Should We reBAND Together And Let RS Know What We Think?

[TimmyTunner]

Perhaps we should elect a member to represent us and let Radio Shack know they may be losing customers because they knowingly sold us scanners that will not support the rebanding. What do you think?

 

[TimmyTunner]

If we collect a list of names (Shack customer) who are unhappy with their actions, will they respond to our needs?

 

[safetyobc]

Don't know that it would do any good. I sent a very lengthy email with lots of questions about some of their current scanners (not all about rebanding questions either) and asked for a response from them to the ones that they could answer. That was almost 4 months ago. Still haven't heard anything back. The email included rebanding questions, customer service issues, general scanner questions, etc.

With GRE not answering an email that was sent to several different email addresses (customer service depts in US and Over seas), I conclude they care nothing about the customer (me) and only about the dollar. SO I will stick with Uniden and GRE will not get my hard earned $$$$. With Uniden, you get Mr. Paul Opitz who participates on this board as well as many yahoo groups. That's customer service at it's best!

 

[Al42]

If we collect a list of names (Shack customer) who are unhappy with their actions, will they respond to our needs?

If you do, I'll sign. I'm the disappointed owner of a Pro-95, and about all I monitor is a P16 Motorola 800 MHz system that will be rebanded. If this scanner becomes obsolete when the system moves (IOW if RS doesn't do something to enable me to keep listening to the systejm) I'll never buy another RS scanner.

It's not like we don't have an option - one that's better than RS for a lot of reasons.

 

[Stephen]

I can agree with you about their customer service. I own two radio shack handhelds and I will never buy another one again. Besides that when I sent a letter to them about one of their commercial radios and the legality of power output they responded with then two weeks. When I ask a question about scanners they don't ever respond. I will end this buy saying never again will I buy anything radio shack. I used to work for them and part of the reason I left is because they treat employees the same way.

 

[n4voxgill]

since no scanner manufactuer has said they can guarantee that any of their scanners will work on Motorola systems after rebanding, I guess you guys are going to take up knitting or some other hobby. But since you want to get away from radio shack scanners I think if you will sell your Pro96 and 2096 for fifty dollars I will buy a couple.

 

[MarkWestin]

Gre = Oem

Hello,

I think that before you get too upset with GRE not responding to your inquires, you might want to keep in mind that GRE is the OEM, not the company that is selling the units. GRE makes the units to Radio Shack's specifications. Uniden also makes units to Radio Shack's specifications. GRE may not be able to respond to your questions due to contractual confidentiality requirements. If I were going to send any inquires it would be to Radio Shack not GRE, because at Radio Shack, if you've got questions, they've got answers. (probably not the answers you want to hear though).

Mark

 

[redhelmet13]

I used to work for RS in the Corp HQ in a non retail support role for 16 years. I have seen them pull away from what made them the # 1 consumer electronics chain. I do not see them wanting to continue to support our hobby since it is a small niche market and not what they consider important anymore. They have put most of thier eggs in the cell phone basket and other recurring revenue gernerators. Come on RS - there are still those who look to you, dont give up on them.

 

[DXKW]

R/s Scanners And Rebanding

I think the current scanners being sold by rs sould be tagged will not work after rebanding is complete. I have seen uninformed customers buying these radios on sale with out being informed what is going on. Bottom line r/s is a large company that only cares about how the sales are going.

 

[n4voxgill]

There are so few scanners sold that Radio Shack could decide to drop them. I sure hope not, as I think the PRo96 is by far the best scanner on the market for my use. It and the 2096 are so easy to work with thanks to Don Starr. The audio quality is really tops.

They tried the experiment with ham radio, but even though they had a first rate handheld that market is also very small so they dropped them.

 

[n4voxgill]

I think the current scanners being sold by rs sould be tagged will not work after rebanding is complete. I have seen uninformed customers buying these radios on sale with out being informed what is going on. Bottom line r/s is a large company that only cares about how the sales are going.

What scanner do you know that will work after rebanding, or didn't you read the fine print at the bottom of uniden messages.

 

[corbintechboy]

What scanner do you know that will work after rebanding, or didn't you read the fine print at the bottom of uniden messages.

I think the fact that uniden at least lets there customers know they will be working on it to figure out a way to get it to work. Call rat shack and you will get "we are sorry, the new pro-97 will not support this feature", come on. Who wants to go out and pay good money for a radio, just to be told in a year or so it will be trash. I took my RS radio back and purchased a uniden 246, and in my opinion it is better the the 97 anyway. Keep up the good work uniden, you have made a customer of me!

 

[safetyobc]

I like the fact that Uniden will announce new products several months in advance of them being released. This gives us poor folks time to save for the upcoming product and builds anticipation. Also announcing most if not all of the new features the new product will have. Not like with GRE where you are trying to search the FCC to find the new products.

Thanks Uniden!

 

[K5MAR]

Perhaps we should elect a member to represent us and let Radio Shack know they may be losing customers because they knowingly sold us scanners that will not support the rebanding. What do you think?

Umm, yeah, right! :roll:

Right after that, let's send a letter to Ford, GM and Chrysler because they knowingly sold vehicles that don't get 30 MPG. :lol:

Mark S.

