Bad Escort Customer Service

[djrams80]

Just an update. Apparently, Michael Kennedy at Escort figured that since I needed the key code, that meant I was trying to register my 9500ci. Well, the serial number that I gave them was already registered, to me. In reality, I was only trying to update my database. I told this to the customer service rep, but it looks like the email sent to Michael Kennedy said nothing about why I needed the key code, only that I needed it. Herein lied the confusion.

Michael Kennedy sent me two apologetic emails this morning explaining all of this, without the "throwing the customer service rep under the bus" part. I deciphered that. I have made sure to store this all-important key code in several different places, now that I realize its' magnitude. I was told earlier by the phone support person that I only needed it to register my 9500ci, which obviously turned out to be totally false.

Anyhow, I downloaded the updated database and merged it with my Truelock data. Was pretty easy, once I had the key code.

[RadarKid]

Just an update. Apparently, Michael Kennedy at Escort figured that since I needed the key code, that meant I was trying to register my 9500ci. Well, the serial number that I gave them was already registered, to me. In reality, I was only trying to update my database. I told this to the customer service rep, but it looks like the email sent to Michael Kennedy said nothing about why I needed the key code, only that I needed it. Herein lied the confusion.

Michael Kennedy sent me two apologetic emails this morning explaining all of this, without the "throwing the customer service rep under the bus" part. I deciphered that. I have made sure to store this all-important key code in several different places, now that I realize its' magnitude. I was told earlier by the phone support person that I only needed it to register my 9500ci, which obviously turned out to be totally false.

Anyhow, I downloaded the updated database and merged it with my Truelock data. Was pretty easy, once I had the key code.

Good deal. Glad to hear you worked it out. I think all in all M.K. is a good guy. Unfortunately he's busy as hell and therefore difficult to get a hold of...and even more unfortunate, and less excusable is some of the Cust.Service reps that are better suited working in a factor assembly line where it doesnt require any PEOPLE skills.

[focalcivic]

Just an update. Apparently, Michael Kennedy at Escort figured that since I needed the key code, that meant I was trying to register my 9500ci. Well, the serial number that I gave them was already registered, to me. In reality, I was only trying to update my database. I told this to the customer service rep, but it looks like the email sent to Michael Kennedy said nothing about why I needed the key code, only that I needed it. Herein lied the confusion.

Michael Kennedy sent me two apologetic emails this morning explaining all of this, without the "throwing the customer service rep under the bus" part. I deciphered that. I have made sure to store this all-important key code in several different places, now that I realize its' magnitude. I was told earlier by the phone support person that I only needed it to register my 9500ci, which obviously turned out to be totally false.

Anyhow, I downloaded the updated database and merged it with my Truelock data. Was pretty easy, once I had the key code.

I am curious do you DL the file and save it, then merge to the ci?

[djrams80]

I am curious do you DL the file and save it, then merge to the ci?

That's correct. First you download the latest database file, then press the big green button on the software that's marked "merge your data(Truelock and Marked locations) with the ESCORT location database", then grab the most recent downloaded file and the software does the rest.

[MEM-TEK]

...Michael Kennedy sent me two apologetic emails this morning explaining all of this, without the "throwing the customer service rep under the bus" part. I deciphered that...

Hi djrams80,

I'm glad that Mike Kennedy got everything straightened out for you. It would have been really funny if he had actually joked about "throwing the CS rep under a bus!"

Good deal. Glad to hear you worked it out. I think all in all M.K. is a good guy. Unfortunately he's busy as hell and therefore difficult to get a hold of...

I too agree that M.K. is a really good dude. Mike Kennedy seems to be Escort's equivalent to Michael Batten of Whistler. Is it just coincidence that their first names are Michael? Hmm...

Here is a good example which shows how Mike K helped me out:

I have an older A4M9 STi which uses a different display and display circuit board compared to more recent STi RDs. The displays on older STi RDs such as mine were hand soldered into place onto the display circuit board, and sometimes the soldering wouldn't be done with enough heat and a cold solder joint or two could be created. So, after nine months of using my STi, its display became erratic and would either greatly dim or completely go out. Yet a mild slap to the RD case would magically make the display start working again for a while. So I checked the display ribbon, checked and reflowed the row of soldered display pins, and even checked the connector on the STi main board where the ribbon plugs in and reflowed those tiny connections. No dice -- the display still persisted in flickering out. I called Escort and the CS rep happily set me up with a RMA number. Yet I explained that I was headed out on a trip at the end of the week, couldn't bear to be without my STi, and asked if there was any way that I could get a new display module for my STi and that I would pay for the new display module.

The CS rep puts me through to Mike Kennedy. I quickly explain all of the above.

Mike K: "Did you check and reflow the three display pins on the top row? Those are the ones which sometimes have cold solder joints."

Me: "What three pins? The display has a top row of pins too?"

Mike K: "Look carefully through the front of the display. You will see three pins near the top of the display which exit through the back of the display."

Me: "I am an idiot! I didn't even think to look through the front of the display. If I had, then obviously I would have spotted those three pins!" That got a good laugh out of Mike K.

Mike K: "Reflow those three pins and in particular the center pin since it sounds like your display has a cold solder joint and has an intermittent ground issue."

Mike K then gave me his email address so that I could let him know how reflowing the pins worked out, and asked me how I liked my STi and my 9500i and some other stuff about these RDs. It was obvious that he is very interested in customer opinions about Bel and Escort products.

I get home from running errands in town, fire up my soldering iron immediately after walking in the door, open up my STi, find and carefully reflow the three pins hidden under the display ribbon and some insulating tape, and viola! My STi's display is fixed and has been working perfectly ever since. I emailed Mike K with photos of my before and after repair work. My repair work is so neat that it looks like the pins have been wave soldered.

Escort's Michael Kennedy is tops in my book. I owe him a round of drinks!