Those disto things

[Couch Potato]

Know what you are buying.

Personally, I purchased an A6 from Matt the day after Thanksgiving in anticipation of upgrading my Pocket PC to one with Bluetooth® in the very near future. The first job I went to inspect after the purchase had six foot thorn bushes on three sides of the house. While I could have done it with a screwdriver and a tape, it was much easier to just use the DISTO™ for the exterior and interior ceiling heights (part of the structure had 6.3' ceiling.)

I'm sure Bradford is simply trying to dump outdated products from inventory before the end of the year at the lowest possible price. They are not trying to pass off this stuff as the latest technology. I would hope anyone buying a bargain on clearance has done their research and fully understands what they are buying.

On the particular DISTO™ Plus devices mentioned, I would definitely be wary, though - not all DISTO Plus models that "secondary resellers" have are fully compliant with the Bluetooth stuff.

This is certainly disturbing to read. How on earth would one check before purchase? Was this a problem with early production that would show in serial numbers or an intentional difference that is not publicized through model numbers?

 

[matt_johnson]

Randy is correct. We ran into a situation earlier this year with some of the DISTO Plus units having an older version of Bluetooth. This made them impossible to connect to Pocket PC's and Tablets that were running a newer version of Bluetooth. Since we work closely with Leica, we were able to get them to send us only DISTO Plus units with the newer version of Bluetooth.

I'm not knocking Bradford, but I doubt that they know anything about this. Also, I would never buy any technology where "all sales are final". What if there is something wrong with it? What if you need warranty support? Pretty scary.

 

[Ray Miller]

As I have said many times, I would stick with Matt on this. He is sure jamm up on his word and stays on top of product.

 

[Stone]

As I have said many times, I would stick with Matt on this. He is sure jamm up on his word and stays on top of product.

I second that. His is a stand-up company and I highly recommend them.

 

[Clint Dorris]

Disto plus vs. A6

Has the Plus been replaced by the A6. The plus is not very prominent on the websites, but there are still pictures of it. If not, what is the difference?

 

[Couch Potato]

The Plus was replaced with the A6. The new model is smaller, easier to hold and boast a higher accuracy level (not that the Plus wasn't accurate enough.) If you want the Bluetooth® but can't afford the extra money for an A6 a plus is not a bad way to go IMHO. (Assuming you take steps to avoid the problem with Bluetooth® version mentioned above.)

 

[Clint VanNest]

Hi Matt, I will have to get one of those when the budget permits. By the way, the links in your signature do not work. Looks as though an additional http:/// was added to the front of the link.

 

[Pat Butler]

I bought mine from a local surveyor supply company that's been in business for over 20 years. At the time, the sales rep told me that Leica was coming out with a new model with the built-in scope and a reduced price. The guy suggested that I wait a few weeks for the new model. At the same time, Matt was still selling the older models with no mention that it was soon to be replaced by the newer one.

Matt has since said that he was under a non-disclosure agreement with Leica to not talk about the upcoming new model (at that time.) So much for being a high-volume seller of their products- that was actually a disadvantage for his customers.

I'd recommend a local company- especially a surveying supply company. Many of those companies have been selling Leica products for many years before Matt got into business. The place that I bought mine from was very competitive on the price and actually through in a free case, and I obviously didn't have to pay for shipping.

 

[matt_johnson]

Pat,

I understand that you're still upset (perhaps even pissed) because we were unable to tell you about a new product. You definitely make it a point to beat me over the head with it every chance you get. Of course, as you know, we started taking orders for that particular product over 2 months before it was released. We announced it as soon as Leica, the DISTO manufacturer, said we could.

We all have rules that we are expected to follow. You, as an appraiser, must follow USPAP. I, as a hardware dealer, must follow the rules set forth by a manufacturer. Leica doesn't care too much about the local survey shops. They don't sell many units and their voice isn't too loud (no real web presence). We, on the other hand, are their largest dealer in North America. When we put a product on AppraiserDepot.com or LaserMeters.com, it gets noticed immediately around the world.

BTW, check out AppraiserDepot.com and LaserMeters.com. You'll notice that both websites offer free shipping. We always have.

 

[Pat Butler]

Matt- I have no doubt that you are a reputable company and I've seen you provide help to many users who didn't even buy their unit from you. I would even consider buying from you myself. So I'm actually not bashing your company. I'm just giving my opinion that some appraisers can also buy their unit locally and still get excellent service. It's an opinion that is not often heard and you always make a point to talk about how much better your company is as compared to the competiton. There are numerous places to buy these things and your company isn't the only place where customers will get satisfaction.

This is an appraiser's forum. So I'm providing my experience to my fellow appraisers so that they can make an informed decision. It's always nice to get honest opinions about products- we have enough Alamode zombies out there :mellow:

I can appreciate that you indeed have to honor the NDA. But that agreement has certainly gotten in the way of you being able to offer your customers the best products at a particular time. That's my point.