| K8DXX |
Rating:    |
2021-10-23 | |
| Getting Better |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
Well, I have another experience to report. In 5/2021 bought an FTDX101MP. It developed a faulty sub-RX in July of the same year. Reported the problem to Tim Factor who, after consulting with engineering, agreed to take it home for a tune up. Yaesu sent a call tag and paid for shipping both ways... NICE! Turn around time was about 8-10 weeks. Nonetheless, the radio came back working as it should, well packed, clean, etc. They were hard pressed to report status and one day, the repaired radio just "showed up!" Oh well. I guess they're dealing with COVID issues. Overall, a little bumpy but better than last time.
I can't say enough BAD about Yaesu factory repair in Cypress, California. I bought a Yaesu G2800 DXA rotor 1-21-2020. It was installed 8-15-2020. The rotor control box died 2 weeks later. I sent the rotor in 12-1-2020 at my expense, of course, and was delivered 12-8-2020. Since then, it has been LOST. Nobody can find it. I call them every two weeks and nothing. They won't send a replacement. They won't authorize HRO to send a replacement. I am 70 years old... a ham since 1964. This is the first time I've had a nice tower and beam. I just want to enjoy ham radio. Yaesu does not deserve to do business in the USA! |
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| AG4Q |
Rating:    |
2021-10-04 | |
| I wish they would provide realistic turn around times up front! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
My FTDX10 USB port stopped working 11 days after purchase. I called HRO where I purchased the radio and was advised to contact Yeasu. After a few emails and phone discussion with the Yeasu service representative, I determined that the problem was likely the radio and not a computer or software problem. Below is my time line:
June 22: Ship from MD to Cypress CA
June 28: Received at Yeasu Warehouse
July 1: Checked into service center
July 30: Notified that Service technician checked out the radio and ordered a replacement main board from the Japan factory, estimated to arrive 3rd week in August
August 13: Part estimated to arrive in 2 more weeks (end of August)
September 15: Repaired radio received and is working great.
I wish I was given realistic estimates for the repair process up front. Apparently Yeasu has a policy to hold shipments in the warehouse a week due to COVID before delivering to the service department. OK, I can understand this, but wish I were told this up front. I learned that Yeasu service does not do board level repairs, but replaces the entire board. On the one hand, I was glad to hear this because it is very dicey to replace a BGA or flip chip device on a circuit board. However, it is hard to imagine then why it would take over 3 weeks before the technician could look at the radio.
The service department personnel are sometimes hard to get in touch with, but are knowledgeable and professional when I do get through, or when they return a phone call. Email responses usually take a day.
Based on what I have seen so far, 8 weeks is a good estimate for repair if they have the parts on hand.
Over the past few months, I have heard many more nightmare stories of companies struggling to provide products and support due to Covid, semiconductor shortages and broken supply chains.
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| KF0ACN |
Rating:  |
2021-09-11 | |
| Just stay away. Find more reputable service. |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I would like to start with the fact that I haven’t been a ham for awfully long, since May 2020. I am employed by a multi-national electronics company and work in the repair department with enough boards to make my brain numb. I’ve seen a LOT of things.
My first rig was a Yaesu FTM-7250DR. Fast forward several months a club member had a Yaesu FTM-400DR that he fried the final on and tried replacing it with no success. I bought the radio from him and looked it over and couldn’t get why it wouldn’t operate correctly.
Reported issues:
- No TX power in VHF
- Low (mW) power in UHF
- UHF VFO would not change from 438.000
Physical issues observed:
- One relay near SO-239 had a melted corner, presumably damaged by repair attempt. Relay clicked and appeared to be operational.
I removed the final and cleaned off the pads and checked voltages, had oscilloscope to check various points where the culprit could be to no avail. I should have done one more test, but more on that towards the end, as it really ended up being the issue — the only issue. I took note of what was wrong, re-soldered the final, and re-assembled the unit fully. I put it back in its original box and set it aside for while I decided what to do with it.
I work a lot so I had not much time left to work on the rig and after I decided to move from my current location I decided to send my unit to the Yaesu “Factory Service Department” — they would know the transceiver the best, right? Well, mid-November 2020 the unit was shipped after one brief chat with a representative on the phone to give some details. Shipped with insurance and adult signature required to their service department, was received the following week. After a while I hadn’t heard a peep so I decided to contact them again late November 2020 or early December 2020 and I was told that the received units get quarantined for 7 business days (uhh… okay) and after verifying that it had been there for longer than that and that the rig was actually received I was informed that the technician it was assigned to not only has a backlog he was out for about two weeks… so we agreed that probably wouldn’t hear anything back until maybe late January 2021 or early February 2021. Mind you this call took several attempts since nobody picked up the phone.
