Lousy flir support

[mender]

just obtained a flir tg165 with an issue,it wont get past the flir logo before it shuts down.
The unit is still under warranty.I phoned flir who bounced me onto their distributors who just washed their hands of it.
Approaching flir again I was given an email address flir repair,no reply from them.In the end I sent it to flir down in kent who weren't impressed,not good from a large company
Any pointers dealing with flirs lousy support


cheers

ian

[RGB255_0_0]

Why didn't you return it under Distance Selling?

[mender]

Why didn't you return it under Distance Selling?

distance selling?

[RGB255_0_0]

You have/had a minimum 7 days to return the item to the company who sold the goods. Since you "just obtained" I'd assume you received it in the condition as faulty so should have exercised your right to a replacement.

[mender]

You have/had a minimum 7 days to return the item to the company who sold the goods. Since you "just obtained" I'd assume you received it in the condition as faulty so should have exercised your right to a replacement.

It was  just an informal  arrangement

[Fraser]

I am sorry to hear that you are having problems with FLIR.

Something does not sound right here though.

If you buy a FLIR thermal camera from a retailer and it fails, you return it to the retailer and they either replace it or send it to FLIR for repair. That is how things work in the UK under consumer rights. The retailer is the official agent and point of contact.

If you buy direct from FLIR, even if the order is fulfilled by a third party like Amazon (as in the case of the F1G2), you contact FLIR consumer equipment customer services and they arrange for the faulty item to be returned to their service department in, IIRC, the Netherlands. The unit is either repaired or replaced at their option. This is not as convenient as say buying from AMAZON direct as they tend to just send you a new unit and ask for the faulty one back. They may have another policy with thermal cameras though ? That returns policy lasts for 30 days. After that time I think you have to have the unit returned for repair or replacement by the OEM.

OK that s how things are supposed to work. That obviously did not happen in your case. Have we all the facts though. Some quick questions:

1. Did you buy the camera new ?
2. Did you buy the camera from an official FLIR agent ?
3. Do you have an official sales receipt from the retailer ?
4. Is the retailer in the UK ?

If you answer  NO to any of the above, it can cause complications with warranty support. That does not mean FLIR will not support the product, but warranty's sometimes have exclusions such as the claimant must be the original purchaser and provide a sales receipt from an official FLIR agent or retailer. IIRC the warranty is at least Europe wide so that should not be a problem.

I suspect that when you wrote to FLIR they said why you need to go back to the retailer or seller of the item ?

FLIR are normally very good with warranty support so I am surprised that you have been having problems. If you provide a little more detail regarding how you purchased your camera, where from and whether you have a receipt I may be able to provide a point of contact who will help you.

I note your comment  "It was  just an informal  arrangement"

That sounds intriguing ! An "informal arrangement" sounds like an item provided with no receipt and no warranty    FLIR are unlikely to offer direct support in such a case. The supplier is required to offer support. If the item was some sort of 'Free Gift' with no sales receipt, it is up to the supplier how they deal with your support claim. If such is the case, your Post title is highly unfair and should read "Lousy Retailer Support"

Finally, if you bought via ebay life can get VERY complicated where warranty support is involved. It is often best to make a claim against the seller for either an exchange or refund. Paypal accepts chargeback claims for 6 months. With ebay sales, you can find yourself buying officially secondhand goods even though they are as new in the box. They may have been bought by the ebay seller through a warehouse of bankruptcy sale and then resold via ebay, so effectively you are not the original buyer ! Nightmare situation.

Fraser

[Fraser]

I just checked for you.

The FLIR standard warranty applies only to the original purchaser of the equipment and proof of such is required. The extended 2-5-10 warranty only applies to the original purchaser who registers the unit with FLIR within 60 days of purchase.

So, if you bought the camera from the "original purchaser", only they can make a warranty claim, not you. Same applies if it was given to you as a gift or if it was pre-sold stock purchased via an auction site. Your warranty rights are nil and you could only get "goodwill" support from FLIR if they considered you a worthy case.

Fraser

[Fraser]

I have just looked at your previous posts asking to buy such a camera and whether there were sources of used units. I also re-read your initial post in this thread. I may be totally wrong, but it would appear that you found a TG165 but it was provided 'faulty'. It then appears that you tried to gain warranty repair from FLIR ?

Sadly if this is the case, you are on a disappointing journey to nowhere. OEM's are unlikely to honor the warranty on an item bought used and faulty. Hence the requirement for the original purchaser to make any warranty claim.

I am sorry that I do not have better news for you. Have you the option to return the unit to the person who provided it ? I would offer to repair it for you but the potential labour costs likely outweigh the units relatively low value. I might be willing to at least take a look at it for you and see if i can repair it for less than £50 if that helps. That is about the best I can offer though.

For info I buy and repair thermal cameras as part of my hobby now that I am retired. I am not a commercial repair centre. I am located near Milton Keynes.

Fraser

[Fraser]

Looks like this thread has now died as the OP has not responded to my request for more information. I am not therefore in a position to help him further. Case closed in my opinion.

Not that FLIR need me to defend their name, but my experience of their customer support has generally been very good.

I bought. FLIR One G2 Android and it was DOA. I contacted FLIR CS and it was sent to the Netherlands for assessment. I was disappointed that it was not just collected and a new unit supplied at the same time but that was not how FLIR operate. After a prolonged period of no communications from FLIR, I contacted the Manager of FLIR Consumer CS and complained. Long story cut short, he was appalled, intervened directly, had a new camera sent next day delivery AND provided a full refund to me as compensation. The camera was therefore FOC to me Not bad customer focus !

I asked FLIR CS for a copy of some obsolete professional software for which I had a licence. They provided the exact version I needed without issue.

I needed to repair a FLIR MS224 thermal scope. FLIR provided all the parts I needed from an ex demo unit. They shipped these to the UK from the USA.
The cost to me ? Nothing, they were free of charge Not even postage to pay.

When I hear someone 'knock' FLIR Customer Services it attracts my attention as I have had excellent support and I know of others on this forum who have had the same good experiences with them. Sometimes things do go wrong though and no one is perfect. Before shouting 'Lousy service' though, it is a good idea to consider whether your request is fair and legitimate. If it is, contact the Manager of Customer Services and explain your situation and how you would like it to be resolved. I know the CS Manager well and he is both friendly and fair. If your case is reasonable I know he will do his best for you, as he has for me in the past.

Do not, however, try to pull the wool over his or our eyes. If you bought a used unit, do not expect to have the same rights as the original purchaser. That is not an automatic right and any support for you and your used product is on a goodwill basis only. There is goodwill in FLIR but they respond badly to demanding emails or sending equipment for repair without an RMA. Such tend to burn bridges with FLIR CS. They deal with a lot of Sh*t in the consumer market support area.

I am not saying that the OP did anything rude or inappropriate but I am saying that FLIR Customer Support is usually excellent. They do have an excellent bullsh*t detector though !

Fraser