Getting what I paid for - gut check please!
All - I purchased an expensive (for me) DAC a few weeks ago from a small but well known high-end manufacturer close to where I live. It was a previous-generation model made available at a price significantly lower than the current generation model. I paid for the item in full prior to pick up. Upon pick up, I discovered the item’s faceplate and remote were a different color than what the manufacturer had indicated prior to purchase. Upon getting it home, I learned by reading the materials that the warranty period had started at the date of manufacturer, not the date of sale, meaning the warranty period was about one-third the length it would normally be.
The manufacturer is offering to replace the faceplate with the correct color for a fee. He says the warranty "is what it is."
Is any of this standard practice? This was not advertised as a used or demo unit when I agreed to purchase it, and there was no mention of a different warranty period than what would accompany a normal retail sale. Was I wrong to expect that a previous-generation model would be sold with the same warranty as a current-generation unit? Am I wrong to expect that the manufacturer replace the faceplate free of charge to make this unit the color that I agreed to prior to sale?
I’d appreciate a gut check before I press the issue or ask for a return. Thanks!
I have never heard of a date of manufacture warranty. I had always assumed that the warranty started when you registered your product. At least now you’re gonna have an opportunity to see how the consumer protection bureau is working these days if you do decide to return it. gkelly
As far as I know, most consumer protections were eliminated by DOGE. |
@lousyreeds1 - You have received helpful feedback from people here with many collective years of experience with this stuff. At the end of the day, we all make our decisions and live with the results. IMO, you are being very generous to this vendor, as is your prerogative. As I read through your description of the experience, my "red flags" kept popping up with my end conclusion being that none of the excellent vendors I have purchased from over many years would have practiced as you described. Consider your comment, "I do wish they had explained before I paid (which I had to do via bank transfer prior to pickup)". Who requires a "bank transfer" before you would be able to pick up a component? Also, consider how all the things this vendor didn't explain to you ahead of time contributed to outcomes in their favor, not yours. @bigdoghoss - the consumer protection bureau primarily deals with financial issues such as regulating banks, lenders, and financial companies, and enforces laws and practices related to mortgages, credit cards, and loans. I doubt they would have offered any tangible protection related to the timing of when an audio equipment vendor decided to initiate a warranty period or whether the vendor accepts a return. |
