Focus Enhancements - Nobody Home!
 

Does anyone actually work at this company? I can't get anyone to answer the phone when I call. I've tried several different extensions...Product Availability, Pricing, Pre Sale support, etc... No answer on any of them. Must be a very small company if no one can answer the telephone.

Does anyone know how to get a human being on the phone at this company?

I gave up recently as well.

I was considering the FS-100 to pair with an HPX-500, but if they can not even answer phones or e-mails, then I do not want their product to be my main recording method.

It amazes me how little emphasis companies place on the basic aspects of customer service. Lost opportunity is costly!

Just reading this frightens me as I was considering an FS-5.

I've never tried to call but they've always responded to my email's withing 12 hours. Most of the time I prefer email so that's good with me!

Did you manage to get hold of them eventually?

I'm concerned bout your posting because I own one of these units and I don't like the idea of the company going belly up.

Harry

look into nNovia...support actually answers the phones and promptly returns emails.

It's quite a leap to assume a company might go "belly up" just because they use an automated phone answering system. I don't know anything about Focus Enhancements, but let's not start needless rumors. If you're concerned, why not call or e-mail them yourself?

Boyd,

I don't think it's unreasonable to ask a question on this forum as to whether Focus is in trouble because they are stated to be unresponsive to a user's contact.

I own one of their products and I have found them a little flaky in the past, so I don't think it is rumor mongering to query their financial stability. After all, a great many of us who actually own one of their products have an investment in the future of this outfit.

I can understand that you personally might not be concerned because, as I read your post, you do NOT have this kind of professional interest in the behavior or the future of the firm. Nor do you, by your own admission, have any fore-knowledge of the company.

Perhaps your defense of the company, and your accusation of us as being rumor mongers, is misplaced in that you pretty much state that you don't have any experience with these people ... unlike the rest of us.

Respectfully yours,

Harry Bromley-Davenport. (Focus FC-C owner, cost appx $2000)

Sorry, Harry, your "belly up" comment was speculative and it is unreasonable. DVinfo isn't a site for derogatory speculation, especially when it may be libelous. Even our "Area 51" forum is kept lighthearted.

All that's been established so far is that one person says they've had problems reaching the company by phone, one difficulty by both phone and email, and one says no problem by email. If you are having customer service problems with the company, sort it out with them. When you have facts, report 'em. If you don't get facts or aren't willing as a customer and interested party to get them, let it go.

Actually Boyd is not "defending" Focus (and neither am I), but the statement "I don't like the idea of the company going belly up" is indeed clearly the start of a needless rumor, and he was right to point it out as such, and I'm going to insist that everyone here heeds his advice. As Pete says above, such unfounded speculation is worse than useless (libelous, in fact), and I sure won't tolerate it here.

This is DV Info Net, not DV Rumor Net, and this site doesn't work like the rest of the internet when it comes to this sort of thing. We work on facts, not rumors. This thread is genuinely concerning, but it has validity only up to the point before it degrades into a "sky is falling" mentality by assuming the worst. Focus is in the middle of rolling out several new products so I don't think it's logical or fair to voice such an unfounded concern, especially in that way -- "I don't like the idea of the company going belly up" reads just as if it's already happened, and not only doesn't anybody know that to be true, it's also highly unlikely.

So let's not panic, please. Since there's no way to get any real *facts* on a Sunday night, this thread will be closed for the time being, until someone (anyone, but hopefully more than one person) contacts me via email after getting in touch (or at least making the effort) with Focus tomorrow during normal west coast business hours by phone or email for their definitive statement which addresses the legitimate concerns that have been put forth here.

Once we have that, then I'll reopen this thread. If we don't get a response from them, then I have other ways to find out what we need to know, but the one thing we're not going to do is leap to any wild assumptions, as that's for "typical" internet message boards to do, not this one. Thanks in advance -- to be continued,

As of today, I've heard from at least three people who have received immediate feedback from Focus regarding support queries via email. I think we can safely conclude that they're still open for business.

I wanted to add to the positive comments about Focus. I recently sent a unit back for repair and the email response was a few hours later ( I also was taking into account that they are 4 hrs. behind).
Yesterday I called to check on the status of the unit (this was their tech support number) and after the initial 'please leave you name and number", the phone rolled over to an extension and a nice young lady told me the unit shipped the other day and was coming today!!

They are indeed "home" and are currently honoring a warranty repair on my FS-C which is one year and 3 months old.

By the way, the warranty is 2 years.

Despite a couple of ups and downs and occasional worries about service, they have always ultimately come through for me personally and behaved honorably.

Email is the preferred manner of communication with them.

Harry.