Does Minelab understand the concept of Customer Service ?

[Treasure_Hunter]

LL I am not buying what your trying to sell.

You can say all you want about how you use to build detectors 20 some odd years ago, and how your only stating facts not opinions, which in reality are still just your opinions. I have personally seen the difference between hunting with the 2 freg Whites BHID, The Tesoro Conquistador and Fisher 1235X which I have owned and used, and my Minelabs and there is a difference, and that is just on the detectors that I have personally used.

Minelab has a patent on something that doesn't work? Hummmm, Whites is actually willing to pay Minelab for the use of the dual frequency used in the Beach Huntier ID? The Beach Hunter ID I had, had Minelabs patent on it, the Whites 300 probably carries the same patent. So 2 or 3 freq works, but Minelabs BBS 17 freq or FBS 28 freq doesn't work, the magic number stops at 3.

I find it extremely strange that not one single other website or professional reviewer that does any reviews on detectors agrees with you. There is not a single case that I can find anywhere where someone has filed a lawsuit aginst Minelab for false advertising about their technology, even though it would mean mega busks if they could prove it.

Not buying it at all................

 

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[jeff of pa]

here is the paragraph on the Sovereign
that ended my debate on which detector I Wanted.



Once I Read this I Decided
I want to swing Every brand Detector out
there at the same Time !

So I Bought the Sovereign.

(By weight, sometimes it feels like I am )

 

[stasys]

Hello everybody and Iron Patch,you writing-several years ago I sent my perfectly working explorer in for a new plastic housing and that was it! ...a 5 minute job. I made it very clear what I wanted including a note, but the next contact I received was a bill owing for over $300 for a new circuit board!

but to change plastic housing you need change at least some circuit board with switches and all arm with battery housing, so its very easy can be 300$. people start to use small shops near you where whey specialize in any electronick repair. usualy its very simple problems. good luck stasys​

 

[cntrydncr1]

I now own an excal and an E trac. I've had 2 experiences with minelab's repair department for my excal and can't say i'm enthused. The first time I sent it in they said they found nothing wrong and charged me $80. (same thing happened with my ACE 250 and there was no charge.) This week I called them and it took 2 days for anyone to return my call. When talking with the technician he came up with a solution that would cost $200 and was not sure whether it would fix my problem. So i'm gonna try to live with the problem until it just becomes totally untolerable and then I guess I'll be willing to send it in and try anything.

 

[Sandman]

Since when are dealers suppose to make money off repairs? Can't a person send their detector directly to Minelab? Why would a dealer be involved after the warranty, and even hint at making a profit? There is something that is definitely wrong with this picture with two different prices!

Dealers can be reimbursted for shipping, but to my knowledge do not get any profit or "kick back" for any repairs. Granted all manufactures can drop the ball on repairs and I have had my share too. I will not name names right now for who has the worse service, but I know who has the best customer service and you guys do too.

However it is important to report our troubles with each manufacturer or dealer here and let the reader make up his own mind on what he wants to believe. I use Minelabs and so far haven't had to send one in to the new owners.

 

[sniffer]

if you send something into to get it repaired, make sure they send you back the broken part
you have that right, just because they say it's broke doesn't mean it is. make them send it to you
that way you know they did something

 

[Iron Patch]

Hello everybody and Iron Patch,you writing-several years ago I sent my perfectly working explorer in for a new plastic housing and that was it! ...a 5 minute job. I made it very clear what I wanted including a note, but the next contact I received was a bill owing for over $300 for a new circuit board!

but to change plastic housing you need change at least some circuit board with switches and all arm with battery housing, so its very easy can be 300$. people start to use small shops near you where whey specialize in any electronick repair. usualy its very simple problems. good luck stasys

​

Where did you get that idea? I was once a Minelab dealer and actually changed an explorer housing. Anyone who has a lot of experience doing it can have it apart and back together in several minutes. Also, many people have sent their detector in just to have the housing changed in the early 90s.​

 

[stasys]

Iron Patch hello, usualy I do repears my self with my friend help.if you want to change housing try your self and you will see its not 15 minute work.

 

[Iron Patch]

Iron Patch hello, usualy I do repears my self with my friend help.if you want to change housing try your self and you will see its not 15 minute work.

I did do one. There's not much point in arguing with someone who says you need a new board and a $300 fix to change a plastic housing. Maybe you lost some of this conversation because of bad translation, but regardless I'm done with it.

 

[stasys]

I am talking about explorer.

 

[Iron Patch]

I am talking about explorer.

Yes, 3 boards and no new ones are needed to change the housing. Otherwise Minelab wouldn't have changed hundreds for free (or a very low cost) because of cracking plastic near the camlock.

