Kellyco?

[FL-Hunter]

i am getting ready to buy, and have been researching models, prices, dealers, and the like ( I don't spend $1000+ without doing my homework).
As far as dealers go, Kellyco seems to spend a lot of money on search engine placement, so they get widely used, and from what I read it seems they have a pretty good reputation. I have read mostly positives, a lot of "they're ok, nothing special", and a few " they tried to pull a fast ones...."

When i am ready to pull the trigger I'll do everything I can to buy local. I'd rather know who i'm buying from, since that's who i'll be dealing with when and if there is a problem, it seems that a lot of detector companies dictate the minimum advertised price, which is why everyone offers the same product at the same price. This is also why a lot of companies offer the free extras instead of discounting the prices. I laugh everytime i see the little plastic shovel they give away, they say it has a retail price of like $30. It looks EXACTLY like the one i bought at home depot for $1.99

The reason you see all the dealers offer the same price is because manufactures have something called MAP pricing. That means, that is the lowest price you can advertise that item for. It helps keep one dealer from undercutting another, and helps keep the value of your used gear higher. At the flip side, it decreases competition and in my book, that's price fixing which is illegal, however there is a gray area where they get away with it. They can sell to you for whatever they want to, but they cannot advertise it any lower than what the Manufacture dictates. I can see positives to both side of the coin on this one and negatives on one side of the coin, and that's the consumer side however the positive side of the negative side of the coin is that it ensures dealers will be around longer to take care of the customer, so maybe Map pricing is best for everyone in the end. Who knows. At least you now understand why the prices are the way they are. Companies throw in other items with the detectors to make themselves stand out from other dealers so you will buy from them. Either way you look at it, most of Kellyco's extras are junk. I'm not knocking Kellyco here, they are a SUPER GREAT company! I buy from them often!

They are who I would recommend, but if you don't want their extra junk, let them know that, and they will take it off and reduce the price slightly for you, usually they will take of $14.95 which is the real value of that $200 in junk extras.

Again, please don't anyone take this the wrong way, I'm All For Kelleyco and they offer a great deal on those junk extras if you are a first time buyer you can have all you need to get started for much less than high quality digging tools would cost you, but in the end, you will be buying replacements. Their shovels and digging tools break very easily but they do get you started for less!

 

[FL-Hunter]

Your opinion is noted but obviously someone is buying them because they are still being made and sold by many companies... all you have to do is see the multitudes of them on ebay... so its not just Kellyco... and as I said in my last post someone who doesn't do the research shouldn't be upset with anyone but themselves... you have been here a longtime and you know we are here to help those new to the hobby..

Don't blame the manufactures for making cheap Stuff, blame the uneducated consumers. They buy them! If people didn't buy them, they companies would stop producing the cheap Arse Stuff. As consumers we need to demand high end quality items. By the same token, there needs to be a lower cost quality detector out there for the beginners and people with not a lot of money. That's where Garrett comes in. The Ace line specifically the 150/250. Very inexpensive and very high quality! The 150 is great for young kids just starting out and the 250 would be the only entry level machine I would ever recommend to people.

As far as Kellyco is concerned, if you read long enough you will ALWAYS find someone who is dissatisfied with a company for one reason or another. Some customers you just can't please EVER, others are hard to please and others you can totally screw up an order and they never get mad. It's all in how a company handles a problem. Everyone is human and humans by design are flawed. If the company corrects the issue in a satisfactory manner, one should never hold that against them. If a company constantly makes stupid errors and or mistakes and its has a long history of it, then I would switch vendors. But truthfully here, Kellyco is the largest distributor of MD'ers in the USA. They didn't get that way by treating people wrong.

There are many smaller mom & pop dealers out there that will treat you just as good as Kellyco. I don't know them because I haven't dealt with many, but there are more out there than you can imagine. Find who you like and buy from them. If you have a bad experience with a known good company, I think you owe it to yourself to give them another try. Maybe you caught one of those humans on a bad day and they just got into a car accident that morning, or lost a close family member recently. Sometimes you never know.

My vote is for Kellyco! And they are only 200miles away from me! When I order I get my stuff next day without paying next day air!

 

[TheCoilist]

Is this a good company to deal with?

KellyCo online site was a bit confusing to understand. Once the order was placed, things were great... the online tracking system though was a bit ...delayed to say the least. My order was "processing" for a week. When I finally called to see if the item was backordered (Ace250 w $25.00 Pinpointer special) they said they weren't sure why the online system did not update my order status and give me tracking information. But the day I called happened to be the day the item was to be delivered. Got off the phone with them and the magical doorbell ring to have UPS with my package! It was sweet.

They were very courteous and nice. I would deal with them again for sure!

 

[Treasure-Joe]

Well I know a lot of folks that don't like certain companies. As for me, I have taken advice from this forum about what to buy and have shopped around local as well as online. I want to buy new as I want a warranty. I decided to buy from Kellyco mainly for price. As most of American's know, we are in a terrible recession and I want to save as much money as possible. If the local dealer wants to match the price of Kellyco, then I would buy from the local guy. But as I see it, since Kellyco is an Accredited Member of the Better Business Bureau, to me that carries a lot of weight. I am sure that every company has customer service issues.

