Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!bloom-beacon!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!ames!ucsd!sdcc6!loral!jcb From: jcb@loral.UUCP (Jay C. Bowden) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc Subject: Re: Anchor 2400 Baud Modem Message-ID: <1577@loral.UUCP> Date: 24 Mar 88 20:21:22 GMT References: <4550@xanth.cs.odu.edu> Reply-To: jcb@loral.UUCP (Jay C. Bowden) Organization: Loral Instrumentation, San Diego Lines: 83 Keywords: CHEAP,MODEM In article <4550@xanth.cs.odu.edu> hogan@xanth.cs.odu.edu (Emmett Hogan) writes: > > ANCHOR 2400 baud Modem > This reminds me very little of the flame that I tried to post about a month ago but I believe failed to be distributed..... I have no idea if this has anything to do with $129 Anchor 2400 baud modems, though. Here was my posting: ----------------------------------------- What would you do if you were a manufacturer of modems, and you found out you just shipped a lot of bad ones? I don't know if Anchor Automation is the only mfgr. affected by whatever the "chipset defect" is that prevents the AT&C1 command from working in the 2400E external modem I got, but what burns me is how they treat folks victimized by this defect. To wit: I ordered from a mail order house, and got my modem within a week. It seemed to communicate fine, but the damn Carrier Detect line never went off, no matter what the state of the carrier was. And the AT&C1 command did not help. I really need the CD line to work, since I have the MR. MOX that powers-up my PC based on the CD signal, so I can call in if I want. So, after spending a few hours trying everything I could think of, I decided to call them up and ask. Not as easy as it should have been, *all* the Anchor literature is devoid of a phone number! I think they do not want people to call! Especially with *problems*. Anyway, I knew where Chatsworth CA was, so information got me the number. On my second call I talked to a human being, and, yes, she knew about the &C1 not working, that happens sometimes, she says. All she can do, she says, is "let you send it to us with $5.00, and we will fix it." Hmmm, why do I need to send $5.00 because I got a defective product? I *really* think they should pay shipping *both* ways, but I could let that go. But this $5.00 is just too much. So I say "But this is a BRAND NEW modem!", and she says "Well you could return it to the store you got it from", and I can't argue with that. But I *did* ask, "And if they send me another one, will it have this problem too?". She says "No", so I asked for her name (Desiree) and said thank you. Packaged up the modem and sent it back to the Mail Order house, with a letter describing my interaction with Desiree. Today (2/24/88), I get a call from the M.O. house saying, "gosh, Anchor is having a problem with these modems and the &C1 command, they have told us it is a chip problem. We would like to substitute a different brand of modem". Well, all right. I can't fault the M.O. house for anything they have done (that I know of, unless they still shipped Anchor 2400E's after Anchor told them about the defect, but I'll never know). But, I think Anchor is the real jerk in this situation, and by being a jerk they have wasted *MY* time and money, and the M.O. house's time and money. If, in this case of a "we know we shipped modems with this defect", Anchor would have accepted my modem back for repair *without* the $5.00 "gipping" charge, then the modem would have stayed sold as far as the M.O. house was concerned, and I would have been happy (eventually). And I would own an Anchor modem, instead of a substitute. The thing is, THEY'RE GONNA HAVE TO FIX IT ANYWAY, and routing it back through the M.O. house is just a chicken-s**t attitude, reflecting a disregard for end-users (me) and retailers (the M.O. house). I liked my first Anchor modem (a 1200 baud), but now I never want to see one again! Anyone have related comments? - Jay Bowden -- ------------------------------------------------------------------ Jay Bowden, EE/Consultant; see also Bowden Engineering Currently contracted at Loral Instrumentation, San Diego {ucbvax, ittvax!dcdwest, akgua, decvax, ihnp4}!sdcsvax!sdcc6!loral!jcb