What happened to Rotel?

I hear you Angelgz2,

Bought store demo RMB 1555 (Black) from now defunct dealer in 2020. Was assured warranty was like new. Trigger out function quit in 2023 and I contacted Rotel.

First, I was told unit not registered. Second, after proving registration on Rotel web site, was answered warranty started when dealer opened box and is not transferable (this is unlawful according to Quebec Consumer Protection law). Third answer was unit is out of warranty as s/n indicates built in June 2013 !

Hard to believe my s/n (200-3461027) refers to amp built a few months after official unveil of RMB 1555 in April 2013 !

Tried to start list of Rotel RMB 1555 (Black) serial numbers with purchase date but no one on forum responding !

However good SQ is with Rotel (and it is rather good) I will not re-purchase any of their products. There are enough as good or better units on the market to avoid such questionable business practices while still getting superior sound and normal warranty service.

Current and future Rotel owners beware !

An electronic product is having an issue 4 years in? I wouldn't say that makes Rotel a bad company. Typical, not bad.  I am surprised that so many believe that this makes them a bad company. Most companies give a 2 or 3 year warranty. 

 Very sad to hear of their decline. I have a Rotel RSP-1069 pre-amp and RMB-1075 power amp which has performed flawlessly in my home theater setup for 14 years. I also have a 20 year old Rotel RCC-1055 5 disc changer in my main two channel system which I still use for HDCD playback. I have never had a problem with this brand. 

@angelgz2 Sorry to hear that. I have not tried their newer lines but I have two of their preamps, the RC-995 and the RC-970BX and both work perfectly fine. These are older models but quality was better in my opinion. Honestly the difference between the 995 and the 970BX is a day and night difference

joshua43214

Tell me about your Cary Audio experience? Feel free to PM if you do not want to divulge the specifics here.

Happy Listening!

angelgz2

Sadly, most companies choose to build their Gear in some chinese factory. I do NOT support this effort.  Stick with U.S. , Europe or Japan manufactured Audio.

Happy Listening!

Adding to joshua43214, I always copy the original receipt and staple it to the copy.   So many are on thermal paper which will often fade or go black over time,

All of the Rotel gear I have run over the years has been great, including my current integrated. 🤷‍♂️ 

What happened to rotel is rotel. 
garbage in-garbage out. 

Another Old Guy here. I can definitely appreciate your feelings on this matter. I checked Rotel’s website (as I am sure you have already done) and unfortunately, it does require a copy of the original receipt for warranty work. However, IMO your online registration SHOULD have been enough.

It seems as though more and more companies have gotten away "Customer Service" in more ways than one. I am sure many of you other old guys can remember when "customer service" used to really mean something. I will use Craftsman tools as an example. You paid a slightly higher premium for their brand, but there was no question if you needed to replace a tool from them.

Before "planned obsolescence" became an "industry standard", companies used to actually compete to make a better product than "da udder guy". In addition, they knew that by building a better product, the customer developed "brand loyalty" as well.

(my parents owned an old Norge refrigerator that lasted 25 years before my mom made my dad buy her another one because the "color" was not in fashion.)

Maybe that is why companies like McIntosh, Marantz, and others are still in business?

And, perhaps that is why brands like Adcom are still selling today because of their reputation of longevity? If I was in your shoes, I would find the address/phone # of Rotel and try to contact a supervisor to explain your situation. If you do not have any luck there, I would continue to make your concerns known on social media. Sometimes, as they used to say, "the squeaky wheel gets the grease".

Best regards,

Rob

been using my RMB 1095 5 channel amp since I bought it from a friend in 2004, sounds and works great...never really liked Rotel stereo stuff, except their CD Players...currently have CD11 Tribute which is great inexpensive player...agree it's complicated to get warranty service without a receipt

I bought a Rotel  amplifier about 25 years ago on trial. I had it for a day and returned it, it sounded thin and had no muscle. 

I bought a Rotel  amplifier about 25 Yeats ago on trial. I had it for a day and returned it, it sounded thin and had no muscle. 

While I sympathize with your disappontment in the service you've gotten, an observation I'd like to throw out there to all readers is that smaller companies like Rotel, Anthem, NAD, and others have their limitations where Home Theater is concerned.  In my experience, software glitches are more common with these brands than with the big names...Denon, Sony, Marantz, Yamaha, Onkyo, Pioneer.  As HT tech has gotten more complex, the difference between "boutique" brands and the big boys has widened...in favor of the big boys.  The value proposition is also hard to ignore, but basic functionality is more at issue here.  What I recommend to my clients is using big name AV brands as "front end" and if they want higher performance, add outboard power or better still, an HT Bypass 2-channel system.

In almost ALL cases even with product registration most companies require a receipt! Nothing unusual at all here.

That really sucks.

seems to be a growing trend, had about the worst service experience ever with Cary Audio this year.

Hard lesson learned - always keep the original box, and puts the receipts in there.

Why not go to the dealer you bought it from and have them assist?