New receiver came in. I think I've been had (1 Viewer)

[NickGiovas]

Well, I've been floating on cloud nine lately - I got my brand new Toshiba 65HDX82 yesterday - looks awesome!! Comcast confirmed my appointment to receive HD cable next Tuesday - after buying my dish back for $400 Lastly - I knew UPS would be delivering my new Pioneer Elite vsx-45tx today. How could things possibly get better.
Boy was I wrong. When I arrived home from work I saw the box sitting inside the front door waiting for me to dig in. When I opened the outer shipping box I immediately saw the label for my new receiver on the inner box. I couldn't wait to set it up and listen to anything I could get my hands on. Unfortunately, one of the first things I noticed was that all of the stickers on the box had been cut off. That's strange - the outer box was fully intact and sealed. I then noticed that the bottom of the box was sealed with "Pioneer" tape. The top wasn't - things weren't looking good. I opened the box and noticed that everything was neatly wrapped in foam and plastic bags. Already very worried, I immediately pulled the receiver from the box and noticed that the serial number tag was gone - cleanly removed and replaced by a new sticker which had been obviously made by a cheap label maker. I also noticed some "sticker residue" on the bottom edge of the receiver where I suspect that there was a sticker that said "do not remove this seal or you will void your warranty (although I don't know if this should be there or not). Now thoroughly depressed, I also noticed that the front of the receiver didn't have the usual protective plastic film on the screen which I thought was always there on new electronics.
I immediately ran for the phone - I didn't get home until 8pm tonight - they were closed. I quickly checked there web site because I new that it clearly stated that they only sold new items with a full warranty (or had it?). comparing my printout of the screen to the web I noticed they had already covered there tracks (partially). It originally stated (I have the printout):
"ALL PRODUCTS ARE BRAND NEW AND COME WITH A 30 DAY DEFECT EXCHANGE GUARANTEE AND A FULL ONE YEAR PRODUCT WARRANTY"
It now says:
"ALL PRODUCTS ARE BRAND NEW AND COME WITH A 30 DAY DEFECT EXCHANGE GUARANTEE(except TV's and large speakers).CALL (800-957-7829) FOR ANY EXCHANGES. AFTER 30 DAYS,WE WILL SERVICE THE PRODUCT FOR YOU FOR ONE FULL YEAR."
Well, It still says all products are brand new. How do I know if mine is new or not? It may be, but I am suspicious. Does anyone else know how these receivers are normally packed? There was a piece of "blue-green" tape holding the front panel door closed, but do they normally have protective film on the screen? It looks new - its clean, shiny, free from scratches. All of the manuals and paperwork (including the 2 YEAR Pioneer warranty) were in plastic bags. I'm not sure I can determine this or not.
The other issue is the warranty - they obviously realized that their very deceiving statement about the warranty was going to get them in trouble - it changed from last week when I printed the page. Unfortunately, I should have noticed that it didn't say "manufactures warranty"
I will call them immediately tomorrow morning. I doubt they will tell me much - "of course it's new". "our website doesn't say it's a manufactures warranty". If I try and return it they will hit me with a 25% restocking fee plus shipping. After everything settled down - I did plug it in and it does work. Should I keep it and just be more cautious in the future? I did pay a very low price ($800 including shipping - this should have been the first clue I shouldn't buy it). Do you think raising a stink will do anything besides raise my blood pressure? If I knew it was new and they just removed the labels so it couldn't be traced I may consider keeping it to avoid all of the hassle and fees, but if it is re-manufactured I don't think it is worth it even if it does work.
Luckily I confirmed that the local shop where I purchased my new tv is an authorized dealer.

 

[NickGiovas]

I just looked at some pics someone had posted in another thread of the back of this unit - no "seal" on the lower edge, but an obvious difference in the "authentic" serial number sticker.

 

[Jack Briggs]

Nick, obviously the thing is not stock, and that was obvious from the beginning. Tell us how it comes out when you resolve the matter.

 

[Dodie]

what online e-tailer did you buy your receiver?

 

[Wayne Ernst]

what online e-tailer did you buy your receiver?

Not to speculate too much, but Crazie Eddie comes to mind. I've heard of others purchasing receivers from them before and serial numbers were scraped off the the product. :frowning:

 

[Carl Johnson]

If you're convinced that this is not a new receiver don't call to negotiate. Straight up tell them that you you didn't get what you paid for which is a new receiver and you'll be returning it to them and disputing the charge with your credit card company and reporting them to the better business bureau. If you call and say "uh.... is this a new receiver???" of course they'll say yes. If they in fact make a habit of ripping their customers off you're not the first and they'd probably rather give you your money back rather than take it up with the credit card company.

 

[NickGiovas]

I purchased the receiver from 50topsellers.com. Quite honestly, I have been shopping "mail order" for years (LONG before the internet) and should have known better than to trust such a low price. Especially from a retailer I new nothing about. Grey market products don't always bother me, but usually only for small items. For large purchases I typically like the peace of mind of ordering from a well known reputable dealer. If nothing else, just so I know it will be taken care of if there is a problem.

I am going to call the credit card company later this morning and see what they say. If it looks like it may be a long painful process with my money being held up for a long time I may consider keeping it since it is in good condition (again, no scratches or visible marks, all features appear to work after a quick glance) and just chalk this one up to experience.

