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  #1   Report Post  
Geoff Wood
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

Mark A wrote:

Did they tell you what part needed to be replaced, that they no
longer have? If there diagnosis is correct, then you should try to
determine whether you can find the part, either new or from a
salvaged player. Keep in mind that if a repair service does not have
the part in stock, they order from Sony unless it is generic
component.


Clean the lens, or have the laser replaced. Any competent service person
shoulsd be able to do it. You'll need to be able to find the laser part
number though.

My guess is that you were talking to somebody non-technical, who was put on
the spot and decided to take the easy way 'out'.

geoff


  #2   Report Post  
Geoff Wood
 
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Default Sony Repair Suggestions

Lazarus wrote:
If you change the machine to play the current discs your 300 old ones
will no longer play.

CDS are crap nowadays and are not as thick as they used to be.


Thicker CDs are much better. They sound less thin. More depth.

geoff


  #3   Report Post  
Peter
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

Sony Factory Service refused to repair my 1991 top-of-the-line CDP-X777ES CD
player because they claim they have no parts anymore, this despite the fact
that over the phone they had assured me that they did indeed have parts for
the CD Player and based on that I had sent it to their San Diego,
California, Service Center. The problem is that the CD Player refuses to
recognize a few new CDs that are playable on all other CD Players. It plays
about 300 other CDs without any problems.

Hence I am wondering if anyone might know of a very "reputable" and
"reliable" repair service that would be willing to help me? I do not care
where it might be within the USA.

Thanks in advance for your possible recommendations.



  #4   Report Post  
RandB
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

For the amount of money it would cost to have the darn thing packed and
shipped from Mail Boxes, Etc., you could buy a new one.

randy

"Peter" wrote in message
nk.net...
Sony Factory Service refused to repair my 1991 top-of-the-line CDP-X777ES

CD
player because they claim they have no parts anymore, this despite the

fact
that over the phone they had assured me that they did indeed have parts

for
the CD Player and based on that I had sent it to their San Diego,
California, Service Center. The problem is that the CD Player refuses to
recognize a few new CDs that are playable on all other CD Players. It

plays
about 300 other CDs without any problems.

Hence I am wondering if anyone might know of a very "reputable" and
"reliable" repair service that would be willing to help me? I do not care
where it might be within the USA.

Thanks in advance for your possible recommendations.





  #5   Report Post  
Mark A
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

"Peter" wrote in message
nk.net...
Sony Factory Service refused to repair my 1991 top-of-the-line CDP-X777ES

CD
player because they claim they have no parts anymore, this despite the

fact
that over the phone they had assured me that they did indeed have parts

for
the CD Player and based on that I had sent it to their San Diego,
California, Service Center. The problem is that the CD Player refuses to
recognize a few new CDs that are playable on all other CD Players. It

plays
about 300 other CDs without any problems.

Hence I am wondering if anyone might know of a very "reputable" and
"reliable" repair service that would be willing to help me? I do not care
where it might be within the USA.

Thanks in advance for your possible recommendations.

Did they tell you what part needed to be replaced, that they no longer have?
If there diagnosis is correct, then you should try to determine whether you
can find the part, either new or from a salvaged player. Keep in mind that
if a repair service does not have the part in stock, they order from Sony
unless it is generic component.




  #6   Report Post  
Mark A
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

"Geoff Wood" -nospam wrote in message
...
Mark A wrote:

Did they tell you what part needed to be replaced, that they no
longer have? If there diagnosis is correct, then you should try to
determine whether you can find the part, either new or from a
salvaged player. Keep in mind that if a repair service does not have
the part in stock, they order from Sony unless it is generic
component.


Clean the lens, or have the laser replaced. Any competent service person
shoulsd be able to do it. You'll need to be able to find the laser part
number though.

My guess is that you were talking to somebody non-technical, who was put

on
the spot and decided to take the easy way 'out'.

geoff

Keep in mind that most manufacturers like Sony have flat rate pricing for
repair of items out of warranty, regardless of what is wrong with it.
Sometimes they will you send you a refurbished item in exchange.