Fast forward to late January 2021, which I made several inquiries — left voicemail with the general support department mailbox, the lady I was speaking to originally, and sent an email to this same lady. No reply. Early February 2021 I decided to go through the Yaesu USA site and sent a service status request through their website and next day I receive a call from someone at Standard Horizon (the Yaesu “Factory Service”) that wanted to talk about the rig. I was informed that there was a broken trace in the final section and that they recommend replacing the final board, but this being a single board unit — meaning I would have to replace the entire single PCB which is basically the radio itself — it would cost as much as a entirely new unit. He gave me the options of replacement as recommended by the technician or just have it sent back to me and I could dispose of it as desired, which I chose to do.
A while after I received the unit at my door I hurriedly took it inside after work and I wish I hadn’t. I opened the unit and I was missing nearly all of the RF shielding, the final transistor, screws that hold the RF shielding down around the final transistor, and much to my displeasure I found out that a whole pad and part of a trace were missing on one of the four legs of the final (ground pins). I was so furious I put the cover back on and walked away for the evening. Next day after work I came back and looked at the unit with more detail and found out that the melted relay had been replaced (thank you!) and figured out that the final was removed with the solder COLD (partially melted, soft, not completely reflowed). The legs of the final left impressions on the solder which are unequivocally the part being removed without the solder being hot enough to melt properly. I understand this is on a ground plane, I know the struggle at work of working on ground planes sucking up the heat, but this was just a shock. I was told it was a BROKEN TRACE. NOT what I found. I wish they would’ve come clean and we could’ve been in a better place. This is more than likely the cause for the missing trace and pad.
I spoke to several OM at my local club and they recommended I contacted someone (which I will not name, they were not a party to this issue) and see what they could do. I did so and explained my situation, and within a week I received an email from a Customer Support Manager asking for more information.
After presenting my case and my findings from the returned unit… I was hoping they would either actually repair it for a discount or some sort of discount on a newer unit. Not ONCE did I mention getting service or a unit for free, but this “manager” immediately proceeded to shift the blame onto me as “the unit had been previously worked on and there is no way to know that the damage occurred in their possession” — I wish I would’ve been less trusting and taken lots of pictures of the unit beforehand. I did not. I was also informed very abruptly that they cannot take responsibility due to this and that they cannot afford to provide free replacements as it is not in their budget (or some similar excuse that I really don’t want to look up to quote correctly).
Yes, I was furious. This butcher calling themselves a technician damaged my unit and tried to hide it and make me eat a brand new replacement board. I called them out on it and furthermore pointed out they are thieves since they did not return the unit in the same condition it came in. The unit was missing internal RF shielding, screws, the FINAL itself, and a spring clip that goes on one of the screws holding the board down — this is all part of the RF shielding. I — in no uncertain terms — told them I was less than pleased with being called a liar especially when I know what I was looking at and how the issue was caused and the complete lack of regard at the issue. I told this person that receiving my parts back was acceptable as the communication was going nowhere and told them that the message was my last to them. I was promised my parts back and that was the last I heard from the “manager.”
It is July 2021. No parts, no communications from Yaesu (more specifically “Standard Horizon”).
I took the pictures of the damage to the unit to the repair coach at work and the IPC instructor that trained me and told them nothing other than to look and tell me what they saw. Both of them told me the same thing I thought — the final was removed without properly reflowing the solder, and more than likely it pulled the pad along with part of the trace. Other possibility is that they overheated the one pad and then tried removing it while the solder was cooling down instead of using a hot air method. Either way, negligence.
The lack of communication, shady behavior, and complete disregard for others’ property is beyond what anybody should be able to get away with… but I guess they are a big company and I’m just a nobody. BEWARE. Moral of the story: find more reputable technicians. Stay away from Standard Horizon — the actual company performing the repairs on behalf of Yaesu USA.