 

[LI Tom]

This summer I wanted to have the cracked housing on my Explorer XS replaced.I called Minelab 4 different times to speak to a Tech to get a price and 4 times I was was told someone would call me back.No one ever called back and my XS still has a cracked housing.I love the Explorer,I found 243 silver coins with it in 2009 and I do not want to think about using another model to coinshoot but this experience has given me a bad taste and although I usually buy used,I had thought about a maybe a new SE Pro or ETRAC,but not now.

 

[gibsondan]

I bought a Garrett Groundhog back in the 1980's. It still works fine and has never had a problem. I also owned a Whites 5000D Series 3 for many years. It never had a problem. It was like a Timex. It took a licking and kept on ticking. In the 1990's I bought a Fisher CZ7a Quicksilver. I sold it last February. It worked fine and also never had a problem. So when my brand new Minelab E-trac died after just 6 months...I was shocked. I sent it in for repair on September 28, 2009 and got it back on October 26th. They had it for about a month and all they did was replace the printed circuit board. That sounds like a quick fix. I guess that circuit board was the problem. I didn't get any feedback about the exact nature of the problem with the old circuit board. It took a l-o-n-g time to get my detector back...but I actually got it back a week earlier than Trina initially said on the phone. Guess they are very busy repairing a lot of Minelab detectors...so much so that they are backlogged. Now in this modern day and age of solid state electronics and digital technology...why can't Minelab build a detector as well as Garrett and Whites did back in the 1980's? I sure don't understand it.

 

[sniffer]

maybe Codan is farming out production to China and they're turning minelab's into junk
and is selling using the minelab name

 

[Iron Patch]

I bought a Garrett Groundhog back in the 1980's. It still works fine and has never had a problem. I also owned a Whites 5000D Series 3 for many years. It never had a problem. It was like a Timex. It took a licking and kept on ticking. In the 1990's I bought a Fisher CZ7a Quicksilver. I sold it last February. It worked fine and also never had a problem. So when my brand new Minelab E-trac died after just 6 months...I was shocked. I sent it in for repair on September 28, 2009 and got it back on October 26th. They had it for about a month and all they did was replace the printed circuit board. That sounds like a quick fix. I guess that circuit board was the problem. I didn't get any feedback about the exact nature of the problem with the old circuit board. It took a l-o-n-g time to get my detector back...but I actually got it back a week earlier than Trina initially said on the phone. Guess they are very busy repairing a lot of Minelab detectors...so much so that they are backlogged. Now in this modern day and age of solid state electronics and digital technology...why can't Minelab build a detector as well as Garrett and Whites did back in the 1980's? I sure don't understand it.

That's the way it goes, I'll wear a Rolex over a Timex and use an Explorer not a Tesoro. No matter what watch or detector you want to compare they all can have problems. To me it's all about what I enjoy and what works, and a Timex and Tesoro ain't my style.

PS... A Rolex isn't my first choice in watches but the ploder definitely is.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I bought a Garrett Groundhog back in the 1980's. It still works fine and has never had a problem. I also owned a Whites 5000D Series 3 for many years. It never had a problem. It was like a Timex. It took a licking and kept on ticking. In the 1990's I bought a Fisher CZ7a Quicksilver. I sold it last February. It worked fine and also never had a problem. So when my brand new Minelab E-trac died after just 6 months...I was shocked. I sent it in for repair on September 28, 2009 and got it back on October 26th. They had it for about a month and all they did was replace the printed circuit board. That sounds like a quick fix. I guess that circuit board was the problem. I didn't get any feedback about the exact nature of the problem with the old circuit board. It took a l-o-n-g time to get my detector back...but I actually got it back a week earlier than Trina initially said on the phone. Guess they are very busy repairing a lot of Minelab detectors...so much so that they are backlogged. Now in this modern day and age of solid state electronics and digital technology...why can't Minelab build a detector as well as Garrett and Whites did back in the 1980's? I sure don't understand it.

gibsondan,

Unless they have hired more techs, they had one tech working in the only repair facility in Las Vegas after last years layoffs. I am also willing to bet they allow no overtime, just like the company I work for doesn't right now.

September 28, 2009 to October 26th is 20 working days, subtract from that the shipping time to and from Vegas to your location and it sounds like you got a quick turn around. I am sure it took at least 2-3 days shipping to Vegas and 2-3 days back to your location. Sounds like Minelab had it for about 2 weeks or less which isn't really that bad......We would all like to have our detector back in a week, but is that really realistic? I had to send my Whites BHID in twice for leaks the first year I owned it, and each time it was about 3 weeks door to door....

