Good Customer Service

I just had two very different customer service experiences.

1) Maxtor. Our external 250gb harddrive just failed after 18 months. This
is the second Maxtor drive that we have had fail in the last year within
months of the expiration of their 1 year warranty. Help from Maxtor -
zilch. I will never buy another Maxtor product.

2) Rigel Systems. One of the two white LEDs has burnt out on a SkyLite
flashlights. Contacted Rigel, and they will fix for free, and they didn't
even ask how long we have had it. We currently own 3 SkyLites and 3
Quickfinders, and I will buy more of their stuff when I am in the market for
something they sell.

I can't think of a bad experience I have ever had with vendors/manufacturers
of astro stuff. Let's make sure we support the folks who support us!

Dennis

Dennis Woos wrote:

I just had two very different customer service experiences.

1) Maxtor. Our external 250gb harddrive just failed after 18 months. This
is the second Maxtor drive that we have had fail in the last year within
months of the expiration of their 1 year warranty. Help from Maxtor -
zilch. I will never buy another Maxtor product.

Thanks for the heads-up! I did gave in mind getting a Maxtor external
drive but perhaps time to reconsider. Any alternative suggestions?

Anthony.


2) Rigel Systems. One of the two white LEDs has burnt out on a SkyLite
flashlights. Contacted Rigel, and they will fix for free, and they didn't
even ask how long we have had it. We currently own 3 SkyLites and 3
Quickfinders, and I will buy more of their stuff when I am in the market for
something they sell.

I can't think of a bad experience I have ever had with vendors/manufacturers
of astro stuff. Let's make sure we support the folks who support us!

Dennis

On Mon, 10 Jan 2005 15:48:15 -0500, "Dennis Woos"
wrote:

I just had two very different customer service experiences.

1) Maxtor. Our external 250gb harddrive just failed after 18 months. This
is the second Maxtor drive that we have had fail in the last year within
months of the expiration of their 1 year warranty. Help from Maxtor -
zilch. I will never buy another Maxtor product.

Hmm. Maybe that's why CompUSA had the bare drive on sale for $99 a few
weeks ago. I bought one. I hope I'm not gonna be sorry too.

Is your installation not well ventilated? Heat kills drives.

---
Michael McCulloch

Thanks for the heads-up! I did gave in mind getting a Maxtor external
drive but perhaps time to reconsider. Any alternative suggestions?

I have had good luck with buying an external enclosure and a hard drive
separately. Enclosures go for just over $30 and up, and then you can choose
a harddrive with a 3 or 5 year warranty. In fact, I just ordered a Hitachi
250gb harddrive w/3 year warranty for $134 to replace the one in the Maxtor
enclosure.

Dennis

Is your installation not well ventilated? Heat kills drives.

I purchased this drive as an external unit, so Maxtor must think the venting
is ok. However, the enclosure does not have a fan. I am trying a Hitachi
250gb drive in it, so time will tell.

Dennis

Dennis Woos wrote:
Thanks for the heads-up! I did gave in mind getting a Maxtor external
drive but perhaps time to reconsider. Any alternative suggestions?


I have had good luck with buying an external enclosure and a hard drive
separately. Enclosures go for just over $30 and up, and then you can choose
a harddrive with a 3 or 5 year warranty. In fact, I just ordered a Hitachi
250gb harddrive w/3 year warranty for $134 to replace the one in the Maxtor
enclosure.

Dennis



Bet you have fewer problems with the Hitachi.

--
-Sayf

Maybe it's an external drive design problem. I've had a 120GB Maxtor
internal ATA-133
for a bit over 2 years without a hitch. Plug and play, and play, and
play...

Of course, that means I've no idea about the level of customer
service...