V3i

[andreak77]

@13rannon

White's did not and would not "knowingly sell defective units".

Current V3 owners do not have "broken/outdated" detectors - they will work just fine without the update.

The V3i is NOT a "fix" - it is the addition of various features.

Try and think of it as a V3 with enhancements. This is an UPGRADE - not an update or fix and customers can choose to get the upgrade or not.

The factory designed this detector with a platform to allow for upgrades and updates which was a HUGE selling point for a lot of customers and the factory NEVER promised free upgrades. They could have just made another unit - like cell phones, computer OS, Cars - even then they usually have a cutoff date for recent purchases. Thinking logically they went back 6 months to Nov 1, 2009.

Which would you prefer - paying $125 for an upgrade or paying $1800 for a new detector.

Most cell phone companies, computer software companies, and car companies don't offer "FREE UPGRADES" for a product that has been out for over a year. Even if they did offer a free or discounted upgrade - most of those only go back 90 days. In my opinion this is the best option for both the consumer and the company.

Bottom line - it's an UPGRADE - don't like the cost don't get it - it won't affect the operation of your V3.
At least there is an American company that is providing a product with the capability to be upgraded for a nominal fee - instead of putting out a new detector that you now have to pay $1800 for.

Think I'll take the nominal fee for the enhancements.

 

[Rob (IL)]

Yep you know me I'm never sarcastic. Rob

 

[jbow]

Actually only a few people complained and there will always be complainers. I didn't complain, I know a good deal when I see one. Hopefully White's will continue to offer what they think is right and offer what they want to offer how they want to and when they want to...

No one if forcing anyone to buy anything... what a great offer! 100 bucks +shipping for an upgrade... they have updated fixes etc for free. White's has gone the extra mile and I hope no one there is offended by complainers.

That is my opinion.

Julien

 

[jbow]

!@#$%^$#@!$!%^&

Julien

 

[Del_aware]

For all of those people that are complaining about the v3 upgrade i would like to say I bought my v3 about three weeks ago and i love it best detector i have ever owned. BTY i paid $1299.00 and they threw in a free Prism III and it's only going to cost me $25.00 to upgrade to v3i. Life's Good!

 

[Carl-NC]

It has been subject of great controversy from the beginning and is currently the subject of a on going debate whether White's knowingly sold defective machines to it's customers.

All I know is that a $100.00 charge to fix your metal detector is a service charge.

Quite often problems don't show up until a product goes to mass production and mass usage. I can think of quite a few cases where competitor detectors had early problems, and even more cases with other consumer electronics. As a former chip designer, I can say that even microchips often go through a few revisions to iron out missed bugs and production issues.

The $100 is only for the V3i upgrade. You can still opt for the V3 1.3 update which did fix a few bugs, and is free.

 

[Taterhead]

Thats the rough equivalent of a $700 price drop in 9 months! You get a $250 detector for free, a $100 upgrade for free, and $500 off the original price. Good for you, but wow.

I be buying the upgrade, glad to know my detector will be top of the line for years to come.

Taterhead

 

[NE/K]

I purchased my Vision when it came out last year. I never got around to sending it in for the volume fix and was planning on doing it soon. I was beginning to wander if I would procrastinate through the warranty. I am really glad to hear there is an update available. Instead of dreading sending it in at I am looking forward to it. I am curious on how long it will take to get it back after it is sent in. Also, will my Vision have a Spectra V3i label?

 

[nw1886]

Bottom line here is this machine is proving to be an awesome machine. The giving you the new model with a complex software upgrade is a first. (Choosing not to find it a good deal ($100.00?) is questionable.)

The machine I have has the original Vision paint job. I went through the basic learning. Things got easy to understand fairly quick. Advanced learning is fun after the comfort zone thing is there.....the rest is at your own pace. All kinds of things to reach in and play with or...learn when something clicks with you about something, (When? Who cares....at this point, the machine is in your comfort zone anyways.) Evidence of adjustments are immediate. If you don't like what you've done reverse it and come back to it later...........That's all the same pattern with every interactive thing we all own.

I have had no problems that were not born out of my own "not understanding". Rarely have to reach in and adjust many things but do get good results (frequently) when needed. Still learning and plenty of good finds couldn't care less.

