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Panasonic Informative - The black hole of McAllen, TX - DVD Recorder model DMR-EH55
DVD Recorder model DMR-EH55
MCALLEN, TEXAS -- I have (or should I say "had"?) a Panasonic DVD Recorder that worked pretty well for about 4 /12 years. When certain things weren't working right, I called Panasonic Customer Service and described the problem. Instead of just listening to me, this guy David took me through all these steps, trying all kinds of different features and stuff. Finally, after over 30 minutes of that, David finally agreed that it wasn't working right.
David said I can send it in for repair. There would be an up-front fee, which would be applied to the cost of fixing the unit if I decided to go ahead with it, but he didn't know how much that was. I explained to him as nicely as I could that I didn't really feel like taking the time pack the thing up and shipping it to them without knowing the terms and conditions of their Service Policy. He said he would have the Service Policy e-mailed to me but I'm not especially surprised that I never received it.
A few days later I went onto the Panasonic website and found where you can put in a model number and a zip code and it's supposed to tell you where you can get your product serviced. A page came up and said that I can send mine in for replacement with a fully refurbished unit and to call in for the price.
All things considered, this sounded like a much more promising proposition to me. If I was going to go to the trouble, I wanted to end up with something I could rely on for a while. Even if it cost more, it seemed like a refurbished unit might at least last a few years. If I just got mine fixed, something else might go wrong in just a few months, who knows? The website says it would be a comparable model, if not identical. It also said that they might choose to repair it instead.
I called the number on the website and gave Nick the model number of my unit and he said they would replace my unit for $140. According to Nick (who is plainly uninformed), someone would call to arrange payment once they received it. I specifically asked Nick to affirm that it would be replaced with a completely refurbished product and he specifically stated, in no uncertain terms, that it would. Nick specifically said it would not be repaired; it was to be replaced for $140.
The Pansonic Exchange Center received my recorder on 8/5, according to UPS Tracking. On 8/12 I called in again, not having heard anything. Chad says it's not going to be replaced, it's going to be repaired. I asked for a supervisor and an explanation as to why 1) the service policy wasn't initially explained to me back on 7/25 and 2) why they are now contradicting themselves about the replacement. This guy was of no help whatsoever.
On 8/20, I got a letter saying, "Panasonic will replace your unit with a factory reconditioned unit" and quotes a replacement cost of $80 plus $15 S&H. But this has a slightly ominous-looking sticker that says to call in before sending in payment.
First try - I got put on hold by the automated voice mail, then got put on hold by some woman who says she has to go look stuff up. She comes back and starts talking and the phone goes dead.
Second try - same thing but now I'm talking to somebody who says she has to try to figure out why my unit got into the "replacement process" when it should have gone into the "repair process". After more time on hold she's now telling me that she's going to send it to somewhere else (very nearby, according to her) and they are going to call me and quote a "diagnostic charge". No, she doesn't know how much that will be. And No, she can't explain why Nick had specifically said it would be replaced, before I took the trouble of sending it in. When I asked about why the website specifically offers an exchange program for my model number, she indicated that that was going to be fixed.
So, I'm back to where I started on 7/25, after they've wasted my time for a month. I still don't even know what this up-front "diagnostic fee" is. If I don't want them to send the recorder off to the repair facility, my only other option is that they can return the unit. We agreed that that is what they are going to do.
Then, I notice that the letter has my address misspelled. Looks like folks at the Post Office knew where to send it because we have been at the same address for many years. But I have limited faith that UPS will make the same connection when shipping my recorder back to me. So, I call in a couple more times - both times I get the usual "our representatives are helping other customer" messages and wait on hold. Then I get a message saying they can't take my call at all.
It must be siesta time at McAllen.
David said I can send it in for repair. There would be an up-front fee, which would be applied to the cost of fixing the unit if I decided to go ahead with it, but he didn't know how much that was. I explained to him as nicely as I could that I didn't really feel like taking the time pack the thing up and shipping it to them without knowing the terms and conditions of their Service Policy. He said he would have the Service Policy e-mailed to me but I'm not especially surprised that I never received it.
A few days later I went onto the Panasonic website and found where you can put in a model number and a zip code and it's supposed to tell you where you can get your product serviced. A page came up and said that I can send mine in for replacement with a fully refurbished unit and to call in for the price.
All things considered, this sounded like a much more promising proposition to me. If I was going to go to the trouble, I wanted to end up with something I could rely on for a while. Even if it cost more, it seemed like a refurbished unit might at least last a few years. If I just got mine fixed, something else might go wrong in just a few months, who knows? The website says it would be a comparable model, if not identical. It also said that they might choose to repair it instead.
I called the number on the website and gave Nick the model number of my unit and he said they would replace my unit for $140. According to Nick (who is plainly uninformed), someone would call to arrange payment once they received it. I specifically asked Nick to affirm that it would be replaced with a completely refurbished product and he specifically stated, in no uncertain terms, that it would. Nick specifically said it would not be repaired; it was to be replaced for $140.
