PLEASE HELP, I think my HK AVR-125 just died :( (2 Viewers)

[GraysonAng]

Mine was refurbished.

 

[James Sarno]

wow...I guess i'm pretty lucky then...I've had my 110 since July'01 and it works perfectly...not one problem...I have nothing but good things to say about the unit. So much that I don't even plan a receiver upgrade for at least 5 years...

It's hard though...those 230's look really good

 

[Robert PP]

Mine was also a refurb. How do you determine the manufacture date? Can it be determined from the serial number?

 

[GraysonAng]

Mine had a date on the back that said July 2002.

 

[Robert PP]

I checked my AVR125 and it has a date label on the back that says June 2002.

 

[Rogozhin]

It is an input problem I'm 100% sure

I'm sending it out for repair (HK will pay the cost, not of shipping though), but I have a new Onkyo 898 to replace it

rogo

 

[GraysonAng]

The shop has had my AVR-125 for over a month. They replaced two capacitors and let me take it home, but the problem wasn't fixed so I brought it back to the shop on Saturday.

They sent an e-mail to Harman Kardon yesterday and they're waiting for a response.

It seems like there are so many things that can cause this problem that they are having a hard time pinpointing it!

What a frustrating experience!

Grayson

 

[GraysonAng]

double post

 

[Rogozhin]

graysonang

Do you mean you have the feedback problem??

I will be sending my unit out tommorow-but I'm running a Onkyo TSx601 in the meantime and I can say that it sounds much much better than my 225 (even when it was working correctly, and the bass management is light years ahead of the 225).

rogo

 

[GraysonAng]

I have the problem of the unit shutting off and the ring light blinking red and green.

 

[ChrisLazarko]

I have an AVR-225 and love it. I don't think anything can beat it except a higher HK reciever or seperates. Mine also blew out, took it to the shop, guy fixed in about 3 days. There were 3 things that blew on it, and now it works great again. I'm satisified. Also, I talked to HK rep. and he said if they have to fix it 3 times then ya' get a new one. So just break your reciever 3 times.

 

[Robert PP]

Unfortunately, it is necessary to update my situation once again.

After about a month and a half of trouble free operation, the AVR-125 receiver is starting to crap out again. The receiver shuts off randomly, but this time the power indicator LED does not flicker from green to orange. Instead, it stays green as if the receiver is still on, yet it is off--no power to the speakers, no power to the main information display. Clicking the system power control switch does nothing; the LED just stays green, and the receiver stays off. To get the receiver powered up and working again, the main power switch has to be switched off, for a few minutes it seems. After a few minutes, when I turn the main power switch back on, the LED lights up orange, and I am then able to turn on the receiver using the system power control switch and operate it normally--that is, until the next time this problem repeats itself, which it does.

I think I've just about had it with this Harman Kardon receiver. Is any receiver worth so much trouble? I'll have to schedule some time off work again to take this piece of trash back to the repair shop. If it ever ends up working reliably (doubtful, IMO), I'll keep it for myself. In the meantime, for the original setup (for my girlfriend), the plan is to give in, go to Best Buy, and look for a good Yamaha receiver. Like I said, I think I'm pretty much finished with H/K.

That's all for now folks.

 

[Steve Adams]

Yep...ditch H/K, the major problems are just too much. I would go with a newcastle, pioneer elite, onkyo, NAD, or Yamaha!

Like I have said many times before, I have sold H/K before, over 50% of them come back fried....the rest, like less than 5%.....that tells you something.

 

[Robert PP]

Sorry to bring back an old thread, but I thought I'd give an update as well as ask for some advice.

The repair center that originally did the repairs is no longer in business. The next closest repair center is an hour away. Despite this, I took the time off from work to see about dropping off my receiver there. I finally got to the place, took one look at the place, and the neighborhood it was in, and I turned right back around. The place was in a bad part of town and looked very run down--no way was I about to leave my receiver there.

So I e-mailed Harman Kardon about my problem and they said that they stopped using RadioShack for authorized repairs due to issues with quality of work (geez, now they tell me). He also said he would send me a UPS shipping label to have the unit sent to one of their "Premiere Service Centers" in Hollywood, California. All I had to do was verify my mailing address. So I give him my correct address, but I remind him that I do not have any of the original packing (the box nor the foam inserts), and I ask him for the best way to pack the unit for shipping given this fact. In his reply, he gives me some sales pitch about how their Premiere Service Centers provide the best quality/fastest service, blah blah blah, but he never even addresses my original question: How do I pack this thing since I don't have the original box/packing materials?

