Cypress took 4 weeks!!

[sundevil777 93]

Yes, it does indeed take a long time to do temperature exposure tests that call for multiple cycles of exposure to high/low extremes for hours at a time. I don't know the exact profile of their temp testing, but the typical tests for aerospace hardware take a long time. The complaint about bad customer service ought to be directed at your rigger.

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[mark 102]

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my rigger said 2 weeks

Your rigger was correct if he meant it normally takes two weeks while it is at SSK. Shipping time is extra.

I've been doing this a while, and the customer service from Airtec and SSK has been nothing short of outstanding. I plan on 2 weeks + shipping because it's been that way for years.

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I will strongly consider a competitor when it is time to replace mine.

That's a rather drastic solution if your rigger is otherwise doing okay.

Mark

[diablopilot 2]

I've sent more than 200 Cypres units to SSK for servicing. The testing does take 2 weeks, some testis include more than a full day in a cold chamber, and again a spell in a heat chamber. The testing is pretty much a rebuild of the entire unit.

This is a bit dated as it applies to a Cypres 1 but: http://www.cypres-usa.com/english_maintenance.pdf


http://www.cypres-usa.com/The_philosophie_of_reliability.pdf


One thing your rigger may not have told you is SSK will return a unit the same way shipped. So if you want to cut the wait down to about 2 weeks, ship it Next Day Air, and they will return the same.

----------------------------------------------
You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[bigway 4]

You know,
I am sorry i have been rude to you.

I just seriously can't believe that you are actually serious about this and fail to see how good that service was for you. It was 4 weeks out of your life.

How many things in life can you send off to have serviced or fixed and actually have it back to you within 4 weeks?!?

The problem is that you took one persons advice... your rigger... and because this person turned out to be incorrect you now would change products.

If you had asked someone who actually works for Cypres then you would have had a more accurate answer on when it would be ready and returned.

To have such a gripe about something when you have someone guess about the time frame makes me wonder if you are like these people that come here and make threads about vigil class action lawsuits etc.


This was good service for you, 4 weeks is great to have something serviced and returned in this industry and you need to open your eyes up and see how good that service and that product is to you.

.Karnage Krew Gear Store
.

[slotperfect 7]

First, 10 working days is the normal turn-around time (minus shipping) for 4 and 8 year CYPRES service. With UPS Ground shipping to North Carolina it normally is back in my hands on two weeks. I know this from experience - like diablopilot I have shipped numerous CYPRES AADs to SSK for service. I have also been to SSK in Lebanon, Ohio and seen the service department to witness CYPRES units in the process of being serviced. That trip included watching Cliff Schmucker zap an operational CYPRES with a tazer gun to demonstrate the EMI shielding of the unit.

Second, if during testing a CYPRES unit needs work performed that cannot be done at SSK, it gets shipped to Airtec in Germany to be worked on at the factory. This is done at no additional expense to the customer, but it adds time to the process. I have seen CYPRES units that had to go to Germany take 4-6 weeks to return.

Third, have you talked to SSK about your complaint, or have you only vented your frustrations here in this open forum?

Fourth, it is your prerogative to buy whatever AAD you like for your gear. BUT, I encourage you to search the forums and do some reading about the others that are available before you make that decision. Making an informed decision is critical when choosing an AAD, and *quite frankly* based on your choice to ditch your CYPRES because of a 4-week maintenance return time I don't think you have done your homework.

Arrive Safely

John

[davelepka 4]

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Regardless, I think 4 weeks for the turnaround is fucking NOT good service. Just my opinion, and next time, I'll buy something else.

Really?

How did you ship the unit? UPS ground, you can expect 5 business days from WA to OH. So you've got 10 business days just in transit.

As fas as how long the testing takes, that's not even a factor. DO you think that the people at SSK at sitting by the door, waiting for the UPS man to bring YOUR Cypres, so they can test it?

Even if the testing only takes 15 min., if there are 62 units that arrived before your waiting in line to be tested, then it will be a while before yours is on the bench.

This isn't rocket science. I'm not sure how your rigger could quote you two weeks door to door considering the shipping alone is two weeks.

[drdive 0]

OK Ok everybody. I've been educated
I checked - it was shipped UPS ground, and it was holiday time as you mentioned, probably accounting for a lot of the delay. Also, since it is winter, it most likely is high demand time for cypress service. Lesson learned, when it is time for cypress service, make sure you plan it when you will not need it for 4 or 5 weeks. Ship 2 day service if time is a factor.

Happy New Year and Blue Skies all,

Ed

"We saved your gear. Now you can sell it when you get out of the hospital and upsize!!" "K-Dub"

"

[ladydyver 0]

Thanks for the info....this is the first time we have had to send the cypress in for service and were unaware of what to expect....now we know and are better educated about it........and will plan the next time accordingly.

