After reading some glowing reviews on these forums, I bought a Mack warranty, including bulb replacement, for my Sony TV (from a vendor that posts here). When the bulb went bad at 5000 hours, I contacted Mack, they sent me a control number and told me to replace the bulb at my expense, and said that I would be reimbursed after they received the receipt and the old bulb.

I did so, and they received the old bulb and receipt on March 4. After numerous phone calls, I get promises, but no check.

Are they just that incompetent that they can't get a check mailed out after two-and-a-half months? Or are they scamming me? Figuring that out will influence where I go from here.

I would send a PM to mack camera so he can look into this for you.

I had (and currently have) the Mack warranty and did not experience a problem getting reimbursed. I would say that this is an exception, but a very frustrating one...sorry to hear about the hassle. I would say that since many have not had issues, you can feel some comfort in knowing it will get straightened out.

See my thread here.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1088544&highlight=bulb+warranty

We have some representation from there ....PM those tags.

Hope this helps.

I have one of these warranties and a payment delay would not be such a big problem for me, but right now we have to worry about who is going to be in business next month in any industry.

The people I have dealt with have been incompetent. I filed a claim in mid March, was told they would order the bulb and it would take about 4 weeks. I e-mailed them about 1 week ago to check the status, guess what...they never ordered the bulb. Now they say 6 weeks and that it is a special order for the Planar PD7130 from Pureland Supply. Pureland sent them an e-mail on March 13th asking Mack if it was OK to proceed with the order, the dolts there never responded. Then they forward me the e-mail from Pureland showing Mack's negligence. They are supposedly paying close to $650 for the bulb, when Planar has it in stock for $499...that makes a lot of sense....total morons.

Thanks for the replies, I left a PM for Mack Camera, we'll see what happens. Just seems absurd that Apple can get me an Ipod, personally engraved and shipped from China, in less than 72 hours-- but after two-and-a-half months, I still can't get a check from the other side of the country.

I just e-mailed Pureland Supply, the place Mack gets the bulbs from. Pureland has been a pleasure to deal with, I wish I could say the same for Mack. I have e-mailed Pureland twice, both times I received a response within an hour or so. Jon there was courteous and knows his business. Too bad Pureland wasn't the warranty company.

Update: I guess the answer to my original question is, they're just incompetent.

Although Mack Camera never answered the PM I left them here, after three more phone calls they did put the check in the mail and it arrived today. Gawd, I hope this TV never breaks-- if they're this bad on something this simple, I'd hate to have to deal with them on a significant claim........

How does one go about getting a Mack Warranty? eg, I live in Ontario Canada and bought my refurb HD65 2 or 3 weeks ago. Is it posssible for me to buy a mack lamp warranty?

took several weeks but my claim went thru & check arrived for a PJ bulb.

patience.

After reading some glowing reviews on these forums, I bought a Mack warranty, including bulb replacement, for my Sony TV (from a vendor that posts here). When the bulb went bad at 5000 hours, I contacted Mack, they sent me a control number and told me to replace the bulb at my expense, and said that I would be reimbursed after they received the receipt and the old bulb.

I did so, and they received the old bulb and receipt on March 4. After numerous phone calls, I get promises, but no check.

Are they just that incompetent that they can't get a check mailed out after two-and-a-half months? Or are they scamming me? Figuring that out will influence where I go from here.

took several weeks but my claim went thru & check arrived for a PJ bulb.

patience.

So it took over 2 months from the time they received the old bulb & receipt for the new one? That's quite a long time...and no response to your inquiries...if you had to do it all over again would you still buy the warranty knowing what you know now?

of course i'd buy a Mack EW again... in my case i dropped off the bulb with receipt of purchase of new bulb (they're sorta local). took several weeks but a check came for invoiced bulb replacement.

i never "inquired" anything or pestered them.

how much more hassle free can you want? ;)

Sorry my mistake...I was going off of OP's original post...

I did so, and they received the old bulb and receipt on March 4. After numerous phone calls, I get promises, but no check.

