I have a Rock+, which I like very much, but I have been considering for some time going the SDI route. I have been following posts on the TAW Forum and here regarding the benefits of the SDI mod, and have been trying to figure out how to accomplish the mod, given that I have a Panasonic H-1000 DVD player (which is not on the list of players that Immersive and Tom Strade normally modifies.)
I communicated back and forth with Tom Strade of Immersive about whether he could do the SDI mod to my H-1000, and Tom told me that he thought he could, but he would not know for sure until he popped the top. He estimated that if he could do it, the cost would be in the $800 range. I figured that it would be $800 for the mod to the DVD player (if Tom could do it) and $800 for the mod to the Rock+, for a total of around $1600. (This would work out just great, since I got a tax refund in that amount, and therefore got the necessary spousal approval.) The $800 price for the mod to the Rock+ I got because this is the price posted on the TAW Forum on at least six separate occasions from November 2001 until as recent as April 16, 2002 (the most recent two posts of the $800 price being by Phil of TAW).
My plan was to first see if the DVD player could be modified and, if so, to then make arrangements to get the Rock+ modified. A few days ago, Tom Strade reported that he could indeed do the mod to my DVD player, and he had already completed the work over the weekend. Since I now knew I could get the DVD player modified, I then made arrangements to get an RMA number from TAW to send my Rock+ back for modification. When I got the RMA number back, though, I was requested to sign an invoice that showed that the cost of having the mod done was $1200! I immediately emailed Phil and inquired whether this was a mistake, as I thought the price was only $800. Phil stated in an email back to me that the price went up "quite a while ago." I explained to Phil in response that I had seen the posts on the TAW Forum to the effect that the price was $800, including a post of his as recently as April 16, and that I had relied on that price in making my plans as set forth above. I also asked him where the $1200 price was set forth, as I could not find it anywhere on the Forum (figuring that if I missed it then it was my own fault). I suggested that they might want to post the price on the TAW Forum so that others would not also be misled. I also asked if he would consider honoring the $800 price if the increased price was not published on the Forum anywhere, in light of the fact that I had relied on the Forum posts.
Phil has responded with an email simply telling me that his best memory is that the price was changed in late April, that it was NOT posted in the TAW Forum, but that it is on every "published price sheet" that TAW releases. (To whom they release it, and how a consumer like me gets one, I'm not sure.)
I frankly cannot believe all of this and I don't know what to do. I am really stuck I guess. TAW apparently will not do the mod unless I agree to pay the 50% increase in price over what at least a half a dozen posts on the TAW Forum say is the price. I also can't believe that they have not posted the correct price on the Forum, that it cannot be found anywhere on the TAW site, that I (and maybe others) could be misled so easily, and that TAW doesn't seem to be concerned in the least about what might be termed at best an unfortunate circumstance.
As I said above, I really like the Rock+ and I don't want to sell it. Nor do I want to piss off TAW, which might be what this post will do. On the other hand, I don't want to spend an extra $400, and I am seriously concerned about relying on the Rock+ as my video processor. The ability to upgrade the Rock+ is very nice and I have been pleased with previous software upgrades, but I am concerned about "the future" if this is the kind of thing that can happen. Am I overreacting? Is this really the way TAW does business or am I at fault for relying on the posts by TAW on the TAW Forum? Does anybody have any ideas how I might go about resolving this? Should I just give in? Does anybody want to buy a Rock+ in perfect condition (sans SDI)?
P.S. I'm not looking for TAW flames, just constructive suggestions.
I communicated back and forth with Tom Strade of Immersive about whether he could do the SDI mod to my H-1000, and Tom told me that he thought he could, but he would not know for sure until he popped the top. He estimated that if he could do it, the cost would be in the $800 range. I figured that it would be $800 for the mod to the DVD player (if Tom could do it) and $800 for the mod to the Rock+, for a total of around $1600. (This would work out just great, since I got a tax refund in that amount, and therefore got the necessary spousal approval.) The $800 price for the mod to the Rock+ I got because this is the price posted on the TAW Forum on at least six separate occasions from November 2001 until as recent as April 16, 2002 (the most recent two posts of the $800 price being by Phil of TAW).
My plan was to first see if the DVD player could be modified and, if so, to then make arrangements to get the Rock+ modified. A few days ago, Tom Strade reported that he could indeed do the mod to my DVD player, and he had already completed the work over the weekend. Since I now knew I could get the DVD player modified, I then made arrangements to get an RMA number from TAW to send my Rock+ back for modification. When I got the RMA number back, though, I was requested to sign an invoice that showed that the cost of having the mod done was $1200! I immediately emailed Phil and inquired whether this was a mistake, as I thought the price was only $800. Phil stated in an email back to me that the price went up "quite a while ago." I explained to Phil in response that I had seen the posts on the TAW Forum to the effect that the price was $800, including a post of his as recently as April 16, and that I had relied on that price in making my plans as set forth above. I also asked him where the $1200 price was set forth, as I could not find it anywhere on the Forum (figuring that if I missed it then it was my own fault). I suggested that they might want to post the price on the TAW Forum so that others would not also be misled. I also asked if he would consider honoring the $800 price if the increased price was not published on the Forum anywhere, in light of the fact that I had relied on the Forum posts.
Phil has responded with an email simply telling me that his best memory is that the price was changed in late April, that it was NOT posted in the TAW Forum, but that it is on every "published price sheet" that TAW releases. (To whom they release it, and how a consumer like me gets one, I'm not sure.)
I frankly cannot believe all of this and I don't know what to do. I am really stuck I guess. TAW apparently will not do the mod unless I agree to pay the 50% increase in price over what at least a half a dozen posts on the TAW Forum say is the price. I also can't believe that they have not posted the correct price on the Forum, that it cannot be found anywhere on the TAW site, that I (and maybe others) could be misled so easily, and that TAW doesn't seem to be concerned in the least about what might be termed at best an unfortunate circumstance.
As I said above, I really like the Rock+ and I don't want to sell it. Nor do I want to piss off TAW, which might be what this post will do. On the other hand, I don't want to spend an extra $400, and I am seriously concerned about relying on the Rock+ as my video processor. The ability to upgrade the Rock+ is very nice and I have been pleased with previous software upgrades, but I am concerned about "the future" if this is the kind of thing that can happen. Am I overreacting? Is this really the way TAW does business or am I at fault for relying on the posts by TAW on the TAW Forum? Does anybody have any ideas how I might go about resolving this? Should I just give in? Does anybody want to buy a Rock+ in perfect condition (sans SDI)?
P.S. I'm not looking for TAW flames, just constructive suggestions.