I thought DENON was reliable?

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Yeah, I use Panamax line/surge + Tripp lite 20a surge, but I need to get whole-house surge protection.

BTW, a have a refurb AVP-A1HDCI from ecost scheduled for delivery on Thursday, which means I'll have to probably pick it up on Friday since I'm never home when those delivery people come.

I'll let you guys know how the "refurb" unit is. Some people say they have bad experience with eCost. I've had great experience with them. So this should be a little interesting - buying a $3,680 refurb Denon (shipping is $80).

I recently bought a "brand new" AVP-A1HDCI from onecall that looked like a "refurb" - scratches and everything. I returned that one. So I will compare that with the eCost unit.

I am sending my AVR-5308 in for warranty repair to Panurgy OEM Denon Repair Center in NJ via UPS today, which costs $80 shipping. When I get it back, I'm planning on selling the AVR-5308.

If everything goes according to plan, which is absolutely no guarantee these days, I will again leave the "realm" of the AVR and enter the realm of the sole PRE-PRO.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Well, I got the refurb AVP from eCost today. Comestically, it looked pretty new. I hooked up everything just like the brand new one.

But then......there was NO SOUND!!!

So now I'm doing a full firmware update (140min) to see if it will fix this issue. If not, of course, I'm sending it right back to eCost.

I'm losing faith in Denon.

 

[bandphan]

Cough*mcintosh*cough

 

[dapack69]

Wow, spend over $3500 for something I would expect it to work perfectly; refurbished or not.

 

[3db]

The electronics in HT receivers is so complex that I'm not surprised at all too see what happend to the Denon. The more complex you get, the better the chance that something will fail. Its just the way it is.

Accudef.. I would not sell this unit based on one failure. Lets see how Denon handles your case. If it breaks down again, then sell it. Chances of something else failing is much much less than teh first failure you experienced.

If you feel compelled to sell, get a Yamaha RX-Z11. They've been bullet proof.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I'm doing a full firmware update (140min) to see if it will fix this issue.

Did not work!

Even called Denon Tech.

Going back to eCost.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Cough*mcintosh*cough

I hate to say this, but if I change in the future, I may just go with everything made in the USA!

 

[dapack69]

Did not work!

Even called Denon Tech.

Going back to eCost.

That has to hit a nerve or two.

 

[lietuvis91]

so much talk about buying refurbished makes me wonder...

so where do you guys buy refurbished denon stuff? What are some good places to look?

 

[GlocksRock]

so much talk about buying refurbished makes me wonder...

so where do you guys buy refurbished denon stuff? What are some good places to look?

ecost.com and accessories4less.com

 

[KEW]

Did not work!

Even called Denon Tech.

Going back to eCost.

Let us know how ecost handles things. I have not seen much talking about how good (or bad) customer service is with ecost.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I would never buy any more refurbished items over $500!!!

I just talked to the supervisor at eCost to return my AVP-A1 because the customer service said I could NOT return the AVP-A1 even though it's DEFECTIVE!!!

The supervisor says he has to talk to his manager!

Denon Tech: Michael
Case Reference# 100924-000005

How they hell can eCost expect people to keep defective products?

I threatened to dispute this with PayPal & my credit card company and report their a$$ to the BBB if they don't take this defective thing back!

I have lost total faith in eCost!!!

 

[GlocksRock]

Let us know how ecost handles things. I have not seen much talking about how good (or bad) customer service is with ecost.

I recently purchased a refurbished sansa clip + .mp3 player from ecost, it came with the clip broken, so I called them and they told me I needed to send it back via their prepaid return label, and purchase another one, and upon receipt of the old one I would be issued a refund. Everything went very smooth with this RMA and I received my refund in a timely manner. I guess when you purchase expensive items online you need to be well aware of the return polcies before you buy.

 

[GlocksRock]

I would never buy any more refurbished items over $500!!!

I just talked to the supervisor at eCost to return my AVP-A1 because the customer service said I could NOT return the AVP-A1 even though it's DEFECTIVE!!!

The supervisor says he has to talk to his manager!

Denon Tech: Michael
Case Reference# 100924-000005

How they hell can eCost expect people to keep defective products?

I threatened to dispute this with PayPal & my credit card company and report their a$$ to the BBB if they don't take this defective thing back!

I have lost total faith in eCost!!!

Did it say anywhere what the return policy is on that particular item?

