Up until recently, I have had nothing but good experiences with the modules and kit builds that I have purchased from Synthrotek. I have their Sequence 8, which I built and works flawlessly. I also have built a Rat King Random Sequencer and an MST Multiples. And I have purchased assembled, a Tone oscillator module. All are fine. Everything was fine, until it wasn't.
Recently, I purchased a Rat King Gates module. This is where my troubles began. Right off the bat, the unit did not work after assembly. I checked everything, my soldering, component placement, everything. It was all in order.
I tried to reach out to Synthrotek, about this and they told me that there is dual polarity on their Vactrols. Not only do they have to placed correctly end to end, but also side to side. These instructions were vague on the assembly guide.
Okay, so I removed the Vactrols and flipped them around, and still the unit did not function. (Even less so than before)
Okay, so the unit doesn't work. It's a risk you take when you build a kit. I was resigned to that. A $70 lesson in asking questions about vague instructions.
So, now the issue is, Synthrotek has gone dark. I've emailed, I've called, numerous times. No response.
At first,all I wanted was suggestions on a path forward. Now, realizing that the module is probably a paperweight, I just wanted to let them know that there was a problem. Now, I'm not sure if there has been problems with this build before with others, as I cannot find anything on the web.
I have now resigned to no longer do business with this company. Going dark on your customers is the fastest way to lose them. I would have probably kept on buying from them them, were it not for the lack of communication.
Will I put electrical tape over anything with their name on it in my racks? No, probably not. But, it will remind me that all it takes is for a company to ignore their customers one time, to lose them forever.