[TowerTalk] Re: MFJ Survey results-

[Dinsterdog@aol.com]

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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