Kellyco and Minelab have left a bad taste in my mouth

[FreeBirdTim]

The real issue here is that you cannot buy parts for metal detectors and fix them yourself. You can buy a replacement motherboard for your computer, so why can't you buy one for your metal detector? Seems ridiculous that you have to ship out your detector any time it has an issue. And $350 for that motherboard is a HUGE ripoff. No way should it cost anywhere near that much to replace.

I have a couple of minor issues with my AT Pro, but won't ship it to them and wait weeks or months to get it back. I could easily fix the problems if they allowed someone to sell parts for their machines. Very unethical of them to not allow anyone to buy parts, in my opinion.

 

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[biyaa]

I used to own 705 and notice the speaker design would expose to easy get water in the unit. That why a cover was needed. Not sure where Op kept storage of the detector but humidity does play a role big. Just imagine if you have your car but don’t drive for 6 months. It will need be service to be able drive properly. So at the end of the day, seem to me just take it as a lesson or choose Tesoro detector lifetime warranty. [emoji847]

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

The real issue here is that you cannot buy parts for metal detectors and fix them yourself. You can buy a replacement motherboard for your computer, so why can't you buy one for your metal detector? Seems ridiculous that you have to ship out your detector any time it has an issue. And $350 for that motherboard is a HUGE ripoff. No way should it cost anywhere near that much to replace.

I have a couple of minor issues with my AT Pro, but won't ship it to them and wait weeks or months to get it back. I could easily fix the problems if they allowed someone to sell parts for their machines. Very unethical of them to not allow anyone to buy parts, in my opinion.

$350 is total price to repair, not price of motherboard, it is cost of all parts and labor to repair.

 

[fistfulladirt]

The real issue here is that you cannot buy parts for metal detectors and fix them yourself. You can buy a replacement motherboard for your computer, so why can't you buy one for your metal detector? Seems ridiculous that you have to ship out your detector any time it has an issue. And $350 for that motherboard is a HUGE ripoff. No way should it cost anywhere near that much to replace.

I have a couple of minor issues with my AT Pro, but won't ship it to them and wait weeks or months to get it back. I could easily fix the problems if they allowed someone to sell parts for their machines. Very unethical of them to not allow anyone to buy parts, in my opinion.

Tim that’s not entirely true. I have seen many components on eBay including entire detectors being sold for parts. They are out there, but sometimes you have to ‘dig’.

 

[chub]

I had a fancy stunt kite some years ago. Took it to my inlaws on Christmas day for everyone to play with after lunch. Everyone flew it and the children had a blast. I left it there (forgot )when we said goodbye that night.... A few weeks later we returned for a Sunday lunch, thought Id put my kite in the car while I remembered....go to collect the kite. Its all trashed, lines are frayed/broken, bridle broken, carbon fibre pole thing shattered (couldnt see it at the time because its sewn inside the leading edge.
Long story short, it had obviously been violently removed from a tree. Later see that one line is 20 feet shorter than the other.. Could only have been my father in law. Nobody said anything or owned up to anything...

Another time I owned a fancy vacume cleaner. Sort of a design icon (Dyson Dc 02 blue). Tried to clean the car. It wont work.....another long story short....my son used it to suck up a bucket of water....only admitted it after much pressing.


I think maybe someone used it and thought it was an AT pro....they just didnt tell you. Was there moisture under the coil cover?

Chub

 

[FreeBirdTim]

Tim that’s not entirely true. I have seen many components on eBay including entire detectors being sold for parts. They are out there, but sometimes you have to ‘dig’.

The cheapest used AT Pro I see on eBay right now is $385.00, so there's no point paying that much for parts. I stand by my original post. I cannot buy individual parts for my AT Pro, so I have to live with the flaws. Seems very odd that you aren't allowed to buy replacement parts for any machine, whether it's a car, a computer or a metal detector.

 

[FreeBirdTim]

$350 is total price to repair, not price of motherboard, it is cost of all parts and labor to repair.

Sorry, didn't notice that, but it's still an outrageous price to pay to fix a $500 machine.

It would be like paying $14,000 to repair your $20,000 car. Why on earth would you do it?

 

[huntsman53]

Since neither Minelab or Kellyco will make it right without it costing you $350, ask Minelab to return the Xterra 705, sell it on eBay for parts and use the money to fund a purchase of another brand metal detector from another vendor.

 

[WheatbackDigger]

You bought detector 6 months ago and then want to return it 6 months later because it has issue, kellyco return policy is 30 days on detectors not 6 months, in fact I do not know of any dealer that will take a return detector 6 months later much less one that is broken, that is warranty issue with manufacturer not return issue with dealer.

Any time a detector is returned to Kelkyco that has been opened and taken out of box it can not be resold as new, it is resold only as use or demo, never sold as new to another customer.

You state you tested it at Christmas and it worked fine, if it had been dunked before you bought it it would not have worked when it arrived as pictures show it has been completely dunked in water, the corrosion makes it look like salt water as fresh water would not rust speaker like that unless it sat in water for long period. If it was battery corrosion the speaker would not look like that unless all 4 batteries completely leaked inside.

Xterra does not work properly once it has been completely surmerged in salt water unless it is opened and properly cleaned, the corrosion would cause it to fail, it would not have turned on and worked properly as you said it worked when you received it.

This issue is between you and Minelab repair.


I remind members we do not allow bashing of any supporting vendors just to bash as several have done so on this thread, their posts were deleted.

Please post by our rules.

Believe me, I’m not bashing anyone. This is my story. I’m taking the $500 hit and lessons learned. A detector should have a life of more than two hours. I choose to purchase elsewhere, this is still a capitalist society. Correct??

 

[WheatbackDigger]

Sounds like a crummy situation but to be fair to kellyco and minelab...

