Just had to post an exchange I just had with Audiotronics..
Backstory, I recently got an Onkyo 5509 processor with the dreaded HDMI problem (exact same behaviour and symptoms that's well-known by now by many owners) from KK to see if it can be repaired without replacing the whole card. Turns out no, and aside from the audio there's also no video output. Had the board even X-rayed and there were definitely some suspect areas. Reading up on the matter showed that dead audio is by far the most common issue, but there are also many other variants of the same problem that can cause additional malfunction on top.
However, Onkyo's extended warranty made me think it's worth a shot to send it up to Audiotronics and hear what they have to say, so I called. Here's part of the conversation:
Me: How much will a new card cost?
AT: R13500 plus labour.
Me: It's not covered by extended warranty?
AT: No, because your unit has broken audio AND video. Only units with broken audio are covered.
Me: You won't even inspect to see whether it's a related cause?
AT: We will, but only units with broken audio are covered so you'll have to bear the cost of parts & labour.
Me: So because the product exhibits not only the most common failure but even more on top of it, there is no coverage?
AT: Correct
Me: How long is the regular warranty?
AT: 3 months sir.
Me: 3 months for a R40k unit?
AT (getting agitated): Sir how long is the warranty on your car?
Me (puzzled): 5 years.
AT: And what about the discs and pads?
Me: All covered by motorplan actually, but are HDMI cards considered as consumables? The manual states nothing of the kind and I'm pretty sure there are no tubes inside?
AT: Sir, I'm not going to argue with you, I've been in this industry 25 years.... [continue pointless rant]
Me: So you think it's acceptable that on a flagship model it's the consumer's responsibility to pay more for repairs than the actual current value after a mere 3 months of purchase of a unit that's renowned for failure?
AT: Sir, I'm not going to have this argument with you, I've been in this industry for 25 years.... [continue pointless rant]
Me: (realizing I'm dealing with a t**t) Would you offer anything for the defective unit for your own repairs and future sale?
AT (condescending tone): No sir, we don't want your broken unit.
Now in fairness, this has only costed me about 10h in research and about R1500 for having the board x-rayed so it's not like I suffered a massive loss, and yes I don't know what possible abuse the unit has suffered in the past, but the arrogance caught me by surprise. I was happy to say "oh well it was worth a shot" until he came with the ludicrous equation of car consumables and trying to justify his argument with how long he's been in the trade.. it's mind-bogging. In particular, how they can be so brash about a brand that's suffered so much bad rep over so many years they should be doing their best to restore faith in it.
Also, (not that it matters in this particular case) CPA stipulates minimum warranty on new goods as 6 months, and repaired goods as 3 months.
Anyhow, this just reaffirms why I would much rather prefer to deal with dealers like 13Hof than such people..
Backstory, I recently got an Onkyo 5509 processor with the dreaded HDMI problem (exact same behaviour and symptoms that's well-known by now by many owners) from KK to see if it can be repaired without replacing the whole card. Turns out no, and aside from the audio there's also no video output. Had the board even X-rayed and there were definitely some suspect areas. Reading up on the matter showed that dead audio is by far the most common issue, but there are also many other variants of the same problem that can cause additional malfunction on top.
However, Onkyo's extended warranty made me think it's worth a shot to send it up to Audiotronics and hear what they have to say, so I called. Here's part of the conversation:
Me: How much will a new card cost?
AT: R13500 plus labour.
Me: It's not covered by extended warranty?
AT: No, because your unit has broken audio AND video. Only units with broken audio are covered.
Me: You won't even inspect to see whether it's a related cause?
AT: We will, but only units with broken audio are covered so you'll have to bear the cost of parts & labour.
Me: So because the product exhibits not only the most common failure but even more on top of it, there is no coverage?
AT: Correct
Me: How long is the regular warranty?
AT: 3 months sir.
Me: 3 months for a R40k unit?
AT (getting agitated): Sir how long is the warranty on your car?
Me (puzzled): 5 years.
AT: And what about the discs and pads?
Me: All covered by motorplan actually, but are HDMI cards considered as consumables? The manual states nothing of the kind and I'm pretty sure there are no tubes inside?
AT: Sir, I'm not going to argue with you, I've been in this industry 25 years.... [continue pointless rant]
Me: So you think it's acceptable that on a flagship model it's the consumer's responsibility to pay more for repairs than the actual current value after a mere 3 months of purchase of a unit that's renowned for failure?
AT: Sir, I'm not going to have this argument with you, I've been in this industry for 25 years.... [continue pointless rant]
Me: (realizing I'm dealing with a t**t) Would you offer anything for the defective unit for your own repairs and future sale?
AT (condescending tone): No sir, we don't want your broken unit.
Now in fairness, this has only costed me about 10h in research and about R1500 for having the board x-rayed so it's not like I suffered a massive loss, and yes I don't know what possible abuse the unit has suffered in the past, but the arrogance caught me by surprise. I was happy to say "oh well it was worth a shot" until he came with the ludicrous equation of car consumables and trying to justify his argument with how long he's been in the trade.. it's mind-bogging. In particular, how they can be so brash about a brand that's suffered so much bad rep over so many years they should be doing their best to restore faith in it.
Also, (not that it matters in this particular case) CPA stipulates minimum warranty on new goods as 6 months, and repaired goods as 3 months.
Anyhow, this just reaffirms why I would much rather prefer to deal with dealers like 13Hof than such people..
