Sterling not so bad?

[Sandra F]

We had a topic back in the autumn as we were newcomers to Charles Sterling's interesting approach to customers.

 

We finally plucked up courage recently to take our faulty inverter back to his place. In the reception as we arrived was another man who had brought something back, who was `unsettled' by the original conversation he had had with the boss, but both he and ourselves were pleasantly surprised by the courtesy and helpfulness of the two gentlemen who sorted out our problems.

 

In our case it turned out to be no more than a dodgy on/off switch, which was replaced whilst we waited, and at no cost (we had anticipated having to buy a replacement inverter at a cost of somewhere between £500 to £1000).

 

The moral of this story? - don't really know; we should all draw our own conclusions!

 

Barry F

[WotEver]

If you can get to speak to just about anyone other than Mr S (who, I understand, they try to keep away from the phones) then I believe that you'll receive excellent customer service.

 

T

Edited March 14, 2010 by WotEver

[DHutch]

I had to admit, ive always said all alone that ive never had a problem with sterling. But yes, shows the harm the some threads can do if taken on there own.

[Guest]

Charlie boy has a strange attitude towards his customers when on the phone. I have two Sterling products which have given good service since 2004.

[Smelly]

As i'll be on the phone to them tomorrow I'm hoping for a pleasant.experience

[tosher]

I have had the Mr S "no-nonsense" telephone manner several times in the last few years but spoke to him a couple of weeks ago and he was quite the opposite. Very friendly, polite and very helpful, wonder if he'se been on a training course???

[David Schweizer]

Charles Sterling is OK, he just doesn't suffer fools at all. particularly those who try to tell him what is wrong rather than just explain the symptoms.

 

I had a long running dialogue with him many years ago regarding a pulsing problem I was having with an early version of the Sterling Alternator Controller. He took me through a seres of tests, all of which failed to solve the problem. He then asked if I was willing to fit a prototype of the (then) new Advanced Digital Controller to see if it solved the problem. I accepted his offer, it worked, and he let me keep it free of charge.

 

The controller is still fitted and is still working fine.

[Lady Muck]

Isn't that the case with many tradesmen who know their business inside out?

 

I occassionally visit a leather supplies store in Dalston, they sell all the leather and components that one would need to make luggage and saddlery and also a bit of shoe making supplies. The salesmen there are really grumpy on the surface, but they really know their stuff and are actually really helpful. If you go in there wanting some soling leather splitting and not sure how thick, just expect to be given a bit of a hard time to start with.

[Sir Nibble]

Mr Sterling once gave me a telephone explanation of how an alternator works.

I'll repeat that.

Mr Sterling once gave ME a telephone explanation of how an alternator works.

He was wildly wrong to the point where I decided he either does not know his business or had taken me for a fool. The latter is most likely, but in either case I chose not to do business with the man.

[Tony Brooks]

Mr Sterling once gave me a telephone explanation of how an alternator works.

I'll repeat that.

Mr Sterling once gave ME a telephone explanation of how an alternator works.

He was wildly wrong to the point where I decided he either does not know his business or had taken me for a fool. The latter is most likely, but in either case I chose not to do business with the man.

 

 

Snap, but not an alternator. He has every right to take me for a fool, but then I have every right to draw my own conclusions from the interaction about his products.

 

Not a company I would place as first on my list as a potential supplier.

[Smelly]

Whatever Mr Sterling's telephone manner, which I have witnessed first hand albeit some time ago, I feel quite norty for giving the lady answering the phones both barrels this morning.

 

If you're reading, whoever you were, sorry, but please don't immediately jump to blame me when several hundred quid's worth of kit, all plugged in to your box dies at roughly the same time your box develops a fault, or rather, when it's plugged into your box after it has become faulty. It's not brill customer service and the folk who have just experienced the loss of their favourite toys may become a tad tetchy. I thought, when I switched the switch, that it was my radio that was broke, not the inverter.

 

"Inverters don't just break you know" Pah!

 

Best gather what toys I have left back into my pram!

[Semitrad]

Having been involved in electrical/electronic repair and often been asked for estimates, it has been my experience that the power supply companies have always been willing to pay for appliances damaged by power surges or the like. These are fairly common especially in rural areas and can be quite destructive.

[Smelly]

Having been involved in electrical/electronic repair and often been asked for estimates, it has been my experience that the power supply companies have always been willing to pay for appliances damaged by power surges or the like. These are fairly common especially in rural areas and can be quite destructive.

 

I have it on reasonable authority that I'm wasting my time trying, although I hope by next week to get a citation to the decision that set the precedent I've been told about.

 

To be fair though, my amp was cheaper than I remembered (so I discovered his evening, at the same time I discovered the extended warranty was only granted for 3 years; 4 years ago... yet more ) so if I were to chase it too hard it could be seen as vexatious. I have decent consumer advice to hand though so will be drilling it over the next few days

[nickelodeus]

Hi Guys,

 

Haven't logged in for a while but I'm glad (and equally disappointed) that others have had err "interesting" experiences with Mr Sterling.

 

When I first got the boat, with it's Sterling alternator controller - I was trying to trace a charging fault and thought the unit may be playing up. So I rang for a quick chat and some advice and was told in no uncertain terms that the unit wasn't faulty and that I should learn something about alternators before calling again!!! Needless to say I won't be calling up again....

