Hot under the collar .... (and in the wallet)

[Carol Haynes]

I had a very frustrating day yesterday.


My DVD recorder went on the fritz 2 days out of its 12 month guarantee period (according to my supplier).

The audio sounded like a rather loud vacuum cleaner when trying to record etc.

Consequently a great deal of time was spent on the phone (mostly listening to extremely annoying music).

Let me explain (and I will get to the point ... honest).

A little over a year ago I purchased a JVC DRMV1 comined DVD recorder and VCR, got all excited but was extremely frustrated when it arrive all shiny and new and didn't work. After a long argument with the shop who siad I had to pay for it to be returned and then wait up to 2 weeks while they tested it I rejected the item, called my credit card compnay and got a full refund.

However, I like the machine and ordered another from a different supplier (that I had used before). You can imagine my frustration when that arrived with a different fault - but true to their word the machine was collected and replaced quickly.

You can imagine after 3 machines I was not a happy bunny yesterday. Ironically I have not had this machine 12 months (because the original was delivered faulty and replaced) but my trusted supplier said they apply the guarantee period from the date the order was placed, and anyway the guarrantee was with the manufacturer. Their policy is to refuse to help from 7 days after purchase. All further support is from JVC. Great - 30 minutes of listening to pure muzak on JVCs switchboard I was told that I had been misled (in fact the company were acting illegally according to UK law) and that ALL guarantee work is undertaken via their dealer network.

Having gone round and round in circles I got absolutely no where (including not getting promised call backs from my supplier).

So why am I wittering on about this here:

BEWARE buying expensive consumer electronics online!

There are a lot of box shifters out there offering a great deal on expensive gear, but when things go wrong you cannot win an argument over the phone ....

Don't get me wrong I did my homework - I used a site that had rave reviews from satisfied customers (I was one of them from my first purchase).

The question is: Is it worth saving a few dollars/pounds but have no support, and have to use the courts to enforce guarantees!

Discuss ....

PS: Two further outcomes worth thinking about (esp. in Europe) ...

1) Lots of these internet box shifter offer a unique service - region free DVD players/recorders. You can't buy them in the shops because the manufacturers don't supply them. This means the supplier is modifying them before they left their premises. JVC pointed out to me that once this is done the warranty moves in its entirity to the supplier ... ie. the supplier has invalidated the manufacturers warranty !!!

2) I have discovered the problem with my machine. I took it apart myself and was astonished to find the DVD drive was a standard IDE/ATAPI DVD-RW drive! Having built computers I realised that a DVD that is too hot to touch is not happy. A clean of the extractor fan, and a little more ventilation (a few holes in the case) means the drive now runs cold and the machine is much happier. Some money saved - thank God from brushes and drills ...

[mouser]

at least it had a happy ending and fun pictures

i too have had horror stories with broken electronics, maybe we all have
cat hair got in my graphics card fan and stopped it and killed it.
my dvd burner also freaked out until i took it apart and cleaned the lens.

i do avoid all combo things now though, like combo tv+dvd player etc, or phone+answering machine, because it always seems that one breaks before the other..

[Veign]

I would never buy electronics from any online store unless they are very, very well known - like Amazon. 

The reason is most of the 'deals' you are getting is whats referred to as 'Grey Market' merchandise.  Grey Market merchandise usally referrs to foreign based products being re-routed to a country it was not intended to be sold.  Not as bad as black market but, in my mind, the line between the two is sometimes not well defined with some retailers.

I would personally stay away from Grey Market merchandise as you will have problems with warrenties - this is a fact.  Plus alot of other problems you may run into.

[Nighted]

So now your modding your DVD player? lol

You should put window on the top and a couple strobing cathode ray tubes inside.

[Carol Haynes]

Hey I've thought about adding a water cooling system ;-)

[zridling]

After more than ten years of bad luck with TVs, VCRs, DVDs, and lawnmowers, I gave up. Now I buy the cheapest crap sold since I figure it's going to break anyway before I expect it to. The only thing I spend money on is my computer (and software). Everything else is highly negotiable.

Ain't it sad?

[Carol Haynes]

I still remember my first VCR. I bought it second hand and was still using it about 5 years later.

Now consumer electronics seem to have a built in timer to ensure they expire 1 day after the guarantee runs out. In recent years I have got through 4 VCRs, 3 DVD recorders (all guarantee replacements), about 5 satellite receivers (the only item I pay for a service contract because they are so unreliable), 2 fridges and 2 freezers. To be fair the last freezer that collapsed was about 25 years old but the new one is already falling to bits after a few weeks (the little bits of 'trim' seem to be glued on with flour and water).

Personally I suspect my electricity supply is proving too enthusiastic for my lack lustre appliances ...