Those that know me are quite aware I prefer Yaesu radios. Let me tell you why. (I own a FT-991A, FT-891, FT-450D, FT-817ND, 3 – VX-6’s, and a FT-60).
I recently purchased the FT-450D at the Big Bear HamEscape swap meet. The radio appeared to be in prime shape – but you never know. The seller told me the radio was gently used and spent most if its life in an EOC, in a drawer.
When I got home, I determined the radio worked just great. Really nice unit. The only thing I noticed, was the headphone jack volume appeared to be a little low.
The Yaesu North America repair center is in Orange County (Cypress), CA where I live. Since the FT-450D was such a bargain, I dropped the radio off at the repair facility for a “Health-Check.”
About a week later, I got a call from the Yaesu technician. He told me he analyzed the radio and confirmed it was in fine shape. He said the radio was within factory specs, including both the speaker and headphone jack volumes.
I told him I would pick the unit up at “Will-Call”, and asked him how much I owed him. He said, “There is no charge mate, if we do not have to repair it.” He also said he would be glad to ship the unit to the house at no charge to save me the trip back to Cypress.
Wow!
I had a similar experience about three years ago. At a local club swap meet, I purchased a VX-6 H/T. It looked “well-used” and the battery was dead. I could not power it on to test it. The seller told me the unit worked fine.
When I got home and plugged the H/T in to a charger, to my horror, I discovered the LCD display was scrambled eggs. Buyer beware.
I took the H/T to Yaesu to get a repair estimate. The H/T has a manufacture date of 2015 – so it is pretty old. Yaesu replaced the LCD, updated the firmware, and ensured the unit was operating within factory specs. Repair cost? Less than $40 USD. I installed a new battery, and added the H/T to my EmComm inventory. It works great.
This level of service is mighty rare in our modern world. Especially in the tech industry. It is important to note, however, this commitment to customer service pays off in customer loyalty.
After the above two experiences, do you think the next time I decide to purchase a radio I would consider any other?
Cheers to you Yaesu!
73,
N1SPW