Escort Redline 360c Announced

I ordered a RL360c and ZW5 from Escort. Received the ZW5, which of course, is useless without the RL360c. So I called Escort customer support to find out where my RL360 was in the backlog and what will happen if my RL360c arrives after the 30 day return window for the ZW5 closes.

First, it took 8 calls to just get into the Escort customer service que. 7 times, the “que was full” and the automated system hung up on me.

On the 8th time, I was lucky enough to get into the cue, with 15 people a head of me. After 2 hours and 40 minutes of being on hold, a very pleasant Escort customer service representative finally answered. 2 hours and 40 minutes! However, she had no useful information about:

1) Where was my RL360c order in the backlog que;
2) When they might receive the next batch of RL360s; or
3) When I might relieve my RL360c.

Nothing. Not even speculative, subject to change, guidance. I asked whether this would be a week, a month, or a year? Her reply was essentially that she has no information. I pointed out that Valentine was also backordered, they put a ship date on the website. (Currently 9/4/20 or earlier). She very politely told me that she has no such information. Apparently, such customer service information is on a need to know basis at Escort. Arggg.

Well…… I’m a customer and I need to know.

As a former product manager for Hewlett Packard, I can tell you that this is an excellent way to alienate your existing customer base and inhibit new customers. Conversely, just being honest with customers, even in the face of adversity, earns you customer trust and loyalty.

To be fair to Escort, she did say that she put a note in my ZW5 file that the return date for my ZW5 “asking” that the return window for my ZW5 be extended, because of the RL360 ship situation. That was all she said she could do. (Candidly, I believe her).

I was originally an Escort and Passport product owner. I switched to Valentine about 20 years ago because of the upgrade platform of the V1. This 20 year Valentine customer just decided to switch back to Escort because of the upgrade platform of RL360c and the truly excellent information here on Vortex. However, I’m now starting to rethink my decision. So, I just placed an order for a V1G2. Any one want to bet on which detector arrives first?

One would think that with the “problematic” launch of the RL360c, Escort would want to give customers a reason to be patient and to stay with their product offering. Nope.