Midland WR-100 WeatherAlert All-Hazard Weather Radio Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm posting this review in the listings for two supposedly different radios, because Amazon's descriptions are totally mixed up.
First, the Product Details section for the WR-100 says the model number is "MDLWEATHER." Yet, on the bottom of my radio, the model number is clearly WR-100. And the Product Description for the W-100 model references the WR-100B, not the WR-100.
Second, the WR-100C Product Details section lists the model number as WR-100, not WR-100C, and the Product Description references the WR-100, not the WR-100C.
Either Midland gave Amazon screwed-up product information, or Amazon screwed up what they were given. (Not to mention the radios look identical to me.) The only WR model Amazon lists for Midland that DOESN't seem to be screwed up is the WR-100B. Regardless, I don't know which radio is supposed to be which, and that's why I'm giving both the same review. And here it is:
I had no complaints with the radio itself ... while it worked. We bought it in April 2008 for the short period we lived in Kansas, and once I figured out how to program it, everything was good. For two years we used it, even after leaving Kansas. As far as I know, we didn't miss any alerts during that time. But two weeks ago, we had the first tornado-producing storms blow through central Illinois, and we didn't get one peep out of the radio ... not even an alarm telling us it wasn't receiving. When I tried changing the channels for the NOAA broadcasts, all I got was a piercing squeal on every channel -- no reception whatsoever. So that evening, Friday, April 23, I emailed NOAA and Midland at the same time, to find out (a) if NOAA was having trouble with their broadcasts and (b) to find out whether Midland could shed any light. I didn't expect to hear back from either of them until the following Monday, and I was right; NOAA got back to me Monday morning: no problems with their broadcast, so it had to be the radio.
To the date of this review, Midland has not responded to my email. I had to telephone them that Wednesday to get an answer out of them. After 20+ minutes on hold, I finally got a live person and described the problem. It took the "customer service" rep less than two minutes to tell me I had to buy a new radio because the audio chip in the old one was fried. No "sorry about the inconvenience," no "when did you buy it," nothing. Didn't even try to sell me another Midland radio! Wow, that's some confidence in your product, eh? And by the way, I didn't mention to him that I'd also sent an email, so why have they still not responded to it? Not quite the worst customer service I've ever received, but pretty dang bad. If you're not going to answer emails, why put the address on your site?
As for the quality of the radio, wouldn't you expect ANY radio you bought to last more than two years? I don't know what the standard lifetime of a weather alert radio is, but to me, two years seems a little short for something that only gets used when a weather or civil alert is issued. Not the best indicator of quality, IMO. If someone has more details on alert radio life expectancy, I'd be interested in reading it.
A couple more details you might find useful:
I swapped emails with the NOAA rep several times. One of the things I found out is that my atomic clock, which has an outside receiver, doesn't affect alert radios. It was one of the things I thought about when we first noticed the problem with the radio. So if you're concerned about that, don't be.
Lastly, I asked the NOAA rep what alert radio he would purchase if he were buying one for himself. Let's just say that Midland was not on his personal short list, even though they are on the NOAA "approved" manufacturers list. 'nuff said. I bought a First Alert and a Reecom -- one for the bedroom and one for the rest of the house.

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Product Description:
Stay up to date on all the latest weather, hazard, and civil emergency information with the Midland WR-100B monitor. Capable of receiving seven National Oceanic & Atmospheric Association (NOAA) channels--each of which receives emergency advisories on tornadoes, floods, severe thunderstorms, civil danger warnings, and more--the WR-100B is a must for people who live in high-risk weather areas, such as the Southeast or Midwest. Plus, the seven NOAA channels offer coverage for roughly 93 percent of the U.S., so most people are well covered regardless of where they live.

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