Almost bought a Pro 197 today

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KJ6CFU

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I'm a bit frustrated and disappointed.

As everyone has seen on this board, Radio Shack dropped the prices on their scanners. The original sale ended on 2/4, and I missed it....but they extended the sale through 2/12. Awesome!

I checked their website to see who had the scanner locally. I called one that was on my way home from work to confirm that they had one in stock, and they confirmed that they had one. I arrive at the store, and they have none in stock.

Today I called another location 10 miles from my house that had the 197 in stock, according to their website. I was told that they had 2, so I stopped by. I found one remaining when I arrived, and told the friendly sales person that I wanted to buy it. She carried it to the counter for me, and as I was carrying it out, I noticed that the box seemed rather light. I opened the box, and it had everything in it but the scanner! I go back to the counter, and another sales person said, "Oh, sometimes they take the radio out of the box...it's gotta to be in the back." He checks the main storage area and another small room, and there's nothing. Their inventory system is still showing that they have 2 at that location, so not only is the one missing from the box unaccounted for, but so is the 2nd unit. He called another store that, according to their inventory system, said they had one, and that location said they didn't have one.

Several minutes later, he said the website is usually wrong and not to count on it for inventory information. So then he calls yet another store, and they confirm that they have one. The store is about 15 miles from the current store, and I told him that I really didn't want to drive all over town for a product that was suppose to be at this location. I asked if they could have the scanner brought to this location, or better yet, one closer to my house, and he said that the best they could do would be to Fedex it to any location I wanted, but that it would probably arrive on Friday. I asked if they could just have someone drive it over, given the situation, and he said, "no."

I walked out with my refund, but it just seemed so ridiculous that their own inventory system doesn't accurately reflect stock, and more importantly, that they weren't willing to go very far to correct something that was rather easy to fix.

Frustrated! I guess I'll save up a little longer for a Uniden.....
 

gewecke

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I'm a bit frustrated and disappointed.

As everyone has seen on this board, Radio Shack dropped the prices on their scanners. The original sale ended on 2/4, and I missed it....but they extended the sale through 2/12. Awesome!

I checked their website to see who had the scanner locally. I called one that was on my way home from work to confirm that they had one in stock, and they confirmed that they had one. I arrive at the store, and they have none in stock.

Today I called another location 10 miles from my house that had the 197 in stock, according to their website. I was told that they had 2, so I stopped by. I found one remaining when I arrived, and told the friendly sales person that I wanted to buy it. She carried it to the counter for me, and as I was carrying it out, I noticed that the box seemed rather light. I opened the box, and it had everything in it but the scanner! I go back to the counter, and another sales person said, "Oh, sometimes they take the radio out of the box...it's gotta to be in the back." He checks the main storage area and another small room, and there's nothing. Their inventory system is still showing that they have 2 at that location, so not only is the one missing from the box unaccounted for, but so is the 2nd unit. He called another store that, according to their inventory system, said they had one, and that location said they didn't have one.

Several minutes later, he said the website is usually wrong and not to count on it for inventory information. So then he calls yet another store, and they confirm that they have one. The store is about 15 miles from the current store, and I told him that I really didn't want to drive all over town for a product that was suppose to be at this location. I asked if they could have the scanner brought to this location, or better yet, one closer to my house, and he said that the best they could do would be to Fedex it to any location I wanted, but that it would probably arrive on Friday. I asked if they could just have someone drive it over, given the situation, and he said, "no."

I walked out with my refund, but it just seemed so ridiculous that their own inventory system doesn't accurately reflect stock, and more importantly, that they weren't willing to go very far to correct something that was rather easy to fix.

Frustrated! I guess I'll save up a little longer for a Uniden.....

I would give it another shot in a week or so, and inform the kid on the phone how angry you're going to be if you drive over there and he's yanking your chain! The pro-197 is worth waiting for, fyi- it has much better sounding audio on trunked systems than the uniden does as I own both.
I wish now I would have returned my 996 but it's not bad as a second radio.
I hope you find a "sealed" box next time! :wink:

73,
n9zas
 

KJ6CFU

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thanks for the feedback, guys. I wanted to pay cash and not use a credit card.

I'm still so angry; the whole experience just really turned me off. Argh. The sale ends in a few days....I guess I can think about it in the meantime.
 

datainmotion

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Here's my .02:

If you want it that bad, when talking to the store on the phone, confirm they physically have one in their hands (not kidding) and have them set it aside (pulled from the shelf) and put your name on it. Of course, they won't hold it forever, but most will hold it long enough for you to get there. I don't know if they all work on commission, but the cost of that (even on sale) is significantly higher than most other single items in their store.
 

michaelmikesj

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Location
Athol, Idaho
I feel your frustration

I'm a bit frustrated and disappointed.

As everyone has seen on this board, Radio Shack dropped the prices on their scanners. The original sale ended on 2/4, and I missed it....but they extended the sale through 2/12. Awesome!