So it took over 2 months from the time they received the old bulb & receipt for the new one? That's quite a long time...and no response to your inquiries...if you had to do it all over again would you still buy the warranty knowing what you know now?

Even if there were some logical reason why it would take them 11 weeks to mail a simple reimbursement check, that doesn't excuse their poor business practices: failure to return phone calls, failure to respond to emails, and outright lying to me several times when I did manage to talk to somebody.

If they give me this much hassle over something as simple as this, how are they going to be on a more expensive or complex repair?

I've never bought an extended warranty before, and I probably won't ever buy one again-- but if I do, you can be sure it won't be from Mack.

took several weeks but my claim went thru & check arrived for a PJ bulb.

patience.

Actually, I think I was quite patient. I waited a month before first calling them, and only called then because I'd asked for email confirmation when they'd received the bulb-- and never got it. When repeated emails went unanswered, I had no way of knowing if the claim was actually being processed or not-- and since I was nearing the end of the 90 day expiration for the control number they gave me, I needed to know.

When I finally got someone on the phone, they confirmed they had received it, and said the check would be in the mail next week. I waited two weeks, no check, so I called again-- and got the same answer again. That cycle repeated a few more times, and the check was only mailed after I finally got a supervisor on the phone-- and she acted like she'd done me a huge favor by moving my claim to the head of the line. It wasn't the delay that irritated me, but that they repeatedly lied about the status of the claim.

Since I finally got the check (haven't deposited yet, but I assume it's good), I make no claim that they're crooks-- but they're certainly not a company I'd do business with again.

Actually, I think I was quite patient. I waited a month before first calling them, and only called then because I'd asked for email confirmation when they'd received the bulb-- and never got it. When repeated emails went unanswered, I had no way of knowing if the claim was actually being processed or not-- and since I was nearing the end of the 90 day expiration for the control number they gave me, I needed to know.

When I finally got someone on the phone, they confirmed they had received it, and said the check would be in the mail next week. I waited two weeks, no check, so I called again-- and got the same answer again. That cycle repeated a few more times, and the check was only mailed after I finally got a supervisor on the phone-- and she acted like she'd done me a huge favor by moving my claim to the head of the line. It wasn't the delay that irritated me, but that they repeatedly lied about the status of the claim.

Since I finally got the check (haven't deposited yet, but I assume it's good), I make no claim that they're crooks-- but they're certainly not a company I'd do business with again.


Mack Camera would like to apologize to this customer for the delay in your reimbursement. It is our intention to provide customers with quality service in a timely manner. I did not receive your private message or I would have been more than happy to assist you. Please let me know if I can be of assistance in the future.

of course i'd buy a Mack EW again... in my case i dropped off the bulb with receipt of purchase of new bulb (they're sorta local). took several weeks but a check came for invoiced bulb replacement.

i never "inquired" anything or pestered them.

how much more hassle free can you want? ;)

Mack Camera would like to thank this customer for taking the time to write about your positive experience. Thank you for choosing Mack Camera as your extended warranty provider.

How does one go about getting a Mack Warranty? eg, I live in Ontario Canada and bought my refurb HD65 2 or 3 weeks ago. Is it posssible for me to buy a mack lamp warranty?

Than you for your interest in Mack Camera extended warranties. You can locate an authorized dealer on our website. Please let me know if I can answer any specific questions that you may have.

The people I have dealt with have been incompetent. I filed a claim in mid March, was told they would order the bulb and it would take about 4 weeks. I e-mailed them about 1 week ago to check the status, guess what...they never ordered the bulb. Now they say 6 weeks and that it is a special order for the Planar PD7130 from Pureland Supply. Pureland sent them an e-mail on March 13th asking Mack if it was OK to proceed with the order, the dolts there never responded. Then they forward me the e-mail from Pureland showing Mack's negligence. They are supposedly paying close to $650 for the bulb, when Planar has it in stock for $499...that makes a lot of sense....total morons.

