GC Quad Died in Under a Week

[MysteryV]

After waiting two months for my GC Quad it arrived a little under a week ago.

The Club data I purchased was not turned on.

I was never able technical support via phone, or receive a call back after 2 hours of hold time and multiple voicemails.

Eventually I got a helpful rep via their ticketing system who got club data turned on for me.

 

The next day the system just stopped powering on.  The led power indicator will flash red if plugged in, and every few seconds there are a couple extremely faint clicks (almost like two tiny hard drive sounds - barely audible).

 

Reading some threads on a different forum, it seems like it'll be a bit before I'm back up and running.  It's been a pretty awful experience thus far.  It's a great device when it's working, but the quality, communication, documentation, and service have been horrendous.  Really, really disappointing.

[Krt22]

I have had zero issues with mine. The one thing I needed help with (activating my license without a PC) was resolved quickly

[MysteryV]

1 hour ago, Krt22 said:

I have had zero issues with mine. The one thing I needed help with (activating my license without a PC) was resolved quickly

 

I waited on hold for 45 minutes and was finally connected to a friendly representative.  Unfortunately I'm going to have to return the unit.  

 

The two reps I've connected with there have been very nice and helpful, but having to wait on hold for 45+ minutes and never getting a return call is pretty frustrating (as is of course receiving a unit without the options I ordered and then having it break within a week).

 

I wonder if perhaps due to the acquisition and supply chain issues, we're going to see a significant decline in build quality.  Given the "we're experiencing higher than normal call volumes" message - either the new units are having issues or they're trying to save money by reducing their quality of service.  Neither option is super confidence inspiring.

 

[Krt22]

14 hours ago, MysteryV said:

 

I waited on hold for 45 minutes and was finally connected to a friendly representative.  Unfortunately I'm going to have to return the unit.  

 

The two reps I've connected with there have been very nice and helpful, but having to wait on hold for 45+ minutes and never getting a return call is pretty frustrating (as is of course receiving a unit without the options I ordered and then having it break within a week).

 

I wonder if perhaps due to the acquisition and supply chain issues, we're going to see a significant decline in build quality.  Given the "we're experiencing higher than normal call volumes" message - either the new units are having issues or they're trying to save money by reducing their quality of service.  Neither option is super confidence inspiring.

 

Their queue time has been there before the acquisition, so I don't think that is the issue. I think it's more a COVID issue than anything, CS response and wartimes have been abysmal across the board, for just about every industry. Companies used the COVID excuse for the first year or so, but I personally think they are prolonging it for no other reason than they were able to survive running lean and with shoddy CS, so why change it now. 

[MysteryV]

17 minutes ago, Krt22 said:

Their queue time has been there before the acquisition, so I don't think that is the issue. I think it's more a COVID issue than anything, CS response and wartimes have been abysmal across the board, for just about every industry. Companies used the COVID excuse for the first year or so, but I personally think they are prolonging it for no other reason than they were able to survive running lean and with shoddy CS, so why change it now. 

 

Fair point.  That said, Vista Outdoor's business has been booming since Covid hit (NYSE: VSTO) which likely played into the acquisition of Foresight 9/21) so it feels like they could maybe hire a couple more hourly CS reps. 

 

The thing that's nagging at me is that they didn't seem surprised at all about the failure.  There was no real trouble shooting - so it's obviously a known issue at this point.  I'm concerned that they made some covid supply chain component / process changes which have led to sub par units and potentially earlier failure rates.

 

Not something I'm really going to act on as my few days with my Quad were amazing (finally being able to have club data to diagnose errant shots is mind blowing) - but something that concerns me a bit.

[Krt22]

I got mine pretty close to the peak of their demand (early 2021), I waited 3 months or so I think right before the acquisition when they were likely trying to keep their financials as tight as possible and couldn't keep up with demand, and it has been flawless (~5000+ shots on it already). QC issues happen, but I don't think I would be worried about a long term systemic degrade

[MysteryV]

Thought I'd update as it's been another 2 weeks without anything to show for the $18k I spent on the GC Quad and there's no update as to when Foresight might have more stock.

 

Their attempt to "make good" on my being out $18k for several months with only a couple of hours of practice to show for it - is to offer me a couple free generic courses on FSX.  The offer does not apply to "Premium Courses" - aka any real course you'd actually want to play.  A bit of a greedy, slap in the face tbh.

 

My experience thus far is that Foresight is an absolutely terrible company to work with.  If I could just get my money back I'd take that deal in a heartbeat as I have no faith that the replacement unit (if it ever comes) will work any longer than this one.

[Krt22]

I would start bugging them on social media...a lot

[Jace_bkr]

57 minutes ago, Krt22 said:

I would start bugging them on social media...a lot

 

^^^This^^^^

 

I would blast it from the roof tops until someone gets on top of the situation..

 

The generic course offer is a joke. They gave dozens of GC2's ($5400 value) to Quad buyers FOR FREE for the extended wait time they experienced year before last.

