UPDATE
My original post is shown below; however, I would like to share that SIM2 has been very proactive at resolving my current projector problem. See thread for details. Many thanks to SIM2.

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If you're going to buy a SIM2 projector, hope you never have to have it serviced. Here's what happened to me:

- 4 year old HT300+ purchased from AVS (a positive experience)

- Sent PJ in to repair non-functioning focus, intermittent cross-hatch pattern and non-working progressive component input (480i worked fine except for cross-hatch); they proposed $3k+ to fix problems, add new bulb and upgrade unit to HDMI and new DLP chip

- Took 5 weeks to get PJ back; sent PJ in on 1/31 & got it back today (3/9); they shipped it by 2 day air a week earlier but recalled it before delivery because they discovered they shipped the wrong projector. They promissed overnight delivery on 3/5 but they didn't ship until 3/7. They never even called me, I had to call them three times.

- After getting the PJ I found the leveling feet missing and loose screws holding fans in place

- They provided no instructions with the upgrade; I found out by trial and error that the power button no longer turned the PJ on and the menus could only be found by repeatedly pressing M+ or M- on the remote.

- After 30 minutes of run time the image on all inputs would flash and jump and finally the bulb shut off. It took multiple reboots to get it to restart only to have it crap out again and repeat the process.

So I'm left with a non-functioning projector that I've invested over $13k in and an empty dedicated theater. Worst of all, I have to trust SIM2 to fix their mistakes and hope they'll pay for shipping and fix it quickly. They got me by the balls.

Jim

If you're going to buy a SIM2 projector, hope you never have to have it serviced. Here's what happened to me:

- 4 year old HT300+ purchased from AVS (a positive experience)

- Sent PJ in to repair non-functioning focus, intermittent cross-hatch pattern and non-working progressive component input (480i worked fine except for cross-hatch); they proposed $3k+ to fix problems, add new bulb and upgrade unit to HDMI and new DLP chip

- Took 5 weeks to get PJ back; sent PJ in on 1/31 & got it back today (3/9); they shipped it by 2 day air a week earlier but recalled it before delivery because they discovered they shipped the wrong projector. They promissed overnight delivery on 3/5 but they didn't ship until 3/7. They never even called me, I had to call them three times.

- After getting the PJ I found the leveling feet missing and loose screws holding fans in place

- They provided no instructions with the upgrade; I found out by trial and error that the power button no longer turned the PJ on and the menus could only be found by repeatedly pressing M+ or M- on the remote.

- After 30 minutes of run time the image on all inputs would flash and jump and finally the bulb shut off. It took multiple reboots to get it to restart only to have it crap out again and repeat the process.

So I'm left with a non-functioning projector that I've invested over $13k in and an empty dedicated theater. Worst of all, I have to trust SIM2 to fix their mistakes and hope they'll pay for shipping and fix it quickly. They got me by the balls.

Jim

Very sorry to hear about your poor experience with Sim2. I guess most companies fail at times and yet some would have us believe that Sim2 to immune to poor customer service. :(

I hope they come through for you.

Dazzer

Its not SIM2. Its everyone. Its called, "welcome to the AV Industry and have a nice day".

I guess that's what you get for buying a projector from one of those "cheap" brands :rolleyes: . Seriously, I think those service guys seem to forget who's paying their salaries! An unfortunate attitude that seems to appear more often lately. :(

Your problems surprise and concern me.

They surprise me because I had a Sim2 300E that had bearing noise after 2 yrs and they took it back , fixed it, upgraded the software ,and had it back in less than a week. I have also called them, emailed etc and had good responses.

It concerns me because I just ordered a HT 3000 and hope your experience is not indicative of how they are currently handling problems (a blog on Ultimate AV referred to similar bad service to a guy who was trying to review a 3000)

I frankly DO NOT understand bad service . Why go to all the trouble of producing a high end product and then ruin it all by frosting your customers particularly in this business which is known for repeat customers?

I hope it was a one off situation and I hope Sim reads about it here and acts appropriately. Good luck.

Sorry to hear about your experience, and I hope you get it resolved quickly.


(Paging Coldmachine to come to thread and state that this could just never happen...)

Of course, what do I know...I'm only interested in "budget machines"...

(Paging Coldmachine to come to thread and state that this could just never happen...)

He is probably at a private screening of the Sony Diamond, at some Orlando dealer event, where it is up against the D80.

He is probably at a private screening of the Sony Diamond, at some Orlando dealer event, where it is up against the D80.

Yeah, word is the Diamond may do all right as a budget model for the unwashed masses... ;)

He is probably at a private screening of the Sony Diamond, at some Orlando dealer event, where it is up against the D80.

Now careful guys you know how sensitive coldmachine appears to be. I believe he,she,it is concerned about threats received on AVS and forums in other countries. I guess it's a personal style thing :eek:

Coldmachine all joking aside maybe reading "How to Win Friends & Influence People" by Dale Carnegie would be a wise investment of your time. Also perhaps you may wish to consider that "Ye reap what ye sow". :)

Dazzer

Touche guys, touche. taken on the chin.

