Pro-106 back orders

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al95

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What is the wait time for back orders for the pro 106? Has anyone recieve their radio already? My local store tells one day then another day for delivery. I have gone to the store on the day they tell me it will arrive. Then they tell me it didn't arrive in that order. Now I just call them on the phone on the day they tell me it will be delivered?
 

walter900

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I would have never thought that i would see the day that the "Nintemdo Wii" would be easier to find over the PRO-106.. lol!! That goes to show how hot the PRO-106 is right now. It's definantly worth the wait. I hope you get yours soon. :)
 

thewenk

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Just got a call from Erik (Abqscan) at RS in Colorado. He said my 106 that I ordered on 12/22 is in and is being shipped. One week on backorder.

Dave
 

doabbs

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I think this really illustrates the pent up demand there is for a sub $500 digital scanner. It was understandable 5+ years ago, but come on, no price reductions from GRE or Uniden? I saw a 296d for sale a month ago for $495. The fact that they are able to sell them for so cheap on sale speaks to the amount of possible margin there has been on these things. The price of the chipsets necessary to do this sort of processing have come way down in that time, plus the overall build quality of this thing seems more on par with older analog scanner, Pro-96. I always found it really hard to justify spending that much money just to listen to P25 transmissions. Just my personal opinions, but just look at the activity on this forum in the last couple weeks. It got me back into the hobby...
 
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I think this really illustrates the pent up demand there is for a sub $500 digital scanner. It was understandable 5+ years ago, but come on, no price reductions from GRE or Uniden? I saw a 296d for sale a month ago for $495. The fact that they are able to sell them for so cheap on sale speaks to the amount of possible margin there has been on these things. The price of the chipsets necessary to do this sort of processing have come way down in that time, plus the overall build quality of this thing seems more on par with older analog scanner, Pro-96. I always found it really hard to justify spending that much money just to listen to P25 transmissions. Just my personal opinions, but just look at the activity on this forum in the last couple weeks. It got me back into the hobby...

I understand your frustration, but from what I have heard, the big cost is the licensing of the p25 technology itself. I really believe that RS took it in the shorts on this big sale, as a sort of "loss-leader" promotion. They for sure lost money on every scanner sold at $299 I would say.

This licensing thing is why you can get a BCT15, very similar to the 996, for less than half the money. The difference is the digital decoding licensing. Maybe this is just an excuse to gouge, but its what I've been told.
 

doabbs

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Good point, wasn't the Uniden 250 a lot cheaper, but if you threw in the BCi25D card you were looking at around $500 total? Usually you would sell something at a loss to get folks in to buy other items or because the accessories can make up the difference over the long run. I'm not sure what the rational would be for selling this as a loss leader since I doubt people are buying anything else. Maybe the reduced build cost allows them more wiggle room? If the licensing is still that expensive then it would seem they took a close shave on this one. I'm just amazed they did it! Either way, I have no real insider information into the overall build costs or what RS's margin is, just guessing here based on how other electronics evolve over time. I just read an article that the PS3 build cost was over $700+ when it came out and is now down to ~$400 but they make up that huge loss on the games people buy.
 

al95

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RS manager

I missed a call from RS this morning so I went to the store. When I got to the counter asked if my order was in, thay told me no. I ask why they call my phone number they told maybe some else in the store dial the number that it wasn't them. I'm still waiting for that call to go and pickup my radio. On Tuesday Dec.23,2008 that when the radio should have arrived at the store. But the manager told me he had to returned because the box was open or someone had opened it and take the radio out and just left the box. He never showed me the radio box. It's now a week later and still no radio they tell me on what date it would arrive then they change the date to a later date. If the back orders are shipping in one week should have my by this week I hope . Is there any way that another store can check when my order will be shipped out.
 

brcoz

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I ordered one from the store in my city after they located one but I had to come down to the store and pay for it first. This was on the 19th. I was there in 15 minutes paid and left. I started calling on Friday the 26th and was told only the person who ordered it can tell me the status. For 5 days I called and got the same. I called and left the DM a message and still no call back from him today. I checked my voice mail and the store called me to inform me that they have no idea where my scanner went and the store that was shipping it to my store has no tracking number. On my way home I called the store again and talked to the manager who ordered the scanner and he said he would check and call back. After two hours I called and he still cannot find a scanner and wanted to refund my money. I said no I would like the scanner I paid for. I then went on the Internet and found 10 stores that had them in stock. I called him back and he took three numbers to call them. I now have another scanner coming from Texas. I found stores listed in these area codes: 72556, 61554, 63704, 52240 (3 stores), 68506 & 68005. I also called a store in Colorado and the women there had one and was going to send it to California for me. Then she called and found it was going to Salt Lake City. If you had one on order you may have to try the zip codes I listed and have your store contact them. It took me about 15 minutes to find the stores that the web says they are in stock. Good luck to all.

