2. home-theater
  3. 1020397817

Manufacturer Warranty

I have slowly built both a HT and separate stereo system over the last 2 years. I started with a Harmon Kardon AVR500 surround processor. I had front and rears but no center or sub for a long time. I recently added both. However, there was no sub output. The dealer sent it in for repair and sent it back. It still didn't work. I sent it back, they repaired it again, and it burned out on them during a test. Now they are telling me they have to wait to see what HK says is the next step. The dealer said they might just replace it with a "B" stock. They have had this thing for 2months now. HK has a 2 year warranty. I think since I paid for a perfect condition new unit, I deserve that or my money back. Anybody have any experience with this companies warranties?
joeb
joeb
sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
How long have you had it? Most warranties even 2+ year ones usually have some clause of 30 to 90 days for full refunds. If you have used it over a year, then a new B stock will be a replacement in better condition than the one you lost, so you would have a hard time claiming they are ripping you off. Read your warranty. What does it say? You can probably find it on the Harmon website if you lost it. You also have to wait and see what Harmon does.

Giving a new B stock replacement is a common industry practice. They have made you whole, when all they are required to do is fix the old one.

bishopwill
369 posts
 
Gently get the dealer out of the picture and deal directly with customer relations at HK. Be pleasant but persistent and you'll probably get what you want.
sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
Good advice by Bishopwill. Always better to deal direct with the manufacturer in most cases. There are some great dealers who will bend over backwards to help, but by the sound of your post, your dealer is not one of them.
rockvirgo
587 posts
 
I had a similar experience with a Nakamichi CD player. I took it to my dealer and he later said it was fixed. It wasn't. Then the warranty expired. So the dealer fixed it again and charged me. It was still broken. Eventually the dealer gave up and refunded my money. Nakamichi took over and fixed it right for free the first time. My guess is the dealers shield the manufacturers from the simplest of issues (e.g. did you plug it in?) but are clueless with the real problems.

If you bought your HK via mailorder, I'd take whatever they're willing to give you. They may need your defective unit to ship to the next guy, haha. If you bought it in a face to face transaction go and complain at a busy time when lots of customers are milling around. Good luck!
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