Epilog disappointment

[Matt Davis]

Six months ago I upgraded the 45 watt tube in my Mini24 to one of the newer 50 watt Epilog tubes. Everything worked well until 3 days ago when I experienced a sudden drop in power. I performed the customary cleaning and checking of the optics, touched up the alignment....no joy. So, after a couple of calls to technical support, one of which including a 2 hour wait on hold (which they claimed shouldn't be possible) it was determined that something had failed inside the tube. Ok, fine. It's still under warranty so no big deal. I gave them my credit card info for the $2900 core charge and was told the new tube would ship the next day and Fedex would deliver it by 10:30 this morning.

I rearranged my schedule in order to be here and install the tube today; 10:30 came and went.......nothing. After waiting a while longer, I called Epilog's parts dept. where I was told that although they appeared to be in stock, for some unknown reason the new tube didn't ship. They'd have to do some research on the matter and call me right back. Two hours went by.....nothing. So, I called them back. This time a different person told me there were only 3 tubes in stock and 5 people waiting for them. But he couldn't tell me if I was one of the five, or where my place was in the queue. Only that they would send me an email when it ships.

Sooo..now I have a useless hulk sitting in my shop, customers waiting on their orders, and no idea when I'll be up and running again. My previous experiences with Epilog have been overall positive, but this seems borderline absurd to me. Has anyone else received this kind of service from these guys, or am I just the outlier here?

[Mark Sipes]

Still have the 45 w tube??

[Matt Davis]

Unfortunately, no. That went back to Epilog back in January.

[Mark Sipes]

Customer Service is one of the cheapest and easiest products a company can provide. And pays back in dividends if provided correctly. I find most hourly employes see their job as just that " a job ". Those of us who own a business know how you go out of your way to make sure a customer is informed at all steps of a job.

If they don't know what the laser means to a business that depends on it running, then they should not be "in business".... If you are #5 on a system WAIT LIST that is failing after 6 months.....well........ the 45 watt should be sent as a substitute until the repaired/replacement is shipped...... sending me an e-mail when it ships does not pay the bills.

I feel your pain.

[Matt Davis]

Agreed. There was no offer of "What can we do to make this right?". Just a half hearted apology. I could almost hear him shrug his shoulders over the phone. Very disappointing.

[David Somers]

Matt,

Since this is really impacting you, have you tried elevating the problem above the people you have been dealing with? Shake the tree if you will?

Dave

[Matt Davis]

Yes, email just penned and sent.

[Kev Williams]

Customer service is definitely a love/hate thing.

Nearly every machine I use is a New Hermes machine. And New Hermes has, according to many, some of the worst customer service you could imagine. However, I've bought nearly every piece of New Hermes equipment from one guy. And he's the epitome of 'good customer service'. If I have a problem, he'll do whatever possible over the phone. If that doesn't work, and he's in town, he'll come by and see what he can do (if he's not in town, it's usually because he's helping another customer). If I need parts, supplies, or even if I need to borrow a whole machine a, he'll load up the minivan and bring whatever I need ASAP. And in nearly 40 years he's never charged me for a "service call". And borrowing a machine costs me nothing. Of course, it works both ways. Occasionally he needs something done quick, or an opinion or some advice, and I'll immediately do whatever I can. Pretty great biz relationship. :)

That all said-- Matt, I don't suppose there's a dealer of some sort near you? Or even a competitor you know that might let you use a machine for a few hours? (days?) Just a thought--

[Matt Davis]

Problem solved, or at least I hope it is.

I just received a call from the tech. Support supervisor, Brian. He apologized for all of the errors and miscommunications, and informed me my tube will be arriving tomorrow morning. My faith is restored. Thanks Brian!

[Kev Williams]

Bravo! Good to hear!

I re-read your first post, the part about there being 3 tubes in stock and 5 people waiting, ehhh... Maybe that guy was filling in while the other guy ate his lunch. Because the 3 tubes in stock should've already been shipped to 3 of the 5 people waiting...

IMO anyway... ;)

[Scott Shepherd]

My faith is restored. Thanks Brian!

Somewhere, guy #3 is now saying "What happened to the tube you told me was shipping out yesterday that didn't show up?" :D

[Dan Wilhelm]

In my experience dealing with Epilog (restoring a Mini 24 that had a fire), they are glacially slow over email. Probably the average time to answer general questions is 3 days, and I have now been waiting a little over week for a parts quote. The laser isn't my main source of income, and maybe my restoration project is "small peanuts" to Epilog. But this speed of communication certainly doesn't fit with my perceived opinion of Epilog customer service based on what I have read about them.

[AL Ursich]

Asking for the tracking number and being pro active and checking on the status of the delivery with the tracking number would have prevented the wait at the door for a no show... And give you the ammo to light a fire under the Customer Service. When Life just cannot go on without your Laser... being a little more pro active with a follow up on the shipping status will assist you in getting back up quicker.

Good Luck

AL

[Matt Davis]

You're absolutely right Al, and I've learned my lesson. I suppose I was a little too trusting. I did think it was odd when I didn't get an email with tracking info and, in fact considered calling in and asking about it. But the thought of sitting there again listening to that same hold music repeating itself over and over turned my stomach.:p

The good news is the new tube showed up this morning and is already installed and lined up. Preliminary testing is showing that the problem has been resolved. I do find it interesting that the tube I replaced (which had only been in place 6 months) had a manufacture date of June 2010, while the new one has a manufacture date of July 2014!