ONKYO TX-SR875 Receiver amplifier damaged!! who is respossible? what rights do i have?

[admin_exported]

[face="Times New Roman"]here is the email i sent to superfi over my problem!!
your comments are most welcome in this matter,

Dear superfi,
I have a 2 ½ year old £1000 ONKYO TX-SR875 Receiver amplifier that needed a manufacturer’s recommended firmware upgrade, I looked up superfi.co.uk and rang your shop in Manchester where I bought the item,(01618351156) i was told to ring onkyo about it as it is still under their 3 year warranty, date of purchase 03/12/2007 from 54 bridge street m3 3bw Manchester.
http://www.eu.onkyo.com (the manufacturer).[/face]



So I rang onkyo and they told me to contact http://www.genserve.co.uk

Who are there authorized service agent in the UK and who deal with any needed firmware upgrades?



Upon contact, genserve promptly arranged collection of the amp via city link courier; it was packed very well by me, however arrived to them with some damage,

genserve never notified me of this, repaired the item and sent it back to me,



On return to me via city link courier I signed for it as unchecked,

The packaging seemed insufficient for the weight of the item!

After close inspection I found the note about repairs and what had been fixed, and I also noticed Evan more new damage!



I contacted genserve and again they sent out courier to collect a now well packed amp, it arrived to genserve with no further damage and all previous damage was then "repaired by them"?

And they again sent it back to me via the same city link courier,



Upon receipt from city link the driver said he could not wait for me to inspect amp,

So I signed for it again unchecked,



This time it looks like someone has hit the back of it with a sledgehammer!! And it was insufficiently packaged yet again!

The damage looks beyond any repair as the back of the unit is completely caved in!!



By the way, all the courier visits have been paid for by either genserve or onkyo and arranged by them.

.

I have now really had my fill of it all!



So I rang genserve yet again! And asked them to send me a new amp out because of all the trouble and plus damage not caused by me but them or their courier firm,



All they said they can offer me is a like for like replacement i.e. same model but used/repaired previously faulty item with a few months’ warranty left!



Now I find this unfair as my amp was in pristine condition and has had very little use for its age, few hours a week at most! Also it has never been damaged or needed to be repaired, so why would I want what they are offering me?



This cannot be right, if they only offered me half my money back I could buy the same model brand new with 3 years warranty from another retailer.



Please can you help me out with this, as i did buy the amplifier from you! and I think these people are at fault and just fobbing me off by shunning their responsibilities,

I would like to know if and how I may proceed to legally claim against them for this damage to my property and who should be held responsible for paying towards a new one or replacing it with another model.

ps i have already previously spoken at length to Mitch Tyler @ onko uk sales and Richard @ genserve and got nowhere with them when it was originally damaged! so I'm not holding my breath this time about the latest episode!

however i will obtain correct legal advice from someone I'm sure and it will get sorted out eventually,



Thanks

Wayne

 

[grdunn123]

Hi Wayne, sorry to hear of the trouble you've had.

I think you need to establish whether Citylink insured your amp.....unfortunately Citylink has a pretty poor reputation. If it was insured then you have a case for reimbursment. Did you take any photos of the receiver prior to sending it off? It's always useful if somethig does come back damaged.

 

[Big Chris]

When I had a display fault about 2 years ago, Genserve told me that they would not be held responsible for any damage if anything other than the original packaging was used. Fortunately, since moving to a home with a loft, I keep all my original boxes, so packing it for return wasn't a problem.

Mine went mint, was returned mint a week or so later.

I think the problem is who decides what well packaged is?

You might have to swallow the refurbed item before you get their backs up and they say "No original packaging from you, no responsibilty from us", like they told me.

 

[Sliced Bread]

How about asking them to fix it once again, so you get your amp back, but they must transport it using a different courier? Although by the sounds of it, the damage is pretty bad.

EDIT: Also point them in the direction of this post on WHF...it is quite a high profile site in the industry, so may get them moving.

 

[AlmaataKZ]

I am not sure of the legalities here but my gut feeling, if both times the damage occurred in transit, that thre is no fault of yours and the repaired has to 'make it good'. what making good means is another question. I do not know if legally they will fulfill their obligations if they give you a refurbished or repaired second-hand item. I understand that this may not be what you want but thsi needs to be checked.