I own my own business and my business is Accredited with the Better Business Bureau as an A+. I know how to treat folks and I know how to solve problems with other companies if I feel like they are trying to rip me off. I feel very comfortable dealing with them. I know where I can go and who to go to if they do not resolve any issues that I may have. I do not expect any issues.

You know, on this forum, I have been told that Whites is great and Minelab is great. Not to buy this or that. Sometimes, we have to make a decision, step out on faith, and trust that everything will be ok.

I would deal local, but the local dealers do not want to match Kellyco's prices. Tomorrow, I plan on ordering the Minelab Sovereign GT. I will let everyone know if I have any problems. If so, I will tell you how I handled it. I'm sure that this company is a good company. By the way, I sometimes buy my groceries from Walmart. They have great prices on certain office supplies as well. Just my 2 cents worth, for what ever that means! Thanks for the advice. Blessings to everyone!

 

[Crazy Ivan]

Kellyco

I tell you, I am sick of Kellyco! I myself, recently bought a machine from them on consignment and I've must have called 7 times asking them to honor a warranty and I keep getting the run-around. They couldn't even send an invoice with the machine let alone get my zip code right! The thing wound up 400 miles away in another state.

This is what they do, they advertise one thing and then when it comes to producing they pass the buck on to someone else or make some lame excuses.

Personally I'd go with the new guy that's sponsoring here, New England Metal detectors of something.

It will be the last time I invest near a grand with Kellyco and they can deal with the BBB and bite the bullet on a machine with no valid warranty.

 

[Treasure-Joe]

I tell you, I am sick of Kellyco! I myself, recently bought a machine from them on consignment and I've must have called 7 times asking them to honor a warranty and I keep getting the run-around. They couldn't even send an invoice with the machine let alone get my zip code right! The thing wound up 400 miles away in another state.

This is what they do, they advertise one thing and then when it comes to producing they pass the buck on to someone else or make some lame excuses.

Personally I'd go with the new guy that's sponsoring here, New England Metal detectors of something.

It will be the last time I invest near a grand with Kellyco and they can deal with the BBB and bite the bullet on a machine with no valid warranty.

Hmmmmmm! Maybe I will check the other guy out. Thanks!

 

[baoluo]

I tell you, I am sick of Kellyco! I myself, recently bought a machine from them on consignment and I've must have called 7 times asking them to honor a warranty and I keep getting the run-around.

I called them up to get a better deal than their competitor on post and they couldn't be bothered to level with the competition. I eventually got some sort of a compromise then got their invoice and saw that they had removed some of the Kellyco free accessories - 4 items to be exact - from the invoice. I emailed them back to adjust the invoice and, so far, have not heard a word from them. Their attitude sucks.

 

[Kolby72]

Living overseas I dont have much choice, I cant go with the local dealer and the best site on the web I could find was Kellyco. I ordered the V3I and it got here in 5 days!!! my buddy has bought 2 detectors from them and I am extremely happy with what I got...

 

[Treasure-Joe]

Well, this was my experience today. I called Kellyco and spoke with 3 different women and finally got ahold of a man that appeared to be knowledgable about these two detectors: White's MXT & Minelab Sov GT. He explained a great deal about each one. If it were just him, I guess I would have purchased a machine, but decided to go back to my local dealer, who also sells Minelab.

I ordered the MXT because I will probably get more use out of it locally as well as dry sand at the beach. I am saving up to purschase another machine, probably the Sov GT or Excaliber II.

When I called and stated that I was not interested in the free stuff, they said well the price was the price whether I got the free stuff or not. I had already negotiated with Whites Mid Atlantic and already had a lower price with headphones. When I went to the dealer, he undercut Whites by $15.00 and threw in the headphones. With tax, I paid the same.

Can't wait to get my new MXT. It will be far a better machine than the one that I currently have. Thanks for all the advice! Blessings to everyone!

 

[RWJR13]

Good for you on the local dealer.......Congrats.....

 

[Treasure-Joe]

Yes The local dealer stated that he really needed the biz. The economy was killing him. So everyone wins! I got a great machine at a low price and he made some money too!

I should have my machine by tomorrow! :-)

 

[FL-Hunter]

Sorry to hear you had issues with Kellyco. I have never experience anything like what you have mentioned. I have ordered from them at least 5 or 6 times and each order was done over the phone (not online) with the same salesperson. When I ordered my Ace 250, the zipper on the Garrett MD case came in damaged and they shipped me out a brand new replacement right away. I never had any issues like I am hearing here. I don't work for them or anything, I'm just another customer of theirs, but I will say to those who have never ordered from them before, that is not the norm. They have excellent customer service and a great sales staff from my personal experience.

 

[Treasure-Joe]

I'm sure Kellyco would have been ok, but after seeing all the negative comments and this being a substantial investment, I decided that I wanted to deal local or directly from White's. I look at several things when I am doing business with another company. The main thing I am looking at is knowledge about a product that they are selling. I also look at price as well as what type of service will I get if there are problems. Kellyco is probably a great company, but my gut said to buy local, so that is what I did. I also get a $99 coupon that will get me discounted items directly from Whites. So all in all, today was a good day. Maybe I will give myself another gift at Christmas. Thinking of the Sov GT or Excaliber II. Maybe...........

