Fair radio order, not impressed...

[llong66]

I got my AB-15 base and mast sections in today from fair radio and I am not impressed at all. The base is packed with mud and the mast stub is so rusted above the rubber sleeve that its flaking off in chunks, the ground strap and clamp are so rusted as to probably not be salvagable. The mast sections are ok, the center section some how has alot of rust caked on around the threads and the tip of the top section is bent, not to big a deal since I will be cutting it down for CB use. I know these units are surplus but they could have atleast cleaned the mud off. For the price I paid I am not impressed at all.

 

[Flyingvan911]

Ouch. You'd figure they'd clean it up a little.

 

[natem]

Have you talked to them about your order? .

 

[llong66]

I havent decided if I am going to call them or not, I figure at best they would exchange it, more than likly Id end up paying shipping both was again so I will clean it up and make do, I just know to look elsewhere next time

 

[jatonka]

As a member and vendor, I would like to suggest that you call them and explain that you aren't satisfied with the order you received, maybe email them a picture of the condition as received. They would rather hear from you directly than from other people reading a post about them. I guess I mean, give them a chance to prove their worth, or at worst, that they are bad on customer relations. JT

 

[llong66]

jatonka, that makes sense, I have already started cleaning it up so I cant send a pic as recieved, but I will give them a call tomorrow

 

[Monkey Man]

I have always found fairradio to be very good indeed, the freight sucks to my part of the world but that is the price I pay for living so far away from most suppliers. I would definently give them a call, I am sure it was simply a muck-up on their part and they should and most likely will sort it out for you. I also need to get a hold of a couple of AB-15's or similar antenna bases so I can set one up on another vehicle.

Regards - MM

 

[mistaken1]

As a member and vendor, I would like to suggest that you call them and explain that you aren't satisfied with the order you received, maybe email them a picture of the condition as received. They would rather hear from you directly than from other people reading a post about them. I guess I mean, give them a chance to prove their worth, or at worst, that they are bad on customer relations. JT

I used fair radio once. Once being the key word. And I did contact them. Basically it took a lot of effort on my part as they had a "I don't care" attitude. In my opinion they did not make it right but after weeks of 'contacting' them they eventually made it bearable. That being said I have no plans to do business with them again. The grief was not worth it. If they are the only one in the world to have something I want I will do without.


I just reviewed my email correspondence. Their communication was horrible and they were quite rude. Furthermore rereading everything has just annoyed the crud out of me.

 

[quickfarms]

I have ordered from them in the past with good results

 

[hunderliggur]

I ordered from them and had great service. They even contacted me to correct my order since I ordered too many of the end sections and only one of the middle sections. Saved me money and got me what I wanted. Contacted Iowa from Maryland using a NVIS set on 20M (14 MHz) HF. Condition was used (as ordered) but clean. I think someone messed up.

 

[maddawg308]

I ordered from them in the past, and done good, but I have heard of cases like this where the customer got something in a lot worse condition than they expected. Hope it works out for you....

 

[tennmogger]

I've been buying from Fair Radio since the '60's. They sell surplus stuff at a good price, and that can include dirt and some wear and tear. If they cleaned every part, the price would have to go up.

Personally, I'd just wash the AB-15 and clean the rust, and move on. The top sections are getting scarce so that might be all they have. If you install it on a vehicle, it'll be bent soon anyway

Bob WB4ETT

 

[zout]

Would have to agree with at least giving them a call before a post like this and have it explained to you.

As far as a total outsider as myself is reading this and myself dealing with vendors all day long - as far as you might know some knucklehead in shipping just packed it up and shipped it and the owner knows nothing about it - unless you called them.

Was a condition explained before it was shipped ?
Were pictures of the item you were buying requested before payment ?

Very few business will not shy away from helping you in this economy if they are spoken to and your side is exlained to them - otherwise how can some of them make their customer service better for us all ?

On the other hand - very few even care and those are the ones we really need to hear about after all is said and done with trying to work things out equatably.