DeLeon issue! What to do?

[ohp800max]

Hey guys,

I just purchased a brand new DeLeon three days ago. I took it out to the test garden before heading for a nearby ghost town. The depth didn't seem very good and the DeLeon was going nuts in All Metal mode. Every swing would give a response no matter where the threshold was located, etc. I did absolutely everything possible to troubleshoot. Re-installed batteries, checked connections, no electronic interference, etc. I took the DeLeon out into a field in the middle of nowhere and it did the same thing in All Metal mode. I called my dealer that I bought the DeLeon from. He had me contact Tesoro and see if we could possibly exchange it, since he had other DeLeon's in stock, but he wasn't sure if Tesoro would do it.

I called Tesoro and talked to Vince. Great guy and very helpful. After going through all of the troubleshooting scenarios, he advised it may be a ground balancing issue and that I would need to send it in for repair. I've dealt with Tesoro in the past and their customer service and warranty are second to none, but am I alone in thinking that something is wrong in that I should buy a $500 detector and then pay an additional $20 or so to ship it in for repair after three days of ownership? Heck, that amounts to two new coil covers (which the DeLeon does NOT come standard with). Any thoughts on any steps I should consider, or just bite the bullet, pay $20 more bucks and send it in for repair? What are your thoughts?

ohp800max

 

[BarberBill]

Well that's a bummer. Don't know what mineralization your ground has, but it may turn out to be more than just a ground balance problem so it would be beneficial for Tesoro to check it out. My Deleon doesn't do that. They do pay the return shipping by the way and their turn around time is usually a week to ten days back to your door. They stand behind their products very well so you should get it back it great shape.
HH
BB

 

[Joel-Winnipeg]

Is the $20 they want to be used to cover mailing ?
If its new the dealer should just exchange it or send it to the Tesoro at his expense.
Sounds like a factory defect .
It was only 3 days old why should you have to pay !

 

[foiled again tab hunter]

n/t

 

[foiled again tab hunter]

n/t

 

[ohp800max]

The $20 is about what it will cost me to ship the unit back to Tesoro. I can't just ship the control box and coil with the DeLeon. The handle, etc must go also.

I'm going to see what the dealer will do. I know this is an isolated incident, but it screwed up the only nice day of hunting in the last month here in Oklahoma! I'll see what I can work out with the dealer, but he acted as tho Tesoro would probably not let him do a swap. Maybe the shipping thing could work though, that's a good idea. I'll see what happens and keep you posted.

ohp800max

Is the $20 they want to be used to cover mailing ?
If its new the dealer should just exchange it or send it to the Tesoro at his expense.
Sounds like a factory defect .
It was only 3 days old why should you have to pay !

 

[Tfor2]

Something sounds fishy with this deal. I suspect a major internal problem.

The detector companies always see it as the buyer

 

[Hopskippy]

One would think the dealer would replace the item if it has only been a couple days. I think I'd insist they (the dealer) take it back or replace it. Most places will replace a store item within the first 30 days if there is a problem? This is certainly a puzzling situation.But, it would certainly be worth the shipping to protect your already invested (undoubtedly hard earned cash).GOOD LUCK, I hope it works out for you!
Please keep us posted on how this issue works out.

 

[ohp800max]

Well, my dealer called me first thing this morning and had a suggestion. He said he was thinking about how the DeLeon was acting and when he walked across his yard to get the mail, he was literally sinking in his yard. We have been under snow for several weeks and the soil IS very wet right now. He asked if the places I had gone to were real wet. The locations were wet, but they didn't seem so wet that I couldn't effectively hunt. In fact I did very well with my MXT while the DeLeon sat in the car. He advised that with the lack of ground tracking on the DeLeon, the soil conditions may have been too severe for the DeLeon to handle. This seems plausible, but dang, I like to hunt when it's wet! (easier digging, etc). He suggested waiting for the ground to dry up a bit and see what happens. Seems like a good idea, but I don't want a detector that goes crazy every time it rains or the ground is saturated! What do you guys think? Also, any DeLeon users ever have any of the issues?

ohp800max

 

[tab-nabit]

["Every swing would give a response no matter where the threshold was located, etc. I did absolutely everything possible"]
--You should be able to ground balance to obtain a steady nor near steady threshold over a clean spot before moving on.

["I just purchased a brand new DeLeon three days ago. I called my dealer that I bought the DeLeon from."]
--I'd get right back to the Dealer on this. He should check it out but should exchange it on the spot if there is a problem with it. If you called your dealer that you bought it from, I can't understand why he didn't suggest returning.
Do the simple first, like installing new fresh set of batteries, check coil connection, etc., but if the machine does not work properly, the dealer should be involved on correcting a problem machine just sold.

[" He had me contact Tesoro and see if we could possibly exchange it, since he had other DeLeon's in stock, but he wasn't sure if Tesoro would do it."]
--Sorry but I just don't buy off on this one.

["I called Tesoro and talked to Vince. Great guy and very helpful. "]
-- True
ohp800max

**So you buy a new machine from a dealer - it's not working as should - dealer tells you to call Tesoro although the dealer has more DeLeon's in stock - Tesoro says it might be a GB issue - :veryangry:

I'd be seeing the dealer real soon myself.

