What is with AP?

[starbuck]

I have been in astronomy years ago and recently got back into it and have acquired some nice equipment. When I inquired with AP about getting a refractor from them I was quoted YEARS of waiting?

What is up with that? Do people actually wait that long for a refractor from that company? Do they make so few that there is such a long waiting list?

I do not mean any dissrespect but would someone please enlighten me?


John

[pizwiz]

The way I understand this is as follows:
AP schedules a certain run of production for the coming year. That's it !
You sign up on a waiting list and if they make any of the scopes you are waiting for, you move up the waiting list as people who are ahead of you in the list get their orders filled. Then, who knows, maybe next year they will make enough of the scopes you are looking for that your order gets filled. But they do not make all models of scopes and mounts every production cycle. So there is no way to tell how long you have to wait. the reason this becomes very unfair, is that people who have the money will sign up for several scopes. When they are notified that their production has started, they put the scope on the market, knowing that people are willing to pay a healthy premium to get one of these scopes without having to wait. The sad thing is that AP is not willing to step up production to satisfy the demand.
Because of their "Like it or lump it" attitude I refuse to buy their products.

Adolph

[KenMiller]

I just got started with Astronomy a couple months ago.

After speaking with three different representatives from Company Seven and then calling AP directly, I decided that neither AP nor Company Seven was for me.

I promptly purchased two Takahashi scopes, a Takahashi mount, and a Takahashi tripod.

I was so pleased with the performance of the Takahashi products, and with BT Technologies as their dealer, that I've since purchased three more Takahashi scopes.

I don't like Comany Seven's approach to business nor AP's. Fortunately, Takahashi has an approach I find much more appealing.

The only question that remains unanswered for me personally is whether any AP product is in any way superior to the equivalent Takahashi product. When the opportuinty presents itself for me to answer those questions I will.

In the mean time, I'm quite content because I haven't found any evidence whatsoever that AP is materially better than Tak.

And, I couldn't be more pleased with the results I'm getting with my Tak gear or the people supporting it in their supply chain.

[Frank Boyle]

I was looking to purchase a AP-900 mount a few months ago and after reading all of the forums and speaking to people I really did not wish to wait over a year and purchased a Takahahashi NJP instead. I was looking at the EM-400 as well but the NJP was already pushing my budget so that is what I have now.

Am I sorry that I did not get the 900? Not for 1 second! I got the NJP delivered to be within a week and it is more mount than I can ever dream of having. It tracks perfectly and the mechanical construction is superb. I also have a dealer that I can call when I have an issue and they don't give me that holier than though attitude like AP.


Frank Boyle

[pizwiz]

Sounds like I am not the only one !

Adolph

[suburbanskies]

Originally Posted by starbuck

I have been in astronomy years ago and recently got back into it and have acquired some nice equipment. When I inquired with AP about getting a refractor from them I was quoted YEARS of waiting?

What is up with that? Do people actually wait that long for a refractor from that company? Do they make so few that there is such a long waiting list?

I do not mean any dissrespect but would someone please enlighten me?


John

John, Roland Christen is the chief and only optician at AP. If I were him, I probably wouldn't hire other opticians, either. The main competitive advantage that AP has lies in all the experience that Roland has accumulated. Any opticians he hires could easily take off with his knowledge and there would be nothing he could do about it - this is not the type of intellectual property that is patentable.

TEC appears to be a different story althogether.

Roland runs his business the way he prefers and is a lucky guy!

Mark

[starbuck]

I respect that Roland runs his business the way he wants but it does not mean that I have to agree with his methods or so-called dealer network.

When I was inquiring about his products I was referred to a place called Company 7. Now keep in mind that my intentions are not to put anyone down but the person that I spoke to had one of the most arogent personalities I ever had the displeasure of experiencing.

You mentioned that he is an optician and will not hire anyone else for fear that that person quits and becomes his competition. Well, okay. So what is the excuse about not having enough mounts to sell? These do not require extensive "optical" knowledge just machining.

I personally feel that Roland and his company purposely scales back production to keep his ego and his products in high demand.

My point being is that if I am ready to spend upwards of 30k dollars on eqpt I will be damned if I spend it on a company that can care less about making any potential customers happy.

John

Originally Posted by suburbanskies

John, Roland Christen is the chief and only optician at AP. If I were him, I probably wouldn't hire other opticians, either. The main competitive advantage that AP has lies in all the experience that Roland has accumulated. Any opticians he hires could easily take off with his knowledge and there would be nothing he could do about it - this is not the type of intellectual property that is patentable.

TEC appears to be a different story althogether.

Roland runs his business the way he prefers and is a lucky guy!

Mark

[Frank Boyle]

John why such hostility? If you don't like AP or their dealers simply move on to another product and dealer that you do like. Life is way too short to get upset about the way a company chooses to do business.

For me I went the Takahashi route and could not be happier. There are other eqpt companies out there besides AP that make just as good if not better products that you can actually purchase in your lifetime.



Frank

Originally Posted by starbuck

I respect that Roland runs his business the way he wants but it does not mean that I have to agree with his methods or so-called dealer network.

When I was inquiring about his products I was referred to a place called Company 7. Now keep in mind that my intentions are not to put anyone down but the person that I spoke to had one of the most arogent personalities I ever had the displeasure of experiencing.

You mentioned that he is an optician and will not hire anyone else for fear that that person quits and becomes his competition. Well, okay. So what is the excuse about not having enough mounts to sell? These do not require extensive "optical" knowledge just machining.

I personally feel that Roland and his company purposely scales back production to keep his ego and his products in high demand.

My point being is that if I am ready to spend upwards of 30k dollars on eqpt I will be damned if I spend it on a company that can care less about making any potential customers happy.

John

[suburbanskies]

John, I haven't dealt with Company 7 so I can't comment. Usually I go directly to AP and the staff there handles their customers exceptionally well.

Their mounts are currently being produced within a year or so after people place their name on their interest list. I personally got the call for a AP900 after a year, but declined. AP has expanded their manufacturing facility after spending a long time securing a bank loan.

Frank is right on. No need to lose your head over this. You've got several options including offering a premium price in the used market, choosing a competitor's scope, etc...

[AlbertSims]

A few years ago I inquired with AP about getting their 130. I was told that the wait time could be up to 5 or more years! I never found their attitutude to be bad just indifferent.

I settled on a TMB-130 and although it is not a AP it still works great and I was able to get one in a resonable period of time.

Al