Very disappointed newbie

[raymo]

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

raymo

[Stickboy (Phil)]

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 (Phil)]

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.

[Logieberra (Logan)]

Originally Posted by Stickboy

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

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/tre...ts-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 (Phil)]

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 (Paul)]

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 (Paul)]

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 (Phil)]

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 (Rick)]

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 (Phil)]

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 (Rick)]

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 (Greg Burrows)]

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 (Phil)]

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 (Phil)]

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

[julianh72 (Julian)]

Originally Posted by Stickboy

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

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?!