After a busy and exhausting day, and a quick nap, I got on the phone with Kyocera. Rather than going direct to my contact there I decided to use their 800 number, and see how their return process worked. Maybe I should have gone through my contact….. :)

Then again, it’s better this way, as it helps people understand how these things work now.

Calling in to their “returns” type line (1-800-349-4478) I was greeted by Allen. As far as phone support personnel, Allen is a good one! We went through the details of my issue, the ticket number, and the resolution supplied by D-Link last week. The KR-1 is Kyocera Branded, but D-Link does the initial tech support.

Allen gave me a return authorization number. What does that mean? It’s a number that says it is okie dokie to return a defective product to them. I need to have the number on my shipping label, and in the return box as well.

After receiving my return, Kyocera will send me a check for the amount I paid, plus shipping and handling. Hmmmm. I didn’t like where this was going.

Sure enough, the next step was for me to order a replacement, and put it on my credit card. I’ve got to tell you, this new policy with hardware vendors is getting old. I had the same experience with HP last year, and I documented it in the book. Vendors now no longer seem to want to swap bad equipment for good. So, you’ve got to pay them, or at least give your financial information as an intermediate step. Not great policy guys!

Normally, I will not agree to this type of scenario. But the KR1 is useful and necessary for what I’ll be doing while traveling. If I’m going to work from the road, the device is necessary. So, my new KR1 will be shipped to my dad’s place by Wednesday. I’ll have to arrange pickup after. The old KR1 will be shipped tomorrow, and some point down the road I’ll get a refund check.

I’m sure if I’d gotten in touch with my contact at Kyocera I could have skipped this whole process. But what good will it do readers? None. So the better bet was to try out the process, and let you know how it works.

Overall, I’m satisfied with the experience with Kyocera’s support and return. I’d give them a C+. The first level support person was a disaster. The third level support person helped recover the situation. And the returns person was helpful and pleasant, explaining the entire process.

What would have worked better? The firmware installing successfully, and me writing a 2 paragraphy explanation of how easy it worked. ;) Better luck next time!