RED Service dropping the ball right now!

[Skip Hobbie]

I have 3 items in for repairs, and two weeks after acknowledgement that they'd received my shipment, I still hadn't gotten a quote or heard anything back. I emailed inquiries end of last week. No response.

I called today and was told that they're upgrading their backend and everything is seeing delays, and that they will try to prioritize my items now...

Still this is pretty awful customer service. There should have been communications before I sent my items in, and again after they were received indicating that things might take longer than normal. Radio silence is not the appropriate way to deal with a backlog of service orders.

My camera body is only there for cleaning and to replace the internal battery. I was trying to have this done while I had 3 weeks off between shoots. 2+ of those weeks are eaten up now, and I'm still waiting to find out if I'll get my camera back for my shoot in time. I would have waited to send it in another time if they'd given me any indication that something so routine would take so long.

Anyway, hopefully they're on it now, but I needed to vent and also warn others that you should think twice about sending anything in for service right now.

 

[Christopher S Johnson]

Just as a alternative point of view earlier this month we dropped our camera off in Irvine and had it back like 4 days later. They were great with communication. I think it's just luck of the workload.

 

[Johnny Hurberg]

Im in kind of the same situation, had some noise, line artefacts showing in my footage when pulling a hard S-curve in editing software of all kinds.

In contact with the US they looked at the files and after much back and forth they made the recommendation to send the camera in to check it and the possible solution would be an offset factory sensor calibration.

Kind of slow process of updating me after they recieved the camera, they had some problems with the emails wich I could see at the time and date when the email where sent. Was without the camera for two and a half week. Camera is sent back with a one and a half days delayed email telling me it got sent, they also told me they made some tests and haven´t found any problems.

There is no talk about the initial problem, or the factory calibration being of. After recieving the camera I still got the lines just like before sending it in, I also got one of the screws holding the sideplate messed up. Due to old habits of pulling shit appart and knowing exactly what it takes to mess up the threads I managed to "save" it and guide it so it locks down again. I have contacted UK by email and phone, US as well with promise of being contacted back with no luck.

The delays you mention Skip might be the reason for the slow process.

It´s like they don´t want to handle this, I wrote that I wannna go to the bottom with these potential problem and not having to deal with a huge bill if it evolves for the worse after my warranty and armor runs out.

 

[Skip Hobbie]

Update, and unfortunately not a happy one.

After seeing my post, on Tuesday, a local RED dealer intervened on my behalf (Thanks Ari at Omega Broadcast in Austin!), contacted RED, and had my items prioritized. Within a few hours I received the long over due estimates, with the one for my camera body saying that they had already replaced the internal battery, and to send back the credit card authorization form for the $100 evaluation fee, confirm my address and shipping preference (standard overnight).

So you would think the matter ended there with my camera being returned to me at some point this week.

No camera. No updates. No shipping information.

I call this morning (friday), the representative I speak with says she notes in my ticket that I have a shoot Monday evening. She says she will try to get it sent for Saturday delivery or Monday Priority delivery, so I have it in the morning.

I ask for assurance that she will confirm one way or another, so that I know if I am getting the camera Saturday or Monday morning. And if not by then, to let me know ASAP so I can arrange another rental.

I hear nothing from RED, until I receive an email from Fedex stating RED has shipped something to me Standard Overnight for Monday delivery by 8pm. That is not Saturday or Monday morning like we discussed!!!!

Thankfully have a friend who will rent me his camera at a fair rate... But that's money I shouldn't be spending.

So frustrated.

 

[Skip Hobbie]

Final update (hopefully).

RED did get the shipping changed and my camera delivered on time. Other Items on still waiting on, but less stressed about.

 

[Eric Lange]

New BUSINESS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM @ RED

New BUSINESS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM @ RED

A lot of us got a group e-mail explaining that RED has switched over to a new "Business Management System" .


Switching from one system to another is not 100% unlike taking a chainsaw to a mainframe. So things will temporarily fall through the cracks and the errors/ bugs and procedures will be plugged and fixed as these hiccups are found and trouble shot/shooted ? This is a common pattern for businesses that are growing and upscaling.

As software engineers (in general) we run test data sets and simulations for large complex pieces of SW (to try and test everything as it should be and make sure it's not going to keel over or sh*t the bed)… But there is still going to be a "Running in" period. You can engineer good software to DO exactly what it IS designed to DO when used in the correct way... However no piece of software is fully "Foolproof" or moreover "Monkey proof"; that can take a bit of time to fix for unanticipated things wildly out of sequence or someone just pounding a keyboard in frustration with their fists. At least RED can be hyper vigilant / cognizant of potential issues.

They are saying that things are running slower (like UK trains/ the Tube) until the leaks are sufficiently plugged.

I am assuming the same business management system "Runs" the HYDROGEN orders etc.