Well after sending my Lightspeed 30-3g back for the 3rd time, I finally got a
brand new pair free of charge from Lightspeed.

I purchased them originally at OSH this year, and only had 20hrs total time on
them. Per Jay Honeck's suggestion, I spoke to Alan Schrader after sending them
for the second time with a battery box problem. Nice guy, and he was genuinely
interested in solving my problem. When they arrived at my home, I was all set
to take them flying with me the next weekend. Well, I got in the plane, powered
them up and no sound in the right ear piece. I checked the stereo mono switch
in the ANR battery box. No luck. SO I grabbed my old stand by DCs and went
flying. When I got back I sent a 2 page bitch letter to
Alan, saying how dissatisfied I was because, I got them back broken from the
factory repair center. I was off on vacation for a week so I didn't need them.
While on vacation my cell phone rings and it was some VP from Lightspeed who was
very apologetic. He used words like unacceptable, and just wanted me to know
that he personally would replace them with a brand new pair, and wanted me to
call him if there was any reason at all if I was dissatisfied. Right now he
said he wanted to gain my trust back, since I told him, that I now carry my DCs
with me because I do not trust the Lightspeeds I had. They sent them to me
overnight at their expense. He said that he would make sure that these were
tested thoroughly and found to be working before sending them to me.

So I have a new pair of Lightspeed 30-3Gs. I tried them with my hand held radio
and they appear to work. Next chance I get to fly, the weather all of sudden in
the midwest has just gone to heck, I will hopefully try them out.

At least they are trying to make right a bad situation for me.

FYI for what it is worth.

Kevin Kubiak - PP-ASEL

Yet another "DC to the rescue" story! :-))
You just cannot replace those dependable DC products.

Kevin Kubiak wrote:
/interesting story sinpped/
> At least they are trying to make right a bad situation for me.
>
> FYI for what it is worth.
>
> Kevin Kubiak - PP-ASEL

Once again, while I admire Lightspeed's customer service, I am more
enamored with D.C.'s lack of need for customer service (not that they
don't provide it!). Their headsets are just that good.

Happy Flying!
Scott Skylane

Kevin Kubiak wrote:
> Well after sending my Lightspeed 30-3g back for the 3rd time, I finally
> got a brand new pair free of charge from Lightspeed.
>
> I purchased them originally at OSH this year, and only had 20hrs total
> time on them. Per Jay Honeck's suggestion, I spoke to Alan Schrader
> after sending them for the second time with a battery box problem. Nice
> guy, and he was genuinely interested in solving my problem. When they
> arrived at my home, I was all set to take them flying with me the next
> weekend. Well, I got in the plane, powered them up and no sound in the
> right ear piece. I checked the stereo mono switch in the ANR battery
> box. No luck. SO I grabbed my old stand by DCs and went flying. When
> I got back I sent a 2 page bitch letter to
> Alan, saying how dissatisfied I was because, I got them back broken from
> the
> factory repair center. I was off on vacation for a week so I didn't
> need them.
> While on vacation my cell phone rings and it was some VP from Lightspeed
> who was very apologetic. He used words like unacceptable, and just
> wanted me to know that he personally would replace them with a brand new
> pair, and wanted me to call him if there was any reason at all if I was
> dissatisfied. Right now he said he wanted to gain my trust back, since
> I told him, that I now carry my DCs with me because I do not trust the
> Lightspeeds I had. They sent them to me overnight at their expense. He
> said that he would make sure that these were tested thoroughly and found
> to be working before sending them to me.
>
> So I have a new pair of Lightspeed 30-3Gs. I tried them with my hand
> held radio
> and they appear to work. Next chance I get to fly, the weather all of
> sudden in the midwest has just gone to heck, I will hopefully try them out.
>
> At least they are trying to make right a bad situation for me.
>
> FYI for what it is worth.
>
> Kevin Kubiak - PP-ASEL
I'm in Australia. I had some initial problems with 20XLs which ended up
being swapped out for 25XLs at no charge about three years ago. Haven't
flown much (couple of hours as passenger) in last 3 years. Got headset
out to use and the glue on the earseals (where they join the plastic
holding them into the headset) had gone all gooey. they peeled right
off (10 hrs use some time ago). Had a brand new set of earseals -
similar problem even though never used. Contected Lightspeed and they
UPSd me two new sets of seals.

