ManInTheWaLL
Banned
Thank you for the attention, bad publicity is better than none! Keep my name out there!
Updated 6/29: Minelab USA Service Experience, Completed
- Thread starter AirmetTango
- Start date
Thank you for the attention, bad publicity is better than none! Keep my name out there!
It's good to hear that you are not crazy.
Also it's good to hear that Minelab work through the situation and that they offered you a different pod. Much cheaper to buy a different pod than a whole new unit. Also on June 30th barring any unforeseen issues I will be at the same place we met last time. FYI
Also it's good to hear that Minelab work through the situation and that they offered you a different pod. Much cheaper to buy a different pod than a whole new unit. Also on June 30th barring any unforeseen issues I will be at the same place we met last time. FYI
AirmetTango
Forum Supporter
It's good to hear that you are not crazy.
Well, I guess I may still be crazy…just not about the detector misbehaving : Exactly my thoughts - I’m happy to replace the pod over a new detector any day.
I’ll be happy to meet out there again! Not sure if I’ll receive the new unit by the 30th, but if not, and you can still loan the Ace, I’ll do the driving again
Sounds like a very satisfactory conclusion to your issue.
I have two out of warranty 800s that could go nuts too so I appreciate you sharing and detailing your experience. I will definitely keep a close eye on mine for signs of erratic behavior.
I have two out of warranty 800s that could go nuts too so I appreciate you sharing and detailing your experience. I will definitely keep a close eye on mine for signs of erratic behavior.
Well, I guess I may still be crazy…just not about the detector misbehaving : Exactly my thoughts - I’m happy to replace the pod over a new detector any day.
I’ll be happy to meet out there again! Not sure if I’ll receive the new unit by the 30th, but if not, and you can still loan the Ace, I’ll do the driving again
Never a problem never a charge! I'll keep you posted.
AirmetTango
Forum Supporter
Yes, I’m very pleased with the experience overall, jmaclen. The process was very transparent - once evaluation of my unit began, it was very easy to track progress. The reports from the tester had more detail than I expected, and showed diligence and care for diagnosing the machine. The tester also answered all questions that I asked through the on-line portal, and I had those answers by the next business day or sooner. The fact that they are sending back the new battery that I purchased for my old pod says something about their principles also, in my opinion. Since the new pod comes with its own new battery, they could have easily made a believable case that my battery needed to stay with the surrendered pod. Lastly, on the two occasions that I called their facility, the representative was very friendly, helpful, and competent. In my opinion, the quality of the process and the positive end result easily off-set the minor wait that I initially experienced.
Hopefully your 800s stay healthy and trouble free - but I think you can have full confidence in Minelab service through Detector Center if you ever need it.
Coin-Saver
Elite Member
Glad to hear that your experience went well. Customer service is a make or break situation that too many companies fail to realize.
AirmetTango
Forum Supporter
The new control pod arrived this morning, so I’m back in business! Along with my old coil, they also sent back my recently purchased battery from my old control pod (the new pod has its own fresh battery). Notice they also salvaged my old screen protector and sent it back, taped gently to the temporary protective plastic on the pod face. I have a new one that I plan to use, but cool that they took the extra effort - it shows an attention to detail that is often lacking in customer service.
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Heymirth
Junior Member
Same Here. Spooky
This is almost my identical story. Started with VDI numbers almost too high—- the sent back, tested and was told a crack in battery compartment and $429 paid to get a new unit. Hmmmmmm
This is almost my identical story. Started with VDI numbers almost too high—- the sent back, tested and was told a crack in battery compartment and $429 paid to get a new unit. Hmmmmmm
Early in May I started noticing a pronounced change in the performance of my 3.5 year old Minelab Equinox - to make a long story short, medium depth high-conductive coin targets that used to have reasonably stable TIDs were suddenly indicating wild fluctuations and extensive “up-averaging” (US zinc pennies reading 20-30, dimes in the upper 20s to mid-30s, for example) in the dirt. I tried several troubleshooting methods with no success, including enlisting the generous help of fellow forum member and Equinox user Dan B. to compare targets and swap coils.
Just for information purposes, I’m posting a timeline of my service experience so far:
Friday, 5/27: Contacted Minelab support regarding the issue. Phone calls were answered by an automated phone tree, so I wrote a detailed email, which ultimately triggered an automated email response within an hour from Minelab explaining how to create a ticket number and submit the detector for repair or service. I successfully created a ticket number, and boxed up my control pod and 11” coil for evaluation.
Saturday, 5/28: Took the box to the post office for mailing to the Minelab’s Pennsylvania service facility, “Detector Center”.
Tuesday, 5/31: Received what appears to be a semi-automated email from Detector Center, stating that they received my equipment for evaluation and repair. Woohoo! Kudos to the post office for speedy delivery over a holiday weekend! But after that, nothing for awhile as my detector waited its turn…
Wednesday, 6/15: After over 2 weeks and not hearing anything, I called Detector Center. I called almost first thing in the morning and got a human being immediately. He was quickly able to look up my ticket, and confirmed that no one had looked at my detector yet. I was very polite and asked if he could give me an idea where my detector was in the overall queue, and he stated that he was sure someone would be looking at it “within the next few days” since it had already been two weeks. At one point during the call I got disconnected, and was impressed that the gentleman I was talking to immediately called me back. He spent a little time talking about the process with me, that they don’t rush things so they can be sure to get things right, etc. Overall, a very pleasant conversation despite not getting any specific news about my machine.
