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| Electronics Repair (sci.electronics.repair) Discussion of repairing electronic equipment. Topics include requests for assistance, where to obtain servicing information and parts, techniques for diagnosis and repair, and annecdotes about success, failures and problems. |
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#1
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Thompson RCA Warranty Rip-Off Crock Lie
A few years ago I needed a 6-foot S-Video cable. I had to choose
between two RCA cables--a $10 cheap cable with no features or an "Ultimate" cable with 24-karat gold plated connectors, copper spiral shielding, precision dielectic insulation, oxygen-free conductors, etc. for $28. The $28 cable has a lifetime warranty that promised a "no charge replacement with a current equivalent cable". So I bought the "Ultimate" cable for $28. Then the "Ultimate" cable dies. So I send it to Thomson Multimedia Inc. in Socorro, TX. I also send a photocopy of the original packaging that contained the "current equivalent cable" lifetime warranty and the features of the cable. That way they would be able to determine the "current equivalent cable". Turns out they still make a cheap cable (RCA model VH976--MSRP $7.95) and an "Ultimate" cable (RCA model PD6SV--MSRP $29.95). The PD6SV has--24-karat gold plated connectors, copper shielding, oxygen-free conductors, etc. The VH976 does not. They replaced my "Ultimate" cable with a VH976. That's not the "current equivalent cable". That's not even close. I was owed a PD6SV. A half dozen phone calls later--several were spent on hold for 10 minutes before getting cut off--I'm screwed. One guy told me it was "warehouse discretion" that determined what cable I was owed. Why didn't "warehouse discretion" appear on the warranty? Another customer support person said she was sending me a pre-paid shipping label so I could send back the VH976 before they would send me a PD6SV but the shipping label never came. Then yet another call said what was on file was that I was owed "current market value"--the price of the cheap cable. I don't see "current market value" on the warranty I see "current equiavlent cable". This feels like, and probably was, a systematic run-around. I've spent more in phone calls than I spent on the original cable! I'm screwed. Lesson learned. $20 plus the phone bills. At least it wasn't several hundred dollars wasted on an RCA TV with a bogus warranty. So I now know to avoid all RCA products. What else does Thompson/RCA make? GE? Who buys parts from Thompson/RCA? I want to know where to put my dollars to avoid this pain and suffering in the future. Sony prices seem so much cheaper now... Walt |
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#2
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wrote in message ups.com... So I now know to avoid all RCA products. I've said that here several times. I bought one cable on eBay for a few bucks and another at a dollar plus store - same price. "24-karat gold plated connectors, copper spiral shielding, precision dielectic insulation, oxygen-free conductors" All of that is total crap. You could describe a donut like that "pure cane juice, ground essence of wheat, ...." and the taste would be no better or worse. -- N |
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#3
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wrote:
So I now know to avoid all RCA products. Oh, no, the fun is just beginning. I assume you already filled out a complaint he https://www.rca.com/secure/service/c...ca/1,,,00.html if not, then start there. If you don't get the results you are looking for, it will be time to write a letter (a print out of your post, edited approrpriately would be fine) to Thompson's senior management. I'll bet that gets you the kind of customer attention you deserve. Besides, if nothing else it will waste more than $29.95 of their executive assistant's valuable time, which should be of some value to you by itself grin. Write (use snail mail, not email, not a fax, not a phone call) to: Michael D. O'Hara Executive Vice President, Consumer Solutions Businesses Thomson Consumer Electronics P.O. Box 1976 INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46206 |
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#5
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I know I will get flamed for this but...