[MysteryV]

They're an absolutely horrible company to deal with.  I really wish I could just get my money back at this point.

[sethdavidsdad]

This is really terrible. My friend ordered a Sim in a box w/Quad in early December. Finally got it in Feb. Took another month or so to get the computer that was supposed to come with it. Last I checked he still hasn't gotten the cameras he ordered. I have helped him set everything up along the way and customer service has been good when we get them on the phone but little to know follow regarding outstanding orders. He dropped well over 25k and keeps getting pushed back further and further. 

Hope they get things fixed for you!

[Krt22]

6 minutes ago, sethdavidsdad said:

This is really terrible. My friend ordered a Sim in a box w/Quad in early December. Finally got it in Feb. Took another month or so to get the computer that was supposed to come with it. Last I checked he still hasn't gotten the cameras he ordered. I have helped him set everything up along the way and customer service has been good when we get them on the phone but little to know follow regarding outstanding orders. He dropped well over 25k and keeps getting pushed back further and further. 

Hope they get things fixed for you!

I am not trying to be a foresight apologist, but I can't say this is all their fault. I ordered a quad, there was a lead time (which was quoted), they delivered it in the time quoted. The computer needs to have a video card and the cameras have an image sensor, both of which have been heavily impacted by the chip shortage for the last 12-18 months. High end graphics cards are just now becoming semi-available after this unprecedented prolonged shortage 

[MysteryV]

I got my replacement quad which is good - however within one day of firing it up is had an unexpected error, crash, and reboot.  

 

My (likely overly angry) social media posts have been met with silence from Foresight.

 

My email to Jon Watters (owner) was met with "Thank you for your input".

 

The general attitude seems to be that I should be happy that they resolved the issue and didn't say "you broke it, you bought it."

 

I really regret not looking into Foresight more closely before buying from them.

 

[sethdavidsdad]

22 minutes ago, MysteryV said:

I got my replacement quad which is good - however within one day of firing it up is had an unexpected error, crash, and reboot.  

 

My (likely overly angry) social media posts have been met with silence from Foresight.

 

My email to Jon Watters (owner) was met with "Thank you for your input".

 

The general attitude seems to be that I should be happy that they resolved the issue and didn't say "you broke it, you bought it."

 

I really regret not looking into Foresight more closely before buying from them.

 

That sucks, think they are getting big head about being the best "at the moment". Problem with that attitude is there is always someone coming behind you. 

[MysteryV]

2 minutes ago, sethdavidsdad said:

That sucks, think they are getting big head about being the best "at the moment". Problem with that attitude is there is always someone coming behind you. 

 

Agreed.  The thing I can't wrap my head around is that they could have remedied the situation and had a happy customer for zero extra cost had they just made a reasonable concession on software.  It costs them almost nothing incrementally!

 

The fact that they offered 2 courses is a joke in itself.  To then spit in my face by offering 2 courses except for "premium courses" was just jaw dropping.  Absolutely shameless, poorly thought out greed.  

 

I guess I shouldn't be surprised given they charge $50 for replacement stickers and $150 for a reflective alignment stick.

[MysteryV]

Quick update - this experience gets worse and worse.  Not only does the company not respond on social media - but apparently their generous offer of 3 courses does not apply to any "real" courses.  Not Pebble, not St. Andrews, not Colonial, Valderrama, not La Jolla Pines, etc.

 

I've literally never had a worse experience with a company.

[dh2o]

that's a terrible experience. if you think you might like a different launch monitor, you might investigate an outright refund or even a chargeback if you bought it on a credit card.

[MysteryV]

On 5/18/2022 at 9:19 AM, dh2o said:

that's a terrible experience. if you think you might like a different launch monitor, you might investigate an outright refund or even a chargeback if you bought it on a credit card.

 

Yeah - I may have to do that since THE REPLACEMENT UNIT THEY SENT ME HAS NOW BRICKED IN UNDER A WEEK!

 

This is unfreaking real.  For one unit to brick is unlucky - for a second unit to brick is absolutely unacceptable.

 

This unit was less than a month old, never exposed to the elements, jostled, or even moved.  It was used for a handful of sessions before doing this.  Eventually it turned off and never turned back on again.

 

What a nightmare.

Edited May 30, 2022 by MysteryV
Removed Video

[m_w]

44 minutes ago, MysteryV said:

 

Yeah - I may have to do that since THE REPLACEMENT UNIT THEY SENT ME HAS NOW BRICKED IN UNDER A WEEK!

 

This is unfreaking real.  For one unit to brick is unlucky - for a second unit to brick is absolutely unacceptable.

 

 

 

This unit was less than a month old, never exposed to the elements, jostled, or even moved.  It was used for a handful of sessions before doing this.  Eventually it turned off and never turned back on again.

 

What a nightmare.

 

Was the GCQuad used in the same setting as the old one? Are you certain there aren't any electromagnetic issues in that particular area? It just seems next to impossible to brick two units. I've worked with 6 different GCQuads and had 0 issues with any of them.

