M

MLock

Well Known Member
Out there in RV Land you hear good things and bad things about various companies providing products and services to our community. Well, I gotta share a good one. I installed the very first VM1000C engine monitor shipped by Vision Microsystems. Everything worked flawlessly except a repeated problem with the fuel level indication. After a few calls to JPI (after they purchased Vision Microsystems), no solution could be found.

So, at Sun & Fun this year I met with Larry Elbert of JPI. Bottom line, they have supplied me with a complete new and updated VM1000C system at no charge. That's really steppin' up folks.

Mitchell Lock
 
Same for my EDM930

My 930 had a fuel level calibration issue as well. Sent it back Fedx, got it back Fedx same week. They upgraded the unit to brand new. No charge 3 years after purchase.
 
Read all the posts from two years ago about JPI. That was a problem. Maybe they've turned a corner... who knows. Just letting everyone know that a company did right by me.

Mitch Lock
 
The right people are sometimes hard to get ahold of at JPI, but I feel they have the superior product.

I LOVE the customer support from EI though too.
 
I second this opinion

osxuser said:
The right people are sometimes hard to get ahold of at JPI, but I feel they have the superior product.

I LOVE the customer support from EI though too.
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I couldn't have said it better myself, so I second this opinion!
 
Reasons...

MLock said:
Read all the posts from two years ago about JPI. That was a problem. Maybe they've turned a corner... who knows. Just letting everyone know that a company did right by me.

Mitch Lock
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Mitch,

Just to be clear.... the reason I didn't buy JPI was because of their management actions suing a homebuilder "little guy" supplier over the use of the word "scan" ... not the quality (or lack) of their customer service,

I don't think this can be changed by "turning a corner" - AFAIK the same management is still in charge.

gil A
 
The unfair (understatement) attack JPI started several years ago on a fellow builder who was a significant contributor to the RV community will not be forgotten by those who were around at the time. Nice to see they are trying to mend their reputation.
 
It'll take more than one or two "atta boy's" to bring most of us that were around during the matronics debacle to ever deal with JPI again. Since that time I've managed in my business (as have my colleagues and friends) to not sell, service, install or otherwise have anything to do with a single JPI product. Unfortuneately that now extends to the Vision Microsystems stuff which is off my list as well.

What they did was one of the worst things I've seen in many years....so it won't easily be forgotten. I'm sure my personal little boycott has cost them exactly nothing and they could care less, but millions of $$'s have rolled through my shop over the years and I'm happy to say that not a single penny of it was JPI product.

It would be different if there weren't competing products around. I frankly don't care if their stuff was twice as good as EI's (it's not), those guys at EI stand for how a business like that should be managed and run.

Maybe they are turning over a new leaf, but I really don't care. It'll take a lot more than that to bring me on board. Not saying it'll never happen, but it'll take a while.

Cheers,
Stein

PS, there are still RV'ers out there who remember.....I'm one of 'em. I may sound jaded but I'm not. I'm just a guy who believes that Right is right and wrong is wrong. Morals and Ethics are still at the top of my list - reputations are built on what you've done - their actions speak louder than words.
 
SteinAir said:
It'll take more than one or two "atta boy's" to bring most of us that were around during the matronics debacle to ever deal with JPI again.
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I remember that time as well - they deserve none of my business. I specifically avoided them when I built my panel.
 
Wow Guys! I truly am sorry that I seem to have stirred up some very deep and negative emotions reagrding JPI. This certainly wasn't my intent which was not to attempt to alter anyone's opinion, but merely to share a positive experience.

Everyone has their own and valid reasons why or why not to deal with any particular company. And nobody has to justify their reasons to me or anyone else. That's why I like these RV forums so much, so we can share information and experiences and get a proper perspective on the purveyors out there.

Mitch Lock
 
MLock said:
Wow Guys! I truly am sorry that I seem to have stirred up some very deep and negative emotions reagrding JPI. This certainly wasn't my intent which was not to attempt to alter anyone's opinion, but merely to share a positive experience.

Everyone has their own and valid reasons why or why not to deal with any particular company. And nobody has to justify their reasons to me or anyone else. That's why I like these RV forums so much, so we can share information and experiences and get a proper perspective on the purveyors out there.

