Very disappointed newbie

[Stickboy]

I am heading out west of Tamworth for my yearly holiday. Very dark sky, the nights are unbelievable. I thought this year I would get the VX8 SCT and enjoy the night sky. I ordered the scope from Optic Central with just over a month to go and I told them I was going away at the end of the month. They also had it on ebay and took it off when I ordered the scope. They told me it would be 2 week. Web sit said 1 week? I called them at 3 week still waiting on tripod. 4 week I don't know I will have to check for you. Reply was should be in on Thursday or Friday? no good for me as leaving Monday morning. I can't delay as going to Thunder Down Under before Tamworth. I guess as they know they now have a mouth to get the tripod in. Had to pay up front $3500.00 for a scope and accessories they didn't have. Buyer be where

Sorry for the rant on my first post

[barx1963]

I don't as a rule join in vendor bashing, but one of the reasons I only deal with Bintel is that when I have rung them about what they have in stock I have had an honest answer.
As I work in retail these days, I know how hard it is to maintain an inventory, you just physically cannot hold everything in stock, but at least your answers should be honest.

Malcolm

[dannat]

said company needs to improve their customer service.. told the guy from gippsland he cold see the horsehead with celestron 4se

i am really sick of companies advertising items for sale on ebay - only to learn they are not in stock..if you dont have it -dont put it for sale

[athua]

Sorry to hear about the issues that you are having with getting your new scope.

Hopefully it will be resolved soon and you will have your new scope to observe with.

I have the same scope, the Celestron C8-XLT on a Advanced VX mount and it is a great scope. There is a little learning required to get good polar alignments but once done, the goto tracking is very good and I'm sure you will enjoy the views it will give you.

I ordered mine from the US last year when the dollar was on parity with the US dollar so I managed to score a great price for mine.

[Stickboy]

athua things are not looking so good. I was able to give them an address in Tamworth to send the scope to. I have been hear for a week which now makes 5 and a half weeks. If its not hear this week I am going to have to ask for my money back :confused2:

[Exfso]

Not sure if you used paypal to purchase, if you did, you would have a very good case for getting your money back. They do not muck around with this sort of thing, if the seller turns out to be a shonk, you get your money back and they give the seller hell.

[GeoffW1]

Agree,

Not as described in respect of delivery.

Best of luck

[Akwestland]

Phil,

I really really feel for you. This company is certainly trading below par.

I am "the guy from East Gippsland". They told me, and yes, I was naive, that I would see the Horsehead Nebulae with a 4" Mak. Very very displeased here. As you have spent so much more than we did I would seriously consider pursuing this through the Office of Fair Trading, and/or a name and shame if you can get a word in somewhere with the media. These companys really do need to be held responsible for the promises that they cannot deliver on. Be aware also that the contract has expired and even if they say they have it here now then you are still entitled to a refund.

I really do hope that you get this sorted and don't lose sight of the target, even if it means a refund and going to a more reputable supplier.

Cheers,
Andrew.

[killswitch]

When i was shopping around for a C8 edge, a different vendor quoted me 3 months to get it in.

Must take them a while to import it.

[athua]

If they cannot confirm that it has been shipped yet then I would be cancelling the order.

Check out Andrews Communication (http://www.andrewscom.com.au).
Their website says they have the Celestron C8 AVX in stock and when I have contacted them in the past they are pretty good with the stock status and I have heard other people have had great experiences when purchasing from them.

[Poita]

Abo****ely cancel the order. Then look at the classifieds here and buy from a member. You will get a lot more scope for that money, most likely a lot of extras thrown in that will be useful, and actual advice from someone who has used the gear. You will save a ton of money and get better 'service'.

[gbeal]

I fully echo Peter's comment, buy from the Buy/Sell, plenty of gear available, or put a wanted, stuff turns over often.

