Failure Of BH's "Ask An Expert" To Reply - Aggrravating!

[Golden Silver]

Bounty Hunter's website is found under detecting.com. On that page there is a link to "Ask An Expert" and on that page it says: [Ask An Expert

We currently have a knowledgeable staff of Customer Service Representatives and Technical Support Agents to assist you with all of your Bounty Hunter questions.

Please use the form below to ask an expert a question about your Bounty Hunter products or metal detecting.]

On Wednesday, May 21, I filled out the page's boxes and stated why I needed to "Ask An Expert." It was a simple request which should have been answered on Wednesday, or Thursday, or Friday! Here it is Saturday and, frankly, I don't think that there are any "knowledgeable staff" and "Technical Support Agents" behind the promise to assist. It's downright discourteous and aggravating. What they're saying, in effect, by ignoring my request is that they don't really give a damn.

I don't think I'm being harsh in my estimation of the situation. In my opinion, that "Ask An Expert" should be removed from detector.com's webpage.

But let me ask you fellow detectorists: Have you ever asked something of the so-called "Experts" and received a reply? If you did and received a reply, how long did you have to wait for your reply? Was your request technically challenging or was it a simple affair? If you received an answer, were you satisfied with it?

Golden Silver

 

[Rivermarine1]

You may remember a posting on the forum a few weeks ago by "hunkadinka" who was wanting to move his unit from the handle to a pouch to reduce the weight. I emails BH on April 30, and it wasn't until May 12, that I got a reply. Prior to that, I had emailed a personal request for information regarding the frequencies used by the units and never heard from them. Your best bet I found for an intelligent response has been from the members of this forum. They have been helpful many times over to the request of others. Many of these guys have been MDing for years.

 

[GRAY GHOST]

n/t

 

[Golden Silver]

[quote GRAY GHOST]n/t[/quote]
And for Rivermarine1

I didn't post a question but more of a request which I thought a BH insider would be able to achieve since I didn't have any luck with BH customer service's rep. I was still pursuing a solution to my desiring to hip-mount my LAND STAR. It would be a great help to me to get the housing control off the rod and onto my vynil pouch so that I can hunt for hours on end without needing to constantly switch arms to swing the detector.

I have a LAND STAR and I'm sort-of satisfied with it but I have been doing some "window shopping" going back 'n' forth between a MINELAB X-TERRA 70, an old TEKNETICS MARK I LTD, and now the possibility of a FISHER F5. But until the F5 is released and it is reviewed I've decided to give myself a break and try to hip-mount the LAND STAR even though I had almost given up doing so.

So what I asked the experts was if it was possible for them to procure for me a cable from BH. A 3-foot length with a male, 5-pin connector and bare wires at the other end. I would then have an audio/video techncian splice the cable onto my LAND STAR's cable giving me plenty of length to satisfy my need. While I was waiting for a reply I had also asked KELLYCO if they had any such extension cables but the reply from John White was that they did not and he told me to contact Tom Walsh, the CEO of First Texas Product. I called him but my call was transferred to Veronica Castro who was the rep that didn't give me satisfying answers originally. She had told me that I could buy a new coil with a longer cable or I could send BH my coil and they would either attach a longer cable or they would scrap it and send me the new coil anyway and this was going to cost me approx. $80!

I finally asked Veronica if they had those cables laying around waiting to be attached to coils and she said yes. So I asked her if she could send me a 3-foot cable with the connector, etc. She said yes but it would cost $25 plus $5 for shipping. I asked her to give me a break and let me have the damn (I didn't lose my cool and I didn't say damn althought I wanted to!) cable for $25 and she agreed. So now I'm waiting for the cable and when it arrives I'm going to ask the a/v guy if he'll do it and I'll have to deal with a yes or a no and a possible charge. I gotta go out now and find a lot of clad coins to pay for this solution to my desires.

So while I know that If I have a question that needs answering I can always turn to you guys and gals, which I appreciate very much, this wasn't one of those situations. However, I'm not through yet. I just wrote a snail mail letter to Mr Walsh asking if $25 is a correct price 'cause to me it's outrageous since I paid only $2 for a superior computer cable (which I couldn't use) and a reasonable price would be no more than $10 and even then...