I believe that he was quoted $216 for the repair. At those prices, they
replace parts, and don't just clean them.

But for less than $300, one could probably purchase a new one with much
better electronics, especially the D/A conversion circuits. Also a new one
would play CD-R's, which I doubt the old one does.


  #7   Report Post  
Lazarus
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

If you change the machine to play the current discs your 300 old ones will
no longer play.

CDS are crap nowadays and are not as thick as they used to be.

If you want to play the current cds and are willing to take the chance that
it wont play your old cds you can adjust the focus of the laser yourself.

Open the machine and follow the ribbon cable from the laser pick up assembly
to the PCB where it plugs in.

At this location on the PCB you will see one or two small screws which are
variable resistors.....turn them until your current discs play

But be warned you may now have problems with your older discs!

Sony and others will not admit it but thats why they refused to fix
it....what you ask is basically very very difficult to do on an older
machine

Anything older than 12 months these days is "old"


"Peter" wrote in message
nk.net...
Sony Factory Service refused to repair my 1991 top-of-the-line CDP-X777ES

CD
player because they claim they have no parts anymore, this despite the

fact
that over the phone they had assured me that they did indeed have parts

for
the CD Player and based on that I had sent it to their San Diego,
California, Service Center. The problem is that the CD Player refuses to
recognize a few new CDs that are playable on all other CD Players. It

plays
about 300 other CDs without any problems.

Hence I am wondering if anyone might know of a very "reputable" and
"reliable" repair service that would be willing to help me? I do not care
where it might be within the USA.

Thanks in advance for your possible recommendations.





  #8   Report Post  
Mark D. Zacharias
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions


Open the machine and follow the ribbon cable from the laser pick up

assembly
to the PCB where it plugs in.

At this location on the PCB you will see one or two small screws which are
variable resistors.....turn them until your current discs play


This is _really_ bad advice. The laser pickup can easily be ruined, and it
may not even be your problem. Any decent repair shop who is familiar with
Sony products ought to be able to fix this. As for replacing it instead,
this is a high-end model. No way a cheapie replacement is as good.

Mark Z.

--
Please reply only to Group. I regret this is necessary. Viruses and spam
have rendered my regular e-mail address useless.


"Lazarus" wrote in message
...
If you change the machine to play the current discs your 300 old ones will
no longer play.

CDS are crap nowadays and are not as thick as they used to be.

If you want to play the current cds and are willing to take the chance

that
it wont play your old cds you can adjust the focus of the laser yourself.

Open the machine and follow the ribbon cable from the laser pick up

assembly
to the PCB where it plugs in.

At this location on the PCB you will see one or two small screws which are
variable resistors.....turn them until your current discs play

But be warned you may now have problems with your older discs!

Sony and others will not admit it but thats why they refused to fix
it....what you ask is basically very very difficult to do on an older
machine

Anything older than 12 months these days is "old"


"Peter" wrote in message
nk.net...
Sony Factory Service refused to repair my 1991 top-of-the-line

CDP-X777ES
CD
player because they claim they have no parts anymore, this despite the

fact
that over the phone they had assured me that they did indeed have parts

for
the CD Player and based on that I had sent it to their San Diego,
California, Service Center. The problem is that the CD Player refuses

to
recognize a few new CDs that are playable on all other CD Players. It

plays
about 300 other CDs without any problems.

Hence I am wondering if anyone might know of a very "reputable" and
"reliable" repair service that would be willing to help me? I do not

care
where it might be within the USA.

Thanks in advance for your possible recommendations.







  #9   Report Post  
Scott Dorsey
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

In article et,
Peter wrote:
Sony Factory Service refused to repair my 1991 top-of-the-line CDP-X777ES CD
player because they claim they have no parts anymore, this despite the fact
that over the phone they had assured me that they did indeed have parts for
the CD Player and based on that I had sent it to their San Diego,
California, Service Center. The problem is that the CD Player refuses to
recognize a few new CDs that are playable on all other CD Players. It plays
about 300 other CDs without any problems.


