Tech Support Attitude?

[KevinPJF]

So I have a wobble in my 200 SR-X that I can't fix. Called tech support today to discuss it. Wasn't exactly thrilled with his attitude. He implied I was calling to score free parts. Nothing is even noticeably broken. "Well, we can't continue to send parts unless we're sure those parts are going to fix the helicopter." Hey dude, I haven't asked for parts. I'm looking suggestions to make my heli fly correctly. I'm sure there are dishonorable people out there who want to take advantage of good companies, but I'm not one of them. His implications and condescension actually offended me a bit. At the end of the call, we both agreed I should send it in. I'm fine with that. I just want it to fly right.

Also, he said they come with zero warranty. Anyone else ever heard of that?

Sincerely
Kevin

Send from my GS5 from somewhere in the Pacific.

[Skapr1]

I would definately call back and speak with another customer support rep. You elected to send it in so that's your best route.

Maybe it was the tone of your voice, maybe they was swamped and frustrated.

They usually have excellent support!

[jadewarrior]

Originally Posted by KevinPJF

So I have a wobble in my 200 SR-X that I can't fix.

Boom...end of discussion... You should have expected the need to send it in anyway before calling. They'll fix (or replace) for free. As for the warranty, what do you expect? It's virtually the same with all models. It's guaranteed to work out of the box and that's pretty much it. If it doesn't work correctly out of the box, you NEED to call them immediately. I've found that out in the past, but they still took care of me. Anything they do above and beyond that is gravy. They have no way of knowing how a model has been treated once it's been flown. That said, Horizon is extremely good about taking care of people, so send it in and they'll take care of you, too. I've never been disappointed by their service/product support. They're fast, too. I just sent in a misbehaving AR7200BX (a component that costs more than an entire BNF 200SRX) and had a brand new replacement in my hands in less than two weeks, including shipping both ways. Yes, you'll have to pay to send it in, so expect that.

[KevinPJF]

Originally Posted by jadewarrior

Boom...end of discussion... You should have expected the need..... .

No, it isn't the end of the discussion. I called tech support. I'm new to this hobby, but certainly not new to the aspects of tech support, or any other kind of customer service. I called relying on his expertise with this product. This issue isn't about the helicopter. It's about his attitude with a customer. I'm not worried about what it'll take to repair the thing. I could toss it in the trash as is, buy five more and never miss a beat. But I'm a stubborn, grouchy old bastard who has seen enough crap outside of this country to require certain behavioral norms from people in his position. If that makes sense.

Sincerely
Kevin

Send from my GS5 from somewhere in the Pacific.

[jadewarrior]

Originally Posted by KevinPJF

No, it isn't the end of the discussion. I called tech support.

And, what what did they tell you as for a solution? What was the end result? Exactly. You sending it in... You can't fix it, so they need to look at it. Period. But, I agree the product support rep's attitude could have been better from your report on that aspect.

Some advice (for anyone) who does need a part from Horizon, be sure to document (or just remember) everything you did to troubleshoot/isolate that part and tell the support rep all of that in detail. Don't just call in and say you need a part. I've had excellent success by doing that and it really is the right thing to do. Be sure of what you need and don't ask them to "spray out" free parts because you're (general reference) not really sure what the issue is. I have a feeling that might be largely going away due to the recent investor group buyout of Horizon last year. Those groups only want profit and generally cut everything they can, including customer service. We'll see...

[KevinPJF]

Originally Posted by jadewarrior

Don't just call in and say you need a part.... I've had excellent success by doing that and it really is the right thing to do. Be sure of what you need and don't ask them to "spray out" free parts because you're (general reference) not really sure what the issue is.

That's exactly how I handled it. "Hey I have this problem. Dude sent me repair parts. It's still doing it. What are your suggestions/guidance?" I even told him nothing needed to be replaced. Told him I safety landed the heli. HE brought up parts, and how he wasn't going to send me any. Like I said in the OP, that's the first thing he said. Never offered any suggestion. At all. Period... Now, the real kick in the nuts? After reading on several forums, it turns out the main shaft collar at the top of the frame was not seated against the frame. Lots of vertical play in it. Neither dude suggested checking that. I pushed that down to where it is supposed to be and flew the crap out of it with zero problem. Even played around in FM 2. Why neither of them suggested that is beyond me. But at the end of the day, my heli technically wasn't broken, and the dude yesterday was still inappropriate.



Sincerely
Kevin

Send from my GS5 from somewhere in the Pacific.

[jadewarrior]

Glad you got it sorted out. I guess I've been lucky in that I've never really received a "bad" Horizon rep on the phone. But, I've read in plenty of other places that if you get someone having a bad day, just call back later and you'll probably get someone else.

[xenophobe]

Originally Posted by KevinPJF

it turns out the main shaft collar at the top of the frame was not seated against the frame. Lots of vertical play in it.

