a right royal rip off

[Birdseye]

Dont normally moan about boaty price levels but this one's a beaut. I have a Tron 45 epirb, which at 5 years old now needs new batteries. There are 3 of them - all LR14 size and of the lithium ion type. But Jotron wont let you go out and buy the batteries and install them - they "pot" the batteries into the handle of the epirb and will only supply that as a replace. And the cost for that piece of plastic tube containing a few bit of wire, a switch and the batteries is £220 before fitting costs!

Needless to say, its going in the bin. For just another 50 or so I can get a brand new EPIRB which will last 6 not 4 years and whose battery replacement will be less than half. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

 

[Talbot]

Thats a real no brainer,

 

[JKay]

just had the same with a BMW remote central locking alarm fob
You need a new fob as they do not supply batteries
Dremmeled the fob in half changed battery £1.80
BMW wanted £130/00............ [--word removed--]

cheers Joe

 

[boatbuilder]

Had the same problem with Kanard EPIRB. The battery pack is 4 cells but a search could only produce 3.6v lithium batteries, but the pack says 10.8v . Confusion, untill a bit of examination and disection shows that one cell is a dummy!!
Once this is found out, the battery pack was replaced for £80,
Dealer wanted £220 +vat.
Why do we stand for this blatent rip off time and time again.

 

[bilbobaggins]

Now here's a post aimed at the IPC journos and marketing wonks who occasionally read here......

If you ran a regular column exposing these scams - or giving space to those others, like here, have done so for you - I, for one, would subscribe to your mags, instead of examining them for useful content in W.H. Smiths!

Response?



/forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

 

[npf1]

Same applies for ACR Epirbs - £220 las tiem I asked - and they claim it cannot be done anywhere but a distributor because they change the seals or some other 'fear factor' excuse. So we have three different EPIB companies here, each charging a rather similar price. Smells funny to me!

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

If you are going to chuck it in the Bin, I'll have it!

Bet a bit of gentle work with a dremel and careful reconstruction would see it well sorted /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I'd even come and collect it!

 

[aztec]

strangely enough i was thinking along the same lines..

BMW dashboards, the ones with the service lights...

NiCad batteries to hold the memory.. when they wear out the whole circuit board needs to be replaced... a trip to Maplins... 2 LR6 rechargeables and about 5 mins with the soldering iron.... job jobbed.

main dealers suck!

 

[fishermantwo]

I have a New Zealand made Epirb in my fishing vessel, top comes off and the battery pack slides out. Batteries are held in a bracket similar to most radios, no soldering. For my yacht I have a couple of Epirbs, both in my workshop at the moment. One has the batteries set in resin which apparently can be broken out with a screwdriver. The other they are held in with a clip. The one with a clip also has a weight in the bottom and this does the same job as the resin in that it makes the Epirb float upright. The New Zealand made unit just makes so much more sense. The batteries are much cheaper and last 4 years, quick and easy to keep the batteries up to date and people are more inclined to do so if they are not being ripped off.

 

[ShipsWoofy]

Can I have it, I used to re-pot batteries on missiles in my training days, I have the patience to dig the buggers out and re-pot them! Or are the moulded within the handle assy?

 

[Rowana]

Never happen !

Why not?

These companies are the one's who supply the advertising revenue. We can't go and knock their products, now can we ??


.

 

[Guest]

Re: a right royal rip off .... change seals etc. ??

It's like the Wristwatch scam .... send of the watch to service centre for battery change and reseal the case. The excellent watch repair guy out here in my local town showed me the method used by most watch centres : Smear of vaseline or other similar sealant with the sealing ring.

How many battery packs / items are replaced at terrible costs when a simple knife, soldering iron and patience can sort.

Criminal .......

 

[Andrew_Fanner]

Re: a right royal rip off .... change seals etc. ??

Moudable resin batteries are supposedly on the horizon, but then that's been said for some while. Can't be replaced as they are the device's case or what have you. I'll dib in as one willing to try and replace an epirb battery on a no warranty basis.

Local jeweller did my watch battery a couple of weeks ago using exactly the Vaseline technique.

 

[cookjwm]

I agree with bilbobaggins - lets see the press do their job and lean on the rip off merchants - like volvo for spares prices, Jabsco for the pitiful quality of parts -see other posts re seals, dud pump cylinders etc. These are constant issues for many of us. United we stand!

 

[Guest]

Re: a right royal rip off ... did you mention Volvo ?

Always remember my father and the 144 he had .......

When in for service they used to change the whole airfilter box and element. It was written in the Volvo Service Manual. Spares dept only had whole units also.
One mechanic quietly told "Dad" .... go to Hillman dealer and buy element for Hunter - its same, but only element - so with screwdriver prise of box lid ... change and snap lid back on.

True !!!!!!! Saving was incredible ... another was the exhaust system but can't remember what other car could be used .... too many years ago now.

 

[ClassicPlastic]

Re: a right royal rip off ... did you mention Volvo ?

Ahem,

I wouldn't bother expecting YBW to 'out' rip-offs. When I did exactly that, they pulled the thread. Despite telephone conversation with one of the deputy editors at PBO, it was clear that anything that might reveal unsavoury truths about advertisers or potential advertisers is not welcome here.

That's why I'm no longer a subscriber to any of their titles.

 

[Oen]

Re: cookieboy

"lets see the press do their job and lean on the rip off merchants"...

I thought their job was to sell lots of magazines so that they can sell lots of advertising... There's no doubt in my mind who's side they're on...

 

[snowleopard]

Me too. My Tron EPIRB is also out of date and you can now buy a new unit elsewhere for little more than the battery pack.

Solution - rip it apart and replace batteries with Duracells, after all I'm only channel cruising these days. Perhaps upgrade to a GPS model when we head out to blue water again. Next time I'll factor in the battery cost before buying. Tron won't be on the list.

 

[Norman_E]

Re: a right royal rip off ... did you mention Volvo ?

"Freedom of the press in Britain means freedom to print such of the proprietor's prejudices as the advertisers don't object to."

Hannen Swaffer 1879 - 1962

Still true today.

 

[tugboat]

Here's another one.
You guys are probably aware of the kerfuffle directed at McMurdo a while back over the test results on their 406 EPIRB. Well, apparently they've sorted it now and a few months ago there was an item in Sailing Today offering owners a battery change and software update - special offer at £99.
I have a non-GPS version (same otherwise) which needs a new battery, so I rang them up to see if I could get a new battery for £99 (I'm thinking less work as no software to faff around with). Oh no, says they, the offer only applies to GPS models and it's £99 plus VAT anyway. For mine to have new battery fitted would be £170 + £15 delivery. Nuts to that says I. Now I'm contemplating undoing the little screws to see what's hiding inside! /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif I'm feeling cross! Sent an email about it to Colin Jarman who replied that they might print an update but nothing seen yet.