 

[scanjunkie]

There is no proof yet that the scanners will not support rebanding. The theory on the 96 and 2096 is that it will support it via custom tables that can be programmed through Win96 software. Just wait and wait and see what happens.
I have a 96 right now and I love it. I would like to buy a BCD396T as well, but I am going to wait it out and see what happens once rebanding occurs and will make my decision then. Uniden believes they will be able to address the rebanding issues via firmware updates...but they're not promising. They, as are all scanner manufacturers, have said that it can not gurantee any scanner will work after rebanding. Once there are some rebanded systems on the air we will see what happens...until then, everyone just relax.
So basically what I am saying is that RS has not sold scanners that they "know" will not work after rebanding...because no one knows for sure if any of them will work.

Take care all!

 

[KC1UA]

I think the current scanners being sold by rs sould be tagged will not work after rebanding is complete. I have seen uninformed customers buying these radios on sale with out being informed what is going on. Bottom line r/s is a large company that only cares about how the sales are going.

Imagine, if you will, the probably thousands of customers who have purchased (or will purchase) apprent incompatible or older Radio Shack (and for that matter Uniden) scanners. They are not hobbyists, and likely have no idea that sites like this exist. They fought and kicked and scratched and finally (maybe) figured out how to program the local 800 MHz Motorola TRS so they could listen to their local police and fire/EMS department.

CLICK! Rebanding is complete in their area. Suddenly the scanner doesn't work anymore. They have nowhere to turn because they don't know how to use Google. They call Radio Shack and the drone on the phone can't answer their question, but surely has a wonderful deal on cell phones should the caller like to hear more about it.

The scanner becomes a paperweight, or an occupant of the trash can. Maybe it's sold at a yard sale for $10.

We're fortunate that as a community we are aware this is coming and have the opportunity to debate it and prepare for it. Those in the dark will be truly lost.

 

[benjaminarthurt]

They call Radio Shack and the drone on the phone can't answer their question, but surely has a wonderful deal on cell phones should the caller like to hear more about it.

not every radioshack employee is a mindless moron.... but i do have to admit, a good portion of us are....

I know that i personaly have been informing customers that freqs are always changing and that the fcc may force their local gov. to change and then they wont be able to pick them up anymore...

then i proceed with the sale as normal and take home a nice big commision check :-D...

as far as radioshack not plastering the words "this might not work in a few years" well why would they do that as it would definately hurt their profit. why would they stop selling a product that is still working now? I am sure i will be selling these scanners until the day the rebanding is complete.

 

[n4voxgill]

Who wants to go out and pay good money for a radio, just to be told in a year or so it will be trash. I took my RS radio back and purchased a uniden 246, and in my opinion it is better the the 97 anyway. Keep up the good work uniden, you have made a customer of me!

You are correct, that is exactly what happend to the BC250 about one year and oops will not work on the new full P25 systems.

 

[KC1UA]

not every radioshack employee is a mindless moron.... but i do have to admit, a good portion of us are....

You're absolutely correct. Over the years I've had very good experiences with many RS employees as well, several of which were either hams or hobbyists, and had an exceptional knowledge of and interest in what they were selling. The educated ones, like yourself, are at least telling people that down the road things might not work right anymore. That's commendable. But there are as many of you, and likely many more on top of that, that aren't, because they don't understand, haven't been educated by their company, or just don't give a damn.

I have purposely gone into Radio Shack stores, played dumb, and asked questions about scanners and trunking just to see what the answers would be. After all, I have questions...I'm supposed to get answers. Many of the response to my questions have been ludicrous, to say the least. According to one employee I'll have no problem listening to Nextel conversations. Another at one time made it abundantly clear to me that I'll still be able to hear them with this radio if they "scramble"...no problem (it was a PRO-92 in his hand as he assured me of this). It appears to me that RS doesn't educate their employees much, if at all, with scanners and perhaps other items that don't make up for the majority of their sales.

However, I think the onus is on the consumer as well. I mentioned in my original message that some of these people probably don't know how to use Google, and probably aren't aware that websites like this one exist. The consumer needs to do a little research prior to making a purchase as well. Rebanding may be a pretty difficult concept to grasp for someone that's not a scanner hobbyist. With that in mind it would be "nice" to see RS acknowledge the fact that rebanding is a reality and offer up some type of "disclaimer", written as eloquently as possible so as not to upset sales, but instead to educate buyers that would otherwise have no clue. To sell what very well may be incompatible radios up to the day where rebanding takes effect, without making some kind of basic notification to the buyer, is in a word rotten. Yes, I know, the nice guy finishes last, but if I bought a product that worked on Day 1, and then mysteriously stopped working on Day 2, where would I go first? To the place I bought it of course. Imagine the confusion that will reign.

If there is a reason why RS is selling current model scanners that appear unlikely to function when rebanding is finished, they sure aren't communicating it. It would be nice if they'd come out and tell us we're wrong in our speculation, tell us to go pound sand...tell us something! Surely, there "other than Motorola" systems that these radios should continue to work with, but those folks in Motorola-land may be S.O.L. "the day after". At least Uniden has been completely up front with us in this regard, and is producing radios that they feel will function in a post-rebanding environment. The same surely cannot be said for Radio Shack at this juncture.

 

[N_Jay]

I think you should all join your local Emergency Services auxiliary, and then put in place a registry for your scanners as part of the agencies communications system, then apply to Nextel to have all that equipment re-banded. :lol: :twisted: :lol: :twisted: