very profitable business (very time intensive versus the revenue it would generate) and not in their best interest. It's in the best interests of people who may never have been Orion customers, so I don't blame them for this policy.
I have been an Orion customer in the past, I have purchased Orion equipment both new and used. If I have purchased something new from them and want to sell it, the fact that the buyer may not be able to repair is of concern and it also lowers the resale value. As a buyer of used equipment, it definitely makes anything with proprietary electonics or mechanical undesirable, I don't even consider it anymore.
In my view, supporting your product line is just part of doing business and it should not matter who purchased it first, Orion's policy is thinking small, probably a sign of corporate ownership. I choose who I recommend, whom I buy from. It's been a while since I considered Orion as someone I would buy from.
Jon
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