GREAmerica apparently not so great

[bamamach1]

When I researched scanners, reviews on RadioReference were very positive about GREAmerica and the PSR800 scanner. My scanner quit receiving a week ago, only 18 days after purchase and I posted and received a ticket number from GREAmerica for the following:

"Scanner shows scanning, haven't heard anything in two days. Previously, local prison, fire, pd and sheriff very busy on radio, nothing now. Could pick up 40 miles away, now nothing, no sound whatsoever, even though scanning. Will not scan on Spectrum either. If you select all bands on Spectrum Sweeper, it stays on one channel. Previously Spectrum Sweeper worked fine. Tried clearing memory and downloading configuration, still just scans, no sound, no tranmissions. Received scanner January 15, 2013. Please help."

It is now a week later and I have yet to hear from GREAmerica. I guess the positive post for GREAmerica and their customer service must have come from their own staff, because my experience hasn't been very good.

 

[IowaGuy1603]

GREAmerica is having some problems, but they have been doing repair work

someplace on one of the current threads is a phone number that has been answered so you might want to look around on the GRE (this thread) for that number

Actually GRE has one of the better reputations for customer service -----and from what I have heard they are still trying to help their customers

Find that phone number and call............

 

[bamamach1]

Thanks, I'll search.

 

[bfletcher]

To Iowa's point concerning GRE's problems you are aware, aren't you, of their current status? Their most recent press release can be found in the News heading of their web site, dated 10/23/12. Unfortunately, that status may affect their ability to provide the level of service that one would otherwise expect of a business.

Out of curiosity, if you scan weather do you hear transmissions, or does the scanner show that it is scanning the various weather frequencies? If the latter is the case, it would seem to me there is a problem with the antenna connection (be it external or internal). The behavior you're experiencing with the spectrum sweeper may offer the same conclusion as my suggestion regarding weather but I'm not familiar with the sweeper functionality.

 

[bfletcher]

I don't know how to post the link here but you can search for the tite "No response from GRE???" whose last post was 1/31/13 that will show a post with a phone number.

 

[Techy]

Here is that number for GRE and an email address:

We are asking customers to call us directly 650-591-1400 or email to scanner-sales@greamerica.com

I had an issue a few months back with my 310, and was answered back in about a weeks time.

 

[bamamach1]

Thanks for your response. The scanner reacts the same on weather and spectrum. It shows it is on one channel versus scanning through them.

I'm new to this forum so I hope I am responding to the correct person.

 

[bfletcher]

I'm possibly grasping at straws but if my scanner locked on one weather frequency but had no audio I'd try plugging-in an external speaker (or earphone) to see if audio was present. This wouldn't negate the apparent need for service but may point to an issue with the internal speaker. And of course I would toggle the volume control.

 

[bamamach1]

I'm getting an audible beep when I manually change between weather channels. The scanner scans, it simply won't stop or show any transmissions. There is a lot of traffic from the prison, etc., so I know the tranmissions are out there. I did try the headset with the same end results. Thanks. I tried another tri band antenna, still no reception. Also never shows the (T) for the local trunking system.

 

[bfletcher]

Okay; good luck in getting assistance from GRE. I don't suppose you are able to negotiate an exchange with the reseller?

 

[IowaGuy1603]

Yep you have definite audio problem (the beep is separate from the voice audio)

Is your volume turned up?............Don't laugh, you would be surprised at what is forgotten once in a while.

If you are showing Trunking being received (thus the T showing up) then you are receiving also your showing signal strength and the unit locks on one weather channel so you ARE receiving

 

[bamamach1]

I didn't get a response from the seller, but he had a 14 day return policy and the scanner died at 18 days. First time in 13 years I ever had a problem with an ebay purchase and this one was from Onlinesbestdeals, an ebay seller. I did get through via phone to GRE and they are sending some instructions for me to try to correct my issue.

 

[IowaGuy1603]

Glad to hear GRE responded..............

 

[bamamach1]

What GRE told me to do didn't correct the issue. Hopefully they'll send me a RA and check the scanner under warranty.

 

[GrumpyAeroGuy]

What GRE told me to do didn't correct the issue. Hopefully they'll send me a RA and check the scanner under warranty.

I am sure they will. I know it is hard, but I would recommend not passing judgement until one knows what the outcome truly is.

In one of the threads referenced above in a previous post, there was also a post where Raj (GRE AMericas Dude) recommended the e-mail contact form available from the gre americas web site as the, presently, BEST way to get a response from them.

Think pragmatically for a second. If I came to you and said Company "X" had quit manufacturing product, for what-ever reason, and they had US representation, all things being equal, what would you normally think the probability would be of getting ANY response at all. Probably indistinguishable from zero.