Sony is that way.

Hence I am wondering if anyone might know of a very "reputable" and
"reliable" repair service that would be willing to help me? I do not care
where it might be within the USA.


Take it to your local TV repair shop and ask for a cleaning and lubrication
job. If it hasn't been done for a couple of years, you'll find that fixes
a lot of your problems.

If the problem is actually that it does not play copy-protected CDs, your
only recourse is to take them back to the store and demand a refund. Those
will not play on a large number of older machines and quite a few newer ones
too.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
  #10   Report Post  
Scott Dorsey
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

Geoff Wood -nospam wrote:

My guess is that you were talking to somebody non-technical, who was put on
the spot and decided to take the easy way 'out'.


Is there someone technical at Sony service? If so, I've never met them.
Certainly the guys doing the actual work don't seem to know anything beyond
swapping boards until the problem goes away.
--scot
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."


  #11   Report Post  
Scott Dorsey
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

Lazarus wrote:

At this location on the PCB you will see one or two small screws which are
variable resistors.....turn them until your current discs play

But be warned you may now have problems with your older discs!


No. This is a very bad idea.
There is an actual procedure in the service manual for doing an alignment.
It's not all that hard, and all you need is a reference disc and a scope.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
  #12   Report Post  
William Sommerwerck
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

If you change the machine to play the current discs your 300 old ones will
no longer play.


CDs are crap nowadays and are not as thick as they used to be.


Where did you come up with this garbage?

CDs have a standardized thickness. Furthermore, there is a tracking servo that
keeps the laser focused, regardless of slight variations in thickness.

  #13   Report Post  
Marc Wielage
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

On Fri, 23 Apr 2004 21:47:47 -0700, Peter wrote
(in message et):

Sony Factory Service refused to repair my 1991 top-of-the-line CDP-X777ES CD
player because they claim they have no parts anymore...
--------------------------------snip----------------------------------


A friend of mine told me this week he heard that Sony is going to let
something like a million bucks' worth of parts in their inventory go out of
stock, mainly for tax reasons and other related problems.

As far as your player goes, it is true that getting anything fixed over 7
years old is a problem -- since legally, the manufacturer only has to carry
parts for 7 years after a model has been discontinued.

The 777 had a helluva good transport for its time, and the higher-end ES
players are built like tanks. I'd hunt around until you can find a good
independent service shop who's willing to at least check the laser alignment.
It may only need a cleaning, a lube job, and a small bit of alignment to be
good as new.

--MFW

  #14   Report Post  
William Sommerwerck
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

A friend of mine told me this week he heard that Sony is going
to let something like a million bucks' worth of parts in their
inventory go out of stock, mainly for tax reasons and other
related problems.


If so, this is a break with Sony's policy. I had been told by the head of their
parts division that they never threw out parts.

  #15   Report Post  
GMAN
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

In article , "Lazarus" wrote:
If you change the machine to play the current discs your 300 old ones will
no longer play.



What hokey are you smoking?

CDS are crap nowadays and are not as thick as they used to be.

If you want to play the current cds and are willing to take the chance that
it wont play your old cds you can adjust the focus of the laser yourself.

Open the machine and follow the ribbon cable from the laser pick up assembly
to the PCB where it plugs in.

At this location on the PCB you will see one or two small screws which are
variable resistors.....turn them until your current discs play

But be warned you may now have problems with your older discs!

Sony and others will not admit it but thats why they refused to fix
it....what you ask is basically very very difficult to do on an older
machine

Anything older than 12 months these days is "old"


"Peter" wrote in message
ink.net...
Sony Factory Service refused to repair my 1991 top-of-the-line CDP-X777ES

CD
player because they claim they have no parts anymore, this despite the

fact
that over the phone they had assured me that they did indeed have parts

for
the CD Player and based on that I had sent it to their San Diego,
California, Service Center. The problem is that the CD Player refuses to
recognize a few new CDs that are playable on all other CD Players. It

plays
about 300 other CDs without any problems.

