Not to comment on the whole issue of URC criminalizing customers instead of the unauthorized dealers, but....

I really get a kick out of the CIs posting what amounts to, "Shoulda bought from an authorized dealer, now you're hosed, nyah nyah nyah" when those same CIs have "email for best price" buttons circumventing URC's Minimum Advertised Price policies on their sites.

Those in glass houses...

KC

I don't know about everyone else who reads this forum,, but it makes me very glad I will never need or use a CI.

I think many people who may have considered hiring one will read their posts in here and have a change of mind.

I don't recall EVER saying the "nyah nyah nyah" thing!

I've never been hired by diyers because they enjoy doing the job themselves! Duh!

I enjoy my "job" and I'm sure you enjoy doing the same thing for yourselves.

I've never had a problem with that!

In fact I'm just like you only I'm more addicted to this "fun" we call a hobby.

I decided to do it for a living! (silly me)

BUT, as a person that does this for a living, I have to play by the manufacturers rules or suggestions in the marketing of there product if I wish to be a dealer.

You can DIS us all you want but, until you've been in the business, you'll never fully understand.

My suggestion....

Keep your day job and keep 'this' as a hobby!

At times it sucks to have too much passion for your 'job'.

You don't 'get off at five', it carries on well into the night.

You just don't get paid for it!

If you've ever been late or missed something that is very important in your personal life because of work, your getting close to the 'plight' of the CI.

A 'self inflicted' pain that is brought on by the desire to take care of the client!

Since you have the desire and the ability to do it yourself, I doubt I would ever be in your house at 11pm on a Saturday night finishing up so you can have it done for your family function Sunday!
(would that be 'added value'??)

Lets keep it real! (Please?)

Have a good night.

Mike.


Editted for spelling!

KCCOMP, Your creating statements your brain can't back up. Prove those words And I will Apollogize.

Rich_guy, what happens when you get a bad hair cut? ;)

Well, can't say I ever have but if I felt I did I might complain, I am complaining here because I feel URC is terribly mistreating it's customers,,, they owe me nothing, I have my great remote I got it for a great price and I DO have "Live Updates" as well.

What I lost was RESPECT for URC and also for the CI's who seem to think they deserve the god given right to be sole distributors OR ELSE!

P.S. Pilgram you think these are qualities of a CI?? These are qualities of LIFE you are describing!!

Pilgrim, just a sample post of what CI's were saying:


Guess who wrote that? You did. Stolen car analogy... Nothing inflamatory there... If you go back and look it was basically that post that turned this whole thing into an ugly flame war.

You get what you paid for,,,,,, Until URC decides to take it away!!!

I know people that 'shut of their phone' at 5.

I'm jealous of them (a little bit).

I received a phone call on my cell at 10pm on Christmas eve from a client that had his projector lift lock up and it wouldn't come down!

I spent an hour walking his son through the procedure to manualy get it down.(no, I didn't bill him for the time!)

The whole time, my 'executive' sister was telling me to hang up!

Needless to say, I was the last one to open my presents!

I have no doubt that others in any proffesion have to deal with the same thing.

I just wish that you would realize that we are very dedicated to our clients and not treat us like a bunch of money hungry idiots that only whant your money!

I have an EE degree and could make a little more in that field but, I don't like the idea of sitting on my butt all day long!

I chose to do this because I love it!

I would never expect you our anyone else to understand (my mom sure doesn't understand!) why I chose this field!

People like you don't need us.(except to answer a few questions at times)

Fortunetly, there are a bunch of people that do!

Just be happy that we (you and I)are both working!

You make us sound as enjoyable as a trip to the IRS!

You can rant all you want on URC's decision to try and cut back on their products distribution problems.

I only wish that you wouldn't drag all of the people that are authorized to sell their products through the mud!

It just accured to me!

That's "profilling".

Kind of like not checking the terrorists at airports because it isn't polliticaly correct!

If I wasn't a white boy, I could take actions against you!!!!

It's a crazy world!

I seriously doubt that I caused this "flame war"

It was caused by people like you (potentially could have been me if I where in your shoes)

I merely offered a comparison of what you guy's where comparing this fiasco to!

Buy it from a dealer, you have no problems.

Buy it from an ebay guy, you have some potential problems!

It's as simple as that! Not what you wanted to hear, but quite simple!

So why are you pissed at me?

I didn't sell it to you!

I seriously doubt if we would have any contact at all if it wasn't for URC's decision to try to put an end to this undervalued selling process!

Am I happy?

Hell yes!

I use their product to allow people to operate things that they wouldn't have otherwise been able to control!

At the same time, I do feel bad for you.

It's not like your missing much.

Updates and that's about it!

The current editor that you have is the most stable program they have offered!

I know this is falling on deaf ears but I had to throw in my two cents!

