Reptile Basics "Customer Service"

[phenyx]

Has anyone else had issues with the customer service at Reptile Basics? Several months ago I bought a VE-300X2 second hand from a local reptile dealer. Initially, I just had Jerkface's viv hooked up to it (using zone 1) and it worked just fine. When I went to set up Jerkface's new, larger viv, I figured I could just hook up his new Ultratherm heat mat and thermostat to zone 2 on the device, let the temps and humidity reach optimum levels and move him right on over. Eventually, after we move in a couple of years and I have space to put both snakes in 24X48 vivs from Animal Plastics, my intention was to run both vivs off the VE-300X2 because that's what it's designed for.

Long story short, (I know, too late) I wasn't able to get the device to recognize the second set of devices plugged into zone 2 and I wasn't able to find a menu option to activate them so I contacted RB customer service with a very simple question: "How do I activate the zone 2 controls?" I had explained that I bought it second hand and, instead of simply answering my very simple question they told me to send it to them and they'd take a look. So, at my expense, I shipped the device back to them.

6 emails and one escalation up the customer service ladder later, they are insisting that the zone two controls work FINE and I just need to activate them (and apparently they think I'm too stupid to know I need to hit an "enter" key), but for some reason, they have refused to answer my repeated inquiries as to WHERE the option to activate them resides. I scrolled through the device's menu several times looking for said option and was never able to find it and their instructions offered no help whatsoever.

I've asked them the same question 3 times now and they refuse to answer it. Instead they've asked me how I want to proceed now that they are in possession of my device. At this point I'm ready to tell them to throw the damn thing off a bridge and just stick with my cheap-and-cheerful $20 greenhouse thermostats. They may not be fancy, professional grade, pulse proportional, dual channel thermostats, but they have clear instructions and don't require an engineering degree to operate.

Worst. Customer Service. Ever. I will *never* buy anything from these jokers again. Does anyone know another company that makes dual channel thermostats?