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Topic:
Wattbox IP pieces
This thread has 26 replies. Displaying posts 1 through 15.
Post 1 made on Friday December 7, 2018 at 21:15
punter16
Active Member
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594
We've had a number of these go bad on us...anyone else? Snap swaps them which is great but I've seen more stop working/blow banks than I experienced with other lines we sold in the past. Anyone else?
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Post 2 made on Friday December 7, 2018 at 21:18
goldenzrule
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Heeeeerrrreeeee we go!!!
Post 3 made on Friday December 7, 2018 at 22:08
Fins
Elite Member
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Tuck, you’re up!
Civil War reenactment is LARPing for people with no imagination.

Post 4 made on Friday December 7, 2018 at 22:14
Trunk-Slammer -Supreme
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Got a plug on them?


There ya go.
Post 5 made on Saturday December 8, 2018 at 01:05
Zohan
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3,096
Just had a client email me yesterday about his.
It's 4 years old so im not even going to try to get it replaced.
I'll probably go with a middle atlantic racklink instead

[Link: middleatlantic.com]
Post 6 made on Saturday December 8, 2018 at 02:07
BrettLee3232
Long Time Member
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423
On December 7, 2018 at 21:15, punter16 said...
We've had a number of these go bad on us...anyone else? Snap swaps them which is great but I've seen more stop working/blow banks than I experienced with other lines we sold in the past. Anyone else?

They had a bad batch of the old 12 outlet (8 controlled) & the 6 Port (2 banks) something would eventually happen and it would trip the internal breaker but you couldn’t reset it. They’ve always replaced them no questions asked. If I remember correctly they actually sent out an email (if you’ve bought a WattBox from said date-to said date type of thing). They actually sent out an advanced replacement to me because they knew it would be an issue sooner than later.

It’s been annoying to say the least but 9 out of 10 times it’s gotten me in front of the customer & have sold an upgrade out of it.

The newer stuff is rock solid & you cannot beat OVRC. But it was annoying having to replace them. Especially if you sold a lot of them haha
Knowing that Gold went up a few K makes me think "well now I have to do a better job on selling more equipment".

-Me... Jan. 2014
Post 7 made on Saturday December 8, 2018 at 02:12
PSS
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On December 8, 2018 at 01:05, Zohan said...
Just had a client email me yesterday about his.
It's 4 years old so im not even going to try to get it replaced.
I'll probably go with a middle atlantic racklink instead

[Link: middleatlantic.com]

They'll still replace it, no question.
It's a pain in the ass, losing time to replace it but it's way past any warranty. I don't know about you but our warranty is one year. But, I typically extend that to one and half to two years, depending on the client. But if it's beyond 1.5-2 years I charge for my time, any other industry would.
On Wattboxes that have died after 2-4 years I charge for my time and time to box and take old unit to FedEx, no reason not to.
What other mfg replaces parts after 4 years? Not any in our industry, that I know of. I personally haven't had any problems with the newer models and still sell them with no hesitation.
My .02
Post 8 made on Saturday December 8, 2018 at 03:40
Mac Burks (39)
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This comment is not about snap or wattboxes...just about stuff that fails in general.

It's not about replacements or fast shipping etc. It's about the client losing faith in us. "The expert cant even choose a product thats reliable". Do the manufacturers know how embarrassing and ridiculous it is for us to say things like "yeah those old things were garbage, glad they are all gone...but hey...same company has a new product that isn't garbage".

What i would like to see...at the very least...is a list of where/why things failed. Maybe its Florida. Maybe its New York. Maybe its the mountains. Maybe its a specific part. Maybe we cant use them on Wednesdays. Whatever it is I need a reason why 9 out of 10 devices are failing at multiple projects within a year and almost 100% failure at every project within 2 years. This was with a similar competing product and i wont mention their names here because i want to keep my job.

I'm seriously considering going back to the dumb power strips that have big red power switches on them. I can put labels on them for the clients that say "Try turning it off and then on again".

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Post 9 made on Saturday December 8, 2018 at 09:48
3PedalMINI
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What Mac Said.

I don’t think manufacturers get or even understand how bad this makes US look. In the customers eyes it gets to the point of “maybe it’s not the manufacture” I have a job where A product has failed almost like clockwork every 3-4 months. The manufacturer keeps replacing it but on the last install my client jokingingly but not really “maybe it’s not the product, maybe it’s you”

I have gotten to the point of telling clients that for how frustrating it is for you, maybe you should think how frustrating it is for me. To have to continually roll a truck on my dime (during warranty) and squeeze these replacements in. Some realize but others I don’t think care.