Hence I am wondering if anyone might know of a very "reputable" and
"reliable" repair service that would be willing to help me? I do not care
where it might be within the USA.

Thanks in advance for your possible recommendations.







  #16   Report Post  
Mark D. Zacharias
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

Seven years is not required now, if it ever really was. They are only
required to support the product for the duration of the warranty period, and
this can include just replacing the product with a refurb or "equivalent"
model.

Mark Z.

--
Please reply only to Group. I regret this is necessary. Viruses and spam
have rendered my regular e-mail address useless.


"Marc Wielage" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 23 Apr 2004 21:47:47 -0700, Peter wrote
(in message et):

Sony Factory Service refused to repair my 1991 top-of-the-line

CDP-X777ES CD
player because they claim they have no parts anymore...
--------------------------------snip----------------------------------


A friend of mine told me this week he heard that Sony is going to let
something like a million bucks' worth of parts in their inventory go out

of
stock, mainly for tax reasons and other related problems.

As far as your player goes, it is true that getting anything fixed over 7
years old is a problem -- since legally, the manufacturer only has to

carry
parts for 7 years after a model has been discontinued.

The 777 had a helluva good transport for its time, and the higher-end ES
players are built like tanks. I'd hunt around until you can find a good
independent service shop who's willing to at least check the laser

alignment.
It may only need a cleaning, a lube job, and a small bit of alignment to

be
good as new.

--MFW



  #17   Report Post  
William Sommerwerck
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

Seven years is not required now, if it ever really was.
They are only required to support the product for the
duration of the warranty period, and this can include
just replacing the product with a refurb or "equivalent"
model.


NOT SO.

A few years back, manufacturers were legally obliged to stock electrical parts
for 10 years, mechanical for 7, and cosmetic for 5 (or was it 3). What the law
currently is, I don't know.

  #18   Report Post  
Mark A
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

"William Sommerwerck" wrote in message
...
Seven years is not required now, if it ever really was.
They are only required to support the product for the
duration of the warranty period, and this can include
just replacing the product with a refurb or "equivalent"
model.


NOT SO.

A few years back, manufacturers were legally obliged to stock electrical

parts
for 10 years, mechanical for 7, and cosmetic for 5 (or was it 3). What the

law
currently is, I don't know.

What jurisdiction is that? Is that federal, state (which state)? What if a
company goes out of business? Do you have a reference?


  #19   Report Post  
William Sommerwerck
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

A few years back, manufacturers were legally obliged to stock
electrical parts for 10 years, mechanical for 7, and cosmetic
for 5 (or was it 3?). What the law currently is, I don't know.


What jurisdiction is that? Is that federal, state (which state)?


Federal.


What if a company goes out of business?


There would be no entity the law could be enforced against.


Do you have a reference?


No, but the head of Sony parts confirmed this seven or eight years ago.
  #20   Report Post  
Mark A
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

"William Sommerwerck" wrote in message
...
A few years back, manufacturers were legally obliged to stock
electrical parts for 10 years, mechanical for 7, and cosmetic
for 5 (or was it 3?). What the law currently is, I don't know.


What jurisdiction is that? Is that federal, state (which state)?


Federal.


What if a company goes out of business?


There would be no entity the law could be enforced against.


Do you have a reference?


No, but the head of Sony parts confirmed this seven or eight years ago.


Are you sure he wasn't talking about company policy? I have never heard of
such a thing, unless it is during the warranty period. What kind of products
does this cover?




  #21   Report Post  
William Sommerwerck
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

Do you have a reference?

No, but the head of Sony parts confirmed this seven or eight years ago.


Are you sure he wasn't talking about company policy? I have never
heard of such a thing, unless it is during the warranty period. What
kinds of products does this cover?


AFAIK, it's the law. It covers just about everything. Manufacturers are not
allowed to immediately "abandon" discontinued products.