That being said, there are a few folks at GRE Americas (probably WAAAAAY fewer than there were 6 months ago) who are trying, and succeeding, on good faith, to service their user base. I find this exemplary. Is it ideal? No. Is it always convenient? No. Is it better than nothing? Yes.

Given the circumstances, I would say that the entire team there should be commended for what they are doing. How easy for ANYONE left there to say: " ______-it, I'm done". Very easy. But, they continue to try to serve us as a customer base. For how much longer is anyone's guess. Given that the EXPECTATION could have, reasonably, been made that one day after the news announcement of termination of production that there would have been nothing but tumbleweed at the other end and a shut-down web-site, I think we should be commending them and not throwing rocks as much as possible.

Just my $0.05.

One last thing, and, please don't take this personally....again, just MY "old-school" opinion ....... eBay...... you get what you get. If you get a good experience, god love ya for it. If you don't, kinda your fault, especially on a purchase vaule that exceeds an amount your willing to assume is thrown away, until proven otherwise.

If you HAD purchased it from a reputable on-line vendor of this type of equipment, and, there appear to be outlets that still have stock for now, I think you would have had more options in terms of a return/replace, etc..

I mean, even Rat Shack, for all of its present weaknesses.... back in the car, back to the store, and replace, assuming it came from a store. Even on-line, they would have offered a replacement, along with the inconvenience of mailing it back.

That being said, best of luck to you. I am sure, in the end, you will be made statisfied.

 

[bamamach1]

One last thing, and, please don't take this personally....again, just MY "old-school" opinion ....... eBay...... you get what you get. If you get a good experience, god love ya for it. If you don't, kinda your fault, especially on a purchase vaule that exceeds an amount your willing to assume is thrown away, until proven otherwise.

If you HAD purchased it from a reputable on-line vendor of this type of equipment, and, there appear to be outlets that still have stock for now, I think you would have had more options in terms of a return/replace, etc..

"Don't take it personal"

The seller had (14) PSR-800s, it came in a sealed, unopened box. You say reputable on-line vendor, but who is judging. The seller on ebay had almost 2500 feedbacks with 99.5% positive. Maybe GRECOM just had a bad unit and I got it. I registered it immediately, therefore the warranty should be good.

You say try to withhold judgement but you made a judgement and even capitalized the HAD. There are many local and online reputable businesses that also sell on Ebay, so just keep your opinion on your keyboard.

PS: The first one I tried to buy was from HamCity which they had advertised, but didn't have in stock, nor did they have the 500 in stock.

 

[GrumpyAeroGuy]

again, i am sorry you took it the wrong way, for which it hadn't been intended, but, you are correct, e-bay has good vendors and not-so-good vendors.

It is true, there are PSR800s and PSR500s that appear to have some issues (like any product will), but, it seems all get them corrected with the inconvenience of mailing them in to GRE, if that is the only avenue available.

Sorry, didn't mean to ruffle your feathers.

I have been hosed by e-bay vendors that have stellar ratings, and had great experiences with some that had little or not-so-good ratings. I do dabble in rare technical books for which brick and mortar businesses are few and far between, and e-bay is a rare resource in that market. I just approach e-bay with the "may work out may not" approach, and I don't gamble more than i am willing to lose on ebay. That's just me.

All I was saying is that e-bay appears to be more of a crap shoot than established brick and mortar businesses, in my experience.

Again, I am sure that GRE will take care of you. Given their curcumstances, we should all be grateful taht there is anyone there at all to answer the phone at all.

 

[bfletcher]

I must say that I, too, am grateful that there remains some representation and willingness of GRE to service their customer base. I purchased my PSR-800 in January and if it broke tomorrow I would have sole responsibility of having made a bad decision if I could not obtain service. Having known of their present state before making my purchase it would be difficult for me to swear at them if they became unresponsive. At least there remains some effort on their part thus far.

In my short tenure on here I’ve seen a few of Grumpy’s posts and taking that history into consideration it would seem to me that no offense was intended but I’m also not the one with a broken scanner. I trust everyone joins me in the hope that your problem is resolved timely and favorably.

 

[bamamach1]

I was unaware of GRECOM's circumstances. I did my research on the equipment, which was very favorable, but it was after I joined and learned a little more about RadioReference that I found the letter about the factory closing. There is a ton of information on RadioReference to take in. Epi from GREAmerica has been great.

 

[bamamach1]

But it is gotten much better since I received help from RadioReference members as to how to contact GreAmerica, their situation and Epi at GreAmerica.