Dear Hams
First, relax, this is not a scientific survey- just an opinion about MFJ
based upon a collection of responses from hams expressing their opinions
about MFJ in response to my survey I put on towetalk this month.....
After 60 or so responses, many hams have had mixed results regarding
MFJ........... people seem to comment on the variety of what they put out and
find the product line affordable- this seems to exceed expectations of users-
pretty standard response- that said, quality and customer service seem to be
a real problem with over a 1/4 of the surveys showing MFJ failed to meet
customer expectations in these areas- thats 1 in 4.-
Because I got conflicting surveys on a variety of products, where one person
states it works flawlessly vs another stating it never worked etc.....perhaps
some problems relate to occassional substandard parts and an overwhelmed
service department-
I went into this survey with a clear mind to see if I was the only one who
has had streaks of bad luck in using their products- turns out I'm lucky
compared to a lot of surveys- The most positive comments were related to the
antenna analyzers, packet terminals, and some of the clocks, as well as
references to equipment made a few years back-
But surveys involving voice keyers, and tuners- - major
complaints......difficulty in getting a clear ph line to contacxt customer
service was also mentioned- that said, there were a number of rave reviews on
like products-
My opinion, as objective as I can possible be from the surveys reviewed,
is perhaps MFJ offers the 12 month no questions asked return policy because
it is a lot cheaper to just send out a replacement vs labor and other
associated costs in repairing a defective unit- no dah.......
This, in economic terms, could speak volumes as to what they really spend on
a per unit basis vs the cost of the labor to fix things-
Also, this opinion is supported by the loudest complaints that involved
equipment sent in for repair, out of warranty, that seemed to take a
substantial amount of time to be returned, cost a lot to get fixed, and in
some reported cases, was returned still in defective condition--
if you want to fill out a survey, please look in the October 99 thread at
towertalk for the survey- any responses are appreciated- I think the
feedback they get from a lot of people has had a direct effect on them
looking into legitimate complaints- although direct response from the company
to many hams suffering through negative customer service experience doesn't
seem to reflect this-
On a personal note, I am not gunning for MFJ, on the contrary- I hope they
can fix the quality and customer service issues as I too buy their stuff
because it is affordable and offers a lot of neat features-if you get a unit
that works that is-
In my personal experience, which motivated me to send out the survey, I have
not had a lot of luck- but I just keep returning what ever is screwed up
unitl I get a unit that works- or I just get my money back- ie: 3 MFJ 493 cw
menu driven memory keyers; 2 MFJ-432 voice keyers, and move on....in some
cases, if it is out of warranty and fails, I just sell it for parts for what
ever i can get at hamfests, ie: 1 MFJ931 artificial ground unit, 1 MFJ 1701
antenna switch, 2 MFJ 941e tuners, etc....
and if it just plains never works, I just throw it away, ie: the MFJ software
I got two years ago to control my rig, log, and use for packet clusters-, and
one MFJ 432 voice keyer. Now that's said, after a dozen or so purchases of
MFJ equipment over the past 5 years, all I have in my shack that is still in
working condition from MFJ is my 259 analyzer and a 300 watt dummy load- and,
after the two Ameritron RCS4 units I recently tried failed, - I decided to
give the RCS8V coax switch a try-
...........so far, on day 2, it works-
As some had mentioned, I too had a bad experience trying to get a product
fixed out of warranty- they wanted a $119 for a product that cost just a few
more $$ new (MFJ249 analyzer). I was hoping it would eventually work- but I
learned, "don't hesitate"- they seem to be as good as any company can be
about replacing products if taken care of in the warranty window- or at least
the vendor does where I buy my MFJ stuff-
Also, on a personal observation, and expressed as my own opinion,.....I find
it amazing that their advertising dollars keep those we trust to review
products silient...except for rave reviews that seem to written by the
manufactuer-big shocker, eh? So someone has to try- I dont see lot of
cloths on this emperior that others claim he is wearing..........but perhaps
it is all my fault- operator error- please.............
73 Paul N0AH
a self supported ham radio consumer advocate who most likely will not get any
Christmas cards from Mississippi-
--
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