Ikelite Repair is asking for an exorbitant price

I sent my DS-125 to Ikelite almost a month ago after the thread to which the black dial attaches to became loose, while I was cleaning the dial of sand. They asked me to also send in the battery pack, whose cells I had replaced myself and converted into NiMH ones. There is nothing wrong with the battery pack, except the small black o-ring, which may have to be replaced.

After two or three weeks, Ikelite e-mailed me about the repair and was charging me $254.50 + shipping and tried to sell me a new battery pack (because, according to the repair person, my battery pack was NiCd) and the new smart charger. [the price includes the repair, battery pack and charger]

I e-mailed them back clarifying that my battery pack was ALREADY NiMH (clear on the note I sent them with the package) and that I don't need a new charger since I already have the smart charger for the NiMH battery pack.

After five days, they replied (but only after I reminded them that I was still waiting for their new estimate) and is now charging me $104.50 + shipping for the repair, minus the battery pack and charger. According to the person I am corresponding with, "Using NiMH cells other than that provided by Ikelite Manufacturing will void any warranty on any repair done by Ikelite."

But here's the thing. Before I shipped the strobe to them, I wrote Mr. Duane Brigham about my case, and asked if I could replace the small o-rings on the strobe and battery pack myself. He told me Ikelite does not provide the o-rings, and that I had to send the strobe to them TOGETHER WITH THE BATTERY PACK. I was thinking that the reason for including the battery pack is that so they can flood test the WHOLE strobe together with the battery pack I am using. "It is required to send the complete strobe with battery pack to Ikelite... for evaluation and repair," to quote him directly.

But now, they are telling me that using a battery pack whose cells have been replaced by someone other than Ikelite staff will void the warranty? Why can't they just test the whole thing and send it back to me?

I also called the attention of the person I am corresponding with to what the Ikelite Web site says about cell replacement < http://www.ikelite.com/faq/faq_sscharger.html >:

"Can I replace the ni-cads in my pack?

"Yes, but you may not have the advantage of matched cells. Use only high-rate industrial grade batteries. Some commercial batteries are lower capacity small cells hidden inside of a big "C" or "D" size can.

"We are no longer able to re-cell or replace older ni-cad battery packs. New NiMH battery packs are available for the Substrobe 200, DS-200, and DS-125."

I don't see anything here that says "You're all alone if you replace the cells yourself. We will not be responsible if your strobe gets flooded." What I don't understand is they have my battery pack now and could test it for leaks if they want to.

I was a bit hesitant to ship the strobe to them because I felt I would have no choice if they charge an exorbitant price. But reading previous posts about Ikelite repair, I assured myself the price would be reasonable because they ARE Ikelite. I have just e-mailed them back again seeking clarification about the part that got replaced. Does anybody think $104.50 to replace a small plastic is reasonable? (Maybe I find the price outrageous because I'm from a third-world country.) Any guidance that anybody can give me is appreciated. Thank you.

Norman

I'm in a similar discussion with Ikelite right now.

One DS-125 say a battery might have overheated causing a DS-125 to crack and they want me to pay ~$220.00 to have it repaired and give me a new battery. I say if one of their batteries overheated and caused a strobe to fail, they should replace both. They say it's the wrong battery because it's a NICAD. I say, nothing in their manual warns against it.

The other strobe I've turned in they want to upgrade because their previous design was upgraded to something less likely to break. So they want another $220.00 to upgrade that, change a noisy transformer or capacitor and give me a new battery because "it fails the load test".

The one out of warranty, I can see a fee or two. The other, not so much. I understand a company's need to make money but they should stand behind their products...

Norman, as a slight aside to the main point of your topic - did you just replace the cells in a ni-cad ds125 battery with nimh ones ? Was there any circuit changes required on the charging side ? Yes, I know it would invalidate the warranty ..... :-)

Trying to be the devil´s advocate here, if you mess with any product which includes circuitry, you will void the warranty. Is the same with, cars, TV´s, blenders, and so on... I understand your position, but you can´t expect Ikelite to validate your warranty when you on purpose open and modify the product even when they are two separate and individual parts.

Norman, as a slight aside to the main point of your topic - did you just replace the cells in a ni-cad ds125 battery with nimh ones ? Was there any circuit changes required on the charging side ? Yes, I know it would invalidate the warranty ..... :-)

You just need to buy a new charger that charges NiMH cells. I don't think it should invalidate the warranty, and the Ikelite Web site doesn't say so.

Norman

Trying to be the devil´s advocate here, if you mess with any product which includes circuitry, you will void the warranty. Is the same with, cars, TV´s, blenders, and so on... I understand your position, but you can´t expect Ikelite to validate your warranty when you on purpose open and modify the product even when they are two separate and individual parts.

Changing the cells does not involve changing the circuitry. You are just replacing the batteries, and the Ikelite Web site says the user can do it himself. Please read my whole post. And like I said, Ikelite can always test my battery pack for leaks if if it wanted to (and if it cared enough about its customers, not just corporate profits). They asked me to send both the strobe body and battery pack to them so these can be tested together, but they refuse to do that and instead tries to sell me a new battery pack and charger.

Norman

I just got an e-mail from Jean Brigham saying that they had tested my battery pack and would guarantee it from flooding, although the cells, since not endorsed by them, remained suspect. She also clarified that they would be replacing the strobe body since it had shown signs of cracking, although minor and not the result of any impact. I was told that they had test-charged my battery pack and it appears to be working OK, and that I could opt to just get the thing back, although they are offering me a new battery pack plus charger at a discount ($254.50 including repair costs).

Norman

NIcad and NIMH battery chargers work differently in the way that the charge is terminated when the pack is charged. That is why chargers must be upgraded when switching from Nicad to NIMH.

Most people should let professionals at the factory service the equipment. They what they are doing!

In the end, Ikelite offered to sell me a $100 battery pack, but it WASN'T giving me back my "old" battery pack, which has new cells in it. All in all I would say I wasn't satisfied by the absence of full disclosure, and given the stress it caused me, I felt it was an ugly experience on my part.

Norman

But here's the thing. Before I shipped the strobe to them, I wrote Mr. Duane Brigham about my case, and asked if I could replace the small o-rings on the strobe and battery pack myself. He told me Ikelite does not provide the o-rings, and that I had to send the strobe to them TOGETHER WITH THE BATTERY PACK. I was thinking that the reason for including the battery pack is that so they can flood test the WHOLE strobe together with the battery pack I am using. "It is required to send the complete strobe with battery pack to Ikelite... for evaluation and repair," to quote him directly.

That name rings a bell.

Some 4-5 years ago I wanted to upgrade my Olympus C5050 housing to TTL and was dealing with same person. I could get a spare back, so I asked if I could send the back only in order to keep shooting. Shipping from exotic countries is quite expensive and I could have beaten turnaround time which was over 2 months. I received rather impolite oneliner to send the whole thing. I expect to read few replies how important is to test the whole system, but if you can build to required tolerance that should not be the case. Bottom line is, if your quality sucks, your user interface shouldn't.