So, after not using my V7A for a long time due to my newer radio
application, I go to fire it up the other day and after reading from the
cheat sheets and manual and everything I could lay my hands on, I waited
till my young son got off work to read the display for the individual menu
changes I needed to make. No display! The dumb thing was dim and only half
the display even worked. I got a friend to walk me through the steps to
turn the brightness up and that did nothing. Now I find out, Kenwood admits
the display going out on the V7A models years ago was their biggest problem.
I called Kenwood and listened to their 10,000 menus on the phone, finally
found what I thought I wanted, called that number, a kids who sounded 15
years old said, "What are you talking about." It was the Kenwood ham radio
west coast repair department and he didn't even know what radio I was
talking about. What was I talking about; Icom radios? Come on! So, since
he had the I Q of a grasshopper, he said, "I'll ring the guy who handles
that radio. It rings 4 times, a female recording comes on and says, "You
have reached..." with a blank spot for a person name who handles those
calls, and then she says, "So leave your number and we will call you back."
I left a message longer than the U S Constitution, hung up, dialed up the
website, type out a request email, and then when it saves and sends, it
says, "We will answer you in 3 to 5 days." What? You heard me. In this
technological age of the internet, Kenwood can't answer emails about repairs
for 3 to 5 days. Ain't being a ham fun? If I had the money, I'd get the 71
but you know how that goes.
Phil.
K0NX
|