Sunday, Aug 22, 2004 at 07:03
At the risk of starting one of those unwinnable debates, I felt the need to comment on this posting re Abrolga Satellite dishes. I am aware that Jan (Rockgoc) has been having difficulties getting her system set up and that in turn prompted me to contact Abrolga expressing concern about the current price of their system and the availability of after sales service. I agree that price that is quoted sets an expectation in terms of the quality of the product and the service. On the product quality, I must say that I am very happy with my purchase. The packaging suits our needs and I have found that on at least three occasions, in very windy conditions, a few rocks in the base of the Abrolga case kept our system tuned and stable whilst we witnessed tripod-supported dishes continuously toppling over in the wind.
On the subject of setup, coincidentally, I towed our BT to our home today to prepare for the trip to Copeton. I timed a setup of the Abrolga from getting the case out of storage under the bed to sitting in front of a picture. It took just over 4 minutes including looking up set-up parameters for our current location because I had not previously used the Abrolga here.
At Katherine last year, the Abrolga was the subject of some discussion amongst several other campers because we were the only people to receive a satellite signal.
So on the quality of the product and the innovation of the packaging I have to disagree. I think it works well.
On the subject of service, Abolga are letting themselves down badly and it will cost them the market. I have already expressed my disappointment to Grahame Kermode because I believe that several BT owners may have purchased Abrolga based upon my recommendation and when they need to contact him for help with set-up, the response either nil or days later.
As to being "legally robbed", on reflection I was probably legally robbed when I purchased my first mobile phone for nearly $4,000! I now I get legally robbed every time I purchase a new piece of computer equipment. Like the Color LaserJet we purchased at work 3 years ago for nearly $14,000 that can now be bought for around $2,200.
I think the "robbed" bit comes into play when the system doesn't meet expectations. And that comes back to installation and training. And then it doesn't matter what you pay, the need is the same.
The real shortcoming as I see it is that the whole system should be installed, configured, tested and handed over in working condition when you collect your
Bushtracker. Between Sound in Motion and BTI, I think there should be a plan to incorporate proper training and handover of after market gear.
There is no reason why the card could not be authorised, and the system tested at BT before you leave. Maybe this is a discussion topic for Copeton?
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