Customer Service...Yes, It Still Exists Folks! ;)
Honestly, over all the years I've been into (and sometimes temporarily out of) this wonderful hobby of Astronomy, I have had the good fortune to purchase many optical instruments.
And frankly, the experience hasn't always been pleasant.
I know that we can all relate. I've purchased high-end (sometimes referred to "Alpha") optical instruments from several of the big camera stores... Hint: NYC
I would choose these places because of their low prices; and sometimes, because I happened to be working in the vicinity.
Now I just happen to not be in the mood to rant or "bash" any of these places of business, so I'll just say that buying experiences there were..."cold".
However, to save my fellow hobbyists from truly awful experiences - I will flat out tell you to avoid "discount camera shops" located in Brooklyn, NY. Specifically:
Focus Camera
Abe's Of Maine
If you order anything from either of those places, chances are the experience will all but twist your guts. Trust me.
And just for any readers who are new to buying optics in general - Here's a list I stumbled upon, where the author has made an effort to warn the public of scam artists.
Okay, enough of that! I was beginning to feel like a needed a shower or something.
On to the good news - "Yes, Virginia, there is a great place to order telescopes from!"
(paraphrasing a Christmas movie here)
And it is High Point Scientific
I have no affiliation with High Point Scientific; I'm just a satisfied customer who happened to recently order a scope from them, and their customer service was both refreshing, and impressive. And I just thought I'd share my recent experience, so that my fellow hobbyists can know - That they are one of the good guys.
I usually try to keep my posts brief, but allow me to start from the beginning...
Don't worry! I believe that many will find this story interesting!
Well, I'd decided to sell all of my astrophotography stuff, and buy a telescope. These dark (Bortle 4) skies warrant the acquisition of a good telescope just on sheer principle. Coincidentally, my fascination with planetary nebula has been increasing as of late.
Now, I realize, that (probably about 99.5% of the time) people go in the opposite direction - typically, selling a visual observing instrument in order to fund their foray into astrophotography. And many times, a hobbyist will all but completely leave one hobby for the other.
I ordered a new Apertura 10" Dobsonian telescope, along with an additional eyepiece.
Just click the links above, if you're interested in seeing additional details about them.
I went for The Apertura, because the last Dobsonian telescope I owned was an Apertura 8" "Tweaker's Special" - It was awesome. It had factory-installed flocking - Unfortunately, those special packages are no longer available, but I digress...
Unfortunately, while assembling the base, I was unable to complete Step 7 -
Honestly, over all the years I've been into (and sometimes temporarily out of) this wonderful hobby of Astronomy, I have had the good fortune to purchase many optical instruments.
And frankly, the experience hasn't always been pleasant.
I know that we can all relate. I've purchased high-end (sometimes referred to "Alpha") optical instruments from several of the big camera stores... Hint: NYC
I would choose these places because of their low prices; and sometimes, because I happened to be working in the vicinity.
Now I just happen to not be in the mood to rant or "bash" any of these places of business, so I'll just say that buying experiences there were..."cold".
However, to save my fellow hobbyists from truly awful experiences - I will flat out tell you to avoid "discount camera shops" located in Brooklyn, NY. Specifically:
Focus Camera
Abe's Of Maine
If you order anything from either of those places, chances are the experience will all but twist your guts. Trust me.
And just for any readers who are new to buying optics in general - Here's a list I stumbled upon, where the author has made an effort to warn the public of scam artists.
Okay, enough of that! I was beginning to feel like a needed a shower or something.
On to the good news - "Yes, Virginia, there is a great place to order telescopes from!"
(paraphrasing a Christmas movie here)
And it is High Point Scientific
I have no affiliation with High Point Scientific; I'm just a satisfied customer who happened to recently order a scope from them, and their customer service was both refreshing, and impressive. And I just thought I'd share my recent experience, so that my fellow hobbyists can know - That they are one of the good guys.
I usually try to keep my posts brief, but allow me to start from the beginning...
Don't worry! I believe that many will find this story interesting!
Well, I'd decided to sell all of my astrophotography stuff, and buy a telescope. These dark (Bortle 4) skies warrant the acquisition of a good telescope just on sheer principle. Coincidentally, my fascination with planetary nebula has been increasing as of late.