I checked their website to see who had the scanner locally. I called one that was on my way home from work to confirm that they had one in stock, and they confirmed that they had one. I arrive at the store, and they have none in stock.

Today I called another location 10 miles from my house that had the 197 in stock, according to their website. I was told that they had 2, so I stopped by. I found one remaining when I arrived, and told the friendly sales person that I wanted to buy it. She carried it to the counter for me, and as I was carrying it out, I noticed that the box seemed rather light. I opened the box, and it had everything in it but the scanner! I go back to the counter, and another sales person said, "Oh, sometimes they take the radio out of the box...it's gotta to be in the back." He checks the main storage area and another small room, and there's nothing. Their inventory system is still showing that they have 2 at that location, so not only is the one missing from the box unaccounted for, but so is the 2nd unit. He called another store that, according to their inventory system, said they had one, and that location said they didn't have one.

Several minutes later, he said the website is usually wrong and not to count on it for inventory information. So then he calls yet another store, and they confirm that they have one. The store is about 15 miles from the current store, and I told him that I really didn't want to drive all over town for a product that was suppose to be at this location. I asked if they could have the scanner brought to this location, or better yet, one closer to my house, and he said that the best they could do would be to Fedex it to any location I wanted, but that it would probably arrive on Friday. I asked if they could just have someone drive it over, given the situation, and he said, "no."

I walked out with my refund, but it just seemed so ridiculous that their own inventory system doesn't accurately reflect stock, and more importantly, that they weren't willing to go very far to correct something that was rather easy to fix.

Frustrated! I guess I'll save up a little longer for a Uniden.....

Today I was in the Shack for a computer component and I asked the sales person if they had any of the handheld digital scanners in. He said yeah and showed me the 107. I happily corrected him and told him that scanner isn't digital. Although it will cover the 700 Mhz range it will not receive the digital broadcast in our area which happen to be 700 Mhz. He got pissed off at me. I guess its all about the telephones now.
 
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mikemey

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Landenberg, PA
I'm a bit frustrated and disappointed.

As everyone has seen on this board, Radio Shack dropped the prices on their scanners. The original sale ended on 2/4, and I missed it....but they extended the sale through 2/12. Awesome!

I checked their website to see who had the scanner locally. I called one that was on my way home from work to confirm that they had one in stock, and they confirmed that they had one. I arrive at the store, and they have none in stock.

Today I called another location 10 miles from my house that had the 197 in stock, according to their website. I was told that they had 2, so I stopped by. I found one remaining when I arrived, and told the friendly sales person that I wanted to buy it. She carried it to the counter for me, and as I was carrying it out, I noticed that the box seemed rather light. I opened the box, and it had everything in it but the scanner! I go back to the counter, and another sales person said, "Oh, sometimes they take the radio out of the box...it's gotta to be in the back." He checks the main storage area and another small room, and there's nothing. Their inventory system is still showing that they have 2 at that location, so not only is the one missing from the box unaccounted for, but so is the 2nd unit. He called another store that, according to their inventory system, said they had one, and that location said they didn't have one.

Several minutes later, he said the website is usually wrong and not to count on it for inventory information. So then he calls yet another store, and they confirm that they have one. The store is about 15 miles from the current store, and I told him that I really didn't want to drive all over town for a product that was suppose to be at this location. I asked if they could have the scanner brought to this location, or better yet, one closer to my house, and he said that the best they could do would be to Fedex it to any location I wanted, but that it would probably arrive on Friday. I asked if they could just have someone drive it over, given the situation, and he said, "no."

I walked out with my refund, but it just seemed so ridiculous that their own inventory system doesn't accurately reflect stock, and more importantly, that they weren't willing to go very far to correct something that was rather easy to fix.

Frustrated! I guess I'll save up a little longer for a Uniden.....

I think this is an ongoing issue with Radio Shack.

I had a similar experience about a year ago with my Satellite Radio. The web said they had one. Get to the store, and they have the box, but no unit in it. They check the inventory system, call 3 other stores that say they have one, and they didn't.

It's a shame. Radio Shack was always so much better than this.
 

N0WEF

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Today I was in the Shack for a computer component and I asked the sales person if they had any of the handheld digital scanners in. He said yeah and showed me the 107. I happily corrected him and told him that scanner isn't digital. Although it will cover the 700 Mhz range it will not receive the digital broadcast in our area which happen to be 700 Mhz. He got pissed off at me. I guess its all about the telephones now.

LOL! They told me they don't have any digital scanners(While I was looking directly at 3). Then tried to explain that no scanner could decode our system(Plain p25 phase1 smartzone) :roll:
 

SquierStrat

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Lol, I just dealt with this yesterday. The website said they had an 800mhz antenna in stock. I got there and sure enough, they didn't even have a location for them to go in their store. Then it took them AT LEAST another ten minutes to find it on their computer and order it.