 

You are either the unluckiest person or there's something going on with the area you are using it in would be my guess.

[MysteryV]

7 minutes ago, m_w said:

 

Was the GCQuad used in the same setting as the old one? Are you certain there aren't any electromagnetic issues in that particular area? It just seems next to impossible to brick two units. I've worked with 6 different GCQuads and had 0 issues with any of them.

 

You are either the unluckiest person or there's something going on with the area you are using it in would be my guess.

 

Yes - the quad was used in my garage (same residential area where my Skytrak has lived happily with zero issues for years).  I've kept the Skytrak, iPad, within a few feet of the Quad - so unless it's super sensitive, there haven't been any EMPs that I know of 😄

 

I also have an APC power conditioner / surge protector on the outlet where the unit charges.

 

My thinking is that Foresight:

- Changed manufacturers due to cost or production constraints

- Changed chips due to availability or perhaps to have overlapping BOMs with the GC3

- Changed parts to leverage Vista Outdoor's existing vendor relationships post acquisition

 

[m_w]

Honest suggestion would be to try the next GCQuad in a different setup-location to start with and see if you experience the same

 

[MysteryV]

9 hours ago, m_w said:

Honest suggestion would be to try the next GCQuad in a different setup-location to start with and see if you experience the same

 

 

I appreciate that you're trying to help, but I don't know a ton of folks with homes large enough to support multiple hitting bay locations.

 

I don't live next to a particle collider or nuclear test site.  The environment is not extraordinary in any way.  The first time around they didn't seem surprised at all, which struck me as odd at the time.  Perhaps I'm extremely unlucky, but I very much suspect that there are many more recent failures that you might expect.

 

I'm happy to take my money back at this point.  Dealing with Foresight has been a nightmare, and I have no faith in the longevity of their products or their willingness to service units at a reasonable rate post warranty. 

 

At this point, I'm just hoping they'll honor their warranty.

 

Edited May 31, 2022 by MysteryV

[MysteryV]

11 hours ago, m_w said:

 

Was the GCQuad used in the same setting as the old one? Are you certain there aren't any electromagnetic issues in that particular area? It just seems next to impossible to brick two units. I've worked with 6 different GCQuads and had 0 issues with any of them.

 

You are either the unluckiest person or there's something going on with the area you are using it in would be my guess.

 

Also - how old were the 6 quads you worked with?  When were they produced?

In what capacity did you work with them?

It sounds like the answer is no, but did you see any (or hear of any) issues caused by electromagnetic activity previously?

 

Thank you!

[Hou_Hater]

Ordered a GC3 and received it in May 2022. Fast shipping.

 

After a month with light play, the unit failed to turn on. I even purchased another battery charger and that wasn't it. They wanted me to send to them. I had to ask for a shipping label as they didn't offer one upfront.  Waited another month for repairs and they sent it back (same unit). No issues so far.

 

Foresight never offered anything (free courses, etc..). Spent +$9k with the premium course package.

[MysteryV]

On 7/18/2022 at 9:26 AM, Hou_Hater said:

Ordered a GC3 and received it in May 2022. Fast shipping.

 

After a month with light play, the unit failed to turn on. I even purchased another battery charger and that wasn't it. They wanted me to send to them. I had to ask for a shipping label as they didn't offer one upfront.  Waited another month for repairs and they sent it back (same unit). No issues so far.

 

Foresight never offered anything (free courses, etc..). Spent +$9k with the premium course package.

 

Ugh, sorry to hear.  My 3rd unit has been working well for the last month or two.  If I had it to do over, I'd probably just stick with my Skytrak.  I have zero faith that this thing will work a few years from now, nor that they will fix it for a reasonable price should it break.

 

[amatuerfisher]

On 7/18/2022 at 12:26 PM, Hou_Hater said:

Ordered a GC3 and received it in May 2022. Fast shipping.

 

After a month with light play, the unit failed to turn on. I even purchased another battery charger and that wasn't it. They wanted me to send to them. I had to ask for a shipping label as they didn't offer one upfront.  Waited another month for repairs and they sent it back (same unit). No issues so far.

 

Foresight never offered anything (free courses, etc..). Spent +$9k with the premium course package.

 

I bought my GC3 in June, dead by August with the same issue. They straight up told me I was responsible for shipping it back on my own dime.

 

I had to pull updates out of their email support weekly. I should be getting it back today. Not super thrilled with the experience and have already told my buddies to look elsewhere.

[UPandDOWN4double]

Foresight may not be hurting now but some of these decisions and customer service will catch up eventually. 

Excessive hardware issues, customer service complaints, outrages pricing and subscriptions, and a laughable warranty... not to mention the proprietary business model they have attempted to maintain on the software side. 

 

[Bubbtubbs]

What's outrageous about the pricing, especially when you can avoid the subs by buying the complete unit?

Edited October 31, 2022 by Bubbtubbs