 

[gibsondan]

I am happy Minelab fixed my detector and got it back to me earlier than they anticipated. Let me also add that Trina was very friendly. My E-trac worked great in November and December. (I'm not hunting now due to winter.) During that time I was able to get out and hunt eight times. I found silver on every hunt except one where an 1882 Indian Head penny saved me from getting skunked. I found a total of 19 silver coins in the other seven hunts:

November 2nd - 1 silver Rosie
November 9th - 1 silver Rosie
November 16th - 8 Mercs
November 22nd - 1 Merc
November 23 - 1 silver Rosie
November 29th - 4 Mercs
December 6th - 1 Indian
December 14th - 1 Barber dime, 1 Merc, 1 silver Rosie

All those hunts are on youtube. My point in relating the above is to demonstrate that I am very happy with the performance of the detector. It just floored me that it died after only 6 months. My confidence in the reliability of the detector has been shaken. When you spend $1400 on a top of the line detector and it quits on you so soon...well, you just expect more for that amount of money. The good news is that it's fixed. I have it back and it's working fine. Hopefully I won't have to send it back to Minelab any time soon. Then I'll be a very happy camper and my confidence in the reliability of the detector will be restored.

I must say, based on my own experience, I am happy with Minelab's customer service. They were friendly. They honored their warranty. They fixed my detector. And they got it back to me sooner than they anticiated. I was just upset that my detector failed so soon and the wait to get it back during prime hunting season was excruciating. But, as the saying goes, stuff happens. The wait wouldn't have been so painful if I had a backup detector. (I sold my Fisher CZ7a to help pay for the E-trac.) I just hope my detector doesn't die on me again any time soon.

 

[Iron Patch]

I am happy Minelab fixed my detector and got it back to me earlier than they anticipated. It worked great during November and December. During that time I was able to get out and hunt eight times. I found silver on every hunt except one where an 1882 Indian Head penny saved me from getting skunked. I found a total of 19 silver coins in the other seven hunts:

November 2nd - 1 silver Rosie
November 9th - 1 silver Rosie
November 16th - 8 Mercs
November 22nd - 1 Merc
November 23 - 1 silver Rosie
November 29th - 4 Mercs
December 6th - 1 Indian
December 14th - 1 Barber dime, 1 Merc, 1 silver Rosie

All those hunts are on youtube. My point in relating the above is to demonstrate that I am very happy with the performance of the detector. It just floored me that it died after only 6 months. So my confidence in the reliability of the detector has been shaken. When you spend $1400 on a top of the line detector and it quits on you so soon...well, you just expect more for that amount of money. The good news is that it's fixed. I have it back and it's working fine. Hopefully I won't have to send it back to Minelab any time soon. Then I'll be a very happy camper and my confidence in the reliability of the detector will be restored. In other words, I hope the problem my detector experienced is the exception and not the rule.

It's why there is such a thing as a warranty. A $1,400 detector should not have any problems after 6 months. Just be thankful you weren't around for the first Explorer, cost me in the range of $1,600 and several problems. The cracking camlock being the biggie.

 

[gibsondan]

It's why there is such a thing as a warranty. A $1,400 detector should not have any problems after 6 months. Just be thankful you weren't around for the first Explorer, cost me in the range of $1,600 and several problems. The cracking camlock being the biggie.

Thank God for that warranty! Wow. I bet the problems with your Explorer gave you fits. I think the basic problem with Minelab's detectors is quality of workmanship...or build quality. For example, the camlock on your detector cracked. My printed circuit board had to be replaced. I've heard many people comment on how cheap and flimsy the stock arm cuff is. You just expect more quality for the amount of money you pay. But in spite of all that, I still like how well my detector performs in the field where it really counts. Eventually I'd like to get another Minelab for a backup in case of future problems. I would enjoy getting any model of the Explorer or another E-trac over any other brand of detector on the market. So, in spite of the problem I had, I'm still a Minelab man like you.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

It's why there is such a thing as a warranty. A $1,400 detector should not have any problems after 6 months. Just be thankful you weren't around for the first Explorer, cost me in the range of $1,600 and several problems. The cracking camlock being the biggie.

Thank God for that warranty! Wow. I bet the problems with your Explorer gave you fits. I think the basic problem with Minelab's detectors is quality of workmanship...or build quality. For example, the camlock on your detector cracked. My printed circuit board had to be replaced. I've heard many people comment on how cheap and flimsy the stock arm cuff is. You just expect more quality for the amount of money you pay. But in spite of all that, I still like how well my detector performs in the field where it really counts. Eventually I'd like to get another Minelab for a backup in case of future problems. I would enjoy getting any model of the Explorer or another E-trac over any other brand of detector on the market. So, in spite of the problem I had, I'm still a Minelab man like you.

I know what you mean about backup detector. I sent in my Minelab Excal for the broken wire in the headset figuring I would go ahead and get it fixed in June, the next hunt I cracked the coil on my only other water machine when like an idiot I propped it up controls down on the side of my van while loading something and it slid over and hit the concrete in my driveway. I didn't notice it was cracked till it became very erratic while using it in the surf. I had a trip planned the following weekend to Miami for a 3 day hunt.............

I now have THREE water detectors., and 2 land detectors, and a competition machine....