I think the retailer shoudl have helped you initially! now lookls like oyu may be stuck in a situation through no fault of yours, having followed instructions of retaler/maker/service centre. It woudl be good for Onkyo to use their resources and work together with both the retailer and the service centre to provide you with a decent solution.

 

[Anonymous]

hi grdunn123,

as genserve arranged collection and delivery twice now and packed the amp with there own box and packaging at their own expense i feel the matter maybe with them versus courier and not me, also i do not know if they insured it with city link or not, i would presume so though as it is an expensive item!

thanks wayne

 

[Anonymous]

hi everyone, i have now sent photos of damage to richard @ genserve and await their reply, they are aware of this post and seem like they want to resovle this matter quickly and to be fair the problems seem like city links and genserve have been helpful to me so far, i just hope it works out for me as i don't want someone elses cast off's b-stock or whatever along those lines with no warranty or history of usage,

btw the sale of goods act seems maybe a good way to go for me on this if i have to take action for damages as the retailer should have dealt with it in the first place and now i have an amp that is not fit for purpose and no fault of my own.

but i'm hoping that a good and sensible resolution can be made before any of this happens.

regards..wayne

 

[grdunn123]

I have read on other forums relating to Onkyo/Genserve/Citylink and it always appears to be the courier who is the weakest link.

I have my Onkyo with Genserve as we speak and I'm nervously awaiting it's return!

 

[Anonymous]

problem sorted! and i'm happy with the resolution,

courier was at fault not genserve or onkyo,

regards wayne

 

[grdunn123]

wizardman:

problem sorted! and i'm happy with the resolution,

courier was at fault not genserve or onkyo,

regards wayne

Glad to hear it....what was the outcome???

 

[Anonymous]

i've been sworn to secrecy on the exact details,

but i am happy with the resolution they came up with,

and as i said earlier, genserve were very helpfull in every respect.

just beware of accepting packages that you have not checked for damages,

it may be better to make them wait, then if damaged refuse the parcel!,

thanks to everyone on here for your help.

regards wizardman.

 

[Andrew Everard]

wizardman:i've been sworn to secrecy on the exact details,

So you were happy enough to shout when it went wrong, but now 'sworn to secrecy' on the solution? Pffft!

 

[mitch65]

Andrew Everard:
wizardman:i've been sworn to secrecy on the exact details,

So you were happy enough to shout when it went wrong, but now 'sworn to secrecy' on the solution? Pffft!

Exactly what I was thinking, how big a secret could it possibly be? I guess they might have a hit squad on 24 hour standby just in case you shoot your mouth off or maybe they really wouldn't care........?

 

[Anonymous]

I feel I have to comment on this post even though it seems to be sorted - I am in the Exact same scenario with my Onkyo TX-SR875 and Genserve. So far it has been sent and returned 3 times and am now without an amp for over 2 months, each time being returned badly damaged and a different fault to the original Eprom error it was sent to have repaired. As a result I have now stated that I do not want a battered and bruised unit returned to me and have requested, not demanded a replacement unit (which I am well within my legal rights to do). Now, my gripe is this, it initially cost a lot of money which took me a fair amount of time to gather up as it was essentially a 'luxury item', but when something goes wrong the manufacturers dont waste much time in 'passing the buck' as far as who is responsible for keeping the customer happy after they have got your hard earned cash with the initial purchase. To date Onkyo have not replied to a single email and just keep passing my requests to Genserve for them to sort out, but as they are just a contracted service/repairer they have no final say on any decisions which leads me to beg the question, 'Who is responsible ?

Large companies are very aware of the changes and ammendments to consumer laws in recent years within the UK but seem to forget every obligation they are legally tied to when it means they may actually have to cough up to keep a customer happy. The obligation for a product like this can extend to as much as 5 or 6 years with current legislation......

If we started changing some of the review headings in the mag to something like '''This is an amazing piece of equipment but pray it doesnt break down''' I feel there would be a few raised eyebrows from some companies, but thats just wishful thinking and the power of media. Yet again the 'wee' man has to suffer the inconvienence, hassle, stress and expense to sort something that should be second nature to large companies as to ensure repeated customer purchases of their brand.