If they can credit me in the next few weeks, or if 50topsellers will return it with no cost to me, I will look into returning it and looking for another.

Thanks for the quick responses. I needed some reassuring from my "Home Theater Support Group" after my experience.

Nick

 

[BenK]

Nick, a little off topic but I just confirmed a few minutes ago an appointment from Comcast for HD cable next Tuesday also. What city are you in? I'd like to hear about your experience with it when its hooked up.

 

[Joaquin]

Nick, it sure sounds like a refurb unit, I bought the same receiver about 6 weeks ago from a shop here in town and everything was new, I had now doubt about that, the front of the receiver did not have a plastic wrapping, but everything was brand new, very clean and no finger marks at all...

 

[Patrick Sun]

If you ever have problems with this receiver later, you might not get the Pioneer to help if it's from the grey market w/r/t warranty coverage.

 

[Bill Lucas]

Nick,

There is NO authorized online dealer for Pioneer Elite product. You bought a gray market receiver. Pioneer does not put protective film on the front of its receivers. The serial number was removed so that the offending dealer or distributor that put the product into the gray market could not be tracked.

Pioneer is under no obligation to honor the warranty. Since the serial number has been removed there is a very high probability that they won't service it under warranty. Regards and good luck.

 

[Thomas Jack]

Luckily I confirmed that the local shop where I purchased my new tv is an authorized dealer.

What do you mean here?

Authorized dealer for Elite or your TV?

If it is an authorized Elite dealer, why didn't you buy it there? Where did you demo this receiver, if at all?

Return it and consider the 25% restocking fee as an "experience".

Buy from a local dealer!!! That is the only way to get the service YOU deserve for a purchase like that.

Just what I would do. Good luck.

 

[RussKon]

Nick,

So, to save a few bucks you bought a gray market receiver, obviously with no warrantee.

Yeah, the local dealer is good enough to go into and audition the receiver, answer any questions, and get a feel for all the controls BUT not good enough to purchase from?????

You did enough research to find the lowest price online but didn't bother to find out that there are no authorized dealers online?????

You got what you deserved!!!!!!

 

[Chris*Liberti]

I can guarantee that the shop online is not an authorised dealer because there are NO authorized online dealers for elite products.

 

[NickGiovas]

Thanks for the awesome support guys. I live in Clarkston Michigan. There are no authorized dealers here to support. I guess I got what I deserved because those of us who live in outlying areas don't deserve the convenience of purchasing over the internet when something isn't available locally. If I could have found this stereo in stock within a decent drive I would have purchased it locally.

I purchased my Toshiba 65HDX82 from a local authorized dealer (40 miles away) and had no problem supporting them since they assisted me with my choice. Unfortunately, that same dealer didn't carry the Elite line or I would have purchased from them just for the service aspect.

 

[Chris*Liberti]

The other unfortunate thing with Elites is the online dealers sell them for a lot lower than the authorized. Most of the ones that the non authorized dealers have are grey market or over stocks that are sold to them with no warranty.

 

[Steve Schaffer]

Like Nick, I could not find a local dealer that sells Pioneer Elite. My VSX45TX arrived today from another online source, and I had not taken it out of the foam wrap until reading this thread. Mine has the blue-green tape on the door in front, no fingerprints, no sticky residue. The serial number is on a stick-on label below another barcode label printed directly on the metal of the unit. There is no Pioneer tape on the box at all, and it appears that a sticker about 3"x4" has been peeled off one side of the box. There is one sticker on the box identical to the serial number sticker on the back of the unit.
The following is a link to the page on the dealer's website stating the item is "covered by Pioneer Elites's two-year warranty"
http://www.etronics.com/product.asp?...tx&SVBName=303
Elsewhere on their site they come right out and state they aren't authorized for Denon, JVC, and one other brand and state that factory wty doesn't apply on those products but they will wty them. I would think if the Pioneer Elite warranty was no good they'd have included them in this disclaimer also--they are selling Denon stuff of equal price.
I haven't hooked up the unit yet, but if it works as it should I'm just gonna keep it.

 

[MWestyn]

I just bought a Marantz SR7300 from an online vendor (acousticsounddesign.com). They state outright that they are not an authorized dealer but will support the manufacturer's warranty with their own.

I just got the unit this week and found about the same results on my unit...looks brand new but the shipping tape had been cut and retaped, the serial number has a cheap label over it, and there is a sticker peeled off on the bottom.

I'm trying to decide what to do. The unit works fine, but I'm getting a little buyer's remorse (not from the product, it sound's great) from the insecurity of having a grey market product. Granted the unit is only covered by Marantz for a year anyway, it still would be nice to have the peace of mind of knowing that they mfr would try to help you out in the future, if need be.

 

[RussKon]

Message deleted by Administration. Kindly refrain from such derisive comments in the future or your account will be suspended.
'Nuff said.

 

[David Harris]

I also purchased my 45tx from 50 top sellers along with a couple other products, knowing that they wouldnt be covered by manufacturers warranty, the 45 tx was exactly as you described, down to the taping of the box....but 50 top sellers has always been good about answering questions, phones etc....i have had my 45tx for 2 months now and haven't had any problems, i believe this unit is new and not a refurb, because when i got this receiver it had just been released and none of my local stores even had shippments yet, i would enjoy it if i were you and dont loose sleep over a problem until you have one...73 dharris