You have the patience of a saint, I'd have bailed after the second excuse. Maybe I am impatient, but if they promise and fail to deliver, regardless of whether it's private or a business, I walk. You should too.
Gary

[Stickboy]

Thanks everyone for your advice I will be calling them tomorrow and I will let everyone know how I go

Phil

[Stickboy]

Called Optics central and was told that the scope was going today and I would receive a tracking number. Called them back at 5.15pm as no tracking number supplied. They said they were sending 3 different boxes with 2 different transport companies? I have 2 tracking number so we will see how I go

Phil

[Stickboy]

Picked up the scope today after 7 weeks of waiting at least I have nearly a week before I go home. But tried to set the scope up and found that the counter weight is missing. tried to tape hammers, trailer hub to counter weight bar but gave up in frustration. maybe I try tomorrow.

[dannat]

thats painful, just taunting you now

[Stickboy]

179515

I have gotten around the missing counter weight. Carved up a T piece from timber and attached a gear from a landcruiser the farmer had in his shed. add insulation tape to the counter weight bar to protect it. not pretty but I am in business :eyepop:

[Julian]

It's not vendor bashing, it's keeping them honest!!

[brian nordstrom]

:thumbsup: I like you style ! well done and I think after you get to know this set up's in's and out's you will be very happy with it .

I have enjoyed reading this thread and good luck , it is a beautiful bit of gear .

Brian.

[brian nordstrom]

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: to true .

Brian.

[raymo]

Great job, they should disguise counterweights to look like your
Heath Robinson set up. Make for much more interesting looking mounts.
:):)
raymo

[Stickboy]

Thanks for the comments. But have run into a bit of a snag. I set the scope up during the day and everything worked ok. Then I set the scope up at night and I am getting a no response 17, hit back and then no response 16, hit back again and I can go through the set up until I try to align 2 stars and then I get the same error message. Tried it over and over but same thing. Used 2 different car batteries that are in good shape. My wife is on her way to Tamworth to get an adapter to up grade the hand set. If that doesn't work I think I am done for this holiday

Phil

[CockneyNutjob]

If I had been in your position I think I would have started murdering people weeks ago.

[Stickboy]

Still more problems. connected the hand set to the computer and completed the update ok and told to cycle the power now the hand set just reads initialize. I will try and call celestron tomorrow for any help


Edit - Talked to USA Celestron by e-mail and they said.

As you have done the troubleshooting we do. Please contact the Dealer you purchased from to have the mount exchanged under warranty.

Thank you,
Tyler
Celestron Technical Services


I phoned Optic Central and they said I need to send it back to the service department at celestron?

[Julian]

I think enough is enough

Take the equipment back to the store and tell them to give you a full refund
The goods are not as advertised

Sounds like the battery may have gone in your mount due to it not being new not sure what type of memory it has, but that could be the problem if it won't run but as I say not sure just guessing

[oculusss]

Hi Phil,

This is Lydia from OpticsCentral and you have been dealing with me on a few occasions regarding the purchasing of the Advanced VX and other accessories.

Phil I can completely understand your frustration and why you would be upset - I agree with you this has been a longstanding situation and I'm very sorry it's been such a bad experience.

Thank you for bringing this up, I will work privately with you on compensation but also with fully completing your order and resolving mount issues in the coming week.

If you need to speak to me my number is 03 8813 9007.

Lydia

[Tamtarn]

Thank goodness someone from Optics Central has finally decided to give appropriate customer service.
I have read with dismay the way Phil has been treated. It has been a disaster right from the beginning.
He has shown more patience than most would have done.
Lets hope he is treated well and receives the satisfaction he deserves.

Barb

[Neil]

Wow what a mission, I think we should all remember that name"optics central" and steer clear, good luck Phil, clear skies.:confused2:

[Logieberra]

Hi Phil, just on the advice you received from the local company (above). Point them to the bottom on this ACCC (consumer law for dummies) page:

https://www.accc.gov.au/business/treating-customers-fairly/consumers-rights-obligations
"Don’t mislead consumers about their rights"
You must not tell customers they should approach the manufacturer or importer (i.e. Celestron!) of the good for assistance – the seller must deal with the problem when approached.

