[TowerTalk] Yaesu G2800 Rotor Calibration Question and Complaint

[Joe Giacobello]

Jim, with all due respect and deference to your experience in the 
industry, the price for the plug penetrates the envelope.  I would have 
to guesstimate that the cost of manufacture and bulk shipment for the 
plug is around $1-2 per unit.  A markup of 2300-4700%, barring special 
situations, is gouging in my lexicon.

As frame of reference, my experiences with Yaesu's competitors are 
relevant.  I have received difficult-to-obtain precision metering shunt 
resistors from Tentec and MFJ and a microphone wind screen from Icom at 
no charge whatsoever .  Admittedly, in each of these cases - and there 
have been others, but these are the recollections that immediately come 
to mind - I was relying on the good nature of the individual employee to 
slip the item into an envelope and address it to me.  Nevertheless, even 
if they had to go through normal processing channels, a typical supplier 
either has some kind of minimum charge or simply adds on a nominal 
handling fee of $5-10.

Of course, given that Yaesu USA is in California and given the price of 
housing, real estate and routine living costs  there relative to most 
other parts of the country, $48, on further reflection, may have been a 
bargain. :-)

73, Joe
K2XX

Jim Lux wrote:
> At 02:47 PM 3/25/2007, Joe Giacobello wrote:
>
>
>   
>> During the installation, we damaged the seven pin rotor plug and had to
>> buy a replacement from Yaesu for $48!!!!  I was really appalled at such
>> blatant gouging.  I have since done a search for the plug's Japanese
>> manufacturer (Nanaboshi) and found a posting from some equally incensed
>> hams who apparently identified a US distributor where they could be
>> obtained for about $7/ea. in lots of 50.  If anyone knows of a source
>> for these plugs or an equivalent at a reasonable price, please let me know.
>>     
>
> I think gouging is too strong a term.
>
> If the only distributor requires a minimum order of 50, at $7 each, 
> then Yaesu is doing you a favor by zapping you for $50.. it could 
> have cost you $350.<grin>
>
> I don't think it's so much Yaesu charging too much (their "per order" 
> handling and stocking costs could easily be $30, and a part that 
> sells for $7 in qty 50 could easily sell for $15 in qty 1), but that 
> they happened to select a part that isn't readily available at low 
> cost.  But then, that might not be on their list of design 
> objectives, either..  (things like manufacturing availability, 
> compatibility with existing fixturing, etc. would be higher on the list)
>
> It's a truism that building a car from retail replacement parts would 
> cost 10 times as much as buying the car already assembled, and you'd 
> supply the labor. Same applies to most anything else.
>
>
>
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