 

Incidentally, when my boaty electrician friend (who works on 12v systems for a living) was over, he was telling me that he once rang up Sterling with a technical query whilst working on a boat and got the same treatment - he was equally stunned.

 

Nic

[Smelly]

Incidentally, when my boaty electrician friend (who works on 12v systems for a living) was over, he was telling me that he once rang up Sterling with a technical query whilst working on a boat and got the same treatment - he was equally stunned.

 

Nic

 

I was fitting our alt controller and was concerned that the LED wasn't the same colour as in the book. I got an earful and was told it's just because the LED was tricolour, I couldn't expect it to be the same colour as the book said it would be.

 

Turns out the jumper settings were different from the instructions as well, I had to figure that one our with my multimeter.

 

I won't be buying Sterling again (unless they replace all the broke stuff, hint hint )

[J R]

Let me first say all our Sterling kit works for us and I would buy from them again. However

 

I have had at first hand Mr S's rather, shall we say, telephone manner. Don't quite know what customer relations course he went to, but imo it was the wrong one. He unloaded on the guy (marine sparks, highly qualified and trusted) who had problems with the wiring diagram. Mr S onloaded over the phone, and all I can say is it was a good thing that they were not in the same room together. If you phone them up and get through to Mr S do it on the basis that you are a low life, stupid and not qualified to use, let alone own, a mobile phone. Phone them up and speak to his 2nd in command, can't remember his name, he will very helpfully answer your questions and talk you through any queries you have. Full marks to him.

 

Had a problem with a A2B Sterling unit non functioning and having spoken to Mr S and been told ???????????????, and I was the customer, won't go into that, decided to venture up to his establishment. When he finally stopped telling me that I was stupid to buy a boat, and slagged off Mastervolt saying they were idiots (we fitted a Mastervolt 3.5 genset), and with me getting annoyed at the verbal abuse, phoned Andy from Mastervolt to tell him that Mr S said etc (Mr S should moderate his language), put him on to Andy who was then subjected to the full wrath of Mr S. The result of which it is lucky Mastervolt did not sue Sterling. Well you have to admit it really. Mastervolt operate from the back of a garage in god knows where and Mr S is an multi national marine supplier with outlets globally. Stands to reason really. Don't like Mr S's attitude to very helpful and hard working people( Andy of Mastervolt) being told that there product doesnt work, should not be on the water and they shouldnt be in business. Rant over.

 

Mr S finally replaced the unit foc and proudly told me they have a 0.6% failure rate on their equipment. This I can believe, as he tossed the errant piece of kit into a bin (2b recycled) and allowing for my comments above, do like Sterling kit, but not Mr S's attitude or language. Even his staff admitted he was a tad 'volcanic'.

[David Schweizer]

Well I never got any of the abuse or foul language that people are refering to here. He did tell me that he gets fed up with "know it alls" (his words) who come on the phone and tell him what is wrong with his equipment, and his view was that if they "know" what is wrong then they should know how to fix it,. and that is usually his response.

 

Perhaps there is a Male Ego issue here.

[Sir Nibble]

In my case, I called because I had a persistent error signal from an alternator controller.

His first reaction was "You must understand an alternator is a single phase device".

Irrellevant, untrue, and patronising.

[Tony Brooks]

In my case, I called because I had a persistent error signal from an alternator controller.

His first reaction was "You must understand an alternator is a single phase device".

Irrellevant, untrue, and patronising.

 

 

Perhaps he is stuck in a time warp. I seem to remember a Paris Rhone one with a mechanical regulator that was a centre tap single phase machine or possibly a two phase one but it was over 40 years ago.

[david and julie]

When I had an issue with one of his combi's he was awful on the phone. He basically said there was no way his kit would be at fault and that the problem would be due my Kubota genset - because they're cra**.

 

The combi went back but, they found nothing wrong and returned it - but it then mysteriously worked OK.

[WotEver]

The combi went back but, they found nothing wrong and returned it - but it then mysteriously worked OK.

In fairness, Sterling aren't unique there.

 

Last year we bought a Waeco fridge through the chandlery at our marina. We unpacked it, installed it, it didin't work. The LED came on but the compressor didn't operate. The marina's electrician came over to the boat, checked the installation and agreed it didn't work. We removed it, he put it on his test bench and confirmed for the third time that it didn't work. He sent it back to Waeco. It returned a week later - No Fault Found. It now worked.

 

Tony

[ChrisPy]

dunno why y'all bother buying from him when you can buy the same stuff direct from Taiwan at a fraction of the price.

It's not as if it's worth paying all the extra for the customer service, is it?

[Guest]

Post of the day goes to ChrisPy. Given my time again..

[Guest]

I have had a similar experience recently with Mr S, although via email.

Friend and I (Both electronics engineers with 40 years experience) were somewhat bemused by his responses.

Went along with his rigmarole and kept quiet about knowing anything.

He eventually (1 week later) told me he suspected there MIGHT be a fault with the charger. - Sent it back.

Worked when it came back for a couple of days then failed.

 

Second time I fired on all barrels, degree in electronics etc.

Still went through similar rigmarole, but he gave in in the end.

 

I was referred to 'Peter' (Sorry dont know surname) when I returned it again.

All seems OK now

[tomsk]

dunno why y'all bother buying from him when you can buy the same stuff direct from Taiwan at a fraction of the price.

It's not as if it's worth paying all the extra for the customer service, is it?

 

 

A point I have been labouring for several years now.