Althoughthis is a 'wear' item the glue just appeared to have degenerated
(out of light heat etc). I'll keep an eye on the new seals, but I too
think their service is great even though I'd rather not have to use it.

Cheers,
Kevin

Kevin Black wrote:

> Kevin Kubiak wrote:
> Althoughthis is a 'wear' item the glue just appeared to have degenerated
> (out of light heat etc). I'll keep an eye on the new seals, but I too
> think their service is great even though I'd rather not have to use it.

it almost sounds like their service department should be charging
their engineering department to make them accountable for inferior
designs. Make the products good from the start. Garbage
in, garbage out.

I know of only one person who has needed service done on their
DC headset. I have 2 myself although I am now thinking about
going for a Bose but not sure if the money is worth it for how
much I fly.

Gerald

>> Althoughthis is a 'wear' item the glue just appeared to have degenerated
>> (out of light heat etc). I'll keep an eye on the new seals, but I too
>> think their service is great even though I'd rather not have to use it.
>
> it almost sounds like their service department should be charging
> their engineering department to make them accountable for inferior
> designs. Make the products good from the start. Garbage
> in, garbage out.

They've fixed all that with the new models. The 15s, 20s, 15XLs, 20XLs, and
25XLs are all their "old" models. They had known durability "issues" with
those models that have been corrected in all of their new models. (The 3G
series).

I've owned 'em all, and can attest to it.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck > wrote:

> They've fixed all that with the new models. The 15s, 20s, 15XLs, 20XLs, and
> 25XLs are all their "old" models. They had known durability "issues" with
> those models that have been corrected in all of their new models. (The 3G
> series).
>
> I've owned 'em all, and can attest to it.

As a one-time owner of a 3G headset, I disagree. In the fifty hours I used
these headsets, they went back to Lightspeed four different times (Google
archives has my original post about this). To be fair, this could have
been due to the "version 1.0" theory, but still, it was the final straw for
me.

I switched to Bose and have used them for 400+ hours. The only repair
required was a replacement of the foam earcup pads after about 300 hours
due to normal wear and tear. Bose customer service told me that these pads
typically require replacement every 150 hours or so and, despite the fact
that the pads are normal wear items, Bose sent me a replacement for free.

--
Peter
























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>> I've owned 'em all, and can attest to it.
>
> As a one-time owner of a 3G headset, I disagree. In the fifty hours I
> used
> these headsets, they went back to Lightspeed four different times (Google
> archives has my original post about this). To be fair, this could have
> been due to the "version 1.0" theory, but still, it was the final straw
> for
> me.

Sorry to hear it. My 3 pair of Twenty 3Gs have been bulletproof.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

> The 15s, 20s, 15XLs, 20XLs, and
> 25XLs are all their "old" models. They had known durability "issues" with
> those models

I have a problem with a company that sells items with "known durability
issues".

Jose
--
He who laughs, lasts.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

>> The 15s, 20s, 15XLs, 20XLs, and 25XLs are all their "old" models. They
>> had known durability "issues" with those models
>
> I have a problem with a company that sells items with "known durability
> issues".

They're not selling the crappy ones anymore.

Lightspeed learned about their QC problems over time, and addressed them
very aggressively. (They GAVE me a $450 headset to keep me as a customer.)

True, it would've been better for them to make the product right from the
get-go, but remember, Lightspeed was new to the aviation industry when they
busted the ANR market wide-open. They just made the first generation too
fragile to hold up to daily in-cockpit use.

It's hard to fault a company when they take the bull by horns and fix
things.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay,

> They just made the first generation too
> fragile to hold up to daily in-cockpit use.
>

Mine does (20K, still going strong since 1997). Sometimes I really
wonder what people do to 500-$-plus investments...

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

Jay Honeck > wrote:

> It's hard to fault a company when they take the bull by horns and fix
> things.

.... and give you a free headset.