Pictures, updates, and more information posted on my blog. |
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| KB9FMV |
Rating:      |
2021-07-06 | |
| BEST SERVICE AROUND |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| These people are the greatest! My Thanks go out to Juan, Tim F and Stephanie , I had my DX 10 crap out on me ! The video port on the rear went out ! The radio worked perfectly even after the back rear video port went out! My Thanks goes out to Tim as he is excellent with the new radios ! Trun around time was super fast and let me say the 3 year warranty is great to have! great job yaesu 10 stars ALL THE WAY! |
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| W6USC |
Rating:      |
2021-07-02 | |
| Very Impressed with service personnel and repair |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Had to have my favorite radio the Yaesu 857D in for first time repair in 14 years. The dreaded ceramic filters went out causing a buzzing noise on am and ssb. On FM no noise herd.The young lady At Yaesu in Cypress, CA Stephanie took the paperwork and logged the radio in. She was so helpful and knowledgeable. Then the tech also new what was wrong by talking, to him on phone. Overall in 2 weeks radio came back like new, aligned, and made me happy there service was great all around. Recommend highly to all in need of service which is real hard to find nowadays. Bruno W6USC
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| KC1KWX |
Rating:      |
2021-06-16 | |
| I'm glad I bought a Yaesu! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| I bought an early FTDX-101MP "Gold" when they first came out. It took me a while to become familiar with it and when I finally got around to using the VC tune on the sub receiver the radio would go deaf. Yaesu tech support sent a return label for free shipping to them. The radio came back with many upgrades and although they didn't disclose what they did, the radio is twice as good as it was before I sent it in. They also paid for next day shipping from CA to CT! I couldn't be happier with the service and the radio too. |
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| K1YPB |
Rating:    |
2021-05-16 | |
| Got the job done but very disorganized and unprofessional |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
| Although understandably acerbated by Covid... they are very disorganized and unprofessional. They don’t use an RMA system so you are literally sending your radio into a black hole, so... I highly recommend you send it back with tracking and a signed receipt. That way when you call them a half dozen times to find out what’s happening to your radio you can PROVE to them that they received the radio because you have the name of the person on the dock who signed for it. With documentation you legally got them should you request replacement because of loss. That aside... because of Covid quarantine and whatever else mumbo jumbo excuse they give you... it will take approximately 8 weeks to your repair done. Fortunately in my case they did fix the radio. There was however a lot of anxiety in the process. They rarely return phone calls. So be prepared to call and call them. So just beware to cover all the bases, and document everything conversation and transaction should you need to take legal action with them. |
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| KEOWRU |
Rating:  |
2021-05-15 | |
| who calls them techs? |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| 3 new yaesu radios,1 out of 3 worked ok.the last my ft 2980r (chinese looking p.o.s.) is killing my power supply. tried it on a friends power supply that runs a ft 2900 5 less watts output n my radio kills his power supply. sent to yahoo n was told same story as first radio i sent back BAD MIC.it comes home yesterday n it still kills my power supply when power setting is set on any of 4 settings. they told me they fully tested it. ok sure fine but first ya gotta take my black n clear tape off the data port n screws on cover. it sat there a month too.was very hard to get a person on the phone. but several times the parts exchanger kept telling me never use 80 watts. I'm like why the HE!! did you put 80 watts in it n cant use it set there? That's sorta false advertising. i bought a new KENWOOD TM V 71A n right out of the box a very nice radio double the quality of any yaesu i ever owned. next new radio will wear either KENWOOD or ICOM brand. wish we had a negative rating but thats it |
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| N5NJB |
Rating:   |
2021-05-15 | |
| Not Happy.--Updated 5/15/21 Happier Now |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
5/15/21 Update
Received repaired radio back today! Last week after receiving another email addressed to someone that wasn't me, I called Yaesu and after a long time of listening to the phone ring...The same young lady I've dealt with previously answered, listen to my reasons for calling, so as to get the email to the correct person...After placing me on hold for a while longer, she then came back and informed me someone else's name had been accidentally assigned to my radio( and apparently I wasn't the only one, hence why I was receiving emails about someone else's radio)....She told me the radio had been repaired and I gave CC for payment and she said they would ship it out that day. Overall frustrating experience, but I am pleased to have my radio back with repairs completed.
I called Yaesu Tech and asked about sending in a FTM100D for repair, due to static electricity discharge the display wasn't working, tech said no problem "we can fix that". I overnighted(waste of money) my radio via UPS and it arrived at Yaesu on 2/5/21. I have had almost identical experiences as several others have posted about. No communication. Finally last month someone answered the phone who had actually emailed me a repair ticket by mistake a month earlier. Yes, this lady emailed me someone else's repair ticket info... I replied and pointed out their mistake, insisted they get that to the correct owner of that radio, and then asked in lengthy detail if she could at the very least confirm that Yaesu did in fact have my radio, and that it hadn't been lost. She responded that she would check with the warehouse. Never heard a word more. Middle of April I talked to someone with the same name as the lady I emailed, and over the phone she confirmed the radio was in the warehouse. So that's my experience with Yaesu Repair Services so far. I am hoping some day I get a phone call or an email with options to repair my radio. Covid has sucked for everyone. I don't understand how a company such as Yaesu can operate this way. Until this experience plays all the way out, I will not be purchasing another Yaesu radio. If they would just tell me it would be 6 months, or a year, it wouldn't piss me off so much. Not Happy. |
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| WA9CWX |
Rating:     |
2021-05-07 | |
| Very Happy with outcome |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I bought a new FTdx5000mp From HRO last summer. after 2 weeks it just stopped in its tracks. Rx went dead. I had to take it back to HRO, they sent it to the factory in Ca. I talked to the tech at the factory a few days later. He needed serious PR training, or at least some human contact instruction or remedial training classes. HOWEVER, long story short... They gave me a brand new 5000, still purring along one year later. I have owned 3 1000D's , an FT100 mobile, and two FT ONE's, an FT897 and FT 817 and FT847. No complaints on any, all top performers in my book. There may be some personnel problems in the Ca. repair facility, but I wouldn't let that stop me from buying a Yaesu.
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