I won't be surprised if Mr Walsh tells Veronica to issue me a partial refund if not a full one; fingers crossed.

What do you all think of all of this madness I've created for myself? All I wanted in the end is a comfortable detector that winds up being lighter than it is now. I know what it's like to have owned a hip-mounted detector and having only the rod to swing which I could have done all day and sometimes I did.

Golden Slumbers, er, Silver

 

[Golden Silver]

I forgot to add to my last reply that when Veronica at BH quoted me an approx. cost of $80 I was going to counter with: "Yeah, but I can buy a 4" Gold coil for approx. $25, cut the cable and throw away the coil" and I'd still come out cheaper than her suggestions!

 

[albyalbatross1]

Hi all,

I would like to ask an expert something. From what I have read here today most users of this site are going to be just that.

Is it true that metal detectors can be tuned for a specific countrys conditions? I have been saving to buy a sharp shooter II or Land star. I have enquired with a few other companies who sell more of the higher end market stuff and they say they have never heard of this being done.
I can only gather it is to encourage us to buy in Australia.

Our supplier here in Australia says this on his website.

SPECIAL NOTE:

All Bounty Hunter metal detectors imported by us are re-calibrated only by us for AUSTRALIAN conditions. I would like your ideas on this please!

The detector's Ground Balance used to null highly iron-mineralized ground has been modified for better depth and response to all targets eliminating false signals.

Also .... the Discrimination settings have been re-calibrated for both Australian pre-decimal and decimal coins including the rejection of most aluminium pull-tabs including the 'old' beaver-tail pull-tab.

IMPORTANT ... WARNING:

Any Bounty Hunter metal detector imported into Australia through other channels or direct from overseas sources are not modified and do not carry the Australasian Warranty and will not be repaired by us.

So, if you are in doubt with your proposed purchase, please contact us with the Serial Number of the detector being offered and will advise you accordingly.

 

[BH-LandStar]

it IS possible for someone to re-calibrate the detector, but it is NOT an easy task...I am still trying to figure out which of the 3 pots on the board of my LandStar adjust what settings, and I am not touching it myself until I know which one is which...if they adjust the detector to null out all pull tabs and screw caps, your most likely going to miss a LOT of GOLD items too....I would not trust this tuning, and I can guarantee that it is NOT approved by First Texas....Sounds like a ploy to get more money out of their customers by making them return any defects to them instead of First Texas...


HH,

BH-LandStar

 

[nick hunter]

Hello !

As far as the australian remark about calibration is concerned, I suspect this to be a way of avoiding parallel import.

I use BH md's in Belgium, Europe on various sites, take them with me on holidays,everywhre in Europe, without problems.

HH

Nick the belgian

 

[albyalbatross1]

wow! fasr replys. thanks a heap all.

 

[GRAY GHOST]

hi golden. i followed the post that hunkadinka started some time ago and i've resisted saying anything about it 'til now. i think it's a great thing ya'll are trying to do. however, i think also that bounty hunter might be reluctant to answer such a request on the grounds that it's a major modification that involves separating the aft mast from the control box, which in their minds comes close to voiding the warranty. whether you find a way to completely separate the control box [you could even put it in a knapsack if you wanted to] or play holy heck trying to find a cable long enough to accomodate this modification, and then go thru the difficulty of fitting a harness to the detector somehow, i just don't think bounty hunter will give anyone much support on it. you might check out the modifications forum on here. i'm almost sure someone else has tried it. there's also the possibility that the 4 or 5 conductor wire or pin connectors used by bh is unique or trademarked, and therefore difficult to obtain. [i've noticed everyone's had trouble getting the right combo] there are aftermarket slings available too, don't forget, that aid you in your swinging. looking on the outside of what ya'll hope to achieve, it appears to be a daunting task. good luck, and hh,

 

[BH-LandStar]

I forgot all about the slings that are made to make swinging heavier detectors easy...that might be another possibility Golden Silver...???


