What is going on with Keysight calibrations and service center?

[rkeller]

We have been using Keysight since they were Agilent and have always been satisfied with the service and pricing agreements for calibration / service.
The last two years however have been less than stellar. We all know prices have gone up but you know when it's egregious.  We also had our agreements include calibration and service (for example our 3458A was costing $1,600 per year for calibration with certificate and data plus service within a set amount, which means I can't go surfing with my beloved 3458A and then expect them to restore it) You all know what I mean.  This year they wanted to charge double that and charge us again for the same repair (loose banana plug) on the front panel connection board they replaced in 2021.  After getting the quote for repair $1,400 plus the charge for calibration we had it sent back and we sent it elsewhere for calibration.  They noted the unit was perfect with no repairs or adjustments necessary.  To add insult to injury they have been billing us for the repair and calibration that did not occur.  They said we might as well pay because the the cost of cancelling our service agreement would be just as much as the service we did not receive.
Has anyone else seen this change in what was, until recently, decent to work with?

[HighVoltage]

Maybe they just like money!

Joking aside, Keysight Germany has been proving excellent calibration service in the last few years for me.

[rkeller]

Glad to know Germany is doing well.  The location I am referring to is located in Santa Clara, California.  Probably one of the most expensive area's in the country to try and run a business, maybe they are, getting disparate for money.  I know there are lot's of companies (at least 57 with over 100 employees in 2022 - 2023 alone) that have moved out; I haven't heard of one that has moved into CA.  It was a great place to work and live. 

[J-R]

I believe they may have moved some or all of their calibration services to Malaysia a year or so ago.  Or at least stopped doing some here in the US.

Last year I had a handheld DMM repaired under warranty and Keysight said it would be an extra month to get it back if I wanted it calibrated since they would have to ship it to Malaysia.  (They were willing to do this for free.)  I declined since it was a model that is pretty easy to calibrate myself, and I didn't want to wait.

[HighVoltage]

The Keysight gold standard calibration lab for the 3458A was the Keysight Loveland, Colorado Standards Laboratory.

Here is a nice video about that lab:



But it is not listed on their website for service stations:
https://www.keysight.com/zz/en/products/services/repair-services/worldwide-service-locations.html

Maybe that lab was closed?

[jayk]

I think Keysight has a big facility in Roseville now (north of Sacramento).  Not sure where else in the US they do cal/refurbishment.

[cruff]

The Keysight gold standard calibration lab for the 3458A was the Keysight Loveland, Colorado Standards Laboratory.
...
Maybe that lab was closed?

The large campus that HP had in Loveland is now occupied by several unrelated businesses.

[mendip_discovery]

I saw an article about them the other day stating they have some financial issues, looking at the stock price it took a bit of a dive the other week.

https://www.fool.com/investing/2023/02/22/why-shares-in-keysight-technologies-crashed-today/

In the UK/EU they have withdrawn a lot of support for smaller operators, no longer dealing with the hobby market. Chances they are having one of the company reshuffles.

[Momchilo]

Chances they are having one of the company reshuffles.

I mean it is Keysight since 2014. Based on their history it is about time for a new name again 

[xrunner]

Chances they are having one of the company reshuffles.

I mean it is Keysight since 2014. Based on their history it is about time for a new name again 

Be hilarious if it said this -

"Keysight has decided to start offering it's products to the electronics hobby market again to boost sales for 2023."

 

[BillyO]

At one time there was one of the greatest companies ever.  They were called Hewlett-Packard.  They made some of the finest instruments ever and had some of the best people in the industry.  They were loved and respected by their customers and their employees alike.

Now we have this .. 

[scopeman]

If you read the Bill and Dave book by Malone you will get a real sense of the downhill slide of the company. I am sure that Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard have rolled over several times in their graves due to the devastation of their beloved company and employees.

Sam
W3OHM
Owner of several tons of HP and Agilent gear

[Stray Electron]

At one time there was one of the greatest companies ever.  They were called Hewlett-Packard.  They made some of the finest instruments ever and had some of the best people in the industry.  They were loved and respected by their customers and their employees alike.

Now we have this .. 

   As far as I'm concerned HP had a great reputation but they threw it out the window when their leadership decided to rename the company "Agilent". What the hell is an Agilent?

[BillyO]

If you read the Bill and Dave book by Malone you will get a real sense of the downhill slide of the company.

Found a good used hard cover.  It's on it's way.

[edavid]

What the hell is an Agilent?

The local Tektronix salesman liked to say it was "Genital spelled sideways".  He got a big kick out of that.  As far as stupid names made up by a committee go, I don't think it's the worst.

HP nostalgia makes me uncomfortable though.  I always found HP people to be a little too fanatical, unwilling to ever admit to a mistake or that an HP product wasn't the absolute best.  Kind of like Intel or Apple.

[xrunner]

I always found HP people to be a little too fanatical, unwilling to ever admit to a mistake or that an HP product wasn't the absolute best.  Kind of like Intel or Apple.

I would, of course be willing to admit I made a mistake! If it was found that I ever made one of course. 

[Fallenrecruit]

As someone that has worked at one of the hubs, a lot of the oldies with the knowledge have left and with that from about mid last year the backlog was growing at a rate that could not be kept up to with the way lab management wanted it done. This lead to the loss of several big contracts and a downturn in worker moral. was a great place to work with fantastic people but management from Malaysia was not good for our lab, a lot of people felt underpaid and local management couldn't get the extra cashflow to sort it out.

[HighVoltage]

As someone that has worked at one of the hubs, a lot of the oldies with the knowledge have left and with that from about mid last year the backlog was growing at a rate that could not be kept up to with the way lab management wanted it done. This lead to the loss of several big contracts and a downturn in worker moral. was a great place to work with fantastic people but management from Malaysia was not good for our lab, a lot of people felt underpaid and local management couldn't get the extra cashflow to sort it out.

Wow, not cool.
I guess we are lucky in Germany then, with Keysight performing well as usual.