Whistler Support for RS Scanners

[mlmummert]

Many people here feel that Whistler should offer support, warranty service, etc for RS branded scanners. Here's the thing though:

If you bought a RS scanner, then you bought that product from Radio Shack. It's up to Radio Shack to support their product regardless of who made it for them. It so happens that Whistler built the products for RS, but if Whistler sold defective products to RS, then it's up to RS to go back on Whistler. The whole point is it's on Radio Shack to support what they are selling to the general public. JMO.

 

[retiredmich]

SO, in other words every one who has a RS scanner is more or less S O L !

 

[mlmummert]

SO, in other words every one who has a RS scanner is more or less S O L !

Basically.

 

[RoninJoliet]

Yes but it was made by Whistler and they should have no problem repairing it......

 

[Voyager]

Technically, they could repair it since they made it, but part of the purchase price paid to RS was for warranty service and Whistler got none of that, so you are basically asking them to repair it not only for free, but at their expense (less then free).

In contrast, they repair their products because they sold them under their label, so they made more money than selling items bulk to RS without warranty, as RS was covering the warranty repairs. In fact, RS specified many of the customizations of the unit - including approval of the firmware which is why the RS version of the PSR-800 never got P25 Type II decoding. It was RS's responsibility to release any firmware for RS scanners, and there may even be a contract prohibiting GRE/Whistler from releasing it for RS scanners.

It's not as simple as it might seem to be on the surface.

 

[MONITORING247]

i think we owners of the new pro688 will be ok all firmware updates and data bases are updated from here at RadioReference now as for repair that's a different story. im banking on since its made by whistler with GRE technology and parts i see years of good service with proper care. for this unit if not bye that time something will come along that will make the pro688 look like a five channel Chrystal scanner compared to it that's technology for ya. and whistler new in the scanning world will want all the good pr they can get if there gonna go against the big dogs like UNIDEN BEARCAT and AOR in the foreseeable future

 

[MTS2000des]

If you bought a RS scanner, then you bought that product from Radio Shack. It's up to Radio Shack to support their product regardless of who made it for them. It so happens that Whistler built the products for RS, but if Whistler sold defective products to RS, then it's up to RS to go back on Whistler. The whole point is it's on Radio Shack to support what they are selling to the general public. JMO.

This is true.

Just because a manufacturer OEM's something, it is all in who sold the product as theirs. The Amazon Kindle for example, is OEM'd by Samsung, but it is an AMAZON product that is sold, serviced and represented as Amazon. Samsung did not sell it to you, Amazon did.

This is the same deal with the Radio Shack line of scanners, or any Radio Shack OEM'd product. When Radio Shack ceases to exist, it is all up to the bankruptcy courts to decide if whoever buys the name will accept the liability of honoring the Radio Shack warranty.

Being that, according to the bankruptcy claims pouring in, Radio Shack owes the Whislter Group $279,965.19, they are certainly under zero obligation to do anything for RADIO SHACK customers or users like you and I.

https://cases.primeclerk.com/radioshack/Home-ClaimInfo

Just something to keep in mind. Any Radio Shack scanner sold should be considered an "AS-IS/WHERE IS" sale. The company is going to be history and there is NO GUARANTEE that whoever takes over the remaining stores will be obligated to provide warranty service or product support.

Caveat emptor.

 

[marcotor]

Oh come on. Don't you read the threads? Whistler is OBLIGATED to support RS products, even ones they didn't manufacture! It's "Good Business" according to the many MBA's who haunt these parts

It will be interesting if a creditor or other entity ends up with RS's scanner IP, which is practically worthless to any ongoing concern. Since they haven't manufactured scanners in a long time, it wouldn't be a stretch if Whistler picked the IP up for practically nothing. Having thought that, there isn't really any benefit to Whistler to pursue the IP unless there are patents, etc. they could exploit in some way to profit them.

Whistler is in business to do one thing - Make MONEY. NOT stroke the hurt feelings of several thousand stranded RS scanner holders (myself included - with full knowledge of no support). There are plenty of threads where some have have demanded Whistler not only support the current models, but also employ DonS to write firmware updates - see the peppering he gets on occasion about the Pro-18 firmware.