--
Peter
























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Thomas Borchert > wrote:

> Sometimes I really
> wonder what people do to 500-$-plus investments...

Headsets are handled multiple times, often stored when not in use, and are
adjusted frequently. They should be designed to take normal wear without
failure. I can guarantee that my Lightspeed 25s and 3Gs were subjected to
normal, not excessive, wear and tear, yet they suffered various structural
failures very early in their lives. They also suffered from numerous ANR
service problems having nothing to do with the user.

Many of the later models of Lightspeed headsets have a negative history in
these groups, so it would seem that recurring Q/C issues are not a fault of
the consumer, but rather the company.

BTW, headsets are not an investment, they are an expense. ;)

--
Peter
























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Peter R. wrote:
> Jay Honeck > wrote:
>
>
>>It's hard to fault a company when they take the bull by horns and fix
>>things.
>
>
> ... and give you a free headset.
>
I really admire the company for standing by their product and trying to
make things right with me. I'm a quality assurance manager for large
telecommunications company that is very much customer focused. In the
conversations I had with both of the executives I spoke with, they both echoed
their commitment quality and pleasing the customer. That is
why I'm willing to stick with them.

When I originally went to purchase the headsets, I had it narrowed down to 2
brands, Bose and Lightspeed. Comfort/fit, perceived value, features and cost
were my main criteria. The problem I had justifying the Bose were the cost vs
the features. I really liked them but found the fit, comfort and performance of
the Lightspeeds to be about the same as the Bose. However, Bose did not offer
the cellphone/MP3 interface like Lightspeed. The cell phone/MP3 interface wasn't
a high priority, originally for me, but as I have come to use it, I really like
the feature. As a member of a flying club (note: non owner), I fly several
different airplanes. I appreciate the easy solution of adding the interface to
the headset.

I also, was impressed with the staff that manned the Lightspeed booth. I found
them to be cordial, friendly and genuinely willing to listen to my every
question. While both were very professional, I felt that
the Lightspeed team was more open and accessible to me the potential customer.
So I went with the Lightspeeds. When they work, I really enjoy them and
can easily see why folks say ANR really does make a difference in terms
of pilot fatigue during longer trips.

My background is in electrical engineering & computer science. What bothers me
is the fact that I did not really abuse the headset, In fact, I treated them
very carefully. I always placed them in the nice padded bag the came in after
use. I do not wrap the cords, I fold them gently when placing the headset in
the bag. I also, treated the switch box carefully, ensuring not to bang it
around. So my main concern is are all ANR heads sets so temperamental, or is
Lightspeeds problem with the battery switch box, a problem of poor design, or
use of inferior components. I mentioned that concern to one of the executives.
They told me that they are in process of redesigning the battery switch box,
so with out saying anything more, I guess I can make my own judgment about that.

So that is why I'm posting this here, since it is my experience and I thought
it would add value to share with rest of the newsgroup.

I really hope my problems with the headset are behind me, so I can start
enjoying my flying and not have to carry a backup set of the old DC's that
saw me through my training hours.

Kevin Kubiak

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
news:Helff.548568$x96.485843@attbi_s72...
>>> I've owned 'em all, and can attest to it.
>>
>> As a one-time owner of a 3G headset, I disagree. In the fifty hours I
>> used
>> these headsets, they went back to Lightspeed four different times (Google
>> archives has my original post about this). To be fair, this could have
>> been due to the "version 1.0" theory, but still, it was the final straw
>> for
>> me.
>
> Sorry to hear it. My 3 pair of Twenty 3Gs have been bulletproof.

For how long now?

> > Sorry to hear it. My 3 pair of Twenty 3Gs have been bulletproof.
>
> For how long now?

Hmm. I think the freebie came at OSH '03. One I purchased at OSH '04,
and one a won at the Cherokee Pilots Association fly-in in '04.

So, not a terribly long time, but they show no signs of trouble.
(Which is radically different than my experience with the early
models...)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

> > > Sorry to hear it. My 3 pair of Twenty 3Gs have been bulletproof.

> > For how long now?