Kellyco has a 30 day return window. Do you think that is unfair? How long should it be? Months? Years? I mean thats kinda on you for not testing it before that time. You always need to thoroughly test equipment during the warranty.

Minelab is sending you pics of the detector. What do you want them to do? Repair for free even though it was obviously damaged and not their fault? Yea $350 for repair stinks but you have to remember you are taking 1+ hours of service time + parts.

I think you are asking a lot. Someone did damage the detector. You are past kellyco return window by months. I am not sure what you are really asking either of these companies for and why you are mad at them.

Not asking for anything. Just wondering how we ended up with a detector that was obviously swamped.

 

[huntsman53]

Not asking for anything. Just wondering how we ended up with a detector that was obviously swamped.

Not too mention, how it got Salt Water damage in the dead of winter in Illinois!!

 

[WheatbackDigger]

Forgot to mention, Minelab did offer to sell us a refurb for $150. We respectfully declined. As a side note my Etrac is still running strong after
years and thousands of hours.

I have zero complaints with Minelab, business is business. My issue is how we got a swamped detector sent to us from Kellyco.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Forgot to mention, Minelab did offer to sell us a refurb for $150. We respectfully declined. As a side note my Etrac is still running strong after
years and thousands of hours.

I have zero complaints with Minelab, business is business. My issue is how we got a swamped detector sent to us from Kellyco.

Here is the thing, you said it ran when you got it and again when you just tried to use it it ran for 2 hours then went nuts, no way it could have been soaked in salt water then sat for 6 months, run for 2 hours then die, there is far too much corrosion on it to have ran 2 hours.

Kellyco does not sell returned detectors as new and no way would xterra sit in salt corrosion for 6 months then turn on and run. Anyone who works on them can tell you, you cant salt water flood the inside of a detector and its motherboard let it sit 6 months untreated then turn it on. Check the serial numbers of one you bought and compare it against one they return to you to be sure it is same detector.

 

[WheatbackDigger]

Here is the thing, you said it ran when you got it and again when you just tried to use it it ran for 2 hours then went nuts, no way it could have been soaked in salt water then sat for 6 months, run for 2 hours then die, there is far too much corrosion on it to have ran 2 hours.

Kellyco does not sell returned detectors as new and no way would xterra sit in salt corrosion for 6 months then turn on and run. Anyone who works on them can tell you, you cant salt water flood the inside of a detector and its motherboard let it sit 6 months untreated then turn it on. Check the serial numbers of one you bought and compare it against one they return to you to be sure it is same detector.

I’ll check serial numbers, but I never said it was soaked in salt water. It was submerged (Minelab words, not mine). Obvious by the pictures, a large amount of water was present. Could of been saltwater, I have no clue. It still doesn’t change the fact that the detector had a life of two hours. Something shady happened, there is absolutely no denying that.

Kellyco also suggested the “best time” to test a detector is in the winter. Subzero and 18 inches of snow. Sorry, not buying it.

 

[Texas Jay]

You can't go wrong with a Garrett. I've been buying and using their detectors for nearly 40 years and have never had a problem with them.
~Texas Jay

 

[smokeythecat]

Wheatbackdigger, I totally believe you. Something really smells fishy here somewhere though. I don't buy the humidity thing either. It could very possibly be Minelab mixed up your machine with someone else's they had in for repair. That's the only thing I can think of.

As far as the humidity goes, my machines have been smacked by ocean waves, left in the car for weeks at a time, rained on, buried (temporarily) while digging a big pit, dropped in creeks, tossed around like toy cars and they take a lickin' and keep on tickin'. I haven't run over any with the truck...yet. I'm working on it.

Tesoro has a lifetime warranty and won't give you any BS. My XP Deus refuses to break. It had one issue that was taken care of in 4 days. I would not spend $350 to fix yours, assuming the one they are sending you pics of were your machine to begin with. Maybe their quality control is going out the window....

Beats me.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Personally, I've dealt with Kellyco for 34 years, even spent a full day in their shop a few years ago, spent a lot of time with their personnel and especially their techs.

Those are good people, and I believe in them. I'm sorry you had that experience - to me it is difficult to believe. There must have been something else happening.

And, to the point, I ordered my coming EQ800 from them - knowing they had a months long backlog of orders at the time. I'm thinking I'm not far down the road for receipt of the 800. I could have received it sooner from just about any other supplier - but chose to go with Kellyco.

 

[OBN]

Not Kellyco but another Larger dealer sold me some Grey Ghost Amphibians. As soon as I opened the box I knew these had been under water before and had been returned. Since I had sold a couple hundred sets for Detector Pro a few years earlier it was easy to see but, I don't think a regular person would have noticed. I called right away and the lady I spoke to said they never sell used but I explained what I seen. They sent me a return mail slip and had another set with in a week. These things do happen, stuff gets returned and in the shuffle gets put back into the fresh stock. And who is to know the history of this item.

And how did I know the GGA's had been under, the brass potentiometer for the volume control had some green corrosion just in sight under the volume knob.

Good Luck........

 

[Msbeepbeep]

I'm wondering if the detector was damaged during shipping. Sitting in a salt water rich atmosphere, with hot & cold temps.
So when you first got it, it was working.
Then sat for 6 months at your house and the salt worked on the components, doing them in.



Sent from my VS810PP using Tapatalk

 

[WheatbackDigger]

Ended up replacing the Minelab with a Garrett AT Pro. My baby has a birthday coming up in a couple of weeks, so I decided to surprise her last night with an early gift. We took it out back and swung if for a few minutes before dark. Dug up the usual yard trash and 44 wheatie. I actually like this detector (and I’ve been a Minelab loyalist for the past 15 years). Ended up purchasing it off Amazon, free shipping and received it in a couple of days. She likes it and that’s all the really matters to me.