I have had experiences with customer support that range from most satisfying to infuriating.

I recently ordered a VFD from a well known online vendor. The unit was DOA. A call to their customer support line resulted in a conversation with a most polite person who informed me that I had no option but to return the unit for evaluation. No possibility of receiving a replacement until that happened.

What's worse, they told me that if the unit "was determined to be faulty, it would be up to the manufacturer to decide if it was covered under warranty." When I suggested the typical arrangement in which they send a replacement along with an RMA tag and a return shipping label, charging me only if I failed to return the original unit, I was told that "we have no option for this."

They offered to sell me another unit and then I could wait to see what happened with the original one. The time lost and out of pocket expense for me seemed to be of no concern to them.

This is the worst kind of support. It makes me remember, once again, how important this is. If we leave a bad taste in a customer's mouth, it is not likely that we will ever see that customer again, not to mention any other person that customer knows because you can be sure that everyone they know will hear about the shabby treatment they received.

D.D.