Warranty repair returned worst then went in Sent to Ill center came back from Kellyco??:rant:

[lawsonland]

My Etrac was acting up and contacted the Minelab Center in Lisle, IL 60532.
I mailed it back and it was received by Minelab in Illinois on 12/16.
I received it yesterday and the label has it being sent from Kellyco in Florida.

I put a the battery in it turned it on and The screen started flashing and it made these deep bell sounds.

I took brand new AA's and put them in the holder (measured 12.88volts) Now it just says "Flat battery" and turns off.

Why did this get sent to Kellyco from Illinois, Minelab in Illinois can't fix there own machines?

Why is it not working now?? Its more F'd up then when I sent it.

Whos is paying the shipping to have it returned so I can get a working unit!!

I just ordered a CTX. Having serious doubts about that purchase and long term use.

I am not very happy I just need to vent. When I first called they told me it would cost $800 to repair because the board would need to be replaced- but upon looking up the serial # it was still under warranty.

The point is after spending over $1200 to purchase and 2 years later finding out a repair is $800. It makes you think twice about purchasing a machine from this company, it shouldn't cost $800 for a PCB. especially if you want to keep people upgrading to a new model.

 

[lawsonland]

A Kellyco Rep did PM me and is going to look into this on monday.

 

[sprchng]

That's about what a friend of mine was quoted for a similar "board" repair issue but fortunately he was still on warranty. Minelab's repair charges are why I would always advise prospective buyers of non warranted used units to buy with care. Regardless of the amount of use the unit has seen I think it's very difficult to justify a sale price above $600 or $700 , and that's extreme if something goes wrong.

 

[Mswenson289]

A couple of months ago when I sent in my 705. Minelab had me send it to Kellyco for warranty repairs. Mine came back repaired tg. Although I did have to call a couple of times to get status updates. Shortly after the second call I got emails that they had received the unit and an email stating it had shipped back to met. So my guess is they have contracted with Kellyco to do US repair work.

 

[lawsonland]

Hi,
Spoke to both Minelab & Kellyco. Both have apologized for the inconvenience and have sent a prepaid label to return the unit to be corrected. Minelab was short on help due to the holiday and sent machines to Kellyco to be worked on so they would not be sitting around over the holiday. Everything should work out, I was all set to hunt and when I got out to the field and it didn't work it was a let down.
Just wanted to let you know everyone (Kellyco and the tech at Minelab) have been very nice and helpful.
I am glad it is still under warranty because the cost of $800 to replace the board is not what I would like to have happen after warranty. Hopefully they will address this.

 

[D&P-OR]

My goodness!-----A $800 repair bill is over half the $1500 price of a new machine, coil, batteries--the whole shooting match.---When you consider a discounted price for a new machine, the $800 is WAY over half the price of a new Etrac.-------Glad you didn't get stuck with that bill.----That's a perfect example why it pays big time to have an effective warranty on these things.

 

[Dekeyser68]

man i hope my e trac doesnt need any work as it is out of warranty now

 

[Nuke em]

Repairs to Minelab machines is the reason more than most why I sell my machines before they run out of warranty, then I buy a new one .
Minelab machines tend to be reliable but like all electronics they can go wrong .
$700 or about £450 in Queen's English is a bit steep .
Think carefully about the CTX and what you need it for , there spares and few coils are very expensive and the CTX is barely better if? than the ET which I prefer.

Did you buy your ET new or secondhand ? cant see why it needs a new board !

 

[choppadude]

I would be curious as to if they still feel it needs the $800 board since they now realize the unit is under warranty. Funny how things like that can change the diagnostics.
A friend of mine had his vehicle break down and had it towed to a shop he has used before. They told him it was the fuel pump module and quoted him over $500 parts and labor to repair. He remembered having the same car in the same shop for something similar less than a year before so he dug and found the receipt and showed it to the garage. It stated that the fuel pump./module had been replaced previously and has a 1 year warranty and was still covered. Ends up they found it was just a faulty plug (tech did not push the connector all the way in to secure the locking tab on the initial repair and it came loose) and only took 10 minutes to fix. The funny thing is if he would not have found that info I am pretty sure he would have paid for a new Fuel pump but just gotten his old one plugged in correctly.
Price ALWAYS comes down when THEY are paying for it LOL!

 

[pointer80]

This is why I carry insurance on my detector through my home owners policy. I believe it cost around $8.00/twice a year for my e-trac and $5.00 for my tesoro tigershark.