Where are the Clowns...? At URC...?

Just kidding. But it struck me, that there are a lot of good CI and dealers here. No, I am not kidding. Many of them have been helpful to other participants.

But this URC policy has obviously created tension, and some have exploited it.

Many of us have a legitimate problem with the retroactive change of policy by URC. This is a fact. I know all the "should've bough authorized" and "the remote can learn, don't need updates." That's not the point. We feel we got screwed, we feel strongly about it, and we should be able to try and do something about it, or to vent, in a thread or two.

There have been a few here, who have fanned the flames of war between the CIs and the DIYs. One sees a post saying "LOL, the DYIs got taken and they deserve it" and one tends to react. And sometimes over-react. Then the war gets going, and we all forget the real reason for it. And the real reason are not the CIs, and not the DYIs. It's URC.

So who are some of the clowns fanning the flames? I just looked up RobEBurke, who has been posting since April, 2006.

Here is his very first post: "Vincent, Daniel had to delete 20+ posts from you on how horrible URC is and that you'd never use them again, and how you think they don't care...." ([Link: remotecentral.com]) Does this sound like someone who is new to the forum?

A few posts later, he said this about DIYs and their plight after the URC change of policy: "If you steal cable for 4 years and then cable finds the wire and cuts it off, do you go to the cable company and complain about it and demand they give you free cable again because you are "entitled" ."

He posts ONLY to defend URC, never about anything else. This is another example: "Hey Springs, I said it once, I'll say it again. "Contract the orifice in which you shove pies" Go back to the RTI group, they might want you."

RobEBurke claims to be a CI. But most CIs ask questions from time to time, or offer suggestions and answers to the problems of others. Rob never does either.

So, maybe URC does have a PR agency after all, and they engage in "guerilla PR." Either that, or Rob and a few others (all recent registrants,) are the URC equivalent to Star Trek groupies (maybe that's why he likes the "colorful" design of the MX-3000:-)

Peace to all. (But not to URC:-)

Thank you for saying that. I personally appreciate that very much. Having been at both ends of the spectrum here (asking lots of questions one time, providing lots of help other times) I don't like being painted the bad guy!

Pilgrim says it pretty well. It's always good to stop short of blanket judgment on anyone until you have "walked a mile in their shoes". Don't know what you do but I'd not put you in a large pool of bad guys just based on your vocation.

Peace, love, electronics!

Yeah, I am sure it was.

I was just pointing out that your post was the first inflamatory post in that long thread between CI's and DIYers. That is just a simple fact. I don't have a problem with CI's in general and really like the gentleman my parents have used. We have worked well together and he really knows his stuff. I do have a problem with URC, but that is a different story. Good luck in the future and if it makes you feel better, you can blame this whole mess on "people like me" with a whopping .1 posts per week. I understand that most CI's are good, hard working people who don't make a fortune and seem to be extremely helpful, its just a couple people on these forums seem to be the exception. BTW, I have bought from an authorized dealer, but that still doesn't mean I support URC's decision.

You started, no you started it, no you started it, no you started it.....

Come on, a stolen car analogy may not have been the best way to say it, but it seems to fall far short of inflammatory. The real problem entity in this is the un-authorized sellers, and the buyers from them are getting pinched. It's not meant to be inflammatory, but you get what you pay for and these people, some knowingly and some un-knowingly, got caught with their pants down.

That's life (not intended to be sticking tongue out).

Sorry, but Pilgram doesn't seem to be an instigator here. But back to the OP and the real thread about CI's.

That analization doesn't really jibe. Most of us CI's here work out of vans and don't sell stuff off the internet. Not that there's anything wrong with selling off the internet, but many guys who sell off the internet aren't Custom Installers. It's quite a varied bunch.

I don't see the hipocrasy.

People were not getting pinched by the discount sellers they were buying their remotes from, mostly they got great deals yes some may have sacrificed a manufacturers warranty for this great price but that is often expected.
But many people got the shaft from URC, who went far and beyond to punish customers for buying their products at a great price. Which is still considered by the average person to be way to much to ever spend on a remote, even buying my remote for 44% of MSRP everyone I work with thought I was nuts to pay so much money for a remote.

But what URC did was like if you went to a car dealer and got a great deal on a GM car, a nice discount below MSRP. You drive your car home feeling happy about your new car and your great buy only to find the next morning GM has removed your brake system because they did not like the dealer selling to you at such a great price.

URC's policy was a very unusual and unfair move to existing purchasers, this is a policy that should have been directed at new purchasers and with warning.. but what really should have been done was to creat better policies for URC's distribution which is why they have sellers able to sell their remotes. URC needs to admit this is a problem they created on their own, it was their distribution policies that needed changes, not recalling features already purchased as advertised.