If your VCR flashed 12:00 o'clock (For more than a week) and you fixed it? This machine might be for you. Best interface on the planet.

I guess it's "Spring Fever" now Larry? I'm not going to post any more on this thread. Scott

 

[13rannon]

I've heard I won't be able to use wireless transfer after I upgrade. Is that true? Because that was a big feature for me.

Thanks

Also, other than what I read on forums. Has White's officially released details of what is and what is not in the upgrade?

 

[CROCK of COINS]

My local dealer got info from White's on 4/15/2010 ! ! !
White's will go PUBLIC with the info in about two weeks. This thred started 4/09/2010

Jerry

 

[dave5710]

I read about on another forum on 03-29-10.

 

[nemesisnow]

Well I have had my V3 ver 1.3 for about 3 weeks now - 1 gold ring, 1 silver ring and countless coins later all I am thinking about is how long is this upgrade going to take - I don't think I want to give up my machine for an extended period of time. (will this offer have a shelf life? - I think I would perfer to send it in after the hunting season ends) I live in Ontario Canada - we could use a service center up here in the North - would help out alot with shipping times and duty situations at the border. As for the cost in this upgrade - you can't get a plumer to show up at your house for under $100.00 service call - and our average shop rate per hour at a car dealership is $100.00 - This is a cheap upgrade for those that have to shell out the $100.00.

Keep up the great work Whites

Cheers

Nem

 

[OregonMike]

Hi everyone,

Clearly it's going to take some time to learn and truly understand polar plot, just like anything else. I have been out maybe 6 or 7 hours with it over the past two days and have been fooled a few times by nails. The one that got me today, though, was a pull tab that did everything a nickel should do. Right VDI (although a little movement from 19 to 21, but I've seen lots of nickels do that, and straight lines in the correct quadrant of the polar plot. I thought, "gotcha!" But when it was a pull tab, that threw me a bit. More experience is needed! Also, some shallow clad dimes get a little bit of circling in the upper right quadrant of the plot graph rather than the straight lines I would have expected.

I have yet to get very deep signals so I'm not sure what those will look like. Also, there were several times today when I could not get polar plot to show me anything at all, and a couple of times when the sound disappeared while pinpointing. I'll monitor these and see if they recur. Both those problems happened early in the day but I don't remember them happening often, or later on at all.

I hope others will let us know their experiences as well so together we can build some knowledge.


Mike

 

[chris poteet]

does anyone know if you send batteries with box & headphones for the V3i upgrade??

 

[CROCK of COINS]

does anyone know if you send batteries with box & headphones for the V3i upgrade??

No need to send batteries.

Jerry

 

[chris poteet]

Thanks jerry. going to ups to send to home sweet oregon for upgrade.

 

[hodr]

Well I have had my V3 ver 1.3 for about 3 weeks now - 1 gold ring, 1 silver ring and countless coins later all I am thinking about is how long is this upgrade going to take -

I think the upgrades are highest priority right now, since people on the forum have already received them back after shipping them out only a week or two ago.

The have had two of my coils down at Sweet Home since the 29th of March and still have not checked them out to see if they need to be replaced...

 

[Jungle Jim]

It was mentioned earlier that we should wait a couple of weeks before sending our units in for the update. Now, I have a couple of questions. Are we to wait for a notice from White's to inform us on where and when to send ours in for the upgrade? It appears as if some are just sending theirs in. I again assume that we just send in the box and that we are to completely remove the handle. Plus we are to send in the headphones if we do not have the 1.3 upgrade. We are to send both in without batteries and add in a check for the amount of the upgrade and shipping. Then last but not least, if we send in a check, are we to wait a certain amount of time before the check clears? I was wondering about the check because a couple of weeks ago I ordered some items from White's and the check showed up being cashed about 10 days ago and I still haven't gotten my stuff. It took about a week before it showed the check cashed, so it's been 3 weeks.(White's did at the time of my order state that there would be a hold on it until it clears) The reason I want to know this is I will gladly send a cashiers check to save a week on the turn around time. Also, ship with coils or not?

 

[Rob (IL)]

Things would have gone smoother if some people had not leaked the V3i. IMHO I would wait until the rush is over. The return time will then not be so long. I don't have information about using checks. All the regional service centers will do the upgrade when they are ready.


Rob