Some years ago Sony told me they would not repair items more than ten years
after their official discontinuance, even if they had the parts. I wouldn't be
surprised if that interval were now down to seven, or even five years.

Sony is like most Japanese companies doing business in the US. They aren't much
interested in long-term customer satisfaction, especially when it comes to
supplying reasonably priced service parts.

If you like, I'll ask the "parts honcha" at Sony exactly what current policy is.

  #22   Report Post  
Laurence Payne
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

On Sun, 25 Apr 2004 05:49:14 -0700, "William Sommerwerck"
wrote:

Seven years is not required now, if it ever really was.
They are only required to support the product for the
duration of the warranty period, and this can include
just replacing the product with a refurb or "equivalent"
model.


NOT SO.

A few years back, manufacturers were legally obliged to stock electrical parts
for 10 years, mechanical for 7, and cosmetic for 5 (or was it 3). What the law
currently is, I don't know.


Where does this law apply? I doubt it's a matter for international
law :-)
  #23   Report Post  
William Sommerwerck
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

A few years back, manufacturers were legally obliged to
stock electrical parts for 10 years, mechanical for 7, and
cosmetic for 5 (or was it 3). What the law currently is,
I don't know.


Where does this law apply? I doubt it's a matter for international law :-)


WITHIN THE UNITED STATES. Where ELSE would I be talking about? Good grief.
  #24   Report Post  
Mark A
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

"William Sommerwerck" wrote in message
...
Do you have a reference?


No, but the head of Sony parts confirmed this seven or eight years ago.


Are you sure he wasn't talking about company policy? I have never
heard of such a thing, unless it is during the warranty period. What
kinds of products does this cover?


AFAIK, it's the law. It covers just about everything. Manufacturers are

not
allowed to immediately "abandon" discontinued products.

Some years ago Sony told me they would not repair items more than ten

years
after their official discontinuance, even if they had the parts. I

wouldn't be
surprised if that interval were now down to seven, or even five years.

Sony is like most Japanese companies doing business in the US. They aren't

much
interested in long-term customer satisfaction, especially when it comes to
supplying reasonably priced service parts.

If you like, I'll ask the "parts honcha" at Sony exactly what current

policy is.

I searched the FTC site. which regulates warranties in the USA. I did not
find anything about stocking parts. I would bet you big money that what you
think is a law, is really just Sony internal policy.

Actually, manufacturers are not required by law to stock any parts so long
as they honor the warranty. They have the right to just send you a new or
factory refurbed unit instead of replacing a bad part. Manufacturers are not
required to perform any repairs or parts past the warranty period.

I am not sure why you think Sony is not interested in long term customer
satisfaction. Generally Japanese firms are much more interested in customer
satisfaction than US firms, because for one reason, there is much less
emphasis on quarterly earnings in Japan.

I recently got a quote from Sony for repairing a computer monitor that is 7
years old. Like all their non-warranty repairs, they charge a flat fee
regardless of the problem. I decided not to do it because of the 2-way
shipping charges for the 75 lb monitor were fairly high and I didn't have
the original shipping box.


  #25   Report Post  
Laurence Payne
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

On Sun, 25 Apr 2004 09:04:19 -0700, "William Sommerwerck"
wrote:

Where does this law apply? I doubt it's a matter for international law :-)


WITHIN THE UNITED STATES. Where ELSE would I be talking about? Good grief.


Oh dear :-)

This Internet thing, it's global you know.


  #26   Report Post  
William Sommerwerck
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

I searched the FTC site. which regulates warranties in the USA.
I did not find anything about stocking parts. I would bet you big
money that what you think is a law, is really just Sony internal policy.


This has nothing to do with warranties. I've seen it, but it was years ago, and
I don't remember where.


Actually, manufacturers are not required by law to stock any parts
so long as they honor the warranty. They have the right to just send
you a new or factory refurbed unit instead of replacing a bad part.
Manufacturers are not required to perform any repairs or parts past
the warranty period.