> Hmm. I think the freebie came at OSH '03. One I purchased at OSH '04,
> and one a won at the Cherokee Pilots Association fly-in in '04.
> So, not a terribly long time, but they show no signs of trouble.
> (Which is radically different than my experience with the early
> models...)

Your's stay in your airplane.
Most pilots are renters and so must plug/unplug and transport/store
their headsets, resulting in "normal" wear and tear.

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
ups.com...
>
>> > Sorry to hear it. My 3 pair of Twenty 3Gs have been bulletproof.
>>
>> For how long now?
>
> Hmm. I think the freebie came at OSH '03. One I purchased at OSH '04,
> and one a won at the Cherokee Pilots Association fly-in in '04.
>
> So, not a terribly long time, but they show no signs of trouble.
> (Which is radically different than my experience with the early
> models...)

Sounds like the latest fix is a winner (knock on wood).

I used to have two pair of Telex that I loved, except the jack plugs kept
having a loose wire in one and a faulty speaker (or whatever it's called) in
the left muff...small problems, but when they cut out it was TOTAL. I had
them four years and both "died" twice.

Now I have three sets of Bose; one came with the bird when I bought it,
added two more because it was wired for Bose (and liked the one came with
it). This winter I'm likely going to trade out the Beech 36 (too big for one
or two, too small for five or six - the usual loads for us), so I might give
something else a try. I must say that I'm still gun-shy about Lightspeed,
though.

"john smith" > wrote in message
...
>> > > Sorry to hear it. My 3 pair of Twenty 3Gs have been bulletproof.
>
>> > For how long now?
>
>> Hmm. I think the freebie came at OSH '03. One I purchased at OSH '04,
>> and one a won at the Cherokee Pilots Association fly-in in '04.
>> So, not a terribly long time, but they show no signs of trouble.
>> (Which is radically different than my experience with the early
>> models...)
>
> Your's stay in your airplane.
> Most pilots are renters and so must plug/unplug and transport/store
> their headsets, resulting in "normal" wear and tear.

Jay said, in a previous post, that he keeps his in the case.

> > Your's stay in your airplane.
> > Most pilots are renters and so must plug/unplug and transport/store
> > their headsets, resulting in "normal" wear and tear.
>
> Jay said, in a previous post, that he keeps his in the case.

Negative. Mine are "permanently" plugged in the plane. The front two
hang from the ceiling on velcro straps when not in use. The back two
go over the headrests of the seat-backs, when my kids actually remember
to put 'em there...

:-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
ups.com...
>> > Your's stay in your airplane.
>> > Most pilots are renters and so must plug/unplug and transport/store
>> > their headsets, resulting in "normal" wear and tear.
>>
>> Jay said, in a previous post, that he keeps his in the case.
>
> Negative. Mine are "permanently" plugged in the plane. The front two
> hang from the ceiling on velcro straps when not in use. The back two
> go over the headrests of the seat-backs, when my kids actually remember
> to put 'em there...
>
Okay...who was it saying they neatly fold the cords....

Was it your evil twin?

Matt Barrow > wrote:

> This winter I'm likely going to trade out the Beech 36 (too big for one
> or two, too small for five or six - the usual loads for us),

Really? What are you looking at to replace the Beech?

--
Peter
























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> Now I have three sets of Bose; one came with the bird when I bought it,
> added two more because it was wired for Bose (and liked the one came with
> it). This winter I'm likely going to trade out the Beech 36 (too big for one
> or two, too small for five or six - the usual loads for us), so I might give
> something else a try. I must say that I'm still gun-shy about Lightspeed,
> though.

So does this mean you are buying a Cub and a Caravan to replace the B36?

> Okay...who was it saying they neatly fold the cords....
>
> Was it your evil twin?

'T'weren't me...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

> My background is in electrical engineering & computer science. What
> bothers me is the fact that I did not really abuse the headset, In fact, I
> treated them very carefully.

Yep, that was my experience, too -- with the older models. They would just,
well, *break*, sitting in the plane. One minute they would work, the next
flight they wouldn't.

VERY frustrating.

All is well now, thankfully, with their later models. (For me, anyway.)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"