"Michael" wrote in message
...
On May 21, 10:36 pm, "hr(bob) "
wrote:
On May 21, 2:49 pm, Michael wrote:


Mr. Cook: Thank you kindly for supplying the links to information. Mr.
Hoffman unfortunately I am not even slightly mechanically inclined.

I guess part of this post was to express surprise (1) that an
important component (the Play button) of a Sony product not abused
didn't last more than 2 1/2 years; and (2) that Sony gives consumers
extremely limited options for repairing these things, a repair that
Mr. Hoffman indicated would be simple for even a moderately skilled
repair person (let alone a Sony factory trained facility that I could
drive to).

Again thanks for the feedback.

Ha ! Would that we still had 'factory' training from *any* manufacturer ...
Most manufacturer training is now at best, a one day seminar in a hotel, and
in some cases, even just a 'virtual' classroom that you log into online.
Many manufacturers don't even offer this rudimentary level of support to the
people who have to mend their kit. Hell, many manufacturers won't even
supply service information, and there's even some who hide their identity
behind badge names, so that there's not even a 'company' you can get in
touch with at all for *any* purpose !

That said, Sony usually have local service agents who are often independants
that take on all-comers, and regional Service Centres that are part financed
by Sony. I am actually really surprised that Sony themselves could not put
you in touch with a service agent within a reasonable distance. In terms of
their service network, they are one of the better companies, although not
what they were even 10 years ago.

There is some validity in what was said in one of the other replies about
whether the cost of a repair is 'worth it', but I readily accept that that
is down to you to decide, as it depends on what the item is worth to you. I
see equipment every single week, that I would consider to be beyond economic
repair, but which the owner goes ahead with, either because they are
'comfortable' with that equipment, or that a similar replacement is no
longer available.

FWIW, problems with Sony buttons failing to latch, or jamming latched, used
to be quite common. Often, it's just down to wear on the profile of the
'shoulder' on the button lever, causing it to fail to engage properly with
the latch bar. This later develops until the latch bar jams, often as a
result of harder and harder presses by the owner, until the button bar gets
bent and the button won't then release. It's a simple fix that just involves
a touch here and there with a rat-tail file to reprofile the latching
surfaces, and a bit of grease. Even if the button itself was damaged, it
should still be available through third party spares agents, so if I were
you, I would just take it in to any repair shop, who should at least be able
to quote you on the repair - they will probably have seen the problem many
times before as I have. You do not have to take it to an 'official' Sony
dealer. Sony spares are, for the most part, available to any repair outfit.

Arfa