 

[jostenmeat]

Sorry ADTG!! I thought that ecost didn't have a good rep? Wasn't it Dakmart that was the place to go for refurbed Denons, can't recall 100% . . .

At this price point I like Anthem and Integra (I'd probably prefer the Integra once a newer iteration arrives).

One issue is too many, but the second time? I say once resolved, run away, unless the warranty is a good long one and is comprehensive, because if there is a third time you will not have any hair left. It would be just too much worry over a unit that costs this much. I think it might cause you unneeded stress in the future . . . mmm I dunno, but I wish you luck.

 

[darien87]

I would never buy any more refurbished items over $500!!!

I just talked to the supervisor at eCost to return my AVP-A1 because the customer service said I could NOT return the AVP-A1 even though it's DEFECTIVE!!!

The supervisor says he has to talk to his manager!

Denon Tech: Michael
Case Reference# 100924-000005

How they hell can eCost expect people to keep defective products?

I threatened to dispute this with PayPal & my credit card company and report their a$$ to the BBB if they don't take this defective thing back!

I have lost total faith in eCost!!!

$3,700 and they're giving you grief over returning a defective unit?!?!? Sorry, but if that was me, I'd be driving there personally just so I could punch the guy in the face and then drop the processor on his head.

 

[KEW]

Sorry you are having such a tough time, ATDG.

After getting this crap straight with ecost, you might consider finding the closest high-end shop in your area and working with them. In your premium price range, a good shop should be willing to unbox and test (to your satisfaction) a new piece of gear and, should something go south on it, loan you a reasonable demo unit until your unit gets repaired. I bet if you asked them up front, you could get them to agree to take care of processing a warranty claim. You might not get the best price, but at least you will have support to avoid the kind of frustrations you are seeing. Hopefully, you won't have any more issues.

I wonder why they would be so casual about returning a Sansa MP3, but balk at returning a $3700 unit. Maybe they have to eat the shipping costs.

Did you ask for an exchange or a refund? They shouldn't hesitate to do either, but if they won't even exchange it for another unit, that is extreme!

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

After threatening them, Ecost decided to send me a pre-paid UPS return label. The supervisor also called me to apologize.

It's amazing what a little threatening can do!

I will be keeping my AVR-5308 after I get it back from Denon Service.

Please let my AVP & AVR remain perfect for at least 10 yrs!

No more buying for me for a while.

I talked to the Denon Tech Michael, and he said that Dakmart has a really bad reputation from Denon customers.

I think we can put both Ecost + Dakmart into that "bad" category, especially for anything over $500.

I've bought quite a few things from Ecost, but most of them are under $400.

A friend of mine recently had to return a $1,500 Denon AVR back to Ecost due to defect!

Lesson learned - I think.

 

[GlocksRock]

After threatening them, Ecost decided to send me a pre-paid UPS return label. The supervisor also called me to apologize.

It's amazing what a little threatening can do!

I will be keeping my AVR-5308 after I get it back from Denon Service.

Please let my AVP & AVR remain perfect for at least 10 yrs!

No more buying for me for a while.

I talked to the Denon Tech Michael, and he said that Dakmart has a really bad reputation from Denon customers.

I think we can put both Ecost + Dakmart into that "bad" category, especially for anything over $500.

I've bought quite a few things from Ecost, but most of them are under $400.

A friend of mine recently had to return a $1,500 Denon AVR back to Ecost due to defect!

Lesson learned - I think.

I wouldn't write ecost off over this, it could just have easily happened to a brand new unit, and it's not like ecost tests these units when they receive them from Denon. The denons they sell are all mfgr. refurbished, so if anyone is to blame here it's Denon, as ecost just facilitates the sale. I've not had any issues with the Denon receiver I bought from them, and my parents Denon from them is still working great too. It's just the risk you take to save money, if you want the best service and easy returns, buy from a local high end dealer and spend a lot more money... I'm willing to deal with some hassle if the need arises for the sake of saving several hundred dollars.

I've purchased a couple yamaha receivers from ebay, and I figured if I have no issues with it during it's warranty period, then I made a wise decision.

 

[KEW]

I talked to the Denon Tech Michael, and he said that Dakmart has a really bad reputation from Denon customers.

Kind of makes you wonder why Denon continues to use them for a clearance reseller.

I have to say that my opinion of Denon has dropped a bit after this post.