FREE TRANSPONDER OFFER

No it's only to new purchasers. I called today and they said the box will ship in a week to 10 days if you order now. Really frustrating as I am in month three and they still can't tell me when I'm going to get my units that I paid for almost three years ago. I think it is a bum wrap and my confidence in Avidyne is quickly diminishing to nothing. When I called they said that all month one orders have been filled but all the people I know of still haven't heard from them on ship dates. Furthermore when I spoke to sales today they still can't give a date for my units to ship. This is all so frustrating because lip service solves nothing but helping to lose satisfied customers.

Avidyne's sales/marketing is, to put it politely, weird.

The AXP340 transponder originally had a list price of about $6K.  This was much higher than any of the competition, even the Garmin.  Eventually they dropped it to $4K.  The transponder offer shows the price at $4250 - maybe that includes a tray.

One of the big selling points of the IFD 540 GPS is that it can replace a GNS 530W without wiring changes.  And one of the big selling points of the AXP340 transponder is that it can replace a KT 76A without wiring changes.  However if both are installed the wiring must be changed to connect the GPS to the transponder.  This makes for a strange bundle.

The promotion involves trading in your old transponder.  So it isn't really a $4240 value.  I can't imagine what Avidyne will do with a bunch of random untested transponders.  If I were taking that deal I'd probably go on eBay and buy an old Cessna ARC or Narco transponder to trade in rather than giving them my KT 76C which has more resale value.

I'm an engineer, not a salesman.  But I can't imagine our sales staff willingly passing up an opportunity to upsell a bundle.  And in this business word of mouth is important.  The best advertisement for an IFD is a plane on the field that has one.  And a full Avidyne stack with the audio panel, transponder, and maybe TAWS is a better advertisement than an IFD sitting below a Garmin panel and above a King transponder.  I'm amazed I haven't gotten a phone call telling me that my IFD will ship in a few months, offering help picking an avionics shop, and offering to sell me additional Avidyne stuff at a modest discount.

Reducing the price by roughly 20% two months after start of shipping might cause people to think the IFD is not making the target sales numbers.

And finally, competing with the GTN 750 with tchotchkes like Bluetooth and an inflated price difference (which drops a lot of you don't have TAWS in one but not the other) isn't a winning strategy.  You should be touting your core strengths, such as the hybrid interface, better touch, and FMS.  You should do this consistently - every time.  The message should always be "Our GPS is better".

OK, enough ragging on Avidyne.  Please let me know when my IFD is going to ship.