But yeah, don't trust the website for inventory info
 

MTS2000des

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Radio SHAFT...what do you expect?

Missing inventory? this is the same company who had a CEO with a fudged resume no one bothered to check on. The same company that has it's OWN store employees and managers conduct inventory (yeah, nothing EVER shows up missing because a manager loses $$$ if inventory counts are accurate).

The RS we all knew and loved in the past is GONE. It's nothing more than an overpriced cellphone store.

Glad we have HRO in Atlanta, now there is a CLASS ACT. If you want to buy a scanner and have an HRO in your town, drive past the RAMMED WITH SHAFT RIPOFF stores and go to HRO. (no, don't work for them- but this is like the Custers Last Stand of radio hobby retail and I'm glad we have one in town).
 

rwier

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..................................It's a shame. Radio Shack was always so much better than this.

I went into a local RS the other day on matters unrelated to scanners. This is a RS where I have purchased at least two scanners in the last twenty years. After I swiped my plastic, I asked if he had any HP-1's in the store. He asked me "What's that?" I told him "A Uniden Scanner". He then said "RS doesn't sell scanners."

I laughed and said "You advertise several on your website". He then said (exact quote):

"Radio Shack has never sold scanners. Never has, never will."

He was quite knowledgeable about the business I came in for. I left with my chin near my belly-button, lol.
 

sphipps

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Joplin, MO
I have received so much conflicting info about digital scanners from Radio Shack employees that I refuse to buy one from them.

The local Radio Shack fervently claims our local PD transmissions are not encrypted... yet everyone who monitors them well knows they've been encrypted for years from the beginning when they upgraded to P25.

I ended up buying a like new PRO-106 at a pawn shop for $150. Unlike Radio Shack at least this seller fully admitted he knew nothing about it.
 

KC5EIB

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I have received so much conflicting info about digital scanners from Radio Shack employees that I refuse to buy one from them.

I have received so much conflicting info from customers about scanners that I refuse to believe them. I do my own research and know the truth.
 

N0WEF

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sphipps said:
I have received so much conflicting info about digital scanners from Radio Shack employees that I refuse to buy one from them.

I have received so much conflicting info from customers about scanners that I refuse to believe them. I do my own research and know the truth.

I just make stuff up in my head, and believe that!

Sadly, sometimes I don't agree with myself and it becomes a whole big thing. :(
 
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ratboy

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The stuff one local RS guy used to tell people was amazing. Back in the analog cellphone days, he told cellphone buyers that the "new" phones couldn't be heard on any scanner, they were "encrypted". And he was the manager! He was totally clueless about almost anything except VCR's and TV. When he died suddenly, the new guy was totally out to lunch about everything. I went in to buy a Pro-96 and I was talking about P25 and he said, "What's the point, you can't listen to it anyway?". I said, "What are you talking about?". He claimed it was "encrypted". I picked up the scanner I just bought, punched in one of the local freqs and out came the usual slightly distorted audio. I said, "I guess I have a decoder built into my head, or can you understand it too?". Just like car salesmen, RS people have no idea what is going on with the stuff they are selling, unless they are the rare car nut or radio fan.
 

MTS2000des

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The stuff one local RS guy used to tell people was amazing. Back in the analog cellphone days, he told cellphone buyers that the "new" phones couldn't be heard on any scanner, they were "encrypted". And he was the manager! He was totally clueless about almost anything except VCR's and TV. When he died suddenly, the new guy was totally out to lunch about everything. I went in to buy a Pro-96 and I was talking about P25 and he said, "What's the point, you can't listen to it anyway?". I said, "What are you talking about?". He claimed it was "encrypted". I picked up the scanner I just bought, punched in one of the local freqs and out came the usual slightly distorted audio. I said, "I guess I have a decoder built into my head, or can you understand it too?". Just like car salesmen, RS people have no idea what is going on with the stuff they are selling, unless they are the rare car nut or radio fan.


same thing here, when the Pro96 came out, I checked the web and two local shaft's had them in stock. Ventured down to one, after being given the usual "what cellphone service" manure was cleaned out of my ears, I asked about the item, gave them the stock number and all.

first the sales weasel said "we don't carry scanners." I told him the item showed they had 4 in stock, and asked if he could check the back. he took his sweet time getting it for me (guess there were no spiffs on a $400 ring credit). During the sale, he mentioned that "don't know why they send us this stuff, as you can't listen to anything anyway as the police all use Nextel phones". I almost went into convulsions laughing. I tried to explain while many officer use Nextel for chit-chat and administrative tasks, regular dispatch radio was alive and well.

Fool wanted to argue with me, so after I handed him the $400, I put my Nicads in the 96, turned it on, and punched in the control channel of the type II TRS Atlanta was on at the time. PD traffic came out.

"Wow, guess it picks up Nextel too. Cool!" and rolled my eyes and walked out.

RadioShaft, you've got questions, we've got blank stares.
 
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