Support vs. Training? What you should expect...

If you purchase a receiver from Igage and it does not work, we will help you get it working or replace the receiver. This is SUPPORT and should always be included in the purchase price of an instrument no matter who you purchase it from.

If you purchase a receiver and the instrument works, but you don’t know how to make it work then we can train you. This is TRAINING and is NOT included in the purchase price of the instrument.

Limited training used to be included in the purchase price of most instruments; and instruments used to always be sold at the MSRP (Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price). However, with the commoditization of survey instruments, training is rarely included in the purchase price of an instrument. Because both beginning and advanced users used to pay for training with every purchase, knowledgeable purchasers used to subsidize the training of their less knowledgeable competitors.

If training is included, it will be stated at the time of purchase. For example, every dual-frequency GPS Survey pair that we sell includes a full day's training at our office in Salt Lake City. After the initial training we expect to answer an additional 1/2 day's worth of questions over the first few months of use.

Training is expensive because you want the most knowledgeable people helping you; worthwhile training is usually provided a cost of $800-$1,000 per day! For this reason, inexpensive receivers (like the MM6 and MMCX) don't include any training in the sales price.

How Purchase Price Affects Training

Here is the way instrument pricing might work: 

For this example, if training runs $800 per day and you purchase a receiver at the low WEB price, you should expect excellent support, but no training. If you purchase a receiver at MSRP price, then you should expect $250 worth (2½ hours) of training.

Don't expect to get free training and the lowest web price. It can't happen. Do expect to get great service in any case! Every dealer should stand behind the operation of the products that they sell.

Again, you should always expect support for missing items, receivers that don’t arrive with cosmetic issues and receivers that are DOA!

Purchase from a Web Dealer or a Real Dealer?

Web dealers typically are drop shipping instruments from a wholesaler's inventory. They never touch or handle the instruments!

We checkout receivers making sure that they actually do work:

            The touch screen
            The USB and Serial Ports
            The rechargeable battery and charging system
            The receiver’s ability to track with both an external and internal antenna connected
            The SD card slot
            Battery backup of system settings
            Latest firmware and software
            Ability to retain settings if power is cycled

Many dealers have your instruments drop shipped from a wholesaler. Equipment is not inspected, receivers may not have the latest firmware installed, and most importantly software options (MobileMapping or ArcPad) will not be installed. If the instrument does not work, you may be responsible for returning the instrument for repair.

Even if you purchased your receiver on the web from another dealer, don’t hesitate to ask your local dealer (or us) to quote a price for individual training! Since we charge separately for training, it is easy for us to train you on Magellan equipment purchased from any dealer.