To the best of my knowledge, none of this is so.


I am not sure why you think Sony is not interested in long term customer
satisfaction.


When the replacement cable for a $100 pair of headphones costs $60, you KNOW
they are not interested in long-term customer satisfaction.


Generally Japanese firms are much more interested in customer
satisfaction than US firms, because for one reason, there is much
less emphasis on quarterly earnings in Japan.


This seems to be true in Japan, but not in the US. I can't think of any Japanese
electronics firm that provides really good customer service to its US customers.


I'm going to ask Bonnie. I'll let everyone know sometime next week.

  #27   Report Post  
Mark D. Zacharias
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

California was one state which dictated a 7-year parts availability.
Unfortunately NAFTA, GATT, etc have superceded these state laws.

Sony's current repair policy, as distinguished from their long-term parts
availability policy, is that they will service products at a flat rate for 7
years, assuming no physical damage, severe abuse, botched service attempts,
etc.

Beyond the 7 years, they will service it on a "time and materials" basis,
assuming parts are available.

The fly in this ointment is that they often no longer have anyone on staff
familiar with the old product. Very often, and I say this because I have
seen it personally, they will simply identify a part no longer available for
that model, then say, that's what it needs, sorry, can't fix it, would you
like the piece back for the minimum charge? Even though the part specified
had NOTHING to do with the stated complaint. For example a mechanical part
when the symptom was static in the sound.

So you've just gone to the trouble of packing, shipping, insuring, waiting,
etc only to find they never even gave a good-faith effort toward fixing the
piece.

Mark Z.

--
Please reply only to Group. I regret this is necessary. Viruses and spam
have rendered my regular e-mail address useless.


"Laurence Payne" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 25 Apr 2004 09:04:19 -0700, "William Sommerwerck"
wrote:

Where does this law apply? I doubt it's a matter for international law

:-)

WITHIN THE UNITED STATES. Where ELSE would I be talking about? Good

grief.

Oh dear :-)

This Internet thing, it's global you know.



  #28   Report Post  
Marc Wielage
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

On Sat, 24 Apr 2004 19:18:39 -0700, William Sommerwerck wrote
(in message ):

If so, this is a break with Sony's policy. I had been told by the head of
their parts division that they never threw out parts.
--------------------------------snip----------------------------------


Oh, I never said they were going to THROW the parts AWAY. Just that they're
not going to go out of their way to maintain a large stock of parts anymore.

The theory is that they're going to start replacing more boards (if not
entire products) rather than do a lot of board-level repair anymore. Again,
this is all hearsay, and I haven't gotten confirmation about it. But it's in
keeping with Sony closing more and more of their factory-owned service
centers. For example, there's no more Sony consumer factory service in LA --
a city of 10 million people. Pretty startling.

--MFW



  #29   Report Post  
Mark A
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

"Marc Wielage" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 24 Apr 2004 19:18:39 -0700, William Sommerwerck wrote
(in message ):

If so, this is a break with Sony's policy. I had been told by the head

of
their parts division that they never threw out parts.
--------------------------------snip----------------------------------


Oh, I never said they were going to THROW the parts AWAY. Just that

they're
not going to go out of their way to maintain a large stock of parts

anymore.

The theory is that they're going to start replacing more boards (if not
entire products) rather than do a lot of board-level repair anymore.

Again,
this is all hearsay, and I haven't gotten confirmation about it. But it's

in
keeping with Sony closing more and more of their factory-owned service
centers. For example, there's no more Sony consumer factory service in

LA --
a city of 10 million people. Pretty startling.

--MFW

For many years Sony and most other manufacturers have had independent
authorized service centers for warranty and non-warranty repairs run by
independent electronics service companies. Check your yellow pages for
details.

In the past, these independent survive companies existed in almost every
medium size or larger city, but there is a trend (on the part of consumers)
toward not repairing mid-level consumer equipment because of large scale
integrated assemblies, the high labor cost involved, the rapid rate of
technological obsolescence, and the declining cost of new replacement
products.

