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Conference cookie::notes$archive:cd_v1

Title:	Welcome to the CD Notes Conference
Notice:	Welcome to COOKIE
Moderator:	COOKIE::ROLLOW

Created:	Mon Feb 17 1986
Last Modified:	Fri Mar 03 1989
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	1517
Total number of notes:	13349

714.0. "Warning on NATURAL SOUND in Framingham" by AQUA::ROST (Who could imagine?) Fri Apr 10 1987 14:15

This is  a  warning  to people  considering  dealing  with  Natural  Sound in
Framingham, MA for service.

On December  20th of last year I dropped off a Harmon/Kardon tape deck for 
cleaning  and  alignment.  I  was  told  that the store was an authorized HK
service  center. I specifically picked NS because their service is in-house
and was told that the deck would be ready right after New Year's.

When I  returned  from  My  Christmas vacation, I called and was told it was
finished,  but  the  technician  told  me  he  was  unable  to complete the
alignment by the HK service manual because he was not getting the "correct"
readings at test points, etc. and that the alignment was completed by ear.

I took  the  unit  home  and the deck was totally out of alignment. No tapes
that I had at home were able to record correctly, bias and Dolby levels were
way  off....more than 6 db in the best case! I immediately returned the deck
and  NS said they would have to send it to the factory but would credit what
I  had  already  paid  towards  the  factory  charges. They also asked me to
authorize the factory to do any work (such as head replacement) which might
be needed so as to not have any wait for approving the factory estimate.

In March,  I  still  had not heard from NS so I called them, they said they
would  trace  the  machine.  It turned out that the factory had returned a
request  to  NS  in  February  for a go-ahead following an estimate that the
service  dept.  had  forgotten  to  reply to! This is after I had told NS to
authorize the work before the estimate!

Finally, this  past  week I called HK service directly to see where my deck
was  (NS did not want to do this for me) and was told that they had received
a  go-ahead  on March 18th and put the unit in the repair queue and expected
to  complete it by today and ship it back to NS. I will be following up with
HK today to confirm this.

Meanwhile, NS  has  asked  me  to  never return the HK deck for service again
(this  is  authorized  factory  service?)  and  claims  that  the  units are
unrepairable.  I  might  point  out  that  the  Service Bench in Norwood had
aligned my deck previously without any problems and the only reason I didn't
use  them again was they were backlogged 2 months on service. If I had send
it  there, I would have gotten it back two months ago. As it is, I have not
had my deck for nearly four months!

NS never offered me a loaner due to the delay, consistently refused to check
with  HK on the status of the unit and in general has treated me very poorly
as  a  service customer. I would recommmend avoiding Natural Sound for sales
or service in the future.

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
714.1	Addendum to .0	AQUA::ROST	Who could imagine?	`Fri Apr 10 1987 14:17`	3
	I should add that the unit was working fine when I sent it in. It was strictly for preventitive maintenance. When it was originally returned it was grossly out of order.
714.2	Not so bad	BARNUM::PELLETIER	Nothin's Shakin'	`Wed Apr 22 1987 03:40`	8
	Not to say that you haven't had your troubles but I have had no problem with Natural Sound with my HK391 tape deck and other components that I have bought and have had repaired there. I think that the 3 year 100% upgrade still makes them a very attractive place to shop. Every single store will have its own set of disatisfied customers, it is just too bad that it has to be you. Bill
714.3		VINO::GSCOTT	Greg Scott	`Wed Apr 22 1987 14:53`	3
	I have had good luck getting my Nakamichi 700 tuned up there. So they do an OK job servicing Nakamichis anyway.
714.4	All the Dirt Comes Out	AQUA::ROST	But are they friendly spirits?	`Fri May 15 1987 13:06`	43
	Just an update on my experience with Natural Sound. I got my deck back on the Saturday before Easter after I spent two weeks checking with the factory to see when it was finished, etc. which NS after four months was unable to do for me. Then when I went to get it, the guy at the desk did not want to credit the original work that had been done at their store even though it resulted in the deck being screwed up. I finally pressured him into giving me the credit but he made a big point out of what a favor he was doing me. Then my bill came with a 30% markup on the cost of materials at the factory. The guy at the desk assured me as an HK dealer, he was authorized to do this because if I had sent the deck right to the factory, they would have charged me more for the materials since I was not a dealer. OK, so I got hosed for $225 which was either that or forfeit a $750 tape deck so I grumped and paid it. That Tuesday I called HK and checked on their policy. Surprise! If I had sent the unit in myself, the charge would have been identical. There is no preferential pricing for repairs to dealers. Plus, I verified that HK was not turned on to do the repair until late March (NS had sent the unit off in January!!). They also felt that while a dealer is entitled to put some markup on factory repairs, that since I paid UPS both ways, a markup of 30% was out of order. I have lodged a complaint against NS with HK and will be following it up. Face it, these guys are ripping people off...at the prices they sell equipment for, I would expect that what you are paying for is responsive service not a hose job. Never again will I go there and I will be quite vocal to anyone who asks me to avoid Natural Sound at all costs. BTW for those who would defend these guys: In the Audio notes I saw a note from someone who had to have belts replaced in his Nak after four years or so, and was told by NS that "they wear out after four years". I don't suppose that was mentioned when they were selling it and telling you what a reliable, sturdy machine it was. Ugh.
714.5	Next time get a Nakamichi	VINO::GSCOTT	Greg Scott	`Fri May 15 1987 13:51`	10
	(Caution: non-CD information follows, sorry Mr. Moderator.) The last and only time I got my Nak 700 tuned up at NS, they gave me that "they need all the belts replaced every four years" story. I said "jsut replace what it needs". They just cleaned it, reset the bias, and told me I was going to need a new playback head soon. So this Nak has never had any belts replaced and it is 13 years old. Nakamichis are the best. (End of non-CD discussion.) GAS
714.6	They're arrogant!	MEMV01::SNYDER		`Fri May 15 1987 13:56`	13
	Re. 4 I have to agree. The few times I have been there seriously looking to buy, I was so put off with their "attitude" that I left and went somewhere else. In my opinion, they are not in the same league with AudioVision, The Music Box, and Q Audio. If I'm going to spend that kind of money, I expect to be treated like they want my business. I would recommend people go elsewhere. Jim
714.7	Shoulda got a NAK.	THORBY::MARRA	Your right, I'm making this up	`Fri May 29 1987 19:38`	19
	> In the Audio notes I saw a note from someone who had to have belts > replaced in his Nak after four years or so, and was told by NS that > "they wear out after four years". I don't suppose that was mentioned > when they were selling it and telling you what a reliable, sturdy > machine it was. Ugh. That was me. The simptom was that the drive would shut down about 1 second after play mode was pressed. When I brought it in, I told them to do whatever was needed, and tune to it up. What was needed was a new light that tells the machine that the tape is moving. It was thinking that the tape wasn't moving and hence shutting off. He said the belts were fine, tuned it up and gave it back the next day. Price 65$. .dave.