[Stickboy]

Optics Central e-mailed that I can drop off the Head With the service technician at Celestron. I called Celestron and they said that the Head would be repaired. I put my case forward that the Head has never worked and the support page on there web site said to exchange the Head for a new one. The technician said he would have to check with the area manager and call me back. Surprise surprise he has had all day and I am still waiting for the call.

I call Department of Fair Trading to check my rights and in my own words they said the Dealer can sell you an item that isn't working then they are allowed to repair it. and that stinks

Phil

[PCH]

You'd think that having aired this grievance on here, and a rep from Optics Central having been on here to witness the comments, that OC would be doing whatever was needed to be done to fix this for the purchaser.

If that means they get him a new whatsit rather than repair the old (new) one, then that's what they should do without a second thought.

Come on Optics Central, do the right thing. It'll be hard enough trying to repair your reputation already without making it worse.

[apaulo]

Phil
The vendor has the right to repair or replace a faulty piece of equipment. If the mentioned piece is not "Fit or purpose" and you have no confidence in the said item you can insist for a refund or a replacement.
Some good advice re the fair traders act and consumer affairs on this thread. I also suggest you call the consumer affairs office and seek the correct advice in relation to knowing your legal rights rather than companies forcing their policies which may not align with your entitlements under Australian consumer law.
Paul.

[Stickboy]

apaulo,
As I said in my above post I did contact the Department of fair Trading and the wholesaler has the right to fix the item in a fair amount of time. If that can't be met then they have to supply a new unit or a refund. Doesn't matter if it is new/unused they have the right to fix it

[doppler]

Optic centrals retuns policy.

http://www.opticscentral.com.au/returns-policy.html


Make sure that you get them to pay for the return shipping / couriers fees as per their policy. 4-6 weeks wait for returns processing is a bit much though especially after waiting 7-8 weeks to get your stuff in the first place.

[Stickboy]

doppler, interesting read on there returns-policy page.

"Once assessed by our team and the item is found faulty or we have made a mistake, we are certainly happy to provide you with an Exchange or Refund."

As you know I have had problems from the start including items missing. Optic Central have shiped the 3 items and included a return bag for the dew shield as it was the wrong size?

Celestron has a pick up policy for there equipment. I just need them to call me back as promised to let me know if they are going to repair or exchange the head

phil

[doppler]

Probably better to stick with celestron, OC has had plenty of time to resolve the issue but failed.
Strange lack of service considering that during an economic downturn most companies would be ramping up their customer service to hang on to their market share.

Rick

[hamptonskies]

Concerning Optics Central, I bought from them a couple of weeks ago an Edge 1100 ota. A couple of the other authorised dealers wouldn't sell just the ota. But Optics Central would. After I had made payment I hadn't heard from them for a week and I emailed to check on delivery. They said that there had been a mixup with the distributor as the ota was coming directly from them but they gave me a tracking number and I received it the next day. The delay wasn't caused by them but you could say that they should have had it in stock.
But I was willing to deal with some hassle as the price ($5500) was $500 less than Andrews and $1000 less than Astroshop. I have heard good and bad about Andrews and they are not clear if they offer a factory warranty. If I wanted to deal with someone who really knows about telescopes I would have bought from Astroshop. But to me a saving of $1000 is too much to pass on so I accept the risk. There is a reason that some dealers charge more because they usually provide a higher level of service. Whether you want to pay for it is up to you.

[Stickboy]

I called Celestron today to see if they have made a decision on repairing or exchanging the head. The technician said that they would exchange the head for a new one :) 2hrs later I was at Sheldon & Hammond and the technician didn't look happy. I think because I have been talking to Celestron service department in the USA. If they don't like that they should take the link off the Australian site and offer a support page.