On behalf of Mack Camera, I would like to apologize to this customer for any inconvenience we have caused. If you can provide me with your RA number I can investigate your claim and find out what caused the delay. We hope to be of better service to you in the future.

It seems I'm in a similar situation as the originator of this post.

I had a 3 yr warranty for my plasma TV. Long story short, I had a problem with the TV and it had to be sent to Mack, and they subsequently declared it "beyond economical repair". I chose to accept the reimbursement check to buy a new TV on June 23, 2009. I still have not received the check. I've left numerous phone messages with Mack and they won't return my calls. This is extremely frustrating. I hope they're just really slow and I'll eventually get paid (i.e. I hope I'm not getting ripped off).

Can someone affiliated with Mack check the status of this check? I've already PM'd the "Mackcam" member but haven't heard back. Thanks for any help anyone can give me...

FYI - My RA # is 304226

after reading this I might now go with a 54" Panny plasma for $1,200 over projector warranty BS! BB gave me no trouble on my current tv's warranty.

It seems I'm in a similar situation as the originator of this post.

I had a 3 yr warranty for my plasma TV. Long story short, I had a problem with the TV and it had to be sent to Mack, and they subsequently declared it "beyond economical repair". I chose to accept the reimbursement check to buy a new TV on June 23, 2009. I still have not received the check. I've left numerous phone messages with Mack and they won't return my calls. This is extremely frustrating. I hope they're just really slow and I'll eventually get paid (i.e. I hope I'm not getting ripped off).

Can someone affiliated with Mack check the status of this check? I've already PM'd the "Mackcam" member but haven't heard back. Thanks for any help anyone can give me...

FYI - My RA # is 304226

Try PMing mackcamera as well.

Ok, I just PM'd "mackcamera". I'll update this thread if I hear anything... I'm leaving voice messages with Mack Camera every day. This is getting very aggravating. Why won't they call me back?

I agree it's ludicrous to have to post in an online forum to get assistance...

Sounds like they need to sell some more warranties before they can afford to write checks for claims. Just like Bernie's operation but on a smaller scale.

I just e-mailed a couple more Mack camera e-mail addresses I found on the web in the hope someone will respond to me. I sure hope this isn't a scam - they have my TV, which is still functional (it has a pink line running through it). So now I have no TV, the check has not come after 2 months, and they are ignoring my calls.

Please someone from Mack give me an update....:(

It seems they have a history at the BBB: It also lists the 100+ complaints as resolved. I would take your complaint there.

http://newjersey.bbb.org/WWWRoot/Report.aspx?site=89&bbb=0221&firm=9003267

Also google "Mack Camera Complaints" for additional perspective.

You also need to realize that Mack Camera has 116 formal complaints filed with the NJ BBB in the last 36 months. What % of dissatisfied customers take it to that level? If it is 1/3 then you are looking at about 2 complaints a week. If it is 1/10 then they are at the compliant a day level. It certainly sounds like a systemic quality of service issue. Of course we don't have the overall number of customers being processed to determine the true satisfaction level. Keep in mind it is not just TVs and projectors that they cover.

Update:

I e-mailed 2 people at Mack this morning (I found both e-mails last night on the web). Got a response from one this morning stating that he looked into it and the check was just printed and will be sent out today.

I'll update here when I get the check.

Hello bthombs,

I did receive your PM but I have not been in the office yet to look into the Claim. I will look into it first thing tomorrow and get back to you.

I offer this little aside to give perspective that may or may not indicate what the problem with Mack could be...

I had a postal money order stolen from the mail and cashed. I had my receipt and filled out the claim form as required which said 4 to 6 weeks. After 6 months of agony trying to figure out how to get my $500 back, I discovered that the ENTIRE USPS money order fraud division was run by ONE MAN. I got his unpublished number and badgered him until they changed the number. After 11 months, I started calling the Inspector General's office in Washington DC and finally told them to be sure to buy a copy of the Washington Post for the upcoming weekend as I was going to tell my year long story in full, documented, names published detail. They called me back and mailed the check that week. 13 months of fun fun fun.

