One For All

April2

[HTML][/HTML] I have been buying and using One For All remote controls for many years. OK, I have to admit that I’ve won more than I’ve bought but the reason for this thread remains the same – service with a capital S.

The first OneForAll I bought (it must be 30 years ago now) packed up after a few years and I sent it to the (then) UK return address with a nice letter but not much hope of a repair, let a alone a free one. No, I didn’t get a free repair; I got a brand new remote free because the model I had returned for repair was no longer in production. Outstanding service, even for those days!

Since then, I have bought/won:

1 x Little Easy (URC-2560)

1 x Big Easy (URC-2585)

2 x One For All 5 (URC-2505)

1 x One For All 4 Digital (URC-7541)

1 x Topline 5 (URC-5550)

2 x One For All 6 (URC-7562)

Remarkably, the firm - they now operate solely from The Netherlands - still supports all these remotes and, although I no longer have the 2560 nor one of the 2505s (both got trodden on in the course of house moves or whatever), the others all work - gentle dismantling, use of surgical spirit on the internal contacts and a new set of batteries invariably brings a ‘dying’ remote back to full functionality.

Now the reason for this thread is the high standard of service the company provides and that is perfectly demonstrated by my most recent experience of them:

As a result of one elderly relative being upgraded to a 28” widescreen TV because of failing eyesight, her ancient (probably more than 20-year-old) 21” TV, in prefect working order, was to become a bedroom TV for another elderly relative. However, the new ‘owner’ has severe arthritis so would not be able to cope too well with the quite small buttons on the remote which ER No.1 had been using - the URC-7541 - so I decided to resurrect the URC-2585 and program it for ER No.2 to use with the old TV.

After the usual 'dismantle, clean and re-battery' procedure, I found a code which worked the basic functions of the TV without difficulty - but I could not find one which worked the teletext ON or OFF functions so, quoting the TV make and model number and the URC number, I went online to One For All to ask if there was another code I could try. I received an e-mail back the next day advising me how to program the buttons – but that didn’t work so I e-mailed again. The almost immediate reply was that doing this by telephone would be easier and could I tell them a convenient time when they could call me?

Thanks to the MSE CallChecker, I knew I could phone them for 1p/minute so asked for their phone number - but their reply was there was no need for me to do so, I should just use their Freephone number!

Naturally, I did so and, within a minute, the necessary codes had been found and I had been talked through the programming procedure.

And this was to help a customer with a remote control which is at least 10 years old!

Sorry to have prattled on but, as you will have gathered (if you’ve stuck with me this far), I’m very impressed with such outstanding service – many UK-based firms could learn* a thing or two from them!

* But, sadly, they won't.