I don’t think anyone realizes how frustrating this industry is and at the root of it is the manufacturers. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY has any accountability for what they are selling.
The Bitterness of Poor Quality is Remembered Long after the Sweetness of Price is Forgotten! - Benjamin Franklin
Post 10 made on Saturday December 8, 2018 at 10:42
Rob Grabon
Founding Member
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1,392
The elephant in the room.
Selling cool tech that devalues quicker than an automobile and costs as much.
Technology is cheap, Time is expensive.
Post 11 made on Saturday December 8, 2018 at 11:05
Fins
Elite Member
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11,627
I have a client that only drives landrovers. That’s what she likes. She gets a new one about every other year, maybe sooner. One time my boss said to her, “next time you go to trade landrovers, I’d be interested in buying it”. She looked at him and a politely and seriously as she could, replied, “oh, you don’t want a Landrover that’s out of warranty”. She wouldn’t even entertain the idea even though it would probably get her more money for the vehicle, because she wouldn’t sell a used landrover to someone she knew.

It’s frustrating that for some products our clients just accept they fail. For example this client wouldn’t dare drive a Landcruiser that would probably never give her a problem.
Civil War reenactment is LARPing for people with no imagination.

Post 12 made on Saturday December 8, 2018 at 11:33
cma
Super Member
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On December 8, 2018 at 03:40, Mac Burks (39) said...
This comment is not about snap or wattboxes...just about stuff that fails in general.

It's not about replacements or fast shipping etc. It's about the client losing faith in us. "The expert cant even choose a product thats reliable". Do the manufacturers know how embarrassing and ridiculous it is for us to say things like "yeah those old things were garbage, glad they are all gone...but hey...same company has a new product that isn't garbage".

What i would like to see...at the very least...is a list of where/why things failed. Maybe its Florida. Maybe its New York. Maybe its the mountains. Maybe its a specific part. Maybe we cant use them on Wednesdays. Whatever it is I need a reason why 9 out of 10 devices are failing at multiple projects within a year and almost 100% failure at every project within 2 years. This was with a similar competing product and i wont mention their names here because i want to keep my job.

I'm seriously considering going back to the dumb power strips that have big red power switches on them. I can put labels on them for the clients that say "Try turning it off and then on again".


Not only that but what stings about the Wattbox issue is that this is the one piece that we sell to clients under the pretense that this piece is critical for giving them a long lasting/reliable system that allows us to monitor the system and resolve issues before they even know they have them.
Post 13 made on Saturday December 8, 2018 at 11:35
internetraver
Advanced Member
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Posts:
April 2003
797
On December 8, 2018 at 03:40, Mac Burks (39) said...
This comment is not about snap or wattboxes...just about stuff that fails in general.

It's not about replacements or fast shipping etc. It's about the client losing faith in us. "The expert cant even choose a product thats reliable". Do the manufacturers know how embarrassing and ridiculous it is for us to say things like "yeah those old things were garbage, glad they are all gone...but hey...same company has a new product that isn't garbage".

What i would like to see...at the very least...is a list of where/why things failed. Maybe its Florida. Maybe its New York. Maybe its the mountains. Maybe its a specific part. Maybe we cant use them on Wednesdays. Whatever it is I need a reason why 9 out of 10 devices are failing at multiple projects within a year and almost 100% failure at every project within 2 years. This was with a similar competing product and i wont mention their names here because i want to keep my job.

I'm seriously considering going back to the dumb power strips that have big red power switches on them. I can put labels on them for the clients that say "Try turning it off and then on again".


Here we go again!!

[Link: remotecentral.com]
Post 14 made on Saturday December 8, 2018 at 17:39
Richie Rich
Senior Member
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July 2002
1,150
On December 8, 2018 at 02:07, BrettLee3232 said...
They had a bad batch of the old 12 outlet (8 controlled) & the 6 Port (2 banks) something would eventually happen and it would trip the internal breaker but you couldn’t reset it. They’ve always replaced them no questions asked. If I remember correctly they actually sent out an email (if you’ve bought a WattBox from said date-to said date type of thing). They actually sent out an advanced replacement to me because they knew it would be an issue sooner than later.

It’s been annoying to say the least but 9 out of 10 times it’s gotten me in front of the customer & have sold an upgrade out of it.

The newer stuff is rock solid & you cannot beat OVRC. But it was annoying having to replace them. Especially if you sold a lot of them haha

I had two fail that were in this group, replaced by Snap without issue.
And I have had one 3 outlet that had an outlet go bad. Also sent an advanced replacement without complaint.

Think I have ~30 Wattboxes out in the field, losing two known defective units and one otherwise isn't too bad if you ask me.
I am a trained professional..... Do not attempt this stunt at home.
Post 15 made on Saturday December 8, 2018 at 21:30
Tony Golden
Founding Member
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August 2001
654
On December 8, 2018 at 09:48, 3PedalMINI said...
I have gotten to the point of telling clients that for how frustrating it is for you, maybe you should think how frustrating it is for me. To have to continually roll a truck on my dime (during warranty) and squeeze these replacements in. Some realize but others I don’t think care.

That's probably one of the WORST things you can say to a client that's having problems.

In their mind, it's all YOUR fault anyway. You selected the product, you sold it to them, you installed it, you told them it was great. Now it doesn't work - and how dare you compare your inconvenience to theirs. They don't care who made it, or why it broke, or how bad your day is - they just want it fixed, yesterday :-)
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