Large Scale Central

Crest Revo info Email

General Discussion
#1

Email arrived this AM.

September 23, 2013
Dear Revolution User,

We will have Revolution sets and receiver boards in stock on or about October 1, 2013 depending on customs clearance. I’m here to answer your questions and to do any repairs that may become necessary. Please watch our Revo store at the above address for information confirming the arrival of the stock at the address above.

I’m also committed to do repairs of Aristo Trains for the balance of 2013-2014 as well, but would like an R/A (Return Authorization) number from me informing me of what needs to be repaired. More time is taken doing the detective work to find the problem than the actual repair itself. You can contact me at [email protected]and I will send you an R/A number to put on the outside of the box.

Revolution parts are ordered for every 90 days for the next year ahead to guarantee that the parts will be in stock as needed. The T.I. chip is needed to be in a secure ordering position, so larger buyers will not claim precedent orders over our needs. This has been done and assures we will have product to make and sell regardless of sales. Conversely, we might have a large inventory of parts sitting on the shelf, but that has not happened since its release.

Thank you for your continued support.

Navin Shievdayal Product Manager Crest Electronics

#2

It appears Navin is parting ways with Aristrocraft Trains. Note: I did not say Polk Hobbies. He made no reference to ordering or availability of Revo on Aristrocraft.com. He also noted for Arisrto Trains you are to contact him directly not through Aristrocrft web site or phone numbers.

Lewis announced Aristro will be leaving the Irvington site. To where?
As discussed in previous threads, "someone at Aristro please remember to turn the lights out’.

#3

The plot thickens.

#4

Thickens? Hellsbells, Jerry…it’s fast setting concrete and it’s already fully set.
Since it’s all being copied and pasted between forums, here’s from the “other” one:

Nobody believes it. You’d best have your “I Love Aristo” badge all shined up and pinned on…you’ll be bombarded with “bashing” comments.
Lots of discussion along these lines.
All started (Crest) when it was pointed out…gee, two months ago…that the mailing address for Crest was now Navin’s house.
And, Nick’s “interview” of the Polks basically said to “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain”.
Nobody listens, they scream “bashing”, and yet here it comes, out in public.

Geez.

TOC

#5

The bigger question is, has Aristo denied this lastest email? :wink:

#6

Craig…that takes time. Time to get all the stories straight, time to get all the folks on the same page…time to write the script for Nick A. to read during the next “interview”.
Stand by…or, wait until next week!
Oh…shoot, did I just say that?
No.
I didn’t.

TOC

#7

And we begin the count down…

Oh wait I don’t want to get blamed for “bashing” a company… It might lose some ad revenue in a magazine…

:wink:

#8

thomas prevost said:

It appears Navin is parting ways with Aristrocraft Trains. Note: I did not say Polk Hobbies. He made no reference to ordering or availability of Revo on Aristrocraft.com. He also noted for Arisrto Trains you are to contact him directly not through Aristrocrft web site or phone numbers.

Thomas,
that was my first thought upon reading the text. Is Navin only committed to warranty repairs as a return authorisation is needed? The text also implies that Navin may be getting out of the ‘repair’ business, possibly to concentrate full time on Revo products.

With a now ‘trimmed’ down company who actually is the face of the company? Is Navin the new man pulling the strings (the man behind the curtain)?

I eagerly await the thread “high jackers” (actually the word is HIJACK), but then as HJ always said, having the ability to actually be able to read is a definate advantage. The thread drift comments bring back pleasant memories many years ago when another icon in the industry was ‘downsizing’(?).

#9

Craig Townsend said:

And we begin the count down…

Oh wait I don’t want to get blamed for “bashing” a company… It might lose some ad revenue in a magazine…

:wink:

Ya think? Like the infamous “you’re picking on us, so we are not going to advertise on this forum anymore”, which was on the other LS forum…four months after he had canceled his ads because he had a better deal elsewhere. But it was in his best interests to make everybody think he was being picked on and leaving…but the truth was, he left four months before the picking began…and there really wasn’t any picking involved.
Oh, wait, you mean ads in Kalmbach?
Oh, yes, we can’t say anything or they’ll punitively pull all their ads.
Heck, they might even put Navin in charge.
Or ship us more 2011 stock?
Anything can happen at this point.
TOC

#10

You guys are such nattering nabobs of negativity!

All is well.

I have it on good authority from Chicken Little that…

Oh, wait, that’s the other threat.

Never mind.

Ya just gotta love Spiro, don’t cha?

#11

OOOOOOPs, Me thinks the Bear fouled himself again… :slight_smile:

#12

Steve Featherkile said:

You guys are such nattering nabobs of negativity!

All is well.

I have it on good authority from Chicken Little that…

Oh, wait, that’s the other threat.

Never mind.

Ya just gotta love Spiro, don’t cha?

Like this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDAmPIq29ro

#13

You got it, TOC.