Mitch Lock
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Totally no problem - your report was great and helpful. Its just that I didn't want people to forget the very bad behavior this company had to the original RV list provider...
 
the short version?

I've been a EI customer in the past and will probably be in the future, especially because of the sentiments expressed here. Being an IP lawyer though, I'm curious: are folks here mad because there was a TM infringement suit, or because of the way JPI handled it? What's the short version of the history?
 
JHines said:
I'm curious: are folks here mad because there was a TM infringement suit, or because of the way JPI handled it? What's the short version of the history?
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Both, and I suspect the resentment runs so deep for some they would not use a JPI product if it was free. Even though in the end Matt publicly stated it was resolved to his satisfaction the anger of some on "The list" grew like cancer. It was clearly a case of a bully picking on a little guy for no reason. What JPI did not know was the little guy had lots of friends. Imagine what would happen today if VAF Research,

http://www.vaf.com.au/

decided to sue DR, take everything he has, wipe him out forever, because they claimed VAF was their trademark and they thought he could not muster enough of a defense to prevail. They would have miscalculated how many would come to his aid.
 
JHines said:
I've been a EI customer in the past and will probably be in the future, especially because of the sentiments expressed here. Being an IP lawyer though, I'm curious: are folks here mad because there was a TM infringement suit, or because of the way JPI handled it? What's the short version of the history?
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At the time, JPI had a very small product range, with their main product being a CHT/EGT instrument called the "Scanner". Matt Dralle, who runs the RV-List, sold a fuel flow display system called the "FuelScan". JPI decided to market their own fuel flow display system, and they wrote to Matt, claiming that his use of "FuelScan" for a fuel flow system violated their trademark of "Scanner". They threatened a law suit unless Matt stopped using his trademark of "FuelScan". It was going to cost Matt a lot of money to get new face plates manufactured for his hardware, plus change all the marketing material. It would also cost a lot of money to hire lawyers if he choose to fight JPI. JPI, despite a very tenuous trademark case, played hard ball for a long time, causing Matt untold stress. The RV community rallied around Matt, and eventually JPI agreed to buy the "FuelScan" name from him. But, their approach and attitude left a very bad taste in many people's mouths - I will never put a JPI product in my aircraft.

At the time, the RV-List was the main internet resource for RV builders, and Matt was the guy who donated the time to make it happen. The RV-List would probably have ceased to exist if JPI had not caved it. Today the VAF forums are the main internet resource. What would you do if some company threatened Doug Reeves, and hence the VAF forums, with an expensive, frivolous law suit?

More info, and opinions here.
 
Good oversight. I was a first time builder during that time period and was privelaged to the problam JPI was giving Matt also. Totaly uncalled for.
Tom
2 time builder, JPI free.
 
Dont hold it against us.

I certianly hope the JPI haters dont hold it against those of us who used the product unknowingly.
I was unaware of the strong negative sentiments when I made my decision three years ago based on several trusted sources who also used that product and had good things to say.
Also, in all of the threads, I am only seeing one side of the story. I dont doubt what is being said and I am not defending JPI, but there are always two sides to any story.
If someone asked me about MY opinion of JPI I would have to be honest and tell them it is a great product and they have treated me well. I hope I dont get hated on.
 
It wasn't about JPI's business practice, product performance or product support.

It was about a predatory, unjustified, attack on a community leader who had contributed significantly to the group.

Thankfully the worst thing that happened was a lifetime boycott of their product. I did see a hand drawn T-shirt with JPI logo and slash through it along with some words I won't repeat here.
 
What's in a name?

JonJay said:
.....
Also, in all of the threads, I am only seeing one side of the story. I dont doubt what is being said and I am not defending JPI, but there are always two sides to any story.
.....
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True... but in my (and many others) non-lawyers mind suing over the word "scan" was way too much.

It was a name they wanted for a possible, future, unannounced product, so it was not a duplicate name that was "stolen".

Perhaps they could have also sued over the word "fuel"... makes just as much sense...:rolleyes:

gil A
 
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