MBbeachrat
Sr. Member
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2011
- Messages
- 361
- Reaction score
- 79
- Golden Thread
- 0
- Detector(s) used
- CZ 21, Whites DF PI, Excalibur II, CTX 3030
My new detector a lemon! Local shop makes it lemonade!
Every metal detecting company makes a lemon every now and then. Yes, every one of them has put a detector on the shelf that does not work properly at one time or another. It is just the nature of high tech electronics that something can malfunction after it is completely assembled. Any one of us could get stuck with a machine that won’t hit a penny below an inch.
I would like to tell my experience after purchasing a lemon. This really shows the benefits you receive by buying from a local shop and the importance that we support our local shops. This shop made a lemon into lemonade and I mean that southern sweet lemonade.
After hunting with brand B for a few months I decided to give brand X a spin. Lucky for me a local shop was within walking distance (of course I drove). The shop provided me with a brand A detector to demo. I tried it for a day and decide it had potential. A couple weeks later I bought one and took it out for a spin to Coin Beach. I had the worst hunt of my life only finding a small amount of clad. I blamed it on the beach sanded in. The next morning I went out and tested it against Brand B. My new detector did not come close to the depth of Brand B. Knowing the great reputation of brand A, I knew something was wrong with my detector.
I went to the shop and the owner was concerned. We decided to bench test the detector and also bring two identical detectors and another guy to see if they worked the same. It was quite clear after testing that my new detector was not working properly. The shop owner emailed the company. The company’s immediate response was great: “We are sorry; send it in; another is on its way.”
After the testing, I asked the owner if I could just return it and get a brand B detector with a larger coil. To my delight he agreed. The main reason I did this was to make it possible to compare brand B against brand A with the same size coil. They are both great machines.
I just was so glad I did not buy over the Internet. The price was good but the service was exceptional. If I bought over the Internet, I would be mailing it back now and waiting weeks to get a repaired detector and paying shipping.
Local shops not only give you these priceless opportunities to demo equipment but also, local shops help keep us together and in contact with each other. It is helpful to get feedback from locals detecting the area you will detect. You get to see their results with their detector in your local environment. Local shops are places to hang out and show your finds and enjoy the finds of others. You can get the latest information on detectors from users in your area. We all know how one detector may not be the best for another area. Local shops keep clubs together and organize special events. It’s a place you can take your finds to get feedback on what it is, how to clean it, its value, where to sell it, who may want it, and how to preserve it, etc.
It seems obvious that we do business where we perceive we receive the best value for our time and money. Perceptions, however, are not always accurate when we are lacking some of the essential information for fully informed decisions. We see and hear the omnipresent ads of metal detecting companies everyday, but are collectively under-informed about the many important factors of a local shop, the local environment and the many factors of the detecting strategies. And each time we spend a dollar on a detector, we would do well to weigh the full value of our choices, not solely to get the detector at the lowest price, but for the benefits of all the aspects and needs of the hobby.
I also will have to write about the great support, time, dedication, invest, research, expertise, understanding that my local shop owner has given to this hobby.
Every metal detecting company makes a lemon every now and then. Yes, every one of them has put a detector on the shelf that does not work properly at one time or another. It is just the nature of high tech electronics that something can malfunction after it is completely assembled. Any one of us could get stuck with a machine that won’t hit a penny below an inch.
I would like to tell my experience after purchasing a lemon. This really shows the benefits you receive by buying from a local shop and the importance that we support our local shops. This shop made a lemon into lemonade and I mean that southern sweet lemonade.
After hunting with brand B for a few months I decided to give brand X a spin. Lucky for me a local shop was within walking distance (of course I drove). The shop provided me with a brand A detector to demo. I tried it for a day and decide it had potential. A couple weeks later I bought one and took it out for a spin to Coin Beach. I had the worst hunt of my life only finding a small amount of clad. I blamed it on the beach sanded in. The next morning I went out and tested it against Brand B. My new detector did not come close to the depth of Brand B. Knowing the great reputation of brand A, I knew something was wrong with my detector.
I went to the shop and the owner was concerned. We decided to bench test the detector and also bring two identical detectors and another guy to see if they worked the same. It was quite clear after testing that my new detector was not working properly. The shop owner emailed the company. The company’s immediate response was great: “We are sorry; send it in; another is on its way.”
After the testing, I asked the owner if I could just return it and get a brand B detector with a larger coil. To my delight he agreed. The main reason I did this was to make it possible to compare brand B against brand A with the same size coil. They are both great machines.
I just was so glad I did not buy over the Internet. The price was good but the service was exceptional. If I bought over the Internet, I would be mailing it back now and waiting weeks to get a repaired detector and paying shipping.
Local shops not only give you these priceless opportunities to demo equipment but also, local shops help keep us together and in contact with each other. It is helpful to get feedback from locals detecting the area you will detect. You get to see their results with their detector in your local environment. Local shops are places to hang out and show your finds and enjoy the finds of others. You can get the latest information on detectors from users in your area. We all know how one detector may not be the best for another area. Local shops keep clubs together and organize special events. It’s a place you can take your finds to get feedback on what it is, how to clean it, its value, where to sell it, who may want it, and how to preserve it, etc.
It seems obvious that we do business where we perceive we receive the best value for our time and money. Perceptions, however, are not always accurate when we are lacking some of the essential information for fully informed decisions. We see and hear the omnipresent ads of metal detecting companies everyday, but are collectively under-informed about the many important factors of a local shop, the local environment and the many factors of the detecting strategies. And each time we spend a dollar on a detector, we would do well to weigh the full value of our choices, not solely to get the detector at the lowest price, but for the benefits of all the aspects and needs of the hobby.
I also will have to write about the great support, time, dedication, invest, research, expertise, understanding that my local shop owner has given to this hobby.
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