 

[Tfor2]

I don't buy the wet ground story. I've used Tesoros since Hector was a pup and I haven't ever had such an experience with any of them and I've hunted bayous and swamps. I've owned almost all models including the excellent DeLeon.

Your dealer got this flash thought that it was the wet ground, eh? Go there and try another DeLeon he has and see if it does the same thing.

I'm 100% for Tesoro but your story is growing increasingly more frequent these days. I wonder what's up?

It sounds like your dealer isn't going to exchange detectors for you so I'd send the DeLeon back with a note about the cost of postage to mail it to them. Most likely they'll do nothing about that but at least they'll know.

Tesoro will probably find a short somewhere and correct it.

I always hate to read stories like this but stuff happens.

Oh also, you mentioned the coil covers in your first post in this thread. Those covers should be supplied with a new machine. Tesoro's seach coils are only half finished as they come from the factory. Who else sells their coils with the internal epoxy showing?

 

[bhcarl]

Whats the dealers name? Not good business on his part. My deleon works fine on wet muddy ground.

 

[ohp800max]

Whats the dealers name? Not good business on his part. My deleon works fine on wet muddy ground.

Wayne's Detectors in OKC. He's been willing to help, but here's the deal. I went by today and we talked about it. His shop is located in a strip mall and there is no way to get away from all of the electrical interference, it is literally everywhere! I took his display DeLeon outside and as far away from the buildings as possible and it was going haywire in All Metal also. He placed a call to another Tesoro distributor in Missouri and asked him if they had any issues with the DeLeon in this type of environment. (We have had a huge snowstorm and ice storm in the last month or so with almost no sun. Yesterday was the first sunshine in a while and the weather was nice and almost 50 degree with no snow on the ground and nice, easy digging. In fact, the ground WAS moist, but my boots never even got muddy). The dealer from Missouri advised that under these conditions, ice crystals form under the soil and wreak havoc on the All Metal mode until the ground thaws. Listen, I'm no expert, but that was an explanation I have never heard! Anyway, Wayne's wants me to wait until the ground thaws a bit and then try again. If the problem persists, I "think" he will make arrangements to ship the unit in for repair. I told him if the unit won't hunt in wet soil then we have a problem because I like hunting right after rains and in moist soil. He said there is a huge difference between wet soil and wet, frozen ground. He may very well be right, I have no idea? He is a very knowledgeable detectorist, but I just can't help but think something is wrong with the DeLeon. One thing I did notice yesterday was that I took the DeLeon and a friends Vaquero to my test garden before I headed out to hunt. The Vaquero took very little adjustment to ground balance, but I notice the Vaquero had no where near the depth it usually does and it would not signal on several of the coins it usually hammers. The DeLeon only hit one coin out of the five (all denominations from 4 to 6 inches. It only hit the penny at 4 inches) and the Vaquero only did slightly better, so there "may" be something to the ground conditions???? Not sure... My MXT hammered all coins like there was not a problem with clear, crisp signals. Is this the result of the ground tracking???

So, there's the story so far. Don't think I've ever read of a topic like this on here before! I guess I'll wait as I'm in no big hurry as we're expecting snow again tomorrow and I've got an MXT, but like I said, for $500, this shouldn't be an issue! I've got a terrible shoulder from old baseball injuries and I really want to get familiar with the DeLeon before I get serious with it this upcoming season!!! What do you guys think?

ohp800max

 

[Furious T]

I've never struck anything like it with my DeLeon, but then it doesn't snow where I live (gets down to -8 deg. C, but no snow). If the problem persists, I believe your dealer has an obligation (after all, you paid him for the detector) to send it back to Tesoro. If it was a few years old, the situation might be different, but since you've only had yours for 3 days, then I think the ball is well and truly in the dealer's court. All the best, and hope you get the problem sorted out. You could talk to Tesoro to see if they have any feedback from other people re the snow and sodden ground issue. If not, then your detector might well need adjusting.

 

[digitaltim]

n/t

 

[amcjavelin]

i agree with furious T, the dealer should exchange but there might be a policy amongst tesoro about the warranty card, maybe they don't exchange or whatever the case if that were me as a dealer i would take it back go through what tesoro requires for warranty work and in the mean time at least give the customer a loaner while his was being fixed or something to that effect would'nt you guys do something like that if you were dealers, or something near?

 

[Joel-Winnipeg]

Have hunted in wet frozen ground up here with no problem the only thing it was the MXT
The only thing that the De Leon has questionable is preset ground balance not sure if his would play in it ?

 

[Furious T]

I wasn't suggesting necessarily that the dealer should exchange machines. What I was saying is that it is his obligation to sort out the problem with the detector, if there is one.

 

[Nauti]

I've hunted wet frozen ground with many fixed ground balance detectors and they have all been ok.Frozen ground will not make any difference to a detector....sounds like a fault or severe electrical interference.

 

[Monte]

returned for a refund. So far as I am concerned, ANY manufacturer who produces a model with a fixed (factory set or designed) Ground Balance that is not easily adjustable by the consumer, or not adjustable at all, and is supplied with a factory default setting that is insufficient (non-functional) for most ground mineral conditions ought to quickly, and without question, refund the full selling price of that model. That, or immediately remedy the problem without cost to the consumer.

The problem is, and I know that some people who have some level of success with some of these Tesoro will chime in and call me nuts, but the problem is that I haven't had a decent working Cort