So here I am.

Anybody have any good suggestions on how to pack an H/K AVR125 receiver for shipping, if you DON'T have the original box/packing materials that came with the receiver?

Do I just get a big box and stuff it with newspapers? What if the receiver gets damaged during shipment, won't I be held liable?

Once again, any assistance is greatly appreciated!

Robert P.

 

[ColinM]

CYA = cover your ass.

I have the luxury of a fully stocked warehouse, so boxing is no problem. If you can get a nice new box and some anti-stat bubblewrap, you are set. Otherwise, mailboxes etc et.al.

Newspaper is a no-no. And make sure you get an RMA# if you need it. CYA....

 

[Rogozhin]

Update here too

I got my 225back from the repair shop and sold it on ebay because of these problems.

Bought a 601 instead of the 898, and it sounds alot better than the 225 to my ears.

Rogo

 

[Wayne Ernst]

What if the receiver gets damaged during shipment, won't I be held liable?

Robert, in my experience:

1) FedEx Ground shipping tends to be about the cheapest method to get some of this nature to the destination you need to. Plus, I believe FedEx is more reliable in taking care of your package. Other carriers like to play "football" with your packages.
2) Purchase enough insurance to cover the value of the receiver, it should be quite cheap. The first $100 in insurance is free.
3) If the item gets damanged on the way to the repair facility, hopefully, they would notify you within adequate time.
4) If there is damage, you can fill out a claim with FedEx.
5) Fed Ex is good about paying their claims. I've heard some not-so-good stories about UPS.

* - I'm not affiliated with FedEx, but amp just a happy customer of theirs and have used UPS and FedEx enough to know which one I prefer based on how my packages get handled.

 

[Steve Adams]

I hate UPS.....go fed ex for sure!

 

[Robert PP]

Thanks for all the info.

As far as FedEx vs. other shipping options, unless I want to pay for my own shipping, I think I'm stuck with UPS, since the rep stated that he would be sending me a UPS shipping label. I'm assuming that this label means the shipping costs are pre-paid.

When I'm ready to ship I will take a look at purchasing shipping insurance...

Thanks guys.

 

[Robert PP]

Please Help!

The saga continues with my AVR-125. I think I've had it and I am thinking of requesting a full refund (is that even remotely likely?).

Here's my letter to H/K customer service. If anyone has any suggestions, please, I would love to hear from you and it would be greatly appreciated. I have changed the names of the parties involved:



H/K Rep,

Good evening. I contacted Mr. Facility Manager at H/K Premiere Facility "X" on July 2 to ask about the status of my unit. Apparently he was expecting that the necessary paperwork would be included with my shipment, and after finding none upon receipt of the unit, allowed it to sit idle in their facility for almost a month until I finally happened to give them a phone call. Since you did not instruct me in your e-mail correspondence to include any such information, I had assumed that you would provide all such pertinent information to the facility, specifically, warranty information and a detailed description and history of the problem, all of which can be found in all of our previous e-mail correspondence.

At any rate, I was able to forward all of the information (the entire thread of the e-mail correspondence as well as a scanned copy of the original packing invoice) to Mr. Manager on the following Monday, July 5, so they have had all the required warranty information and background on the problem needed to proceed with any diagnostic and repair work.

I called the facility again today and Mr. Manager said that they have found nothing wrong with the unit. He again asked me to describe verbally what was wrong with the unit, and I replied that I really had no idea what exactly was wrong, it's really a long story, but that a detailed history of the problem is available in the e-mail that I sent him. From what I gather, he has not read the e-mail. It is his impression that there is nothing wrong with the unit. He will conduct one more test on the unit tomorrow, after which he will be shipping it back to me if he agains sees nothing wrong with the unit.

I really want to put an end to this back-and-forth with this defective receiver. After all of this I can tell you that chasing down the problems that this receiver has is not worth my time or my treasure. Upon receipt of the receiver, I can immediately have it shipped to you, and I would like a full refund for the purchase price of the receiver.

Regards,
Robert PP



It really was shipped to one of their Premiere Service Centers: "Our Premier Service Centers take it a step further by offering exceptional customer service, faster turnaround times and by using the most sophisticated diagnostic/repair tools available." :frowning:

Any suggestions? Is the e-mail too harsh? Not harsh enough? Not tactful enough? Too wordy? Won't make a spit of difference?
:frowning:


My sincerest gratitude for any help that anyone here can provide.