ComplaintsforKar-Tech Inc

• Initial Complaint

  03/12/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a Kar Tech ****** system transceiver on June 6, 2023 for $2662.44 to replace an OEM system for an Auto crane mechanics crane. I painstakingly installed the system following the instructions over countless hours. It worked great for most of the summer, however it stopped working on Sept 15, 2023. After calling the service department and trying to resolve the issue over the phone I was given an *** number and sent the unit back for warranty repair at my own postage expense. I received the unit back within a week or so with no explanation, along with an emailed zero balance invoice. Re installed the unit and ***** worked fine again for a while, however unit failed again on Dec 12, 2023. I called and requested a refund at which point I was denied and told I had broken the receiver in the first place and they would not take it back. At that point I was emailed a copy of the *** explanation from the warranty claim. Apparently the receiver had water damage which led to the first failure. I believe water damage was the cause of the second failure because it occurred after a period of rain. I then replaced the Kar Tech ****** system with a much more expensive Auto Crane OEM unit, and I haven't had any problems since. The ****** system is safely in a box and waiting to be returned.I was heavily invested in the Kar Tech ****** system and really hoped it would do the job it was supposed to do, but it did not. Now this company is alleging that I caused the damage by physical abuse twice, and refuse to give me a refund. It is obvious after the second failure of this product that there is a serious water sealing issue around the external antenna, and I will not use this product on another crane. I do not want it repaired, I just want my money back. I am out of pocket far more than the $2662.44 that I paid for the system.I will be happy to send this unit to an independent 3rd party and let them investigate any alleged physical damage I caused to the system.

  Business response

  03/25/2024

  The customer called in requesting help, we did our best to address the issue over the phone, but were unable to so we issued a return material authorization and said wed fix it under warranty. When we got it in it was pretty clear the customer had broken the antenna off the board internally, this happens when someone really torques them on as hard as they can. Under normal circumstances this would be classified as abuse and not covered by our warranty. The service technician decided to just be nice and fix it free of charge anyways and we returned it to the customer. When he contacted us later and told us that it had been working and stopped working again, we diagnosed it as being another instance of abuse and it was clear that the customer had broken off the trigger, again a thing that cannot be done easily. We advised the customer that it could be fixed, but it wouldnt be free as it isnt covered by our warranty, and he became pretty abusive over the phone. He called back in a few times and was very rude and argumentative to a number of people on the phone here and we ultimately told the customer to either fill our a return request, pay the fee, and have us fix it or to stop contacting us.

  
  

   

  
  

  I have no idea how much it would help but I have a few people who are happy to attest to this as the customer left an impression, as well as pictures showing the initial damage done to the product that we fixed despite it not being covered by warranty.

  Customer response

  03/28/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  I have attached two more pictures of the receiver mounted snugly and safely in place of the *** receiver, but where it was exposed to the weather, just like the *** receiver was. To be clear I am not the guy who breaks things, I am the guy who fixes them. The receiver was removed from the original packaging and was placed immediately in the spot where the *** receiver was and never touched again, except to plug in the wiring harnesses underneath. The antenna was never "torqued" under my watch. Not once and certainly not twice. One of the pictures I submitted are of the alleged abuse, sent to me by Kar-Tech, and they clearly show no physical damage. The proportional trigger on the transmitter has also broken now. Again not abused in any way still attached to the transmitter but, it now fails to return ***************. This product is unreliable and obviously prone to failure, and I just want my money back. Again I will be happy to send this unit to an independant 3rd party to investigate the actual cause of the not one but two catastrophic failures in the 6 months that I owned it.

  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************

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