My Honda dealership has a part backordered now going on 8 weeks.
We live in a different world now.
Yamaha Amplifier Warranty Issues
My Yamaha A-S2100 integrated amplifier under warranty has been sent to an authorized Dealer for repairs, Yamaha says the parts are back ordered 10-12 weeks and some cannot be found yet. They refuse to replace with a new amp. What good is this warranty? Is'nt there anything I can do?
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There are still supply issues from the pandemic that are affecting many electronics companies — nothing they can really do about it and not their fault. Replacing with a new amp is simply unrealistic. I’d suggest just being patient. Yamaha is a reputable company and I’m sure they’re doing everything they can to get the parts asap. |
@cleeds Fair point. |
Cleeds,
I respectfully but strongly disagree with your belief that the dealer can or should replace the amp with a new one. As a service manager for high end watches for many years, I can tell you that from the retailer's point of view, once the sale is made, a contract begins between the customer and the manufacturer (warranty).
It is certainly the job of the retailer to facilitate the fulfillment of the warranty in every way possible for the convenience of the customer, but for the customer to expect a brand new piece is not reasonable, unless of course the warranty makes such a promise which in most cases they don't.
You mention B stock. That happens more in the case of manufacturers or large retailers than small high end dealerships, because if they replaced everything that had a small repairable issue with a new piece, they would go out of business.
I had to kindly explain this to watch customers many times.
Of course, due to the realities of the business world, there are very rare occasions where a very good customer who has spent a lot of money in a store will be given a more-than- reasonable accommodation to keep them happy and not lose their future business.
It is very unfortunate that these warranty repairs sometimes take so long to perform, keeping the customer waiting for months.
I also disagree with your belief that only those who ask get new replacements. When it comes to expensive gear, asking is usually not going to get you what you want in most cases, but from one who was also a retail manager at Macy's for years, I will say that if you have a big mouth, and aren't afraid to shout in front of others, you will usually get that undeserved discount or expired coupon. Retailers like to avoid scenes if the monetary loss is negligible. |
That’s fine for you to respectfully disagree, but the fact is that such exchanges are not uncommon. Perhaps not in your world, but in the world of consumer electronics (and appliances) it’s not unusual. I’ve benefited from such exchanges personally. It’s called customer accommodation. As a specific example, I know for a fact that McIntosh has done this. |
I don’t remember the last time I had something fixed under warranty, if ever. I have had infant mortality in a TV set, which I returned. Why do things fail so often for others? But, given that they do, I prefer an amp I can repair myself. So I only buy point to point wired tube amps now. I do remember while home from college I blew the amp in a console style stereo system (more furniture than stereo) playing Hot Rocks. I took it apart, found the overheated component and fortunately they had one at the local TV repair place. Had it back in service before my friend’s parents got home. that would have been around 1977. Other components, like DACs, would be harder to repair myself. But they never seem to die. I have a W4S DAC so old that it won’t work with roon because it needs drivers installed on the streaming device--pre PnP. Jerry |
Yes Cleeds, I have had the same experience twice with TV's at big box stores, but when a small private high end store has to pay for inventory out of pocket, it's a different situation. You mention McIntosh. They are known to go the extra mile, and if they back up a dealer and supply a replacement at their cost, that too is a different situation. |
How long have you had the amp thatis most important ,if only a few weeks than any good dealer would give you an exchange ,if not expose these guys who will not work with you. Where is the repair facility ? Thsts total BS if they make it the repair shop can either just replaces board or trouble shoot it and fix the bad part. I owned one ,it’s not that complicated by any average audio technician ifyou don’t have a backup system have it sent to another tech , expose this unprofessional behavior . |
Just about a decade ago, a rather expensive well-known brand, high-end home theater receiver (HTR) I purchased new failed just after the warranty had expired. It would turn on but produced an error message I do not now recall. A check on the web revealed this was a widespread problem. I contacted the manufacturer’s office here in the USA and was told that the failure was due to a failed microprocessor that had gone out of production and was no longer available to them. He asked again about warranty status, and when I told him it was months out of warranty, he very nicely apologized and said that there was nothing they could do. I then turned to my dealer, who was very nice and sold me a name-brand, high quality HTR at a steep discount, his cost I believe, and it is still working today. He sealed me as a customer for brands he carried, and I subsequently made other purchases from him. |