So, at the moment this looks like this will go all the way with legal proceedings, and I will take it as far as I need to to get it resolved properly no matter how long it takes or how much it costs because big company bully tactics will not work on me, and unless there is an injunction taken out against me, there will be no 'Sworn to secrecy' whatever the outcome. I will keep you all posted on how and when it progresses..........

 

[grdunn123]

CityLink??

 

[Anonymous]

CityLink only insure to a certain weight on a sliding scale so the total value of the product is not covered which seems to be a rather lousy method, Genserve answer to Onkyo and Onkyo wont even reply to emails so that starts a never ending circle of blame....

There was even a suggestion that the retailer should be held accountable for it all ! ....... If only Toyota had thought of that line when they went to court with the recall saga in the USA..........

 

[grdunn123]

I recently sent off my 806 for the HDMI board upgrade and fortunately it went through Richer Sounds under their warranty. Everything went smoothly. I take it yours was out of warranty. Someone is liable and it's not you!

Who arranged the repair and consequently the collection and return? Were you given a chioce of courier or insurance?

 

[Anonymous]

My unit is still under warranty and was bought out of Richer Sounds Belfast who I rang originally but was told since it was 18 months old to contact Genserve directly which I did and the unit was collected promptly. Might I add that it was returned in the original box with original packaging and copy of receipt......

This has been a nightmare so far and doesnt look like its gonna get much better anyway soon

 

[grdunn123]

Mine was just over 18 months old and I took it in to RicherSounds and they did everything for me. arranged pick up from their store and then called me when it appeared back at their shop. I made the guys in there open the box and inspect it before I took it back and it was perfect. If it's under warranty then take it back to RS and ensure that they deal with it.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi nutsbound

Had a problem with a product I bought from Richer Sounds last year and they were very helpful in sorting the issue. Suggest you go back to the store and speak to the Manager. It really is in their interest to help you sort this out !

 

[Anonymous]

Hi guys, thanks for the replies and advice so far but the chances of getting any results from Richer sounds in N.Ireland is very slim.

When I originally rang to ask procedure for returning I was told 'Nothin to do with us mate' which is complete rubbish but thats the intelligence level we're dealing with. If you have to start and explain what they are responsible for over the phone theres not much chance of a satisfied outcome. Over the past four or five years I have spent £3,000-£4,000 in the shop but I think I will look elswhere in future. My last encounter was to buy a New Pioneer Kuro which, when I inspected it in the shop turned out to be a display model being sold to me as new at full price, so needless to say that transaction didnt happen. So as you can see I really am snookered every way I turn........

 

[Anonymous]

Andrew Everard:
wizardman:i've been sworn to secrecy on the exact details,

So you were happy enough to shout when it went wrong, but now 'sworn to secrecy' on the solution? Pffft!

Seriously sworn to secrecy, its only an Amp!!! you really should let people know the outcome in case they are in a similar situation so they know how to get the matter sorted and what they can reasonably expect to get back. You did post asking for help so I only think its fair if you can help others you should

 

[Richer Sounds]

Hi,

I was sorry to read of the problems you've experienced with your Onkyo amplifier and our Belfast store and would like to take the opportunity to offer my sincere apologies.

In order that I may resolve this to your satisfaction, would you please get in touch with me via the below email address with your contact details..

john.p.clayton@richersounds.com

Many Thanks

John Clayton

Operations Director

Richer Sounds

 

[Anonymous]

John is the man, he is always happy to help.

We should have a sticky of dealers that are named on the websites, and contact emails or something.

As john from RS is always helpfull and concerned when something goes wrong.

I got to say that my local in cardiff, they are always amazing and bend over backwards for me.

Maybe you can pass that on.

But it would be nice if you had a bigger store as it looks like a jumble sale. LOL

 

[Anonymous]

Hi John, first off, may I say a very BIG THANK YOU for posting up on this thread, out of all the people I have spoken to with any of the companies over the last two months you are the 'One and Only' person who has stepped up to the mark and said they would try and help in any shape or form, and for that sir you must be applauded

.........

I will contact you asap with details.

Many many thanks.

Anthony