I say screw the company right back the way they screwed you. Go to an electronics store that offers cash refunds, and buy that "current equivalent cable." Open the package, remove and keep the new cable, and return the old one in the same package for a full refund. Problem solved. This also works for DVD players that quit working in 91 days with a 90 day warranty, assuming the same model is still available. wrote: A few years ago I needed a 6-foot S-Video cable. I had to choose between two RCA cables--a $10 cheap cable with no features or an "Ultimate" cable with 24-karat gold plated connectors, copper spiral shielding, precision dielectic insulation, oxygen-free conductors, etc. for $28. The $28 cable has a lifetime warranty that promised a "no charge replacement with a current equivalent cable". So I bought the "Ultimate" cable for $28. Then the "Ultimate" cable dies. So I send it to Thomson Multimedia Inc. in Socorro, TX. I also send a photocopy of the original packaging that contained the "current equivalent cable" lifetime warranty and the features of the cable. That way they would be able to determine the "current equivalent cable". Turns out they still make a cheap cable (RCA model VH976--MSRP $7.95) and an "Ultimate" cable (RCA model PD6SV--MSRP $29.95). The PD6SV has--24-karat gold plated connectors, copper shielding, oxygen-free conductors, etc. The VH976 does not. They replaced my "Ultimate" cable with a VH976. That's not the "current equivalent cable". That's not even close. I was owed a PD6SV. A half dozen phone calls later--several were spent on hold for 10 minutes before getting cut off--I'm screwed. One guy told me it was "warehouse discretion" that determined what cable I was owed. Why didn't "warehouse discretion" appear on the warranty? Another customer support person said she was sending me a pre-paid shipping label so I could send back the VH976 before they would send me a PD6SV but the shipping label never came. Then yet another call said what was on file was that I was owed "current market value"--the price of the cheap cable. I don't see "current market value" on the warranty I see "current equiavlent cable". This feels like, and probably was, a systematic run-around. I've spent more in phone calls than I spent on the original cable! I'm screwed. Lesson learned. $20 plus the phone bills. At least it wasn't several hundred dollars wasted on an RCA TV with a bogus warranty. So I now know to avoid all RCA products. What else does Thompson/RCA make? GE? Who buys parts from Thompson/RCA? I want to know where to put my dollars to avoid this pain and suffering in the future. Sony prices seem so much cheaper now... Walt |
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#6
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Not Flamed you are Just an " Insult To Human Intelligence."
"Jumpster Jiver" wrote in message news:aoLPd.44709$QS5.2817@trndny06... I know I will get flamed for this but... I say screw the company right back the way they screwed you. Go to an electronics store that offers cash refunds, and buy that "current equivalent cable." Open the package, remove and keep the new cable, and return the old one in the same package for a full refund. Problem solved. This also works for DVD players that quit working in 91 days with a 90 day warranty, assuming the same model is still available. wrote: A few years ago I needed a 6-foot S-Video cable. I had to choose between two RCA cables--a $10 cheap cable with no features or an "Ultimate" cable with 24-karat gold plated connectors, copper spiral shielding, precision dielectic insulation, oxygen-free conductors, etc. for $28. The $28 cable has a lifetime warranty that promised a "no charge replacement with a current equivalent cable". So I bought the "Ultimate" cable for $28. Then the "Ultimate" cable dies. So I send it to Thomson Multimedia Inc. in Socorro, TX. I also send a photocopy of the original packaging that contained the "current equivalent cable" lifetime warranty and the features of the cable. That way they would be able to determine the "current equivalent cable". Turns out they still make a cheap cable (RCA model VH976--MSRP $7.95) and an "Ultimate" cable (RCA model PD6SV--MSRP $29.95). The PD6SV has--24-karat gold plated connectors, copper shielding, oxygen-free conductors, etc. The VH976 does not. They replaced my "Ultimate" cable with a VH976. That's not the "current equivalent cable". That's not even close. I was owed a PD6SV. A half dozen phone calls later--several were spent on hold for 10 minutes before getting cut off--I'm screwed. One guy told me it was "warehouse discretion" that determined what cable I was owed. Why didn't "warehouse discretion" appear on the warranty? Another customer support person said she was sending me a pre-paid shipping label so I could send back the VH976 before they would send me a PD6SV but the shipping label never came. Then yet another call said what was on file was that I was owed "current market value"--the price of the cheap cable. I don't see "current market value" on the warranty I see "current equiavlent cable". This feels like, and probably was, a systematic run-around. I've spent more in phone calls than I spent on the original cable! I'm screwed. Lesson learned. $20 plus the phone bills. At least it wasn't several hundred dollars wasted on an RCA TV with a bogus warranty. So I now know to avoid all RCA products. What else does Thompson/RCA make? GE? Who buys parts from Thompson/RCA? I want to know where to put my dollars to avoid this pain and suffering in the future. Sony prices seem so much cheaper now... Walt |