Rebates and these kinds of things commonly take 8 to 12 weeks in some cases. I'm glad mackcamera on here is willing to listen and check into things just to help folks out.

Check came in the mail yesterday. Thanks to the mack camera people on this site that took the time to look into this.

To clarify: The mack people I PM'd on this site told me the normal time is 6-8 weeks. However, the person I initially talked to on the phone (when I chose to take a reimbursement check) said it would be 25-30 days. That's why I was worried when I hadn't received anything after a month and a half.

Thanks again to the mack people for the help on this issue.

fwiw,
the good news: i needed a lamp replacement for my sony vpl-vw60 under the mack warranty and had the replacement lamp in about 2 weeks.
the bad news: the replacement lamp failed after 3 weeks.
the good news: mack took my call and within an hour had linda from purelamp on the phone to send me a replacement...so far i can't complain about their service, although it seems that the replacement product is perhaps not of the same quality as the original.

Well because of this thread and a few others I have read, I decided not to buy a MACK warranty. Seems like more hassle than it is worth. Buying a Denon AVR-1611. My last Denon lasted 10 years. If the 2 year Denon warranty isn't good enough, I guess I'll just spend my $40 for the warranty and $50 shipping on another receiver.

I had a problem with my projector. Sometimes the lamp would not strike. Mack sent me a new lamp quickly. The new lamp cost $565.45 from Accessories4less (Marantz projector). Invoice was in the box. Their service was good for me.

I had a problem with my projector. Sometimes the lamp would not strike. Mack sent me a new lamp quickly. The new lamp cost $565.45 from Accessories4less (Marantz projector). Invoice was in the box. Their service was good for me.

Some of the people they have working there are incompetent, but they have always came through for me as far as the bulbs are concerned.

I shall share my on-going experience with Mack Camera Warranty, and let you decide if they're a scam, or purely incompetent.

I've had the pleasure of dealing with Nicole and Cheryl at Mack Camera Warranty.
My first contact date with Nicole would be May 23rd. (Nearly a month ago)
Yet I'm still working on trying to get the television repaired.

The television I am trying to get repaired is a Samsung LN52A750.
The problem with the television is that the bezel was delaminating in the corner.
As it appeared the bezel was made from numerous compressed pieces of plastic.
As well as the front bezel actually coming apart from the back of the unit.
Seems like a minor quick repair right? Just replace the front bezel.
Apparently not so.

I'll try to explain my situation as briefly as possible.
To me it seems Mack Warranty tries to elongate the entire process in the hopes of you giving up.

I've had everything from Nicole blaming me for picking Lakes Electronics as the local repair center, and them taking long. (Though I didn't pick Lakes Electronics, as per her requests I located the nearest AUTHORIZED Samsung repair-center, Lakes Electronics is the only AUTHORIZED repair center that tends to South Florida)

When requesting to me called back the same day with an update I was promised by the supervisor Cheryl specifically she would call me back today, only not to be called back, because according to her she had "no updates" -

Lakes Electronics was not able to attain the part as Samsung had no ETA for when, or if they will attain the bezel.

Nicole's original response was to blame me for not wanting to wait for the bezel to come available with Samsung. My response was, do you really expect me to wait up to a year? She tells me, no one said it will take a year. My response was, has anyone said it won't be a year? There's no ETA.

So Mack Warranty Camera came up with a genius plan to attain the part, order it from a third party.
I specifically asked numerous times both Nicole and Cheryl if the part is indeed a genuine Samsung part, AND BRAND-NEW. I was informed by both of them that indeed the part was NEW.

The gentleman from Lakes Electronics came to install the part this past Saturday.
The part was packaged without foam support, only with paper and inflated packaging material as it's support. It had no plastic on the front of the bezel.
Instantly I had concerns.

Once installed and the television was set up right you can see scratches through out the bezel. Along with the stretches were smudges that not the technician nor I could remove. The bezel cosmetically looks worse than the one replaced.

