If an item is fully stated to be in working order, and it arrives not working, then by E-bay policy the seller must return your money. Watchout though, Often they will say "Belived to be fully functional and working fine, but sold as is." This means it probably doesn't work at all. If they state any where in the ad "sold as is" or "all sales final, no return", then you have no recourse.....you own it for life and your money is gone.
Repair to a neutron counter is usually simple electronic repair but should be attempted by someone familiar with the ins and out of nuclear instrumentation. detector tubes missing or damaged can cost many of hundreds of dollars to replace, making the instrument junk.
I was prepared for this current purchased PNC-1 to be bad, and it was when it arrived, but some TLC and a whole lot of corrosion cleaning in and around the rather complicated battery pack brought it to life again. Had the unit been totally unrepairable I was fully prepared to keep it as a spare parts machine for my working PNC-1.
Shipping is what kills everyone on E-bay and often, that is where the profit comes in selling there. A stiff packaging and handling fee can often exceed the purchase price!
Richard Hull
Created on Wednesday, March 28, 2001 5:46 PM EDT by Richard Hull