Now I just need the counter weight and I will be ready to go

[Stickboy]

I have just received the last of the missing item from Optic Central.

Now its time to move on and ask all those annoying newbie question :question:

[julianh72]

What a horrible introduction to the hobby you've had - let's hope it's all good from here!

Who am I kidding? Now that you've finally got all the gear in working order, you do realise that you've ruined it for everyone else, and it's going to rain for the next 40 days and 40 nights?! :(

[Stickboy]

julianh72 :lol: I was reading the Beginners Start Here posts last night and everyone was talking about the New scope syndrome. I through the gods might go easy on me but then again they have predicted rain all week

[jwoody]

So your to blame for this weather! Glad that you have finally got all that mess sorted out. What a drama.
Best of luck and happy that you have it sorted out.
Clear skies

[Akwestland]

Phil,

What a nightmare. We have been following your plight ever since the humble beginnings. All I can say now that it is absobvloodyfabulous that you have a workable starting point.

I hope that the gods do shine on you for the heartache endured through this and offer many clear skies at your beckon.

Seriously though, fantastic and we hope that all gets a lot better.

Cheers,
Andrew & Kim.

[astronobob]

Looking forward to your progress Phil

[Stickboy]

My first night wasn't too bad, slightly overcast and a big moon. I thought I had the alignment pretty good but went the wrong direction with the magnetic declination. the goto was terrible But I did find Jupiter and what looked like the four moons. Went to bed at mid night very happy.

Phil

[Pinwheel]

April 4th Saturday night is a lunar eclipse 11.00pm. So you know it's going to rain.

[Camelopardalis]

Congrats on your new scope Phil, that's quite an ordeal you've been through :sadeyes: and now for more rain :lol:

I've had the AVX since it first came out and it's a nice little mount for the price. The trick to good gotos is to do the 2-star alignment and answer yes when it suggests adding calibration stars. The more you add (up to 4), the more accurate the gotos will be. After a 2+4, I find it will stick the object in the FOV with a rough polar alignment, meaning just plonked down pointing in more or less the right direction :D ideally though, get it as close to true south as you can, but don't waste any time just for visual use.

One thing to check though is the firmware version...if you want to subsequently run the All-star polar alignment routine you need to be running the latest firmware which includes fixes for the southern hemisphere, otherwise it throws up meaningless values.

The other night I was out fooling around with mine waiting for Sagittarius to rise and after one iteration of the 2+4 star followed by polar alignment I was getting 30 second exposures 50% of the time with the camera attached to my C8...it's not a bad little mount :D

[Stickboy]

Camelopardalis thanks for the advice. I tried to add 1 star but even on the 2 star alignment it wasn't putting the star in the FOV on a 25mm eyepiece? I was going to check that the hand set was programmed for Southern hemisphere which i haven't done yet. But might just upgrade the hand set. Didn't really want to do that just yet as last time the handset stopped working.

Edit - Checked handset and looks like the latest version software. The handset was set to EQ-North. changed it to EQ-South. That might help

[David Niven]

I Avoid vendors that advertised an item without a physical inventory!
If it is not in stock, they should say so, up front and advise when it would be available.
Good lesson here.

[Camelopardalis]

Not getting the 2nd alignment star in the FOV is not surprising unless your polar alignment is spot on, as what you're doing is telling the computer what offset it needs to know about to get there. As you add calibration stars you should progressively notice they're getting closer to the centre of FOV as the model of the sky is increasingly refined.

[Cosmic]

Couldn't agree more with you Malcolm.

[rico13]

thanks for sharing Phil.. I'm in the market for a new scope myself and I shall stay clear of this mob.
Cheers

[ariefm71]

Another +1 for Bintel. Their customer service is second to none.

[Stickboy]

Optic Central gave me a gift vouchor for the problems that I had with the AVX8 SCT. I finally use it this week which I got a couple of items

Thank you Lydia

Phil