My amp is two months shy of the two year warranty period, The latest is that Yamaha is now working on trying to replace the unit with a refurbished one. Does anyone have any experience with refurshbed units? Btw I had a Bose Lifestyle system and their customer service was outstanding. Even after 10 years they gave me a 50% discount on a new unit. |
@oldieaudio If I bought this brand new from my dealer or from Yamaha there is no way would I accept a refurbished unit. Totally out of the question for me. |
That’s good news that Yamaha is working towards a customer accommodation. As I mentioned earlier in the thread (although challenged by others), that is not an unusual practice in some fields, including consumer electronics. I would have no concern about accepting a refurbished product. Consider that if Yamaha had the parts to repair your unit, what you would receive after the service would be a your unit, refurbished, with some sort of warranty, likely somewhere between 90 days and a year. I’d consider also the good faith that Yamaha has shown (and perhaps your dealer, if he’s helping, and I hope he is), and that the company is also likely to support you in the future. So I would happily accept the refurbished unit in exchange. |
I agree with Cleeds. What you have now is a used unit. A refurbished unit will have been bench tested before being shipped out to you to ensure it's in working condition, and cleaned up to look new. I would venture a guess that a refurb would be less likely to be problematic in the future than a new unit. This is one that's had a problem (as has yours) and been repaired (as yours would have been). Yours was once new, and failed. Go with the refurb. |
@cleeds +1! |
My unit had power supply issues and 16 capacitors ans resistors need to be replaced but Yamaha does not replace individual pieces but will change the board. Model A-S2100 was discontinued in 2020 and Yamaha doe'nt have any in stock although dealers still stock this model. Yamaha does'nt want to replace with a later model. This talk with customer service of replacing with a refurbushed unit is tentative at this stage and I;ll know more this week. This reluctant talk/tentative offer is after changing the Yamaha rep and my 12th or 15th call/email. |
Where is your dealer in these discussions, @oldieaudio ?? |
@mickeyb +1 Mike |
Large retailers will many times just replace the defective item. Case in point, on January 8,2023 I had a new Sony 55 inch OLED tv delivered by Best Buy to the tune of $1600.00. 4 weeks later, around February 4th, the TV started giving us problems, shutting off while watching TV & distorted sound. Unplugging the TV and plugging it back in solved the problem temporarily. A trip back to Best Buy resulted and I spoke with the store manager who was a young late 20 something woman who was obviously having a bad day. She curtly told me they couldn’t exchange the TV as it was out of their 14 day return policy. Frustrated, I spoke to the salesman who sold me the TV. Right away he realized it was an intermittent problem and that most likely the Service Dept. Would not be able to repair in a timely manner. The salesman authorized a new TV to be delivered on the following day with pick up of the defective one at no charge to me. I never had to raise my voice and I am now completely satisfied. $1600.00 is a lot to pay for a 55 inch TV and the salesman realized it. After the transaction, I slipped the salesman a $30.00 cash tip for going the extra mile for me😇 |
The warranty on your Yamaha integrated amp is two years. It is unrealistic to expect Yamaha or the dealer to replace your amp with a new model due to supply chain issues due to parts availability A refurbished amp to replace yours is very reasonable in my opinion. I would jump on that offer. Long lead times for repairs and repair parts are the reality now. A friend of mine had an issue with his 10 year old Rotel power amp. The local dealer could not get a replacement circuit board. He took his amp to a reputable electronics repair shop. The repair shop can fix the amp, but their lead time is 8 to 10 weeks. I own a high end fly rod and broke it under warranty. The repair shop for that company is swamped and their lead time for the repair is at least 12 weeks. The reality is that if you own an expensive piece of gear, you need to have a back up or buy another one if you can't live without it. |
+1 @flyfish77 |
The latest update...... Yamaha won't pay for outside parts and even labor. I debated in my mind about the quality of the parts from Yamaha vs outside and having no knowledge about electronics (even though they are only capacitors and resistors) have decided to go for Yamaha parts and simply wait for them. I have experience with auto parts i.e. dealer vs after market and know that genuine dealer parts are superior and longer lasting and am assuming that this would be true for electronics too. Waitng 10-12 weeks for Yamaha parts will be painful but I hope that I've taken the correct decision in the longer run. |
