UNDERSTANDING
OUR RATING SYSTEM
How we rate our used detectors!
What is a factory re-pack and why should I be concerned?
MINT!
This is a detector which has
been hardly
used any--- if at all. Wipe it down with a soft cloth and
this unit could be sold as new! It is not new however, and we don't do
business that way.
NEAR
MINT! Almost mint!
But, if you care to check real close with a fine tooth comb, you may
find a tiny
scuff or a barely noticeable scratch somewhere. I should note, we have
taken "BRAND NEW" detectors
from their boxes that best fit this description!
VERY
SHARP! This is a very good
looking unit that is obviously used, but it has been treated with love!
This detector may show some normal wear but you need to look pretty
close!
SHARP! Let's face it, you don't buy a
detector so that you will have just one more thing to keep in the
closet!
Whenever anything gets used enough, it will show some signs of wear. Sharp means the detector looks
good! Good, but, it may have a scratch or two and the paint may be a
little thin on the corners. However,
Sharp also means the detector works like a new one!
NICE! This is a detector that looks used,
but not abused! This is a detector that you would not be ashamed to
own, but you are not going to be able to pass it off as hardly used.
Shows some wear but it works great and it will get the job done just
fine!
POOR! This detector works, but the paint is
wore off the sides and around the knobs. The knobs don't match and the
coil has been re-caulked by someone with a
sling-shot! The finish is faded
on the stem . . . but it works!
RE-PACKS! You won't find any of these
at Pro/Stock! The big mail-order firms are the factory's outlets for
the industries mistakes! Problem is, will you buy a
re-pack without knowing it?
TRUE STORY!
I opened up the box of a new top-of-the line
water machine for our in-store display. After putting the detector
together, I turned it on, then ran it over my test items.
I was surprised when the detector wasn't responding
to my very first item, which was a U.S. quarter laying on the surface.
I took a quick look at the control knob's settings and everything
looked
fine. Next, I removed the two screws which held the battery cover in
place thinking that I would find an unhooked power supply or dead
batteries. Nothing was wrong! The power supply was hooked up, and the
batteries were testing at the proper voltage. I put everything back
together and
tested again. This is when I found out that the detector would respond
to the quarter, but only if the coil was within 2 inches of the large
coin target. . . otherwise
forget it!
The next step was to call the distributor for a
replacement --- I don't open up brand new water machines and service
them; if there is a problem, back they go!
Several months had passed when a man came into the
shop
looking to upgrade detectors, he said that he was looking for more
depth. As I tried to learn what sort of depth he was getting, as well
as learn what sort of trade in I could expect, I asked, "What are you
running now?" He told me the brand and the model that he was running
and frankly, I didn't know what on earth to sell him! The machine he
had was known at the time (and still is) to have as good a depth as
there is! I explained that to him, then he went on to tell me what kind
of depth he was getting. His story sounded too unbelievable!
I knew that there had to be
some explanation. He told me that he had the machine in his truck so I
asked him to bring it in for testing. After confirming what he said to
be true, and after finding no explanation for the poor performance, it
struck me! I went to my file cabinet and dug out some old invoices from
this company. All the serial numbers are listed on each order, and sure
enough . . . this was the machine I had returned! After I explained and
proved to him what happened, I asked the man, "Where did you purchased
this?" He named a Florida firm that deals in mainly mail-order
detectors. Naturally he was not a happy camper! I called the
manufacture, and of course they denied it, even though we had all the
evidence, enough for a conviction!
In his anger he asked, "Do
you have any idea how many hours I have been running this %#%#
detector?!!!!" Do you have any idea how many miles I have driven to run
this %#%# detector?!!!"
My heart went out to him! Life is to short to have part of it wasted by
someone else's greedy business practices.
The mail order firm also denied
selling an un-marked re-pack! Sometime later I talked to another
factory rep., from a different company, and he told me this. "If it works at all, we are not going
to tear it down. The only returns that get "fixed" are the machines
that
don't work, it is just to costly to put a $50.00 per hour technician on
a working unit." In most cases, the only thing that identifies a
re-pack is a tiny slip of paper the factory drops in the new packing
box --- which
magically disappears and nobody seems knows how???????