Customer 05/08/2008 10:52 PM EDT
I am thinking of buying this scale, but the following (below) if true would prevent the purchase. Any truth to this report on Amazon?
Thanks,

Amazon Customer Post
I purchased the PS20DL for $103.00 in December of 2004. I used it for weighing gift packages to determine postage that I then ship to family and friends for birthday's and other holidays. It was never used for commercial purposes. For 18 months, I was very pleased with the scale.

In July, 2006, just 18 months from the date of purchase, the unit failed. About 3 minutes after turning it on, the LCD display goes blank, then shows strange characters and a loud, high pitched whistle can be heard coming from the base of the unit. I'm unable to weigh anything and the only way to turn it off is to remove the battery. I tried a new battery, and it still fails.

I contacted Pelouze customer support and Heidi Brannigan, of Pelouze Office Products, told me "This unit will need to be repaired. The warranty is one year from original date of purchase. We do not repair these units out of warranty." Since the unit is out of warranty, I asked Heidi if she at least knew what the problem was and if she could recommend a repair facility. Here's her response: "I am not sure what exactly is wrong with the unit. As I stated we do not repair this unit out of warranty nor do we know of any outside repair facilities."

I'm not happy that this scale only lasted 18 months, and that Pelouze offers no means of repair or support after 1 year. To them, $103 is disposable. To me, $103 is a lot of money.


Pelouze Customer Support Response to my question
Response (Tech Temp 1) 05/09/2008 09:59 AM EDT
Dear
Unfortunately the warranty is only 1 year from the date of purchase but most scales last much longer then 18 months. With all the recent changes in postal regulations I would suggest the Pelouze 10 lb. USB scale instead of the PS20DL. It comes with free software you can run from your computer giving you more rating options.
Tech Temp1
Pelouze Office Products


Customer 05/09/2008 12:16 PM EDT
I appreciate the suggestion on a different scale, but the point of my question was missed.
The question was and is - after the warranty expires, will Pelouze repair, at the customers expense, a scale that is sent for repairs? The writer of the review that I sent with my original question indicated that Pelouze refused to repair the out of warrenty scale even though she was willing to pay for the repair. Pelouze also refused to tell her where she could take the scale to be repaired by someone else. I find that lack of customer concern - well, concerning.


Response (Tech Temp 1) 05/09/2008 12:41 PM EDT
Dear
Unfortunately we don't have a repair center at all. We will replace a scale if under warranty but after that we do not replace or fix scales. You can find a local place that repairs scales in general but as I previously stated I apologies if that is an inconvenience but that's the policy.
Tech Temp1
Pelouze Office Products


Customer 05/09/2008 01:36 PM EDT
Your response verifies that Pelouze has to have one of the worst customer support policies I have ever encountered. Your company not only does not have repair capabilities, but you have not bothered to provide a system of repair stations for folks to go to after their warranty expires.
Not your fault as a tech. support rep. but an obvious 'I don't give a damn about customers' on the part of management.
I will purchase another brand. Thank you.

The Pelouze SP5 Scale is a solid, accurate performer. I weigh piece-parts as well as mail with this scale. My only complaint is that the readout is too close to the tray. If I put a 10x13 envelope on the scale, it's a challenge seeing the readout.

I've used the product about once or twice a week for about 2 years with no complaints. However, I turned it on today, and it will no longer weigh anything. It calibrates and shows the zeroes, but it stays at zero no matter what I put on it. I changed the battery with the same result. I called customer service (called 2 numbers and spoke to 3 different people to get there) and was told to get a new one. Like Paul V, end of story!

I had been very happy with this scale.

Then, today, I turned it on and it was reading oddly. I called up customer service, got shunted around a bit, finally got to the right person, who was nice and explained that the behavior meant it was not calibrated. He then went on to say that it could not be calibrated and "we recommend you buy a new one." End of story.

This scale is less than two years old and has been very gently used. I'm not happy with that and will look for a different brand to replace it.

I have been using this scale for over a year now. Nice features. Simple to use. Small desktop footprint. Reliable.