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#7
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"Jumpster Jiver" wrote in message news:aoLPd.44709$QS5.2817@trndny06... I know I will get flamed for this but... I say screw the company right back the way they screwed you. Go to an electronics store that offers cash refunds, and buy that "current equivalent cable." Open the package, remove and keep the new cable, and return the old one in the same package for a full refund. Problem solved. This also works for DVD players that quit working in 91 days with a 90 day warranty, assuming the same model is still available. Except chances are you won't screw the company, but the next person who buys the set you return, or the store. Lesson in the future I suppose is to buy the inexpensive no-frills cable, I've been stupid and bought expensive cables a couple times only to discover that not only does the picture look identical to a cheap cable but the fancy expensive ones are heavy, awkward and often crack the soldering at the connectors. |
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#8
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I know I will get flamed for this but...
I say screw the company right back the way they screwed you. Go to an electronics store that offers cash refunds, and buy that "current equivalent cable." Open the package, remove and keep the new cable, and return the old one in the same package for a full refund. Problem solved. This also works for DVD players that quit working in 91 days with a 90 day warranty, assuming the same model is still available. Except chances are you won't screw the company, but the next person who buys the set you return, or the store. I notice some places want your drivers license or other identification when returning items. So it looks like they could come back on you. Some years ago I knew of someone that was barred from returning items at a major retailer for doing some pretty questionable tactics, possibly similar to that described above. Alan Harriman |
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#9
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"James Sweet" wrote in message news:nKNPd.26541$uc.18127@trnddc04... Lesson in the future I suppose is to buy the inexpensive no-frills cable, I've been stupid and bought expensive cables a couple times only to discover that not only does the picture look identical to a cheap cable but the fancy expensive ones are heavy, awkward and often crack the soldering at the connectors. I laugh at people who pay big bucks for super speaker leads. I use the lightest, cheapest wire available. You will never hear the difference. -- N |
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#10
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De Work wrote: On 11 Feb 2005 12:47:45 -0800, wrote: Then the "Ultimate" cable dies. Maybe a stupid question but how does a cable die? What are the signs? How does a cable die? My DVD picture got red and wavy. Cleaned the rented disk. Same thing. Put in a DVD from my personal collection. Same thing. Composite cable to TV works fine. Got a different S-Video cable and the picture was fine. How did I get suckered into an "Ultimate" cable? The features sounded good. And with a lifetime warranty-how could I go wrong...? I don't know if the picture is really better than a cheap cable or not because I've never done a side-by-side test. An EE major with the right test gear could tell if the signal were any better. Maybe Consumer Reports has already done that? I'm sticking with the cheap stuff from now on. I can tell you that the S-Video connection picture looks better to me than the composite on my 27" Zenith. I don't know if this O'Hara guy would do anything or not. I've been at this for two months and dealing with the RCA/Thompson customer service people has been nothing but ****ing into the wind. You can do it but you only get wet. I'm done. What I find the most disappointing is that RCA/Thompson re-writes the terms of the warranty at will. They can't do that-"replacement with a current equivalent cable" means just that. There is no "warehouse discretion" or "current market value" written into the warranty. The warranty was the reason I decided to spend the extra 20 bucks. And the warranty was a lie. As for buying a new cable and returning the broken cable-that's not something I'd do. If it isn't illegal it feels wrong. I don't want to stoop to RCA/Thompson's level. And I think even the rookie high-school sales associate at Circuit City would realize that the VH976 cable doesn't have 24-karat gold connectors. Clearly not an equivalent cable... So back to my original as yet unanswered question-what brands to I need to avoid to steer clear of Thompson and RCA? GE appears to be one based on other newsgroup articles. Does anyone know what brands are owned by or use Thompson/RCA parts/components? The Thompson web site is vague. Walt |