Bruce
 
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caquino

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Got to be careful of the store transfers and try to make sure another store is not passing off their cast offs. I was in my local RS store on 12/24 when the manager searched and located a store in a different sales region that listed 4 in stock. He called that store, verified that they were in stock, asked and was told that they were new and not returns or display.

It arrived today and was called to "come and get it". Upon arriving at the store, tha manger's first words as I walked in was "you're not going to like this".

The scanner had a scratch across the display cover, and the manual was stuffed back into the plastic bag upside down. It was obvious that is was a returned stock, not new.

The manager put an order (not a transfer request) in for a new scanner, and the manager told me to go ahead and take the one that showed up home with me and "play around with it" until the new one shows up.

We'll see how this goes...
 

al95

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Hi brcoz

The same thing happened to me the manager wanted to refund my credit back and I said no I wanted the scanner. I have found one within an hour drive I told the manager he said he was going to order one. still sitting here for the phone to ring. Last night I went to the store they didn't even know if the scanner had arrive or not. I ask the store employee to check the back room if my order had come in. I don't know if he check or not he came back and told me that the scanner didn't come in. They tell me they will call me as soon the scanner arrives. I saw their backroom full of unopened boxes, maybe my scanner is sitting in one of those unopened boxes. My scanner was ordered on December 18,2008 it should have arrived on December 23,2008 that is the date that the manager gave me. I don't know if the manager is lying that the scanner box came open that he had to send it back, or their just lazy to open boxes in the back room. On Jan.07,2009 will be two weeks.
 

N6RJR

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I guess I was lucky. I found a 106 less than 40 miles from home back on the 17th, paid $399.00 and took it home. A couple days later, thanks to this forum posting the NEW lower price, I returned my reciept to get $100.00 rebate. On the 19th I ordered, (online from RS) a 197 to be shipped directly to my home. It was shipped on the 22nd and arrived yesterday. Not bad considering the holidays. Reading these posts, I wonder if it's best to order online and skip whole the retail store BS all together.
 
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They for sure lost money on every scanner sold at $299 I would say.

It sure seems that way, doesn't it? However, anybody who's ever worked for RS for any period of time knows that they will never sell something like that at a loss. It sure seems like it but that's just how much room they've got to work with on the price of those suckers, the markup is obscene.
 

al95

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I went to the mall where RS is located. I called the store using my cellphone. I was sitting right across the store when I called. The employee that took my order and charged my card answered the phone. I asked him if my radio had arrived. He didn't even look it up in the computer or went to the back room when he answered no. I saw that he was helping another customer. They (RS) recieve shipments everyday of the week. They never check what they receive. When I go in person they have to go to the back and check what it arrive for that day.
 

InlandAZ

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I really believe that RS took it in the shorts on this big sale, as a sort of "loss-leader" promotion. They for sure lost money on every scanner sold at $299 I would say.

They must have taken a deeper loss from those of us who purchased them for $278.00 with the F&F discount on top of the $299.00 sale (I actually received a free USB cable with mine). Tried to return it, but the sales clerk said I was never charged for it - so he couldn't take it back.
 
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They must have taken a deeper loss from those of us who purchased them for $278.00 with the F&F discount on top of the $299.00 sale (I actually received a free USB cable with mine). Tried to return it, but the sales clerk said I was never charged for it - so he couldn't take it back.

Well, maybe the markup is that much, and if so, wow.

Otherwise, I have a feeling they took it on the chin to move inventory and get people in the door.

For those of you who used the code you really got a sweet deal. Congrats. Free cable? Now I am jealous...
 

brcoz

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I called today and was told by the manager he received a tracking number so I may have my 106 next week. Happy New Year to all!

Bruce
 

ind224

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I called the store about my rain check today and based on the way she answered the phone I knew my only hope was to ask for the manager. "He's not here" and then silence.
"Well, when might he be back?" "Friday."
I guess I'll call back Friday....got my raincheck @1759 Christmas Eve:twisted:
 

Forts

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Best of luck to the folks waiting for their 106's.... as has been mentioned, it's worth the wait. I got lucky... first week of November I went to Boca Raton Florida on business (arrived in Florida on the last day of the Friends and Family coupon). As luck would have it, the only RS store in southern Florida that had any 106's was the Boca Raton Town Center store. I landed in Ft. Lauderdale and headed straight to the mall, only to find that not only would they accept my F&F coupon, but the radio was on for $399 instead of the regular $499. The radio, programming cable, and an extra 800mhz ducky came to about $320 when I was all said and done. Talk about the stars aligning! All I can say is that if you are waiting for a 106, you will be well rewarded when it finally arrives.
 
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