I emailed Cheryl at once, informed her of the situation and asked her to give me a call first thing Monday morning.
Surprise surprise, no call.
Instead I received a lovely email about her trying to get a hold of the gentleman in parts that's apparently on the road, and she informed me that she's going to contact Lakes Electronics and see what they say. (Apparently she needs to "verify" what I'm saying, instead of calling me in the morning as I requested)

Finally I receive an email roughly 6 pm stating that due to the fact that I didn't want to wait on Samsung and their no ETA, they ordered the part from a third party vendor, and the third party vendors website didn't state if the part was new, used, or refurbished. (So they assumed it was new)
Yet prior to ordering the part Cheryl and Nicole both informed me the part was NEW. Interesting.


Scam or incompetent?
You decide.

I read this thread, and get the impression that Mack Extended Warranty is "slow rolling" its accounts payable. This has become common practice in industry. I work for a company who went from 30 days to 45 days, and now to 60 days accounts payable. Considering the grief I have gotten from vendors for 45 days, I dread going back with 60 days.

60 days on accounts payable is good for the balance sheet, but may ultimately be bad for business, especially in a competitive and crowded market like extended warranties.

I just filed a claim this morning for my projector bulb and it was assigned to Nicole L., keeping fingers crossed. I just hope they let me buy a factory bulb and get reimbursed for it. I don't look forward to waiting weeks for an aftermarket bulb and having my projector down the entire time.

Hanlon's razor:

"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity."

...or in this particular case, incompetence.

I'm holding hope that they may have ironed out some of this stuff. It's just a projector bulb right? Pretty cut and dry...

Well hell, I got a call a little bit ago from them but didn't leave me a message and the number isn't a direct line so I have no extension info. GRRR..!

It seems I'm stuck in the movie "Money Pit" where I got one shot at contact (remember the inspector coming over?). I just wish they'd left me a message

Well hell, I got a call a little bit ago from them but didn't leave me a message and the number isn't a direct line so I have no extension info. GRRR..!

What kind of idiot from Mack calls and doesn't leave a message?

I did get a call today and was luckily near my phone. Spoke to Nicole, she asked for one additional piece of documentation which I emailed to her as we spoke. She immediately updated my case and said the order for a bulb would be placed with Pureland Supply today. No confirmation on that piece yet but it's looking good. I just hope the Pureland bulb is up to par with what came with my Mitsubishi, that thing lasted 3800 hours on "standard". Pureland says the bulb is OEM and the housing is aftermarket made to specs. OEM seems to get tossed around a lot though to mean different things but to me is very specific in it's meaning. We'll see.

Been 5 days and still no confirmation that it's been ordered. Pureland shows it in stock and claim if you order by 5:00 they ship the same day. Not sure what the holdup is.

Been 5 days and still no confirmation that it's been ordered. Pureland shows it in stock and claim if you order by 5:00 they ship the same day. Not sure what the holdup is.

Having worked in a similar industry, I'll tell you likely what the problem is. They slow pay their customers which means they also slow pay their vendors. They're probably on credit hold until they get somewhat or completely current, which is why they don't place your order. That's really the only thing it could be. Otherwise, why wouldn't they just order the bulb?

Actually a short time after I posted I got and email from Nicole letting me know the bulb shipped the 12th along with the tracking info. It should be here tomorrow. I think someone is watching this thread perhaps.

Actually a short time after I posted I got and email from Nicole letting me know the bulb shipped the 12th along with the tracking info. It should be here tomorrow. I think someone is watching this thread perhaps.

They SHOULD be watching it. Reading through this and other extended warranty threads makes me happy I didn't get sucked into one!:rolleyes:

Good luck to you and I hope that bulb measures up to OEM standards!

Ed

I offer this little aside to give perspective that may or may not indicate what the problem with Mack could be...

I had a postal money order stolen from the mail and cashed.

That doesn't explain why they don't return phone calls.

Michael