I don't think Sony is any worse than other manufacturers, and in most
respects they are better than most.


  #30   Report Post  
William Sommerwerck
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

The theory is that they're going to start replacing more boards (if
not entire products) rather than do a lot of board-level repair anymore.
Again, this is all hearsay, and I haven't gotten confirmation about it.
But it's in keeping with Sony closing more and more of their factory-
owned service centers. For example, there's no more Sony consumer
factory service in LA -- a city of 10 million people. Pretty startling.


I've sent e-mail to a friend at Sony. Hopefully, she'll let us know in a few
days.

Seattle -- not a small city, either -- lost its Sony factory-service shop about
a year ago. Their charges were not especially attractive (whose are?), and in
one case I had to lecture the manager about how a dictation machine should be
repaired. (It turned out their diagnosis was wrong and mine was right. Oddly,
they performed the repair at no charge.)



  #31   Report Post  
GMAN
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

In article , "Mark A" wrote:
"William Sommerwerck" wrote in message
...
A few years back, manufacturers were legally obliged to stock
electrical parts for 10 years, mechanical for 7, and cosmetic
for 5 (or was it 3?). What the law currently is, I don't know.


What jurisdiction is that? Is that federal, state (which state)?


Federal.


What if a company goes out of business?


There would be no entity the law could be enforced against.


Do you have a reference?


No, but the head of Sony parts confirmed this seven or eight years ago.


Are you sure he wasn't talking about company policy? I have never heard of
such a thing, unless it is during the warranty period. What kind of products
does this cover?


I am pretty sure this 7 year law is out there since i remember reading up on
it years ago too. Its a federal law and i beleive the original purpose whas to
make sure OTC parts were available for a set amount of time for military
resupply.\
  #32   Report Post  
GMAN
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

In article , "Mark A" wrote:
"William Sommerwerck" wrote in message
...
Do you have a reference?


No, but the head of Sony parts confirmed this seven or eight years ago.


Are you sure he wasn't talking about company policy? I have never
heard of such a thing, unless it is during the warranty period. What
kinds of products does this cover?


AFAIK, it's the law. It covers just about everything. Manufacturers are

not
allowed to immediately "abandon" discontinued products.

Some years ago Sony told me they would not repair items more than ten

years
after their official discontinuance, even if they had the parts. I

wouldn't be
surprised if that interval were now down to seven, or even five years.

Sony is like most Japanese companies doing business in the US. They aren't

much
interested in long-term customer satisfaction, especially when it comes to
supplying reasonably priced service parts.

If you like, I'll ask the "parts honcha" at Sony exactly what current

policy is.

I searched the FTC site. which regulates warranties in the USA. I did not
find anything about stocking parts. I would bet you big money that what you
think is a law, is really just Sony internal policy.


I am pretty sure i have seen this 7 year law out there too.




Actually, manufacturers are not required by law to stock any parts so long
as they honor the warranty. They have the right to just send you a new or
factory refurbed unit instead of replacing a bad part. Manufacturers are not
required to perform any repairs or parts past the warranty period.

I am not sure why you think Sony is not interested in long term customer
satisfaction. Generally Japanese firms are much more interested in customer
satisfaction than US firms, because for one reason, there is much less
emphasis on quarterly earnings in Japan.

I recently got a quote from Sony for repairing a computer monitor that is 7
years old. Like all their non-warranty repairs, they charge a flat fee
regardless of the problem. I decided not to do it because of the 2-way
shipping charges for the 75 lb monitor were fairly high and I didn't have
the original shipping box.


  #33   Report Post  
Marc Wielage
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

On Mon, 26 Apr 2004 3:21:18 -0700, Mark A wrote
(in message ):

For many years Sony and most other manufacturers have had independent
authorized service centers for warranty and non-warranty repairs run by
independent electronics service companies.
--------------------------------snip----------------------------------


The only problem there is, many (but not necessarily most) of them suck.
I've dealt with a dozen independent service shops in LA for the better part
of 25 years, and have yet to find one that can do a consistently good job.
(VTR Service in North Hollywood is good for video gear, but they ain't
cheap.)