Seriously, thats shocking. I wouldnt deal with service dept any more. Call the HQ by phone and also demand reparation. Either free repairs or a new machine.

Credit where it's due...good sportsmanship there Coldmachine... :)

They got me by the balls.

Jim

Jim

Maybe they can make it up to you in the same way that Sony did for this customer that was messed around!

http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=475609

Dazzer

Sim2 has always offered me great service on a few repairs in the past on my ht 250 and 300e. Greg

Thanks for the words of encoragement. I spent most of the day making sure I could reproduce the flashing image. It's a bit itermittent but luckily I was able to reproduce it twice in a 3 hour period. And I was able to capture a mpeg video with my digital camera. I'll definitely be sending that to SIM2.

To be fair, I had SIM2 service it twice 3+ years ago and the service was great (albeit under warranty). I guess times change. It's just frustrating to invest as much as a car only to get service that you'd expect from a fly by night operation. I need the PJ to last at least 4 more years (kid going to college). You'd think a $13k investment could get you close.

First thing Monday is to call the credit card and put a hold on the $3k+ upgrade fee. Then a call to SIM2 to demand some attention. (I wonder if it would bother them to know this story is being shared on the most influential forum in the industry?)

Also, put on some steel toecaps and the phone the Guiness book of records and tell them you are putting on an attempt at the " Worlds greatest living ass kicker"

Dont deal with the service dudes... Top man only.

Thanks for the words of encoragement. I spent most of the day making sure I could reproduce the flashing image. It's a bit itermittent but luckily I was able to reproduce it twice in a 3 hour period. And I was able to capture a mpeg video with my digital camera. I'll definitely be sending that to SIM2.

To be fair, I had SIM2 service it twice 3+ years ago and the service was great (albeit under warranty). I guess times change. It's just frustrating to invest as much as a car only to get service that you'd expect from a fly by night operation. I need the PJ to last at least 4 more years (kid going to college). You'd think a $13k investment could get you close.

First thing Monday is to call the credit card and put a hold on the $3k+ upgrade fee. Then a call to SIM2 to demand some attention. (I wonder if it would bother them to know this story is being shared on the most influential forum in the industry?)

Shouldn't you inquire with SIM2 about rectifying the problem FIRST, then call the CC company to dispute the charge if they don't come through?

Eric

It would be nice to see someone from Sim step up here and say something. I have to imagine someone follows this board.

I still don't get it in such a repeat customer business where people go in and out of PJs so often due to the ever changing technology why companies go out of their way to shoot themselves in the foot.

As product lawyer liability (defense) who represents many national and Intl. companies I can tell you the ones that flourish bend over backwards after the sale.

How about this one for another lousy sim2 story-
My buddy moved - they refused warranty repair because the address on the receipt was different then his current address.

How about this one for another lousy sim2 story-
My buddy moved - they refused warranty repair because the address on the receipt was different then his current address.

That's very odd. He should have gone through his dealer. Having the dealer push through an RMA is the quickest way to expedite warranty work.

He did - the dealer is also a friend. It took a massive amount of effort - much more than it ever should have. They were conjecturing that the product was sold out of state or something like that. It ended up working out, but like I said - took more effort and time then it should have.

Eric (aka egcarter),

I debated giving SIM2 time to rectify the problems; however, with them taking over a month the first time I don't want the bill showing up if it takes them another month. Best course as I see it is they get their money when I get a working projector.

I have left their service dept a voicemail. Once I hear from them on Monday, I'll post the plan. If I don't get much satisfaction, I'll try to work my way up their management chain as well as droping Jason (AVS) a line to see if he can assist in negotiations.

SIM2's checkout testing should have identified my flashing image problem; however, that's not the main reason I'm PO'd. It's their slow response and lack of communication. They've known about that all along. Here's specifically what I'm including in my letter to them:

I would also like to address your poor customer service. The service I received from you in the past was good; however, this time around it was awful. Here’s what happened:

- It took over a month to get my projector back; you received it on 2/5 (fedex 85954506669) and I got it back on 3/9 (fedex 675289857315). You diagnosed the problems and I authorized upgrade on 2/15.

- You shipped my projector via 2 day air on 3/2 but did not call me. I had to call you to get the tracking number (fedex 6752898568456).

- You recalled shipment before delivery because you discovered that you shipped the wrong projector but you never called me. I found out by calling Fedex. I called you on 3/5 and you promised overnight delivery.

- On 3/8 I had not received my projector and I had to call you again to get a tracking number (675289857315). Per the tracking number you did not ship until 3/7. Why did you not honor your agreement on 3/5?

- After getting my projector on 3/9 I found the leveling feet missing and loose screws holding fans in place.

- You provided no instructions with the upgrade; I found out by trial and error that the power button no longer turned the projector on and the menus could only be found by repeatedly pressing M+ or M- on the remote.

They're in business. It shouldn't take a customer to point out all their failings. Not notifying me of shipping and status, not fessing up to shipping the wrong projector, not following through on what they tell me on the phone and it took a month. Come on, they deserve the bad press they get.

