Returned Units.......What happens to them ?

[dr_King]

I believe Escort had a policy such that a buyer could return a unit within a 30-day period. If thats correct then there should be a lot of "used" detectors in a back room somewhere because they can't be sold as new. I inquired about open box discounts. They replied such that they do not sell refurbished items. Huh ??? I guess "escortradar" located in West Chester Ohio selling refurbished RDs on fleabay is a different company. No wonder their customer service SUCKS.

[nine_c1]

They might have what is referred to as an ETN process for
returned equipment. Returned units within a specified time from original manufacture may go through a tear down of the sub assemblies and go back into a complete test and inspection. Provided they meet the current specs in the component tests and inspection process, they may qualify for ETN status which is "equivalent to new". Any components subject to wear and tear (outer case, lens, cords, speaker.....etc.) would be replaced with new.

In any case, if a manufacturer has a qualified ETN process, used parts can be applied and sold as new.

[bigalinwv]

I believe Escort had a policy such that a buyer could return a unit within a 30-day period. If thats correct then there should be a lot of "used" detectors in a back room somewhere because they can't be sold as new. I inquired about open box discounts. They replied such that they do not sell refurbished items. Huh ??? I guess "escortradar" located in West Chester Ohio selling refurbished RDs on fleabay is a different company. No wonder their customer service SUCKS.

Actually if you look on fleabay for a seller named "pfbsales", it sure seems like that seller must have the old units. A lot of old escorts and bels.

If you have a problem with CS at Escort I highly recommend that you PM EscortRadar on here on the Escort forum. He will take care of you.

[VanMan]

This is complicated and I apologize for the length. For this purpose, a returned unit will be one in which it has been opened and removed from the box.

I highly doubt that Escort, or any high end maker for that matter, would ever sell a returned unit as new given the liability it presents and how it can obviously damage a name. It would be a poor business practice that would ultimately cost more money than it would make. Many makers have a different company division of indirect affiliation or subcontract a third party company to sell these units as refurbished because they are not new. Because the parent company/maker knows who is selling them and that they are not knock offs/grayscales/replicas/etc., the maker will usually warranty them. However, refurbished models often have a different length warranty than the new models (sometimes shorter and sometimes longer), as well as varying warranty terms. Some people feel that refurbished models are, as a general rule, more reliable than newer models because they go through more than one series of inspection and tests. If it is a refurbished model that has been refurbished from the factory, it is safe to assume that the model will still be reliable.

Finally, do not assume any seller is an authorized retailer (this goes for new and refurb models). Many companies will not warranty their items if they are not purchased from an authorized reseller. This is both a cost and quality containment method, as higher end models, such as Escorts and Valentines, have been made by people other than the makers and sold. Furthermore, authorized resellers must abide to terms that includes things such as: safe and proper handling/storage, acceptable warranty terms, selling only new (or refurb) models that they are given permission to do so, only purchasing their models from the maker to avoid knock-offs, acceptable sales reporting, maintaining stock availability, moving stock in the correct orders, and more. Usually, if you find any high end detector for a lot less than the factory, it is not a factory authorized retailer and you should know that this may or may not impact your warranty, and can increase the chance of complicating the order.

Amazon is perhaps the most complicated to explain, because a gazillion sellers are on Amazon and some of these sellers are and some of these sellers are not authorized to sell these products. This leads to significant confusion. Last I checked, Amazon, in itself, is NOT authorized to sell Escort, Bel, or Valentine products (I used these 3 as they are usually the standards upon which others are compared). With that said, the companies Escort/Beltronics and/or Valentine Research may personally sell these products ON Amazon, but they are sellers and they are not themselves Amazon. Authorized retailers may also be on Amazon. However, most sellers are not authorized and many products are not factory made. The accessories, such as mounting brackets, suction cups, wiring, clips, cases, etc. are often knock-offs that look identical and are sold as if they are company products, which they are not. Sellers often do this with marketing such as "Escort Passport 9500ix mounting bracket and four suction cups"; indeed the bracket and cups are for this product but they are not confirming nor denying that these are "Escort MADE ....". Most of these products are crap, and some can destroy your detector, such as a third-party wiring kit that fries it.

Ultimately, this has led to many people being angry over Escort/Bel/Valentine not honoring warranties on these unauthorized products or customers paying over MSRP. This is not their fault and in many ways, it is the third party unauthorized retailed, and to a lesser extent, Amazon’s. This is a liability issue and a cost-control issue on behalf of the maker, and a way of ensuring the safety of their respective and loyal customers. If a warranty was honored regardless of who sold it, then everyone and their grandmother’s dog would start making mock products. Before you know it, the 8500 X50 would cost $5,000.00 because Escort would have to replace all of these fake models with legit ones. Furthermore, if one buys a product that is a knock off without being told of these issues, the maker can be sued, despite the fact that the maker had absolutely no involvement in this process whatsoever. Furthermore, fake or altered products can result in things a lot worse than a ticket. One example would be a fire. If you get send shoddy wiring, bad things can happen. The reason I go into this in such depth is because Amazon is a for-profit industry, and they only explain this enough to avoid being sued. Many buyers have no idea of this, as the sale-coordination is a complicated process by design. This hurts both the individual buyer and the maker’s good name, and often protects those who sell fake products.

Ultimately, if any seller is NOT authorized, you may want to reconsider purchasing from them, as you really have no idea what the heck you are going to get. Would you really want to buy a refurbished model if the one who does the refurbishing is a 17 year old in his mother’s basement trying to get some money for some weed? This is why the makers do this and also why I had to give such a detailed explanation of why. I wish most buyers could see this before purchasing high-end electronics. Sorry for the long explanation but it is the only way to cover some major points of refurb models.



(***NOTE: I haven’t reviewed any recent ammendments to Amazon’s user-acceptance agreement, so some of what I say may be outdated; but ultimately, the issue of third-party, non-authorized, sellers is still a very, very current issue).

[689hodaka]

It's a safe bet that Escort (and Valentine etc.) tests them, puts on new cases with a new serial numbers, and sells them as "new".
Any nobody will ever be the wiser.
There is zero chance that Escort (or V1) destroys returned RD's.
I deal in music gear. Companies like Musicians Friend and Guitar Center also have a 30 day, no question, return policy.
I have bought $1,000 amplifiers and guitars, returned them within the 30 day return window, and the gear is on the floor for sale the following day, being sold "as new".
And it is all 100% legal.

[Bridge Cables]

It's a safe bet that Escort (and Valentine etc.) tests them, puts on new cases with a new serial numbers, and sells them as "new".
Any nobody will ever be the wiser.

From my understanding VR takes any returned V1’s and puts them to new spec’s including appearance wise, sells them as a refurb - return, discounts them and they carry a full one year warranty -same as new, sold only through VR.


BC

[NormSky]

Escort gave cash for 8500 returns, now sells them for $150.

[speeddemon]

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