HH,

BH-LandStar

 

[Wayne/TX]

Yep, in fact you can get the "easy swing" harnesses from Kellyco (misc.) and
that's a much better solution than monkeying with more cable and
circuit box removal. Please note too that those cables are very
specialized for a particular detector and are priced accordingly by
the manufacturer that did the R&D on the design.
..W

 

[Golden Silver]

[quote GRAY GHOST]hi golden. i followed the post that hunkadinka started some time ago and i've resisted saying anything about it 'til now. i think it's a great thing ya'll are trying to do. however, i think also that bounty hunter might be reluctant to answer such a request on the grounds that it's a major modification that involves separating the aft mast from the control box, which in their minds comes close to voiding the warranty. whether you find a way to completely separate the control box [you could even put it in a knapsack if you wanted to] or play holy heck trying to find a cable long enough to accomodate this modification, and then go thru the difficulty of fitting a harness to the detector somehow, i just don't think bounty hunter will give anyone much support on it. you might check out the modifications forum on here. i'm almost sure someone else has tried it. there's also the possibility that the 4 or 5 conductor wire or pin connectors used by bh is unique or trademarked, and therefore difficult to obtain. [i've noticed everyone's had trouble getting the right combo] there are aftermarket slings available too, don't forget, that aid you in your swinging. looking on the outside of what ya'll hope to achieve, it appears to be a daunting task. good luck, and hh,[/quote]
Nah, GRAY GHOST and BH-LandStar and WayneTX, it's really the simplest of situations; at best a minor "modification." The control housing is held by 2 screws and the present length of the cable allows some, limited hip-mounting, by putting the control housing in a GARRETT vynil pouch that holds the control housing with a hole cutout for the connector. I've done this already and spent a day at the beach, LandStar hip-mounted (see photos) and swinging slowly. The only drawback is that you can't swing the normal wide swing. I've already replied that the situation is in hand as BOUNTY HUNTER sold me a 3-foot cable with a male connector which I'll have spliced onto my coil's cable.

It isn't that I wasn't willing to pay for the cable. It was the BH rep not understanding my intent and making it slightly difficult by giving me ridiculous choices that would have cost me up to $80! But I persevered and got through to her and the cable is on its way to me. The $25 cost is just a little outrageous. And I'm hoping BH's CEO will see it my way and possibly issue a refund for an unspecified amount, of a full refund, or not. The solution is just approx. a week away, you'll see.

Golden Silver

 

[GRAY GHOST]

n/t

 

[Wayne/TX]

OK, I gotcha. And that pic looks like a great hunting zone, too!
Good Luck !

 

[Wayne/TX]

OK, I gotcha. And that pic looks like a great hunting zone, too!
Good Luck !
..W

 

[Golden Silver]

OK, I gotcha. And that pic looks like a great hunting zone, too!
Good Luck !

And GRAY GHOST, a picture is certainly worth a thousand (more or less!) words. On that day, even though I had to walk slower and restrict my swings so that I didn't pull on the connector just the the extra light weight of the rod was very pleasant. When I had my Teknetics Mark I Ltd, hip mount, the rod was so light that it seemed to want to lift by itself. I had to make an effort to keep the coil on the ground. No weight, no fatigue, longer hunting and enjoying.

 

[BH-LandStar]

Golden Silver....I just had a thought....check Radio Shack again...look for what is known as a 6ft...MIDI extension cable (type used for keyboards and electronic instruments)...If my memory is right...It is the cord we are looking for...I think it should have the right configuration....Hope this works....



HH,

BH-LandStar

 

[Golden Silver]

Golden Silver....I just had a thought....check Radio Shack again...look for what is known as a 6ft...MIDI extension cable (type used for keyboards and electronic instruments)...If my memory is right...It is the cord we are looking for...I think it should have the right configuration....Hope this works....
HH,
BH-LandStar

Nice try, BH-LandStar but I looked at a few such cables just now and some websites allowed you to magnify the connector end and the 5-pin configuration is a semi-circle not like BH's configuration: 2 pins on each side (one above the other) plus a centered one at the top.

I'm hoping the cable I ordered from BH arrives this week and followed, I hope, by a refund from BH's CEO. If I get a refund, even a partial one, it'll help pay for the possible fee the audio/video technician may charge me. I'm giving him a SONY reel-to-reel tape recorder so I hope that it should be sufficient as a payment for the cable splice.

Thanks for the effort, I appreciate it.