Onkyo does not honor their warranties

Onkyo, like a lot of consumer electronics companies, can be a pain in the a$$ to deal with. I've had and up and down relationship with Onkyo, as have others, but sadly Onkyo is no where near the worst I've dealt with.

But, I smell a bit of a run-around here. First, has the repair center or Onkyo refused to service the DVD player or have they refused to replace it? Typically, Onkyo won't replace a defective unit until there have been 3 failed repair attempts, or the repair center deems the unit beyond repair.

Email/website support from Onkyo is, unfortunately, next to worthless. They are still stuck in the early 90's mentality, and haven't embraced the efficiencies of online product support. If you want to get any where, you need to speak with someone on the phone. But, before you do so, arm yourself with paperwork.

If you have it, track down a receipt/invoice/packing list from accessories4less.com. If you can't find a copy at home, contact accessories4less.com for a copy. Also, don't hesitate to bring them into the conversation. Accessories4less.com has a high score on www.resellerratings.com (http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Accessories_4_Less) so they must be doing something right from a customer service perspective.

Once you have paperwork to back your purchase, call Onkyo. Be persistent, but polite. No matter what the situation, you have a defective part with an Onkyo badge on it, purchased from an authorized reseller. If tech support can't take care of the problem, ask for customer relations (dial 4 off the main phone menu if calling during normal business hours). Be prepared to fax off your invoice and a written description of the issue. Again, stick to your guns.

Now... with any luck, you may get the nice person at Onkyo that has the knowledge and the authority to fix the problem for you. In spite of strong evidence to the contrary, a few like this do exist (not many, be some...). If you luck out, you might not need to go through all this, but be smart and prepare for the worst, just in case.

It has been my experience that Onkyo isn't necessarily worse than other companies, they eventually will get things fixed. But, they can be obnoxious jerks to deal with. Onkyo USA is based out of New Jersey, and their support staff (all guys so far) seems to embody every negative stereotype of the New Jersey douchebag you see on TV and in the movies. Still, if you can keep pushing ahead, they will eventually fix the problem.

If the manufacturer is claiming it is an invalid serial, then it falls on your retailer to talk to Onkyo and get it straightened out. It's not like you took a Sharpie and a piece of tape and made up a serial. It's engraved into the equipment.

I would call your retailer and say, "Well, you sold it to me, you deal with it. If Onkyo doesn't recognize the number then SOMEONE is selling rebadged gear at your store. Meanwhile, I am out of service. Can you just send me a replacement of equal value while you deal with Onkyo and get this sorted out please? If not, can you credit my card for the price I paid so I can purchase a new piece of equipment from you please? I don't think it's my fault and I shouldn't be punished for this mix up."

That's what I would do anyway.

Heh. I ran into a situation once with a computer network switch that needed warranty service where the manufacturer said the serial number was not valid, even though it was. Their own records were faulty. So it can happen.

Take a photo of the unit with the model no. and s/n clearly visible. Get on the phone and call Onkyo and explain the problem. If they again say the s/n is not valid, tell them you will send them the photo. Don't be afraid to ask to speak to supervisors, etc. Be polite but firm that you are not going to accept their "bogus serial number" claim that easily.

Now if the s/n really is bogus, you have an issue with the selling dealer. That's a whole different problem.

If you have the unit in your hands, call Onkyo again, but skip tech support and go to customer relations. Onkyo support strikes me as a bunch of bureaucrats. Thinking outside the box to take care of the customer is way beyond them, but at the same time, I don't think Onkyo is trying to avoid replacing it. After all, there's very little financial benefit to doing that. I think it is probably what someone else mentioned, an error in their system and no one at Onkyo will take the initiative to fix it.

But, keep up with the polite approach, just ramp up the persistence. Each time you call their 800 support number, it costs Onkyo money. Let them know that you won't stop calling until Onkyo owns up to their responsibility. Be prepared to flood them with evidence. Get their fax number, send off your supporting documentation daily if need be. Make it expensive for them to ignore you.