Also, my experience is that the factory-owned service centers generally do a
better job the first time, and they also have a much better access to parts.

The point of the message was that consumer electronic manufacturers
everywhere are cutting way back on service, which is a real shame. They're
also making it much harder than ever to get parts, as reflected by David
Satz' message about his DAT deck.

--MFW

  #34   Report Post  
Neill Massello
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

Mark A wrote:

For many years Sony and most other manufacturers have had independent
authorized service centers for warranty and non-warranty repairs run by
independent electronics service companies. Check your yellow pages for
details.

In the past, these independent survive companies existed in almost every
medium size or larger city, but there is a trend (on the part of consumers)
toward not repairing mid-level consumer equipment because of large scale
integrated assemblies, the high labor cost involved, the rapid rate of
technological obsolescence, and the declining cost of new replacement
products.


And the bad experiences Sony customers have had with authorized service
centers. I took a Sony VCR to three different authorized shops when it
started creasing tapes after only two years of moderate use. None of
these authorized service centers was able to make repairs that stuck for
more than a few weeks, even after lengthy stays in the shop -- and I was
always the one who had to keep calling to find out when the VCR would be
ready.


I don't think Sony is any worse than other manufacturers, and in most
respects they are better than most.


But the reliability of mid-level Sony consumer products has declined
more rapidly than other brands in the past ten years, to the point that
it is now worse than average.

  #35   Report Post  
wkearney99
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

Are you sure he wasn't talking about company policy? I have never
heard of such a thing, unless it is during the warranty period. What
kinds of products does this cover?


AFAIK, it's the law. It covers just about everything. Manufacturers are not
allowed to immediately "abandon" discontinued products.


Cite what law requires this. While it may seem like a fine idea I seriously
doubt there's legislation worded to require it.



  #36   Report Post  
wkearney99
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

I am pretty sure this 7 year law is out there since i remember reading up on
it years ago too. Its a federal law and i beleive the original purpose whas to
make sure OTC parts were available for a set amount of time for military
resupply.


Then that would be covered under the contract the supplier had with the GSA.
It's unlikely that legislation is involved. If so, please cite the code
section.

  #37   Report Post  
William Sommerwerck
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

AFAIK, it's the law. It covers just about everything. Manufacturers are not
allowed to immediately "abandon" discontinued products.


Cite what law requires this. While it may seem like a fine idea I seriously
doubt there's legislation worded to require it.


I posted an answer at least a week ago.

It appears there is no Federal law, but many states require manufacturers to at
least provide some "satisfactory" solution to service problems for a period of
time after a product is discontinued.

  #38   Report Post  
Mark A
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

Cite what law requires this. While it may seem like a fine idea I
seriously
doubt there's legislation worded to require it.


I posted an answer at least a week ago.

It appears there is no Federal law, but many states require manufacturers

to at
least provide some "satisfactory" solution to service problems for a

period of
time after a product is discontinued.


That is so vague that it is unenforceable, unless you are talking about
products that are covered under warranty or extended service contracts.


  #39   Report Post  
William Sommerwerck
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

It appears there is no Federal law, but many states require manufacturers
to at least provide some "satisfactory" solution to service problems for a
period of time after a product is discontinued.


That is so vague that it is unenforceable, unless you are talking about
products that are covered under warranty or extended service contracts.


This is what I was told by my friend at Sony, who heads the parts department.

According to her, the period of time is 7 years in California.

Virtually all products are implicitly covered by the common-law implied warranty
of merchantability. Enforcing it is difficult, and it appears that many state
laws have chipped away at it over the years.

  #40   Report Post  
Laurence Payne
 
Posts: n/a
Default Sony Repair Suggestions

On Wed, 5 May 2004 05:47:58 -0700, "William Sommerwerck"
wrote:


It appears there is no Federal law,


And certainly no international one.
 
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