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#11
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wrote:
what brands to I need to avoid to steer clear of Thompson and RCA? GE appears to be one based on other newsgroup articles. Does anyone know what brands are owned by or use Thompson/RCA parts/components? You mean Thomson, right? http://www.thomson.net/EN/Home/Produ...rYouAtHome.htm You sure got taken in by the high-end cable marketing hype. It boggles my mind that intelligent consumers still fall for this stuff. |
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#12
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wrote in message ups.com... So back to my original as yet unanswered question-what brands to I need to avoid to steer clear of Thompson and RCA? GE appears to be one based on other newsgroup articles. Does anyone know what brands are owned by or use Thompson/RCA parts/components? The Thompson web site is vague. If you take it out of the box and it doesn't work or there's something stupid about the way it works - it's Thompson/RCA. I gave them one last chance - bought a 5 disk DVD player. Took it home - jammed - wouldn't work. Took it back - got another. You can't change disks with the remote - hello? What the hell piece of crap is this? Got a refund and bought an Akai which is a no-name rebranded but works OK. I'd got for LG (Goldstar) or a no-name before I went near RCA ****. I think the company was asset stripped and they rent the brand out to put on junk no one will buy. -- N |
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#13
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#14
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wrote:
A few years ago I needed a 6-foot S-Video cable. I had to choose between two RCA cables--a $10 cheap cable with no features or an "Ultimate" cable with 24-karat gold plated connectors, copper spiral shielding, precision dielectic insulation, oxygen-free conductors, etc. for $28. Next time, try a $3.00 6' S-video cable from pccables.com - I've bought cables from them for years, never a problem. http://www.pccables.com/cgi-bin/orde...omsearc&rcode= |
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#15
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"kip" wrote in message .. . Not Flamed you are Just an " Insult To Human Intelligence." And you are an insult to your jo moma!!!!! "Jumpster Jiver" wrote in message news:aoLPd.44709$QS5.2817@trndny06... I know I will get flamed for this but... I say screw the company right back the way they screwed you. Go to an electronics store that offers cash refunds, and buy that "current equivalent cable." Open the package, remove and keep the new cable, and return the old one in the same package for a full refund. Problem solved. This also works for DVD players that quit working in 91 days with a 90 day warranty, assuming the same model is still available. wrote: A few years ago I needed a 6-foot S-Video cable. I had to choose between two RCA cables--a $10 cheap cable with no features or an "Ultimate" cable with 24-karat gold plated connectors, copper spiral shielding, precision dielectic insulation, oxygen-free conductors, etc. for $28. The $28 cable has a lifetime warranty that promised a "no charge replacement with a current equivalent cable". So I bought the "Ultimate" cable for $28. Then the "Ultimate" cable dies. So I send it to Thomson Multimedia Inc. in Socorro, TX. I also send a photocopy of the original packaging that contained the "current equivalent cable" lifetime warranty and the features of the cable. That way they would be able to determine the "current equivalent cable". Turns out they still make a cheap cable (RCA model VH976--MSRP $7.95) and an "Ultimate" cable (RCA model PD6SV--MSRP $29.95). The PD6SV has--24-karat gold plated connectors, copper shielding, oxygen-free conductors, etc. The VH976 does not. They replaced my "Ultimate" cable with a VH976. That's not the "current equivalent cable". That's not even close. I was owed a PD6SV. A half dozen phone calls later--several were spent on hold for 10 minutes before getting cut off--I'm screwed. One guy told me it was "warehouse discretion" that determined what cable I was owed. Why didn't "warehouse discretion" appear on the warranty? Another customer support person said she was sending me a pre-paid shipping label so I could send back the VH976 before