#14

As I understand it the Revo is pretty darn good.
If Crest spun off to a new little company, called, say, Navin-Crest, that could work out well. It looks to me as if things may be moving in that direction.
At least then we’d know what’s going on and who to go to… A whole new sense of reliability and responsibility and believability would be refreshing, and wouldn’t it be nice to get the Revo as it was designed to be, with the downloads available, the product and parts in stock, somebody there to give straightforward answers to inquiries, etc, etc.
Somebody who basically runs his own company in a normal and dependable way, the way the rest of us have had to do it.
Maybe Navin needs a partner to help him buy Crest out from Polk and make something really good out of it, or else (gasp!) produce a copycat version with a reliable company behind it.

#15

For those who bought into a control system that needs warranty and repair work, sometimes right out of the box, this could be the best scenario.
Maybe the cash flow will be better if it doesn’t have to be bled into other portions of the business.

I was an Aristo dealer for years. And years.
When you bought stock, in the Aristo line, whatever your account was set up for, 30,60, or 90 day payment…if you ordered Revo’s it was cash on the barrel.
When you are in business and see that, it means one thing (without having any further information), and that is they are playing close, need the money from sales to get more ordered…or whatever, the whatever up for speculation.

I did find the “interview” hilarious in this regard, where they sent out price lists and letters to all the dealers…I never got a letter or price sheet.

Another one of those statements seemingly designed to generate existing customer support for the company…facts notwithstanding.

But, if you read the statements made by the Head Polk hisself, Crest is doing good…so why would they spin it off?

I don’t know…unless the sale of the warehouse, the eradication of the testing layout, the “partial” containers of older stuff (three dates with the 0-4-0, and how many years has it been since they supported the 1:24 line…), the changing of the mailing address to Navin’s house, followed by this e-mail, assurances that “all is well” (re-read the “interview”), folks reporting no parts (that they need…unless you need screws and washer…) including units under warranty.

It seems they are not so much in the State of New Jersey as the State of Confusion, but that’s just an observation…probably based upon the Head Polk’s statement that the 0-4-0’s have D axles and drivers…when they are splined…

It will all sort out…eventually.

Whether the “faithful” will be happy with the sorting is unknown at this time.
TOC

#16

If you think that Aristo “gave” Navin the company, and that Lewis is not in control, you have to be smoking something funny.

If you want to feel good about reliability, how does the company operating our of a private home strike you? Of the announcement that the “TI chip” is a critical element, and the implication that it’s hard to get in a timely manner. (Remember the 75 MHz chip?)

“Annual Crest Revolution Accessories Memorial (CRAM) Lunch Day is July 3, Tate’s birthday. Start your CRAM day by raising your cup of to the Wizards of New Jersy as you enjoy a traditional railroader’s breakfast of humble pie with strawberry Kool Aid. Cheers!”

OK, I just had to do it… I could not help myself.

#17

Well, it’s hard for me to think of anybody being in control of that juggernaut, Greg. But I doubt he’d give anything away. All the same, Navin seems to have the lion’s share of the say when it comes to the day-to day running, or ruining of the Revo dep’t. All I’m saying is that IF it were separate - and, most important - separately owned - from AristoCraft, maybe there would be a chance of it being done right, the way normal people have to run their businesses, instead of the usual BS we’ve come top expect from this one. I’m saying I’d like to see all the old flushed away and a new beginning made with this product and an entirely new management team. I have no idea if Navin is the guy for the job, and of course no reason to suggest it is about to happen.

Pass that joint over here, will you?

#18

Yes, it IS separate, years ago. Smart move. Happened last time Aristo almost went bankrupt. History you can find with some digging.

And everyone loves Navin, does the absolute best in a situation where he’s forced to have to play a bunch of politics, when you have him alone he is a straight up guy. You won’t find anyone bad mouthing him unless they are complete jerks.

The point is that Lewis has an iron fist, so I doubt stuff will change much while he is in control. Look at the situation with Scott Polk. (And if you don’t know that part, you do need to do some more reading and investigating).

The point to your comment was that there will be no new responsibility or credibility, the “spin” is still there, even now setting the stage for “oh shipments are delayed because we cannot get this component”… again you need to do your homework on Aristo before making statements about how now things will be different.

There’s just way too much history to back up what I am saying, and unfortunately for Aristo (and those of us with thousands invested in their products), it seems to be getting worse.

Regards, Greg

#19

Were things this “unusual” when Nate was in charge?

#20

…and “When faced with a question about problems with USTrains, Charlie just grins and walks away”, keeping out of trouble…and no-one bashes them…I guess I’ll get that brass tubing, or the fishline, and fix up these cracked USTrains geared axles, and offer them at $2.50 a shot (Plus postage, in advance)…as long as everyone sends me their cracked ones…!!

I wonder if the Aristo cracked gears can be repaired the same way…