Now, I realize, that (probably about 99.5% of the time) people go in the opposite direction - typically, selling a visual observing instrument in order to fund their foray into astrophotography. And many times, a hobbyist will all but completely leave one hobby for the other.
I ordered a new Apertura 10" Dobsonian telescope, along with an additional eyepiece.
Just click the links above, if you're interested in seeing additional details about them.
I went for The Apertura, because the last Dobsonian telescope I owned was an Apertura 8" "Tweaker's Special" - It was awesome. It had factory-installed flocking - Unfortunately, those special packages are no longer available, but I digress...
Unfortunately, while assembling the base, I was unable to complete Step 7 -
The Bottom Base Plate was damaged. The nut which the Axle Sleeve goes around was not installed correctly (at the factory).
It prevented me from inserting the Axle Sleeve. I made some minor attempts to repair/correct - But all was in vain.
The damaged part remained unaffected, and I didn't want to risk actually damaging it.
I should reiterate - This was just a minor mishap on Apertura, and had nothing to do with High Point Scientific or UPS.
So, I informed High Point Scientific via e-mail, and later sent a couple of pics I took, illustrating the specific problem.
However, even before receiving the photos (of the off centered bolt) they were on it! They promptly set the ball in motion, to get a replacement Base Unit out to me - It arrived the very next day.
In fact, I had the damaged one packed-up and ready to swap for the new one when the UPS Driver arrived. Could it possibly have gone any smoother than that?
And that night, I was back up / scope assembled - and completely operational. It's just been a really long time, since I've had the pleasure of experiencing such swift, and competent customer service.
Everyone I spoke to over the phone there, was helpful, polite, and accommodating. All-in-all, they went above and beyond to ensure customer satisfaction. And you just don't see that very often these days.
In fact, I have some additional examples to share, demonstrating their great customer service; so I may be adding some more stuff to this post soon.
So, I was the owner of their 10" Dobsonian, and it was pretty impressive, for the short time I owned it. As some readers of this blog (or my Bat Detector Review blog) may recall, I happen to be disabled. Among the issues I cope with, are 8 damaged spinal discs (inoperable). So, unfortunately, I quickly discovered my mistake of choosing such a large/heavy scope as my primary observing instrument...
I listed the 10" Apertura Dob on CraigsList, and eventually had a serious buyer. The scope has now changed hands, and it's found a good home. It will also be used by Cub Scouts, etc.
This allowed me to purchase a pair of high performance ED Apo binoculars, which will be my main observing instrument going forward. I'm looking forward to writing about them here, in an upcoming post.
As of this writing, they still haven't has first light - Because the weather refuses to cooperate.
Clear skies!
I should reiterate - This was just a minor mishap on Apertura, and had nothing to do with High Point Scientific or UPS.
So, I informed High Point Scientific via e-mail, and later sent a couple of pics I took, illustrating the specific problem.
However, even before receiving the photos (of the off centered bolt) they were on it! They promptly set the ball in motion, to get a replacement Base Unit out to me - It arrived the very next day.
In fact, I had the damaged one packed-up and ready to swap for the new one when the UPS Driver arrived. Could it possibly have gone any smoother than that?
And that night, I was back up / scope assembled - and completely operational. It's just been a really long time, since I've had the pleasure of experiencing such swift, and competent customer service.
Everyone I spoke to over the phone there, was helpful, polite, and accommodating. All-in-all, they went above and beyond to ensure customer satisfaction. And you just don't see that very often these days.
In fact, I have some additional examples to share, demonstrating their great customer service; so I may be adding some more stuff to this post soon.
So, I was the owner of their 10" Dobsonian, and it was pretty impressive, for the short time I owned it. As some readers of this blog (or my Bat Detector Review blog) may recall, I happen to be disabled. Among the issues I cope with, are 8 damaged spinal discs (inoperable). So, unfortunately, I quickly discovered my mistake of choosing such a large/heavy scope as my primary observing instrument...
I listed the 10" Apertura Dob on CraigsList, and eventually had a serious buyer. The scope has now changed hands, and it's found a good home. It will also be used by Cub Scouts, etc.
This allowed me to purchase a pair of high performance ED Apo binoculars, which will be my main observing instrument going forward. I'm looking forward to writing about them here, in an upcoming post.
As of this writing, they still haven't has first light - Because the weather refuses to cooperate.
Clear skies!
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