DPH # 2
"I am not sure what you are suppose to do with that, but I don't think it is suppose to flop around like that." ~Skootz~
I have a strong regard for the rules.......doc!

[ZigZagMarquis 8]

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...this is the first time we have had to send the cypress in for service...

CASE OF BEER!!!

[firstime 0]

from what I'm told, all cypress 2 get the new mod where as it records your jumps (free of charge) pretty good CS
2 weeks??? 4 weeks??? so be it

[freakyrat 1]

Mine (Cypres2) took a little over four weeks to be serviced also which I didn't mind because SSK and Airtec are really thorough. After all it is your life we are talking about and I would rather have them perform the excellent service they do than not.

While checking on it, I saw that they had sent it back to Germany at no cost to me and it came back with all the new mods and instructions for them. Maybe the mods have to be done in Germany at Airtec. I don't know.

Anyway, a month was no big deal and I received the unit yesterday.

Chris

[nutinbutdust 0]

Reading this thread got me thinking, I dont think most skydivers realize what is involved from a riggers perspective. The thing I dont like about AAD's is that from my perspective they are a hassel.

When a rig comes in for a repack that needs a 4 year, I have to package the AAD and take it some where to ship it. I do this for a service to my customers. After shipping I wait for an email or call Eric at SSK to make sure they got the AAD. When it is shipped out, I have to pay for the service. I am then at the mercy of the customer to pay me for the service. I then only charge the customer for my shipping to SSK and the bill from SSK. I think AAD's are a good thing and want to encourage their use. Maybe I need to rethink, the way that I charge for the service. I dont charge to Uninstall/Reinstall the AAD, maybe I should. If I could choose how to this, when the rig is dropped off I would remove the AAD and hand it to the customer, and let them send it to SSK. Then they could bring the CYPRESS back to me when it is returned.

Just My 2 cents

Alan H

[bigway 4]

Thanks for your post. Just my thoughts on your thoughts.

I also dont like them too much in business but i am fine wit it now. I am only a 'sub-dealer' for cypres 2. I like AAD's for my customers though so i just sell it as a service. I do not make any money on the cypres but i feel if my customer needs a cypres then i am happy to do the work for them and not charge them any profit at all.

Maybe you may look at it the same well, it is a public service dealing with someone else's AAD.

I make money on selling canopies etc, you make money on rigging, however we both give back to the community by dealing with their cypres units for free. I dont think that is all that bad of a thing to do.

.Karnage Krew Gear Store
.

[stratostar 5]

Gee, did ya ever stop to think that JUST maybe they had to send your unit to Germany? Guess what that happens from time to time with some units, maybe next time you could pick up your phone and call SSK and talk to Cliff or Eric.

Besides that don't PA removed by slotperfect, use your hand!

you can't pay for kids schoolin' with love of skydiving! ~ Airtwardo

[nutinbutdust 0]

Bigway,
That is exactly why i do that with AAD's for my customers. I do it as a service. Sometimes I don't think people realize what a pain it is to deal with them(AAD's). I don't charge anything, but have to package and drive to wherever I ship from be it Fedex or UPS. Like I said before, I think AADS are a good thing and would like to encourage people to use them. I just get frustrated because people don't seem to appreciate what you do for them.

Cypress II's are a great improvement. I don't have to worry about stocking batteries for them.

I have never had a complaint with service from SSK. It has always been excellent, and I can always contact Eric, and he takes care of me. It was great to meet the people I always talk with on the phone at the last symposium. It is always great to put faces on the people you deal with. Looking forward to Reno in 2009.

Blue Ones
Alan H

[mark 102]

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Sometimes I don't think people realize what a pain it is to deal with them(AAD's). I don't charge anything.

The reason folks don't think it's a PITA is because you don't charge anything. If you don't value your time, why would they?

More:

Of course it's a service, but that doesn't mean it has to be a "free" service. It can't be a free service. As you wrote, it still costs you to provide the service, so it isn't free to you. In effect, you are subsidizing your customers.

If SSK charges your credit card and then you wait to get paid by your customer, you are making a loan to your customer. Let that credit card balance roll over one month and see if that's a cost-free transaction.

If being compensated for providing that AAD service is "making a profit," then any service you charge for is "making a profit." If you provide service to -- work for -- General Motors, is your paycheck "profit," or is it "wages?"

Mark

[bodypilot90 0]

i have always removed mine before I left it with my rigger. It's not hard to do.

[piisfish 135]

you could also suggest your rigger to have an extra AAD to install in rigs while his clients AAD's are in for maintenance (as a service, as rental). It is been done in places in Europe.

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM