CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 4:25 am Post subject:

I was gonna say, when you take it back, demand to set it up right then and there with the tech, show him the problem, have him sign a guarantee that you write up that he saw the problem and will not return the projector until it's fixed. RIGHT.

JustGreg · Joined: 07 Mar 2006 Posts: 3098 Location: Kenosha, WI

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 3:16 pm Post subject:

Well considering how you went after Sony, I'd fly down there with a camcorder and record this momentous occasion.. Smile

Don't get arrested, it's not worth it over a digital. A CRT... maybe!

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 3:52 pm Post subject:

Tinman · Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 6:00 pm Post subject:

JustGreg · Joined: 07 Mar 2006 Posts: 3098 Location: Kenosha, WI

Update... This whole process is so much fun!!! Laughing

I talked with Sam the Technician Man yesterday concerning the "repairs" he performed. WOW did I piss him off! All I did was ask him what he used for a source to produce an all white display for him to determine there were no rainbowing problems and WHOOOOM!...instant pissed off. Laughing

And it went downhill from there.

Here's a snapshot of the conversation.

After I tell him about the continuing rainbowing problems, he replies with, "I KNOW it was a cable because when I tore into it ( Shocked

) and was tapping around with a screwdriver the "picture" went away. I cleaned the cable connector, resecured it and the image was fine."

Me:"Ummm. Wait. What? What kind of screwdriver?"

Sam: <long pause> "A regular screwdriver." <snippy tone>

Me: "A metal one?"

Sam: "Do you know of any other kind?"

Me: "Sure. But I don't have the time to debate appropriate tool selection with you. I AM curious right now how many you know how to use." (He tries to cut in right here but I raised my voice and forged ahead)....

"I mean, I'm not TRYING to insult you.. but if that happens as a by-product of trying to get to the bottom of this mess then so be it. You just told me you were "tapping around" inside an energized device with a metal tool, and that concerns me. Especially seeing as that device is mine."

Sam: Obviously more pissed now splutters into the phone, "Fine. I'm telling you there's nothing wrong with the thing and you should just be happy with it! It checks out." Sam begins another loud sentence but I cut him off....

Me: "Ummm. Sam? Sa... SAM! OK. Let's agree to disagree. Do you have a supervisor I can talk to? Nothing personal. I just think I should register my dissatisfaction with the biggest stick I can get to."

Sam the Technician Man: "I AM the supervisor and I KNOW what I'm doing!"

Me:"Ummm. OK. Sam? Obviously you're pretty mad right now. That wasn't my intention BUT...I'm pretty pissed myself. I'm just glad you aren't a chef cooking my food right now. Gotta run Sam. You take care now K?" <click>

I call their version of Customer Care again for the 20th time in three weeks and I get Heidi.

Heidi: "Hi. This is, like, Heidi. How can I help you?"

Me:(...ahhhh JEEEEZ!!! Gimme a f*ck*** break!)
"Yeah. Hi Heidi. Can you tell me when the real Heidi will be back?"

Heidi:<long pause> "I'm sorry?"

Me:"What for Like-Heidi? You haven't done anything wrong."

silence

Me: "Never mind Heidi. I'm just trying to inject some humor into the conversation, especially after the conversation I just had with you guyz's service technician."

I relate the story to her. Heidi asks me if I can hold while she talks to her supervisor. I assure her I can and in fact will wait.

Five minutes or so of crappy muzak later...

Heidi: "Hi...Greg??"

Me:"Yup. It's me. Were you expecting someone else on hold?"

Heidi:"Ummm. NoOOO??" <clears her throat> "I talked with the store manager and he says that if you're using the projector in a home theater we have to have one of our home theater technicians come out. There will be a $75.00 service call charge and if he needs to put parts in it you'll have to pay for those after the repairs before he leaves. Like, okay?"

Me:"Like, NO. It is NOT, like OK Heidi. I already, like, paid for the Performance Warranty when I purchased the damn thing. Now you're telling me I have to, like, pay some more? Like, that ain't happenin'."

Heidi:"The home theater technicians are the only ones who can look at it because it's in a home theater."

Me:"I don't USE it in my home theater Heidi. I just said I HAVE a home theater where it can be set up in a light controlled environment to better troubleshoot it in."

Heidi:"Oh. Ummm. OK. Ummm. Can you hold pleeze?"

Me:"No. I'm trying to run a busine.........DAMNIT!!!" (more muzak for 3 or 4 minutes)

Heidi:"Hi. Greg??"

Me:audible sigh. "Yes?"

Heidi:"I just, like, talked to the technician for home theaters and he says that unless his boss tells him he can file a claim against the performance guarantee to get paid he can't come to your house and, like, do anything."

Me:"OK Heidi. Can you put me on hold, with my permission this time, and call his supervisor and clear that?"

Heidi:"Um. I think he's off today. <sounds of paper rustling> Yup. He's off until tomorrow. I can call him and leave a message and send an email to him. I won't know until, like, after 9 tomorrow morning if he can have the technician come to your house."

Me: <longer and louder audible sigh> "OK Heidi. You do that. And do you like, have my phone number where you can reach me at my, like, business during the day?"

Heidi:"Yup. It's right here on the paper." (I verify that what she has is correct.) "I'm really sorry about all this. It's just that we don't work on those kind of projectors any more so it's hard to, like, get them fixed."

Me:"Huh? Then what are we doing here if nobody can fix it? Just get somebody to make the decision to issue a store credit and lets be done with it."

Heidi:"I'll talk to the store manager this afternoon and call you back about that. K?"

Me:"Sure Heidi. Let's do that. In the meantime, something has to be done about Sam. I think he needs a caffeine moratorium placed on him."

Heidi:"HmMMM??"

Me:"Never mind. Thank you Heidi. I'll be expecting your call. buh-bye now."

<click>

This is getting to be more fun than teasing my Jack Russell with laser dots on the walls! Laughing

--Greg--

JustGreg · Joined: 07 Mar 2006 Posts: 3098 Location: Kenosha, WI

I know this is probably boring the sh*t out of some of you and knee slapping entertainment for others but I'll keep posting updates as they happen for a couple reasons. And they are: (blowing into the envelope
a la Johhny Carson style,

1) Why would anyone ever want to buy a digital and subject themselves to this torture

2) In case you are someone who's going through the same thing this might prove a service primer (pronounced PRIM-ER)

3) Scare the everluvinsnot outta you and warn against purchasing one

I talked with Like-Heidi again today. The HT "technician" won't come to my house to look at the projector because, "He doesn't want to make the wrong determination".
Now THAT tells me something about the politics involved with servicing digital projectors. A message must have come down from the mountain. Right now they're apparently trying to wear me down and I'll just quit and bite the bullet. Little do they know, (hee hee), I'm driniking milk and taking my blood pressure meds! I wouldn't pass up the entertainment value of this for nuttin!

Like-Heidi told me they won't issue a store credit or an exchange unless 4 parts require replacement. Do digitals even HAVE 4 parts that can be seperated without a soldering iron???? (just being facitious here).

They want me to ship the pj directly to the service location that they sent it to when I dropped it off 2 weeks ago at the store I bought it from (RE: Sam the Technician Man will see it yet again).

I said...NOPE! I WILL schedule a time to be there in your store to set it up and show it to your store manager so he can make a command decision because I'm done playing now.

Like-Heidi says, like any good employee would not wanting to overstep and commit the store manager to anything, "Ohhh. I...erm...I'll have to check into that and get back to you but he isn't, like, gonna be in until, erm, like....Oh whowwwwww...like Monday afternoon."

I left it at that. I'll call Monday and the saga will continue I'm sure.

I'm not posting any of this at this point to do anything other than illustrate the ongoing downside to digital projectors. I admit I don't own the latest and greatest of that genre but I don't think I'd be treated any differently if I had a Ruby. Too bad. The things are getting better all the time but if manufacturers can't fix the back end service side of owning one, it doesn't matter how good they are.

--Greg--

Tinman · Posted: Sat Nov 18, 2006 3:49 am Post subject:

Knee slapping here... Very Happy

Ahhh..... digitals...

Marc

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Sat Nov 18, 2006 3:51 am Post subject:

Keep at the SOB's!!

This is getting good.

the big E · Joined: 20 Apr 2013 Posts: 1928 Location: speedwell Tn.