The Pansonic Exchange Center received my recorder on 8/5, according to UPS Tracking. On 8/12 I called in again, not having heard anything. Chad says it's not going to be replaced, it's going to be repaired. I asked for a supervisor and an explanation as to why 1) the service policy wasn't initially explained to me back on 7/25 and 2) why they are now contradicting themselves about the replacement. This guy was of no help whatsoever.
On 8/20, I got a letter saying, "Panasonic will replace your unit with a factory reconditioned unit" and quotes a replacement cost of $80 plus $15 S&H. But this has a slightly ominous-looking sticker that says to call in before sending in payment.
First try - I got put on hold by the automated voice mail, then got put on hold by some woman who says she has to go look stuff up. She comes back and starts talking and the phone goes dead.
Second try - same thing but now I'm talking to somebody who says she has to try to figure out why my unit got into the "replacement process" when it should have gone into the "repair process". After more time on hold she's now telling me that she's going to send it to somewhere else (very nearby, according to her) and they are going to call me and quote a "diagnostic charge". No, she doesn't know how much that will be. And No, she can't explain why Nick had specifically said it would be replaced, before I took the trouble of sending it in. When I asked about why the website specifically offers an exchange program for my model number, she indicated that that was going to be fixed.
So, I'm back to where I started on 7/25, after they've wasted my time for a month. I still don't even know what this up-front "diagnostic fee" is. If I don't want them to send the recorder off to the repair facility, my only other option is that they can return the unit. We agreed that that is what they are going to do.
Then, I notice that the letter has my address misspelled. Looks like folks at the Post Office knew where to send it because we have been at the same address for many years. But I have limited faith that UPS will make the same connection when shipping my recorder back to me. So, I call in a couple more times - both times I get the usual "our representatives are helping other customer" messages and wait on hold. Then I get a message saying they can't take my call at all.
It must be siesta time at McAllen.
Comments:
Posted by Anonymous on 2010-08-26:
sounds pretty annoying.
Posted by Starlord on 2010-08-26:
Most places and companies have a 90 day warranty on electronics. you are complaining about a unit that is almost five years old. We bought a brand new Magnavox Blu-Ray DVD player at Wal-Mart for $79.00 on sale, NIB.I fail to see why anyone would be willing to spend far more on an old, probably obsolete piece of electronic gear when they can get a new one a whole lot cheaper, one that is newer with more features, etc. Five years ago, there were no blue ray players, and the difference is dramatic.
Posted by Helpful on 2010-08-27:
I agree Star, in that one has to assume responsibility for the warranty they agreed upon at the time of purchase. Further, a refurbished unit is nothing more than one which has been repaired, so there really is no difference between getting the one back the original or a different one; unless, that is, the OP wasn't disclosing a different problem which existed of his.
In this case, though, we're speaking of a recorder and not just a player, making the cost more expensive. Panasonic, too, makes a great line of players and recorders. Probably one of the best within the industry. Much better than the Magnavox line, in that the firmware being used is much more flexible with any media in the market.
I can appreciate the frustration of the OP, in that what he/she was being told was simply inconsistent. When I've dealt with companies, sending product back and forth, they've had a much more organized process.
In this case, though, we're speaking of a recorder and not just a player, making the cost more expensive. Panasonic, too, makes a great line of players and recorders. Probably one of the best within the industry. Much better than the Magnavox line, in that the firmware being used is much more flexible with any media in the market.
I can appreciate the frustration of the OP, in that what he/she was being told was simply inconsistent. When I've dealt with companies, sending product back and forth, they've had a much more organized process.
Posted by getoverit on 2010-08-27:
I would understand a "refurbished" product to be something that has been fully tested in terms of being able to perform all its functions and that any components that have a high probability of failure, given the age of the product, to have been replaced. When I take something in for "repair", I expect that a specific problem that I've identified will be fixed. If there are other issues that I don't identify, I would not expect them to be addressed.
That said, Helpful may be correct and my expectations might not apply here. At any rate, the fact that it is almost five years old is exactly why I was not interested in a "repair" but I was interested in a "refurbished" product. The annoyance here is not that it doesn't work anymore, that's almost to be expected. The annoyance is that these people are unable to tell you upfront what they can and cannot do and keep contradicting each other. If the guy had told me on day one what their policy was, I really doubt I would have sent in in at all.
btw - the only place I can find on the internet that currently sells a DMR-EH55 is asking $1,800. I don't know if anybody is actually buying them at that price but this thing is a completely different kind of product than an $80 blu-ray player from Wal-Mart.
That said, Helpful may be correct and my expectations might not apply here. At any rate, the fact that it is almost five years old is exactly why I was not interested in a "repair" but I was interested in a "refurbished" product. The annoyance here is not that it doesn't work anymore, that's almost to be expected. The annoyance is that these people are unable to tell you upfront what they can and cannot do and keep contradicting each other. If the guy had told me on day one what their policy was, I really doubt I would have sent in in at all.
btw - the only place I can find on the internet that currently sells a DMR-EH55 is asking $1,800. I don't know if anybody is actually buying them at that price but this thing is a completely different kind of product than an $80 blu-ray player from Wal-Mart.
Posted by TEret on 2011-07-03:
We're NOT talking about "DVD players"! Only a few Techies,know there even is DVD recorders! Try finding one that will record off your cable or Satellite!
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