Hey Ozzy, picture this. You're in line at the DMV and someone behind you in line walks up to the counter, slaps a $20 down, and is taken care of. What happens next? There is now a new line with everyone holding $20 bills, but the same service. Unfortunately, unless you pony up the $20, you will forever be at the back of the line. They should not offer the "Rush" service in the first place. Sounds like bribery to me too!
I can't believe this.
I have had a Tascam recorder in for warranty repair since October. They claim they are backlogged and have no idea when they can look at it. They claim they are still trying to fix equipment that came in last summer.
But here is the thing that grinds me. They want, " I think they may be able to do a priority service for you, however as I mentioned, most of our service centers that do provide priority service have a fee for it".
This seems like bribery to me.
ozzy
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Ignoring the shameless extra fee grab suggested in your post, ….TASCAM is NOT alone in crazy backlogs for service, albeit they seem to stand alone with their queue jumping service requests. I bought a high-end BRYSTON digital player and stablemate DAC pre-owned. I sent the player back to BRYSTON for a full software reinstall and general status look over . It went in on or about October 2021 and I got it back on or about March 2022, but only after I personally got ahold of the Service Manager. He got it back to me fully updated and shipped at their cost within 10: days after the calls, AND ….NO CHARGE as an unexpected but much-welcomed very classy gesture of inconvenience amelioration …. Ergo…. top-shelf service. He did comment that COVID and supply chain disruptions both have played havoc in the entire audio industry. Available tech bodies were off sick because of COVID… etc. Supply chain parts shortages were - and continue to be - common. |
Tascam evidently outsources the repairs. And they admit they have little control over the service centers. And believe me when I say they are very independent! The first place I took it to bad mouthed Tascam so bad that I didn’t feel comfortable taking it there. There is more to the story, but I’ll leave it like that. Where it is today was highly recommend by Tascam and the service manager is/was quite cordial. But once in possession of the unit he is non-committal as to when he will even be able to look at it. I'm not sure I feel comfortable forking over doe to what seems to me like a bribe to get it moved up the service line. This may be why things are so backed up. "Pay the fee or no work for thee?" Yeah, I understand covid (that was 2 years ago!) but warranty work should be performed timely. Otherwise, warranties mean nothing. ozzy
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So sorry to hear @ozzy The parts situation is pretty much caught up, but I don’t care if it’s the burger joint on the corner or the repair places, nobody is fully staffed anymore! My wife works for a hospital and they were short staffed before Covid and now it’s even worse. But having to pay a bribe really is BS!!
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curiousjim- I’m not sure where you are getting your information from in regards to “the parts situation” being “pretty much caught up” because that is absolutely without a doubt not the case. I am in the electronics business and I have multiple suppliers quoting Q4 of 2023 for a vast range of items. There are whole vendors/suppliers that are quite literally not shipping anything at all due to component shortages and their inability to manufacture items because of it. We’re not even close to the end of this. |
Disc drive went out just after warranty expired. Teac/Tascam doesn’t even give an email,for,service issues. You’re expected to fill out online form which I did twice with no response. Also contacted 2 of their listed service centers with no response ever. Bottom line is they are a crap company. Will never buy Teac or Tascam product ever again. |
I once sent a Sony separate in and after calling for 8 months and getting the run around, they finally admitted they lost it. I still believe someone there fixed it and took it home as it was a rare piece. They did reimburse me with a check, but only for the original price. I would have rather gotten it back. Yep, I agree with others, it's bribery to get more money for doing the job they are suppose to do, regardless of the reason. Pay more or get it back well after you've lost your hearing. |
If you guys are outraged at five months for a service, I strongly advise you not to get into the vintage watch hobby. Independent watchmakers (whose numbers are dwindling, and typically old) are often backed up for a year or more. I kid you not! |
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Ozzy this experience is completely and utterly unacceptable. Most sorry. To chalk this up to “part of the new reality” is accepting as normal this sort of service level and behavior. Once we do that, then we get what we accept. It does indeed become the new normal. It should not. The excuses are getting old and tired in my opinion. We will hear the same excuses years from now if accepted by we consumers. Vote with your dollars and get your unit back. Give me results, not excuses.
What can you do? Don’t let your unit stay there one more day. Find another vendor, sell it as is…
I am building a new custom home and understand delays such as 20 weeks for windows etc… However, this case is extreme and unacceptable in so many ways.
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I can and do believe it. This won’t last forever, but it’s nothing out of the ordinary now. We waited almost 3 months last winter for an IC board so that our ductless heat pump could be repaired, glad we don’t live in Fargo. I waited a1 1/2 months for a shower door for my current job. Same job, I waited 3 months for a vinyl framed window. Previously, that window would’ve been a 2 week wait. I just saw watches mentioned above. Last week I had to send a watch back to be repaired. It's 3 months old, under warranty. I was quoted 8-12 weeks, and told the 8 week number was unlikely. |
Thanks for all the additional comments. I spoke to the Service Manager before shipping, and he never mentioned that they were backed up. If he had, I may have tried to find a different place to send it. I should have asked, let me remember that lesson. Unfortunately, there are only so many authorized Tascam repair facilities and the warranty time period is now up. This situation reminds me of how many places now expect a tip for just doing the job they are paid to do. ozzy |
Ozzy I bought a Tsakadiris monoblocks for 4K, next to me about a mile from me.Unfortunatly they close. When I thought I needed help? The guy won’t even return my email? Though I believe he sells online. I think this guy is nice but lack responsibility to help his costumers.He won’t assist me though I was told by his rep , the service is in California? None. It’s in Canada, Iam from Illinois.Thank God Tsakadiris devices in Greece are so helpful. |
Warranty work/claims are not like other services like shipping or airline seat selection. Both those are services you go into knowing there is a fee schedule,,, it will not be free. Warranty work is included and advertised as part of the product you purchase. There should NEVER be a fee scale/structure after purchase to something you already purchased. When you purchase a product with warranty, the inclusion of warranty service is a part of the deal.
Your being screwed. |
That is a horrible way to do business. I agree with @grannyring, get your equipment out of there. |
Well, I live in Michigan and the Tascam unit is now at a repair facility in California. It cost me $50 to get it out of the first repair center, another $50 to ship it to Ca. It would probably cost another $50 for them ship it back unrepaired, and I doubt if even then it would be shipped back anytime soon. Best I can do I guess at this point is to let others know what I’m going through to avoid Tascam at least for repairs or warranty work. ozzy |
I vote with @noromance on this, one shouldn't have to bribe a vendor to do their job. Having to return an item on warranty is annoying enough.... It almost sounds like '...if we ignore it long enough, the warranty will lapse and we can charge more...', which smacks of a cheap stall. Tascam used to be a 'name' in its' field, or so I thought. Wtf happened? 😒 |
Misread the warranty thing so I deleted my last post. They should never ever charge for expedited warranty service. That is nuts. You should not be chasing the service people, Tascam should. They should be paying for it. When you took it to the first place, the warranty was in force and they did not service it. It is still Tascam's problem. I would tell Tascam at this point to take it back and pay you. Frankly, their warranty issues, no matter the cause, are not your problem any more. Pandemic is going on almost 3 years. They had time to adapt. |
You can order direct. There is also the Denon DN-900R. In stock here. |