I'll be the first one to share how they rectify the situation and sing their praises if they do it equitably and quickly.

Here's an update.

I called SIM2's service dept this morning and asked for the service manager. They passed me to the technician who worked on my unit so I asked him again to talk to the service manager. I then got the service manager.

After hearing my complaints, the service manager was very understanding and promised to send me a Fedex authorization to return ship overnight. He also promised to work on my unit and call me as soon as the problems are rectified.

So far so good. Hopefully I can attribute this problem to one technician. It appears that they rely on the technicians to call the customers. That's good when it comes down to discussing technical issues. Perhaps they should rely on a secretary to make the calls associated with shipping tracking info to free up the technicians.

On a seperate note, I called my credit card company. They won't put charges in dispute unless the customer thinks the merchant will not resolve the issue. I agree with that policy; however, I also know that most credit card companies do not allow dispute after a period of time. I asked what that time was. Instead of a specific time frame I was told 30-60 days. I told him that was my concern since it took 5 weeks to repair my unit the first time. We agreed to a compromise where he placed a note in my records indicating I called today and would attempt to resolve the issue with the merchant. Just thought I'd share for those unaware of some credit card companies dispute policies.

Glad it is improving. I think Sim will step up and do the right thing. Keep us posted.

Sorry to see this Jim. Things fall through the cracks once in a while with every company. We all make mistakes. Who knows why it happens. Its not done on purpose it just happens. Sim is a solid company with a solid reputation and I am sure they will make sure you are taken care of after hearing your story. Im sure this will close with a happy ending.

Jim, one question. Why didn't you call Jason first? He is very good and can make things happen for you. He knows who to call.

Hear hear. Always get your dealer involved if possible. AVS is an Elite dealer so normal turnaround is 2 days (pending a part is not out of stock or something like that). I am sorry you had a bad experience and I will await your call.

I'm pleased to report that I received a nice call from a SIM2 representative today. He plans on sending me a new upgraded machine for the price paid for the original upgrade. I really appreciated his call and offer.

Jason - You're right, I should have called you first. Being that my unit was well outside of warrantly, I didn't want to bother you. You guys were great and I thought it would be an easy matter to resolve myself. I'll make sure you're first on my list to call in the future.

No worries! We are always here to help. :)

Maybe you would like to re-title this thread now ??

:D

Though I do think Sim2 failed to take care of this customer promptly when the original problem occured, I am glad that they rectified the situation. In addition, I agree that Sim2 usually has good customer service, but anyone can make mistakes. Cain, I agree that the thread title should probably be modified as this is the exception, not the rule.

I tried to change the title but I was only able to change it within the thread. Can you tell me how to change it externally?

Thanks

You have to go to Thread Tools at the bottom of the thread. Click on edit post. :)

I tried that on my first post but it didn't affect the title shown on the main message board. It only changed the post title. If possible - can you change it to read "SIM2 Service - A Positive Result " for me? Sorry, I must be slow.

Thanks

COuld be I only can do it because I am a mod. I will change it.

See! One call to Jason and he is making all kinds of things happen!!!

You go boy!

I wish I could take credit. Jim got it taken care of before he and I talked. :)

There is an interesting development going on in the national center for lawyers (Wash DC).

A couple of people who posted negative comments/ratings about a contractor on Angies list have been sued.

I read the article this evening and immediately thought about this thread.
I'm not sure where this is headed and whether the case will proceed but it should prove interesting if it does play out in court.

here is the article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/12/AR2007031201548.html

Interesting article. It's certainly brings into discussion basic constitutional rights. Although anyone can sue anyone for anything, I suspect freedom of speech will prevail. Especially when it's fact based.

If we assume the law suit is successful (which I doubt) I think ebay's entire rating system would shut down along with all other web based commentary of consumer's ratings of products. For example, look at CircuitCity.Com. They offer customer feedback on all their products; ratings as well as commentary.

Based on the history of the guy in the article it definitely looks like he's filing a frivolous law suit. I suspect the court will toss it.

If we lose our freedom of speech, we'll have no freedom.

Thanks for the article.

Jim, Jason and all the others who commented on this. I found your comments to be very illuminating. As the newly appointed VP of Sales/Marketing, I have reviewed Sim2's service procedures. With an eye towards improving not only our product reliability, but also our methods of dealing with problems when they arise, we have begun to revamp our internal operation. While we have many, many customers that have reported a positive experience when dealing with us on a service issue, our goal is to achieve 100% satisfaction in all such transactions. With that goal in mind, I invite any of our customers to call me on my cell to discuss any concerns that come up.
Thanks for your interest in Sim2 USA. John Arce, 954-812-0747

Mr Arce--that's what I call stepping up. Rarely do you see someone from a company come on a Board like this, and offer such help. As I posted here I was surprised but concerned by the problem. I have had 2 Sims -- a 300E and a 3000 installed just yesterday (read review elsewhere) You guys make top notch equipment.

always found Sim to be outstanding service. Because they are pretty near the top of the food chain people like to rag on them. Player haters are everywhere.