You know, I called Chevrolet because my truck was wobbling and made weird noises. Then someone suggested that I put air in my tire, he said it was nearly flat. That Chevy rep was rude. lol

[KevinPJF]

Originally Posted by xenophobe

You know, I called Chevrolet because my truck was wobbling and made weird noises. Then someone suggested that I put air in my tire, he said it was nearly flat. That Chevy rep was rude. lol

Yeah. If you know to check the air pressure. If you've been driving for a couple of months, maybe someone would point that out.....

Sincerely
Kevin

Send from my GS5 from somewhere in the Pacific.

[heli_crasher1]

Originally Posted by KevinPJF

Yeah. If you know to check the air pressure. If you've been driving for a couple of months, maybe someone would point that out.....

Sincerely
Kevin

Send from my GS5 from somewhere in the Pacific.

+1

[Mordecai]

There's no excuse for rudeness when all you did is ask for help. Having a bad day is not an excuse; if you can't handle that then you're in an unsuitable job.

[Twill]

Originally Posted by Mordecai

There's no excuse for rudeness when all you did is ask for help. Having a bad day is not an excuse; if you can't handle that then you're in an unsuitable job.

+1

[aschen]

Its not right to be rude but you just never know if sombodies dog died that morning.

Its best to not get worked up over other peoples rudness if possible. I have called horizon once and had excellent service. If you look around this forum they send out tons of replacement parts and are quite generous with this policy.

I suspect it is sometimes taken advantage of, maybe the caller before you was a bad case. I think the srx is particularly problematic for them because it is geared towards new pilots.


Not really making excuses for them, but deep customer support in this industry for 200$ "toys" is pretty rare. I suspect they might just send you a whole new srx.

[KevinPJF]

Yeah. I'm pretty much over it now. The Army shipped me off to Thailand before I had a chance to ship it off to HH. I have read a few possible causes of the wobble on here since, and I'm gonna try to make it right. If not, I'll send it to them. I'd rather FIX it than get a new one (crazy, right?). I'm not about something for nothing. That's the reason that conversation struck me. Seemed like he just assumed I was after free stuff.

Anyway, my faith in the company is not affected. I own three Blade products with plans to purchase a fourth. We carry on.

[Delfin]

By the way. Was the reps name mike?

[KevinPJF]

Originally Posted by Delfin

By the way. Was the reps name mike?

Ah, dude. I can't remember.

[Bioblade]

I've worked in customer service and customer relations for small shops and larger firms. Even if the customer gets the tiniest inclination that you are being rude or condescending you're in the wrong. No matter what the customer says, even if the customer is wrong, the customer is right. THAT is the golden rule of the sales industry. A properly trained associate, even when dealing with grumpy customers or a customer who might be trying to game the system will remain sincere and helpful while respectfully, tactfully, and professionally diverting those behaviors towards finding a solution that has the customer feeling happy in the end.
Even after a long day, if an associate can't stay polite and professional, they should seek out a different line of work. Sales and support people must be extroverted people pleasers. Other personality types belong elsewhere.

It is a shame that you were treated in a way that brought you to need to discuss it on this site. One that has an international readership. If I were Horizon I would being PMing you at this point to find out what happened and how we could make you feel better about the company and the product you purchased.

Also, I had a wobble issue with my 200 SRX recently and managed to sort it out. Check out the 200SRX sub-forum and you should find it quickly. Basically it involved changing some of the values in something called the helicopter's "gain settings" (not sure if you're familiar with those). If not, check out the thread and do a youtube search of "200 SRX gain settings" and you should be able to find a nice beginner friendly video taking you through the step by step process of how to change those settings in a way that can might solve your wobble problem.

[sharicasmi]

I agree. I was all about blade until they changed their CS policies 18 months ago and discontinued the pro series. They used to help me with my new blade helis if I had problems with them. One day I got the worst CS rep, and I haven't returned ever since. I got a head buzzing sound on my mcpx bl and all I get is 'we won't send you any free parts'
I'm not asking for free parts, I'm asking for someone to take a look at it. I really think there's some jerk working at their customer service dept who literally doesn't care at all about the customers. He probably just wants to work his 6 hours and go home. As a customer in need of customer service, You either get him or you don't.

[WedgeD]

I just recently had a very positive product support experience. A 180CFX motor of mine nuked itself and wouldn't even start up. A spare motor I already had ran fine, so it wasn't the ESC. I didn't even buy this 180CFX from Horizon. They said no problem, just send in a copy of the receipt with the motor and we'll replace it. A printed out order from my account history at the place I bought it from was fine. So, for two bucks and change in shipping I got a brand new replacement motor that's almost $40. Took about a week to receive it and that included the shipping time from me to them.

Also, if you get a pissy product support rep, just politely end the call and call back later or another day to hopefully get someone else.

[MariaFan]

I had purchased a BL kit for The Spawn.
She flew really good for about 35 flights, then the heli stopped binding. I put the stock motor back in, and everything was fine.
I called HH customer support, did the callback thing and got a return call about 45 minutes later.
I explained what had happened, and the guy sent me a new motor kit.
No hassles at all. I was impressed.