Joe Says He's Getting "Shoddy Seconds" from Amazon

I have been reading your site for about a year. The name here is Joe, and I am a FCC licensed technician, as well as a seasoned ham. I have been in the repair business for over 45 years, and have a professional career as well. The reason I'm e-mailing directly is to make You aware of the shoddy seconds Amazon is selling. This past spring, I purchased (2) Grundig G-4000's.

I knew the moment I got them, these were refurbs or seconds. Water-stained LCD displays, and corroded shield pieces were the norm.

Then, we get into the lousy switches, with bad mechanical feel. I still haven't figured out what to do about these switches yet. 

A few days ago, I received my CC=SW. It's a great radio, in concept. The front metal piece on mine looks like it was in a street fight. MW. is lack-luster,

but I can fix that .Also, I don't know if the LCD display is lit by one lamp or two. Amazon makes it difficult to return products, as well as other firms. 

These days, "shipping cost" is the new way to get "screwed". I own many radios, and if anyone needs a good Satelite 750, I'll part with it.

Thanks for the time, and save the e-mail address. I don't "buy into" twitter or facebook. Thanks, and 73. Joe 

 

Comments

[vimal oberoi]

An eye opener review of DRM radio Newstar DR111

http://www.pcjmedia.com/component/content/article/1-latest-news/184-newstar-dr111-drm-receiver-avoid-waste-of-money

[Michael Brent]

Yeah I bought a brand new Sangean SR35,s on Amazon and I swear the thing was broken.
I have to press down on the tuning wheel to get sound out of it and when I take my finger off the wheel it goes off. The SR35 originally cost about $35.00 and was reviewed by Jay Allen so I thought for $18.00 its a steal.
I have a Sangean DT200VX and its worked great for years so I assumed the SR would work as well.
I agree that Amazon must be selling off seconds or factory rejects.

[vimal oberoi]

Video review of DRM radio Newstar DR111
https://vimeo.com/46014667

[Jack Marshall]

I'm not as sure it's Amazon. I think it's more likely shoddy QC and business practices from manufacturers and distributors. I've had similar disappointments Universal Radio, Kaito USA, and the worst and most notable example directly from CCrane. The combination of farming out the manufacturing and just-in-time distribution to the lowest bidder has made for declining product quality.

I hate to sound like an old curmudgeon, but it seems they really don't make 'em like they used to.

[Neil Goldstein]

I hate to disagree because it makes me sound grouchy. So far my experiences with Amazon have been great. I usually stick to items with free shipping, and returns have not been so difficult. They even fixed an ordering error I had made once when ordering tax software, and accidentally ordered the PC version when I needed the Mac version. I find their customer service easily accessible, and friendly to deal with.

I would love to buy at a brick-and-mortar store, but here on Long Island, no one sells Shortwave or Amateur Radio gear, with the exception of Radio Shack, and the Hamfests, which I will wait for if there is one coming. Even at a Hamfest though, the chances of finding something like a Grundig G-4000 is pretty slim. Radio Shack does carry some nice radios, but customer service at Radio Shack is a roll of the dice, depending on the quality of the manager, and his staff. Some are better than others.

I will agree that the overall quality of these radios peaked around 2008 or so, and seems to be in steady decline now. My Redsun RP-2000 is a horrible radio, constantly requiring jiggling of the controls or a reset to work properly, and my Tecsun PL-390 has a strange issue where if I don't use it at least weekly, the controls tend to "freak-out" when I go to use it next and have to spend 5 minutes working the dials and pressing buttons to alleviate the problem. I see the same thing in the Chinese Amateur Radio gear too. Although some of the radios are made to last, many are not.

[Tim]

I've also gotten seconds from Amazon - "new" radios that had scratched faces and other idiosyncrasies related to wear.