Ritchie Compass

[Pops]

I have a damaged Ritchie compass on my H27. I e-mailed the listed dealer in my area and received a reply. I sat tonight a drafted an e-mail to him. I seem to think that it is too harsh, but I don't know why. Am I expecting too much? Am I truly a curmudgeon? This was my reply (as of yet unsent) ---
"Please help me to understand your reply. You, as the listed Richie compass dealer for this area, are unable or unwilling to repair my compass, and are referring me to "one of the discount places" "it would
> probably be more cost effective to buy a new model from one
> of the discount places". Why did you not suggest to me that you have a replacement (a new updated model) available and that you could help me adapt it to my situation? Or perhaps you could have asked me for my cell phone number to give me advice on replacement. Or, maybe you could have searched the internet and found me a replacement or the parts to repair mine. I am aware of the history of Ritchie compasses. The name Ritchie has been a respected one since 1850. I would like to have a Ritchie compass on my boat. Money is not really an object, service and reliability are, the latter is not an issue, the former is, now (not something that I expected). Are you not a service center? Do you think that your reply to me constituted service? I am going to post this on a sailing link and ask them what I should do now. Am I expecting too much from a company with the reputation that Richie has held? Am I just a curmudgeon who expects to be treated
like I am the customer (the reason for your business)."



--- On Sat, 4/4/09, xxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxx> wrote:

> From:XXXXXXXXXXXX@XXXXXXXX>
> Subject: Re: Ritchie F60
> To: "pops landing" <popsla@yahoo.com>
> Date: Saturday, April 4, 2009, 4:18 PM
> Mr. Walsh,
>
> Parts are no longer available for the Ritchie F 60 compass.
> Even if parts were available by the time the dome, o-rings,
> diaphragm, fluid and top ring were replaced it would
> probably be more cost effective to buy a new model from one
> of the discount places.
>
> XXXXXXXXXXX
> On Apr 3, 2009, at 4:51 PM, pops landing wrote:
> RE: F60 compass
> >
> > My compass leaks, has a cracked crystal and corroded
> metal ring. Can this be repaired? Thanks.

 

[higgs]

You asked

I think you are being too hard on Ritchie. The bottom line is they cannot repair your compass. Apparently they do not sell direct. If I were Ritchie I would not search the internet for you as if the source found proved to be unreliable you might then hold Ritchie responsible for that.

Let's face it, no company will keep a model going forever. You do not mention the year of your boat so we don't know how old the compass is.

I think they gave you good advice. Most compass dealers give detailed mounting dimensions and it is up to you to decide which compass, wether it is a Ritchie or not, is best suited. for your application.

I give you credit for realizing your frustration may be affecting your response.

 

[kloudie1]

Yep, it is too bad that some of the companies who have reputations are cheaping out on the customers. My Weems/Plath ships bell clock runs fast and has a cracked bell. I wrote to them to find out where the speed adjustment was and to buy a new bell. Their response was that the only way it could be fixed is to send it in and because it is out of warranty, the cost would be fairly high.. That is the last piece of their products that I will ever purchase!

 

[Benny]

I think you got good advice.

Compass repair is not as easy as it may sound. I attempted to fix one and purchased all the parts includying a new plastic sphere, diapragm, "O" rings and mineral oil. I put it together and it lasted about a week before the fluid started leaking out again. I had not paid attention to the recommendation of the manufacturer to have the work done by a dealer. I insisted they sell me the parts and they did. If you cannot find parts for yours there is no way (at a reasonable cost) you can get it fixed. Purchasing a new one may be the best solution.

 

[sailingdog]

Merry—

I think you're being a bit harsh, since the advice that William gave you seems spot on to me. He said:

> Even if parts were available by the time the dome, o-rings,
> diaphragm, fluid and top ring were replaced it would
> probably be more cost effective to buy a new model from one
> of the discount places.

Given that you need a new dome, the o-ring seals, the expansion diaphragm, and top ring, it may very well be that getting the parts would cost more than a brand new compass from one of the discount shops online. Parts have generally had a significant markup over the entire unit—regardless of what the item is.

Unfortunately, many modern products have become effectively disposable. If you were to look around your house, you'd find that there are many things that are just not cost effective to get repaired in many cases. Most electronics fall into this category, as it is often cheaper to buy a replacement unit than it would be to repair the one that failed.

He sounds like he was being very open and honest with you, yet you expect him to do the footwork and research that you could very easily do yourself. If it was an old enough unit, and given that some people are sailing in boats that are pushing forty years of age or more, he may not even have the specifications for it. If it was discontinued 5 or more years ago, the specifications and information for it may not be available to him.

Why did you not suggest to me that you have a replacement (a new updated model) available and that you could help me adapt it to my situation? Or perhaps you could have asked me for my cell phone number to give me advice on replacement. Or, maybe you could have searched the internet and found me a replacement or the parts to repair mine.

You do not say how old the compass is. If you were a long time customer of his, rather than someone contacting him for a repair on an obsolete, long-discontinued model, I would expect a different response from him, but I am assuming that you have never contacted William prior to your needing a repair.

Given that a compass now costs under $200 for a decent one, and that the profit on one of those is probably only $10-20 given how steeply the prices are discounted due to internet competition, would you have done the research for someone you didn't know???

 

[Tim R.]

For him to send your business to someone else may indicate his level of honesty.

Call Howard at Viking Optics(www.vikingoptics.com) for a second opinion. They do excellent work.

 

[Maine Sail]

Mr. Walsh,

Parts are no longer available for the Ritchie F 60 compass.

If you can't get parts I don't understand why you expected more from him...?? I think he was being quite honest with you..

 

[Pops]

OK guys, the e-mail will not be sent. I guess that I was really put off by his lack of anything approaching service. I posted his entire e-mail to me. There was no "thanks for contacting us", "call if we can be of further help", or even "have a nice day". I miss the days when being the customer was being someone important to the business.

 

[tommays]

I have been able to deal with Ritchie direct on obscure parts that they still had in stock ?

Phone: 1-781-826-5131

 

[TimCup]

Merry, The World Has Changed....

I miss someone else pumping my gas. And our family doctor stopping by the house to check on a patient. And green stamps...

I miss Mom having dinner on the table when Dad got home from work, and everyone eating together!!

Good service has changed, along with everything else. A quick, direct answer (whether we like the answer or not!) is now considered a job well done. Niceties seem much less important, particularly because, with the internet, businesses get SO MANY MORE inquiries than before, often times for information without income for the business. It's no longer taking care of the locals... speed trumps polite.

I feel your pain...


cup