they would send me a PD6SV but the shipping label never came. Then yet another call said what was on file was that I was owed "current market value"--the price of the cheap cable. I don't see "current market value" on the warranty I see "current equiavlent cable". This feels like, and probably was, a systematic run-around. I've spent more in phone calls than I spent on the original cable! I'm screwed. Lesson learned. $20 plus the phone bills. At least it wasn't several hundred dollars wasted on an RCA TV with a bogus warranty. So I now know to avoid all RCA products. What else does Thompson/RCA make? GE? Who buys parts from Thompson/RCA? I want to know where to put my dollars to avoid this pain and suffering in the future. Sony prices seem so much cheaper now... Walt |
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#16
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Jumpster Jiver wrote:
I know I will get flamed for this but... I say screw the company right back the way they screwed you. Go to an electronics store that offers cash refunds, and buy that "current equivalent cable." Open the package, remove and keep the new cable, and return the old one in the same package for a full refund. Problem solved. This also works for DVD players that quit working in 91 days with a 90 day warranty, assuming the same model is still available. I love it, making the system work for you! |
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#17
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James Sweet wrote:
"Jumpster Jiver" wrote in message news:aoLPd.44709$QS5.2817@trndny06... I know I will get flamed for this but... I say screw the company right back the way they screwed you. Go to an electronics store that offers cash refunds, and buy that "current equivalent cable." Open the package, remove and keep the new cable, and return the old one in the same package for a full refund. Problem solved. This also works for DVD players that quit working in 91 days with a 90 day warranty, assuming the same model is still available. Except chances are you won't screw the company, but the next person who buys the set you return, or the store. Lesson in the future I suppose is to buy the inexpensive no-frills cable, I've been stupid and bought expensive cables a couple times only to discover that not only does the picture look identical to a cheap cable but the fancy expensive ones are heavy, awkward and often crack the soldering at the connectors. I've been hearing/reading the same thing for at least 30 years (or whenever Monster Cable hit the audio shops). |
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#18
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wrote:
De Work wrote: On 11 Feb 2005 12:47:45 -0800, wrote: Then the "Ultimate" cable dies. Maybe a stupid question but how does a cable die? What are the signs? How does a cable die? My DVD picture got red and wavy. Cleaned the rented disk. Same thing. Put in a DVD from my personal collection. Same thing. Composite cable to TV works fine. Got a different S-Video cable and the picture was fine. How did I get suckered into an "Ultimate" cable? The features sounded good. And with a lifetime warranty-how could I go wrong...? I would never assume I could find or even would have the receipt for a cable bought years ago. |
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#19
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"Sparky" wrote in message ... I've been hearing/reading the same thing for at least 30 years (or whenever Monster Cable hit the audio shops). Yep. Some people use super gas in their car when the maker says regular is fine. And then there are 'light' cigarettes. Words can lie - see G W Bush as an example ("Clear Skies", "Healthy Forests", ...) N |
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#20
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Sparky wrote: wrote: De Work wrote: On 11 Feb 2005 12:47:45 -0800, wrote: Then the "Ultimate" cable dies. Maybe a stupid question but how does a cable die? What are the signs? How does a cable die? My DVD picture got red and wavy. Cleaned the rented disk. Same thing. Put in a DVD from my personal collection. Same thing. Composite cable to TV works fine. Got a different S-Video cable and the picture was fine. How did I get suckered into an "Ultimate" cable? The features sounded good. And with a lifetime warranty-how could I go wrong...? I would never assume I could find or even would have the receipt for a cable bought years ago. They didn't need a reciept to give me the cheap cable. The warranty doesn't say anything about needing a receipt. Last week the Late Show with David Letterman had a bit about the president. President Bush was on stage with a woman who was complaining about...RCA/Thompson! She bought an RCA TV that died and got the same run-around that I got over the cable. The sad thing is it will take more than the presidency to fix RCA. |
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