Airmar P319 thru hull Xducer (HDS) - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

GregAndrew · 03-23-2012, 08:46 PM

After about 6 months of use I started to notice some strange readings on my FF, especially water temps. About 2 months later I noticed some oxidation on the Xducer cable where it connects to the connector. A couple more trips and the only thing holding it together were the individual wires inside the cable. I email Airmar, and they say to contact Gemeco (their western US distributor). I contact Gemeco and they immediately want me to think it is a "wear and tear" problem, not a manufacturing problem. They also explain that somehow the 2 year MFG. Warranty only covers 1 year on problems like this? Finally they tell me to go through the retailer that sold me the unit for an RMA number. So, we are talking about a 1 month period for all the emails and responses and I finally ship off the unit to Gemeco on Jan. 11 Priority Mail. I got my rebuilt unit back on Mar. 14 after much run-around and ignoring my emails. Two months being without a piece of equipment designed for a hole in the hull of your vessel? What the hell are they thinking? Apparently they have never heard of "loaners" or "replacement units" or at bare minimum a plug for the hole? The only positive thing that came of the entire ordeal was that about 6 weeks into the process I sent them an email asking that "if by some miracle the unit was not fixed yet, could the cut down the cable length" which they did.

RK · 03-23-2012, 09:01 PM

Greg it was corroded going into the head unit?

GregAndrew · 03-24-2012, 06:00 PM

It was on that end of the cable, but it was where the wire meets the connector. Not between the connectors or on any of the HDS end of the system. Basically the wire sheathing had slipped out of the connector.

jorluivil · 03-24-2012, 08:55 PM

Bad customer service sucks the big one!!!

03-23-2012, 08:46 PM	#1
GregAndrew Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 2,384	Airmar P319 thru hull Xducer (HDS) After about 6 months of use I started to notice some strange readings on my FF, especially water temps. About 2 months later I noticed some oxidation on the Xducer cable where it connects to the connector. A couple more trips and the only thing holding it together were the individual wires inside the cable. I email Airmar, and they say to contact Gemeco (their western US distributor). I contact Gemeco and they immediately want me to think it is a "wear and tear" problem, not a manufacturing problem. They also explain that somehow the 2 year MFG. Warranty only covers 1 year on problems like this? Finally they tell me to go through the retailer that sold me the unit for an RMA number. So, we are talking about a 1 month period for all the emails and responses and I finally ship off the unit to Gemeco on Jan. 11 Priority Mail. I got my rebuilt unit back on Mar. 14 after much run-around and ignoring my emails. Two months being without a piece of equipment designed for a hole in the hull of your vessel? What the hell are they thinking? Apparently they have never heard of "loaners" or "replacement units" or at bare minimum a plug for the hole? The only positive thing that came of the entire ordeal was that about 6 weeks into the process I sent them an email asking that "if by some miracle the unit was not fixed yet, could the cut down the cable length" which they did.

03-24-2012, 08:55 PM	#4
jorluivil Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 6,856	Bad customer service sucks the big one!!! __________________ www.facebook.com/Teamsewer

03-23-2012, 09:01 PM	#2
RK Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 736	Greg it was corroded going into the head unit?

03-24-2012, 06:00 PM	#3
GregAndrew Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 2,384	It was on that end of the cable, but it was where the wire meets the connector. Not between the connectors or on any of the HDS end of the system. Basically the wire sheathing had slipped out of the connector.