When trouble arises

Synthoid · Post by **Synthoid** » Wed Jul 24, 2013 10:46 pm

I am curious about something... what do you do when you have a serious problem with music gear (or software)? I've wondered this because like some of us, I'm a member of various online forums and read countless posts asking for help.

I mean, it's great if one of us has the answer, but we can't always help... so, does anyone still contact manufacture tech support anymore (via telephone or email)?

Post by **Sharp** » Thu Jul 25, 2013 12:00 am

Good question.
I have two very big problems right now and it's taking me a long time to resolve the issues.

I have a TC Helicon Voice Prism Plus that reboots. It's an electrical problem and the best electronics repair guy I know has no clue as to what the cause it as all. I email TC Helicon and they never even bother replying. So this is going to be a problem for a while to come. I can't bring myself to replacing the unit as it's in mint condition and a shame to throw out.

My second problem, I'm slowly getting to the bottom of. My Tascam SX-1 mixing desk developed a two faults. One I fixed myself, but for the second, I'm having problems getting the part I need to fix it. Tascam are very poor on customer support. I found them to be actually dishonest as a company which is something I've not experienced before from a musical company.

So for me when things go bad, it will normally take me a lot of time to get a solution. Causes me a lot of frustration too. Support is not what it should be in many companies. They seem to have the impression they make toasters you can just throw away when they break down.

Regards
Sharp

charlie67 · Post by **charlie67** » Thu Jul 25, 2013 5:35 am

Too many people accept hardware or software problems as part of the game. If you pay a fair amount of cash (or credit) for an article, you should get a fair return from the retailer or manufacturer. I don’t know how the law works in Ireland or elsewhere, but in UK there is an act called “The sale of goods act” (there is bound to be something similar in most advanced countries). This act is to protect the buyer against unfair practices by retailers and manufacturers. Too many people also think that a Warranty has some force in law. This is not true. A Warranty (or Guarrantee) has no force in law at all. It is a trick by retailers and manufacturers to limit their responsibilities to the length of the warranty. In UK, a faulty article might be several years old, but depending on what it cost, a court will mostly find in the buyers favour. A threat of using court action (providing it is not frivolous), citing the relevant act of Parliament, should be enough to make the retailer or manufacturer (the retailer usually has first responsibility) sit up and take notice. Personally, I don’t make a threat of this kind without intending to go the whole way but that is for the individual to decide. Court action does not need to be expensive. In UK, there is a court called “The small claims Court.” This court does not need to use the services of solicitors or lawyers and it rules on cases of up to several thousand pounds. Maybe this kind of court exists elsewhere. If more people were prepared to use these laws, retailers and manufacturers wouldn’t take so many liberties.

Bald Eagle · Post by **Bald Eagle** » Thu Jul 25, 2013 11:55 am

When I have a serious problem I try resolving it in this order ...

Myself by reading manuals and/or searching google
Asking for help from friends and on forums
Contacting retail outlet if recent purchase
Contacting service technician
Contact manufacturer

Quite some time ago the first thing I would do was contact the manufacturer for help but getting any assistance in a timely manner earned them all last place on my current sources for support. The keyword here is "timely". Many manufacturers want to help resolve problems, I just want a resolution in my lifetime.

Synthoid · Post by **Synthoid** » Thu Jul 25, 2013 5:39 pm

Over the years I've had a few issues/questions regarding my Triton and M3. I'd usually contact Korg's USA tech support, and until the last year, was very satisfied with the help I received.

They used to offer phone support Monday-Friday... but then cut back to only 3 days a week--with shorter hours.

Synthoid · Post by **Synthoid** » Thu Jul 25, 2013 5:39 pm

Double post...

SanderXpander · Post by **SanderXpander** » Thu Jul 25, 2013 7:59 pm

I usually go for the forum and investigating myself, then mailing the distributor or manufacterer. It differs a lot per company what kind of response you get. E.g. the Korg distributor in The Netherlands will sometimes not even answer emails and it's almost impossible to get someone with technical know-how on the phone. I've actually ended up ordering a felt strip for my Triton Extreme keyboard from Yamaha Benelux because they knew what I needed and could supply it.

Whenever I've needed help from Moog they've always been excellent both with response time and expertise, down to a very technical level. Roland Benelux is also excellent and has actually sent me JX10 ROM update chips for free twice (because I lost them once, duh). For a synth from 1985 or something I think that's incredible service.