Wednesday, 6/22, AM: Phone call in the morning to Detector Center, and again spoke with Mike. Extremely pleasant conversation, and Mike confirmed that no work has started on my machine. He gave me the information for another specific individual to contact if I don't get any additional information by the end of today, and that individual will be able to give a much more accurate estimate of timing for my machine. I know that sounds like a brush off to read it, but in the context of the full conversation, I'm satisfied. Again, I don't care so much about the actual time it takes - I'm just interested in knowing a reasonable approximation for planning purposes, and ensuring that my machine hasn't somehow fallen through the cracks. Anyway, I'll likely wait until Friday to call the other individual, if necessary.
Wednesday, 6/22, PM: Received notification that my control pod and coil had been both bench tested and field tested versus an in-house Equinox 800 with equal settings. Turns out that the machine performed as expected throughout the testing, including buried targets. However, the tester mentioned they will retain the unit for further testing in case it's an intermittent issue (it didn't seem to be intermittent for me, but I very much appreciate the thoroughness). The report did note that there was "a small crack in the battery compartment above the screw mount for the battery bung. This would be a leaking point for the unit if taken in the water and submerged." I'll look forward to getting further info as they continue to evaluate the unit.
Thursday, 6/23: Received notification that additional testing was performed on my unit. The tester left my unit running for a few hours on the bench, then took it out in the field to test versus the in-house EQ800 again. It appears he actually took the machines out to test “in the wild” targets as opposed to a test garden, as his report stated that “I found a small, weaker target for testing” that seemed closer to the edge of detection range. The in-house detector gave a fairly solid TID and hit the target 9/10 times; my unit varied more widely in TID and only hit the target 6/10 times. He mentioned swapping coils to verify it as a control pod issue. Anyway, final diagnosis is “a slight loss of detection depth and more wide spread VDI numbers” compared to their in-house unit. I’m not sure if the extra run time played a role, or if it was the deeper, in-the-wild target vs. a recently buried test garden that made the difference, but at least the issue duplicated for them, and I know I’m not crazyThey’ve offered to sell me a new control pod at $429. I’m out of warranty, so I expected all repairs/replacements to be on me, and I assumed a control pod replacement was likely when I sent the unit in to begin with. I sent a response back accepting the purchase of a new pod - it resolves both the performance issue I was concerned about and the crack I didn’t know I had, restores my confidence in my machine, and gives me a reset on the 3-year warranty. I’ll continue to update until I receive the new pod and my original coil back from Detector Center.
Thursday, 6/24: Had a series of communications with the tester at Detector Center today via email/online portal, including the invoice for payment. Also, the tester verified operation of the new control pod coupled with my coil against the in-house EQ800 over the same deeper target from yesterday - he noted good number grouping and target acquisition just like the test unit. In response to one of my questions, the tester confirmed that the pod would come with its own brand new battery, so they're even sending back the battery from my old unit - nice since it's also new (I replaced the battery as part of my own troubleshooting before sending the unit to them). A little later I received notification that the package was being shipped with a USPS Priority Mail 2-day shipping tracking number! So it looks like I'll be back in business as early as Monday!
Wednesday, 6/29: Post Office delivered the package containing my new control pod this morning! Included in the package with the pod were my old coil of course, plus the battery that I recently purchased for my old pod, and a multiple page print out from the online portal which logs all communications and testing notes. I was surprised to see that they even salvaged my old control pod screen protector - peeled it off and sent it back! I’ve got a new one that I plan to use, but cool that they made the effort - it just shows an impressive attention to detail. The package was sent by USPS Priority Mail - it wasn’t picked up by USPS from Detector Center until Monday 6/27, and it arrived first thing this morning, so total ship time was about 2 days from western PA to northwest OH. Be aware that I did need to sign for the package, so if you can’t be home for delivery, you may end up needing to pick it up at the post office if you ever need to do a similar repair.
Detector Center does provide a convenient online portal you can log into and track the progress of the repair based on your individual ticket number. The system seems well designed, and was updated right away each time the status changed. I also received emails with the same information with each status update. Pretty impressive and transparent process. Overall, I'm pleased with the service and responsiveness of the staff at Detector Center. Although it took a few weeks before they could get to my unit, I think that was largely a factor of hitting them at a peak repair season. Patience was rewarded with diligent service and a positive outcome, and that's the real goal anyway.
So that’s it, my repair/replacement scenario on my machine is complete, and it was a very satisfactory experience overall. Took about a full month from door to door, which isn’t bad considering it’s probably one of their busiest periods. Hopefully this timeline will help future Minelab support customers understand the process or know what to expect in the future.