Oh, I forgot to mention, one the the ladies I spoke with tried to talk me out of the Minelab Sovereign GT. The reason why was that she did not like auditory machines. And I was ready to buy the GT. Had my credit card out ready to go! After that, she just kind of turned me off. Because of this, this was the main reason I decided to not buy from Kellyco. When I am ready the buy the GT, I will go back to my local guy.

 

[RWJR13]

That would be a good reason to go local or to someone with actual knowledge...That coupon is the Xtreme Treasure Hunt kit from White's....$99.95 gets these goodies... http://whiteselectronics.com/xtremekit.html Congrats....

 

[baoluo]

Kellyco ..oh..

When I called and stated that I was not interested in the free stuff, they said well the price was the price whether I got the free stuff or not.

Yes my expereince as well. What is their problem??

 

[Treasure-Joe]

Yes my expereince as well. What is their problem??

I don't know what the problem is except that they lost a sale!!! I would have purchased the Sov GT but the tech sales lady talked me out of it and tried to up sale me with a more expensive machine. Too bad! I will be buying either the GT or Excal II in the near future, but from my local dealer. All the free stuff was not worth the weight in salt!!! Or is that gold??? Any how, they make it sound like they are giving you over $500 of free stuff. The only value I saw was a pinpointer detector. The other stuff looked to be cheaply made.

I was on the fence between the MXT & the GT. Was leaning towards the GT until she talked me out of it. I just got frustrated with it all and made a decision and went with a company that I had been looking at for 3 to 4 years. My comfort level was higher with White's and they did not try to talk me into a higher priced machine. But they did explain what each machine did and I was made aware of the limitations of the MXT. I will be taking my MXT to VA Beach this weekend and see exactly how good or bad it will be in salty sand. I'm sure stuff is lost in the sand as well as in the ocean. Hopefully, I will find some cool stuff in the dry sand. I will report back to this forum how well I did.

 

[SkiWhiz]

I don't know what the problem is except that they lost a sale!!! I would have purchased the Sov GT but the tech sales lady talked me out of it and tried to up sale me with a more expensive machine. Too bad! I will be buying either the GT or Excal II in the near future, but from my local dealer. All the free stuff was not worth the weight in salt!!! Or is that gold??? Any how, they make it sound like they are giving you over $500 of free stuff. The only value I saw was a pinpointer detector. The other stuff looked to be cheaply made.

I was on the fence between the MXT & the GT. Was leaning towards the GT until she talked me out of it. I just got frustrated with it all and made a decision and went with a company that I had been looking at for 3 to 4 years. My comfort level was higher with White's and they did not try to talk me into a higher priced machine. But they did explain what each machine did and I was made aware of the limitations of the MXT. I will be taking my MXT to VA Beach this weekend and see exactly how good or bad it will be in salty sand. I'm sure stuff is lost in the sand as well as in the ocean. Hopefully, I will find some cool stuff in the dry sand. I will report back to this forum how well I did.

I would have purchased the Sov GT but the tech sales lady talked me out of it and tried to up sale me with a more expensive machine. The more expensive the detector the more they make on it.


they make it sound like they are giving you over $500 of free stuff. You mean isn't worth the price they say it is

The free stuff is fine but why not be truthful about its value.

 

[Treasure-Joe]

OK, In my opinion, it is not worth $500 of free stuff. As with everything, it is just my opinion. I have shopped around and done my homework. It's like shopping at, let's say a department store. If they have it marked down 50% off, then they really marked it up by 50%. I am a businessman & I know the cost of the free stuff. But again, I am being truthful about my opinion. :-)

 

[Crazy Ivan]

Kellyco

Well, the fact is I spent near a grand on a metal detector that has no warranty although Kellyco advertised an 18 month warranty. Simply put and verbatim I was told by the salesman, "call Whites to get the warranty."
You know, if I was dealing with one of my customers and I implied through words or deed that their warranty concerns were the problems of the manufacturer rather than honoring an advertised claim I'd not only loose a customer but my job also.
In addition to that, the last time I called I was told by the woman that answered, "the salesman is busy. Call him back later." My response, "Well when should I call? In 15 mins, 30 mins?" Some time later is what she told me.

 

[FL-Hunter]

Well, the fact is I spent near a grand on a metal detector that has no warranty although Kellyco advertised an 18 month warranty. Simply put and verbatim I was told by the salesman, "call Whites to get the warranty."
You know, if I was dealing with one of my customers and I implied through words or deed that their warranty concerns were the problems of the manufacturer rather than honoring an advertised claim I'd not only loose a customer but my job also.
In addition to that, the last time I called I was told by the woman that answered, "the salesman is busy. Call him back later." My response, "Well when should I call? In 15 mins, 30 mins?" Some time later is what she told me.

If you have not resolved this issue, I may be able to offer you assistance. PM me if you are interested. I have some contacts there. I can't guarantee anything, but I will try to help if you wish.