C-Map poor service

[ian38_39]

purchased a Standard Horizon plotter at the Birmingham Boat Show complete with voucher for a C-max chart, was a little worried at the time as the chart was to be sent from Italy but I was assured it would be fine.

C-map Jefferson no longer have an agent or presence in the UK as I found out when I rang to find out what had happened 3 weeks after sending in the voucher by e-mail and fax.

Spoke to a very nice man in Poland who said he would investigate and get back to me. The answer came by email that the chart had been sent and signed for, apparently by someone sounding very eastern European by his name, unfortunately he was about 50 miles from me in Leamington Spa.

C-maps response after lots of phone calls and emails was tough "We sent it fedex, they lost it so its not our problem, here's the tracking number get compensation from them"

Not even sure if I would have any claim against Fedex, would think not as I had no contract with them but what sort of response is that?

Thankfully Marinestore had a better understanding of customer service. They sold me the plotter at the boat show and instantly agreed to send me out a new chart at there expense when I contacted them some 2 months after initialy phoning them to find out what had happened to the chart, in fairness I had not gone back to them after they gave me the contact name and number for c-map in Poland so they assumed it had been sorted, true to their word the chart turned up 2 days later.

Trouble is I am running out of company's to buy nav kit from as C-map is now a definate no no and raymarine were extremely un helpfull when I tried to source a scanner motor for an RL9 radar stating that it was over 10 years old so it was no longer supported and I would have to upgrade, rash statement when a couple of grands worth of otherwise perfectly good kit only needed a small part, they wouldn't even help with supplying dealers who might possibly have the part.

Is there any marine electronics company's who arn't total rubish?

Ian

 

[Wiggo]

I moved laptops and needed a new key for the C-Map PC planner thing. They won't even return an email.

 

[mjf]

Gee - interesting story.

i have found the opposite frankly, C map Uk were extremely helpful when i encountered some software issues with the Furuno / C Map pc plotter.


i am sad their UK office is closed - I know they moved to Fareham (I think) but I saw the bloke i deal with at LIBS in Jan so the closure is recent.

 

[ian38_39]

Would say it is recent as the number I was givien for them starts 01293 so is not a country code but it connects to an office in Poland with what I have to say is a very amiable chap called Lloyd, problem is he has no influence over head office, even to the tune of the authority to send out a replacment chart.
He was very nice about the whole thing and I think he did his best but it was all over ruled by Italy.

Ian

 

[Frontier]

[ QUOTE ]
I moved laptops and needed a new key for the C-Map PC planner thing

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you can get it online at their website. I have had to get one a few times and I recall I did it online, didn't have to contact anyone.

PM me if you cant find it and I will see if I can find how I did it.

D

 

[Frontier]

The SH plotter should be great and is very well supported in the UK. You have your C-Map chart so you dont really need Jappsen again. They have PC planner updates on the website (If you have that as well)

Marine Superstore can update your chart while you wait if required. Had mine done last week and got a load of extra coverage compared to the original. Conveniently the master of my chart has just been updated, so very up to date.

I appreciate you have had a bad experience but I dont see what you have to worry about. (now you finally have it) The chart itself is unlikely to go wrong and the features are really good. IMO

Cheers

D

 

[ontheplane]

We had the opposite experience in fact, I sent off my voucher for the free chart and it arrived 2 days later!

I guess I was lucky, but there we are - hope you have better luck soon. My experience with Marinesuperstore has also been quite good, so I'd just stick to them if you want to buy anything!

 

[ian38_39]

Not having had the chance to try the plotter yet despite buying it in February, I can't comment but all reports I have read say the SH plotter is the best in its price range, so not expecting problems there.
The issue I have is with C-map, you don't say if you are connected to them but from what I hear the voucher scheme went by and large without to many problems but from my point of view you have to be able to resolve a problem when it happens and sooner or later it will.

How can any company leave a customer with a non operating piece of equipment for the sake of a chart, which I assume costs very little, that the delivery company, that they have contracted, has lost it and then just turn round and say it's not our problem.
At the very least once it had been proven that the chart had not been delivered I would expect a new chart to be dispatched and given the amount of time elapsed if it were me I would have upgraded the chart as a gesture of good will.

Problems happen to everyone, the last thing I am going to do is buy from a company that I know will run away from their problem leaving me with equipment that is useless.

ian

 

[Frontier]

[ QUOTE ]
How can any company leave a customer with a non operating piece of equipment for the sake of a chart, which I assume costs very little,

[/ QUOTE ]

No actually the charts are quite expensive, I just paid £122 (or there abouts) just to update the chart I had. This may the be the problem, they probably cant afford to loose them.

No excuse for poor customer service though. I agree that you wont want to deal with them again, but I gather you have the chart now so hopefully you never will.

Stick it in the plotter and start playing it will help take your mind off the bad guys.

I have no connection with SH or the chart people. In fact my first SH plotter had a problem and its the good service I recieved by SH that leads me to recommend them.

I agree your treatment by the chart maker is terrible, but like I said you should never need to deal with them again anyway.

All the best
D

 

[Richard10002]

"No actually the charts are quite expensive, I just paid £122 (or there abouts) just to update the chart I had. This may the be the problem, they probably cant afford to loose them."

The charts are merely a file which already exists copied onto a card, so the "actual" cost of each chart to Jeppsen is almost nil, (a card, a bit of time to copy it, and a bit of time to pack and post it).

So sending a replacement for one that has been lost in the post, or wrongly delivered, is very cheap for them.

They are expensive retail because they have to recoup the costs of initial production, licenses, other stuff, and profit.