eak Posted December 3, 2009 Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 I have an F900BT. I have to say I haven't been very happy with it since I purchased it. It is slow, it has lots of little quirks and problems but at least it has worked. Last night I changed the F'in MAP COLOR and now the thing won't stop rebooting. It never did this before I loaded the 2.0006 firmware. I have tried all the standard options for reset, eject-reset. I have 2, 4 and 8GB SD cards and I have created a test mode on each. The unit will not boot into test mode. I tried re-loading the 2.006 firmware, but it won't even boot into its load screen either. I finally gave up and thought I would try calling Pioneer support. Support gave me two options, Pay to have the unit removed and shipped to Pioneer and be without a radio for 2 weeks or replace the unit. THANKS KEVIN in support! For nothing! Kevin and his manager and his managers manager all confirmed that "this is a known glitch in the product". Great. So I get to pay to have my product "repaired" for a known glitch that will probably happen again when I get it back. YIPPEE! I think I should pay for option 2 instead. Replace the unit. And I strongly suggest that everyone else who bought their unit still under warranty return it and everyone else who experiences this "glitch" to replace it as well. DO NOT BUY PIONEER RADIOS. They won't stand by their products and they make the customer pay for their poor product design. If anyone has any thoughts on any way to repair this POS before I pay to have it removed and smashed with a bulldozer, I am open to suggestions. Otherwise Im looking forward to the video Ill be putting up on youtube showing this thing continuously rebooting and then being smashed like a pancake. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
1loudls Posted December 8, 2009 Report Share Posted December 8, 2009 pioneer does stand by there products, if its under warranty and you have not done anything to void the warranty, then they will fix it for free, if it is out of warranty then you have to pay to have it repaired, this is no different then any other company's policy. if it was that bad of a unit then you should have returned it right away. dont be surprised if the company makes you pay to have something out of warranty repaired. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rheller1 Posted December 8, 2009 Report Share Posted December 8, 2009 I love mine...I will buy another! To expect Pioneer to cover an out of warranty product is being unrealistic on your part! I will gladly give ya $100 for glitched avic! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MercuyMan Posted December 9, 2009 Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 Go to a local Best Buy almost at closing time and ask them to pop off the front bezel (should do it for $20), you can undo wires and remove it. Park in the back by the loading docks, they will usually say yes if they can walk to your car in under 20 secs. Then send it back, Registered Mail. Wait the 2 weeks. Reinstall it yourself, without the HU in, getting the bezel back off should be easier. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Timowen1 Posted December 9, 2009 Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 I think Pioneers support is great. They fixed me up. They did have my unit 3 weeks, in the mean time I installed my stock radio so I had something to listen to. The only bad part was I had to pay for shipping to Pioneer.$20. They paid for return shipping. You have to understand this..under warranty..free repair. Out of warranty $$$$$ not free, usually unless it has been in their shop a few time for the same problem. If so then they should have given you a replacement after the second or third time in, then it would likely be a refurb. unit. I won't pay you anything but postage, but don't destroy your unit. I'll take it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
eak Posted December 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 pioneer does stand by there products, if its under warranty and you have not done anything to void the warranty, then they will fix it for free, if it is out of warranty then you have to pay to have it repaired, this is no different then any other company's policy. if it was that bad of a unit then you should have returned it right away. dont be surprised if the company makes you pay to have something out of warranty repaired. Lets consider an analogy. You take your car to a dealership, whether under warranty or not, and they install something to repair known issues with your vehicle, due to a published recall or repair notice. You leave the dealership happy and things appear fine for 2 weeks. One day you are on your way to work and your car fails, specifically due to their installation, exhibiting a failure mode that has never occured before their installation but obviously related to it. My car came with a warranty that paid to tow me to the dealer. I was given a loaner while they determined the issue and the issue was repaired at no charge. This is standing behind their product. Pioneer wants me to pay to have their product which I have had for less than 4 months removed from my vehicle, which has failed due to their admitted bug, and which only occurred after installing their firmware update following their documentation which was installed after they notified me the update was available and they recommended installing it. They want me to pay to have it shipped to them for "repair", be without it for 2-3 weeks, possibly more, and then pay to have it reinstalled again when it arrives. This is NOT standing behind their product. Anyone who accepts this as "normal" is a sucker. It is only acceptable because consumers like you allow them to treat you in this manner. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dianebrat Posted December 10, 2009 Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 Pioneer wants me to pay to have their product which I have had for less than 4 months removed from my vehicle, which has failed due to their admitted bug, and which only occurred after installing their firmware update following their documentation which was installed after they notified me the update was available and they recommended installing it. They want me to pay to have it shipped to them for "repair", be without it for 2-3 weeks, possibly more, and then pay to have it reinstalled again when it arrives. This is NOT standing behind their product. Anyone who accepts this as "normal" is a sucker. It is only acceptable because consumers like you allow them to treat you in this manner. No, that isn't a good analogy, it's not a car that you use for transportation, it's a radio.. you did without it before, you can do without it while it's being repaired now. It's not a $20k+ product, it's under $1k, a better analogy? your laptop or desktop computer, Dell doesn't give you a loaner, nor do they promise they can get y our data back if the machine crashes, those additional items are your responsibility. It'd be nice if the AVIC series was flawless, but it's not, some folks have some issues, and that is exactly why they offer a warranty, there's nothing wrong with what they're doing it's in line with any other device of its caliber. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Head Unit Posted December 10, 2009 Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 A lot of people, including me, have had abysmal experiences with Pioneer support. In my case, my queries were completely reasonable, and the responses ranged from moronic denials to insulting lies. Since the F Series were released (with hugely inadequate bug-testing) a couple years ago, this site has been full of anecdotes of frustrating interactions with Pioneer tech support. Just one of the huge number of examples: For many people, their F Series touch screens did not work. This is a basic requirement of a touch screen driven device. Pioneer's official response was (I'm not making this up): "The warranty only covers internal components" Any knowledgeable tech person would know what laughable BS that is, but Pioneer was willing to say it with a straight face and leave their customers holding an expensive device that didn't work on the most basic level. To add insult to this, they finally released a software fix that pretty much corrected the problem -- but customers were expected to pay over $100 for it -- to have their device actually work. ...a lot to ask, I know. It they are trying to do better, that's good, though a few positive posts are a long way from mitigating the bitter taste a lot of customers have. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
VBLUE42 Posted December 10, 2009 Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 there's nothing wrong with what they're doing it's in line with any other device of its caliber. I agree only to the point that if they admitted that they know there is a flaw with the unit and that it was introduced with an upgrade that they recommended to fix other known flaws, then they should do the right thing and make the experience a little easier on the consumer. I guess we can thank companies like Microsoft for setting the standard of releasing subpar products and offering fixes later on that often, only breaks something else. It is sad but there is no real customer service with companies in our society any longer, only bottom line. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
1loudls Posted December 10, 2009 Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 you shouldn't have to pay to have it removed or reinstalled for any repair under warranty IF you bought the product from the place that you are having it installed at, also as a pioneer authorized dealer, they should be paying for the shipping. however if you bought it somewhere else and then took it somewhere to have it installed, then yes you would be expected to pay for uninstall and reinstall as it is not there product and they have nothing to do with the warranty. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dianebrat Posted December 10, 2009 Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 I guess we can thank companies like Microsoft for setting the standard of releasing subpar products and offering fixes later on that often, only breaks something else. It is sad but there is no real customer service with companies in our society any longer, only bottom line. Unfortunately that's where it's going, and nothing we can do can change it. I mourn the loss of that aspect of our world, but it's become all about "how cheap can we go and still stay in business?" It's not Microsoft, but us as consumers and our insatiable lust for cheap gadgets. I won't ever say that there are no issues with the F-series, the ipod dropping off ever day since 3.0 is more then a bit annoying, but I just open or have someone open the glovebox and unplug and replug it. However so many people complain about slow boot times, but if you have the radio on, it's on within 30 seconds of starting the car, but if you relied on ipod music, yes that takes a bit longer, as does making it to the GPS screens. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Snowdog1967 Posted May 11, 2010 Report Share Posted May 11, 2010 Pioneer has had my unit since April 22nd. After they had it a couple of weeks, I called to see what the status was on my repair. The EXTREMELY NICE phone rep told me that they used to turn repairs around in like 5 days in the shop, and out. Recently, they had closed one of their two repair centers and now it can be expected to take 4 weeks to get your unit back. I'm a bit bummed by this. These devices aren't cheap! I'm saddened that Pioneer America has succumbed to the idea that great customer service isn't worth it. My hope is that they have fixed the problem when I receive my radio back! I had finally re-installed my factory radio because I couldn't deal without having tunes in the car. UGH! Pioneer, if you read these forums, rehire the technicians you laid off earlier this year! Pay them well for performance and your SALES will INCREASE!!! I also need to mention, other than the fact that the video processor went on the fritz, I have been EXTREMELY HAPPY with my AVIC-F90BT! I hate the MSN has dropped the MSN Direct service. I hope that SiriusXM picks up the ball on that one and enables us to upgrade to that type service on these radios, but I'm not holding my breath! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Titaniumskull Posted May 20, 2010 Report Share Posted May 20, 2010 I agree. Today products get cheaper and service gets weaker. Not just with pioneer also such as hp. The only reason I stick with pioneer is because I have an xm box with lifetime connection. I am tired of the problems with weak solutions weak FAQ and trouble shooting sections and their techs are reading the same screen as you. When the xm box dies or I get tired of it then I will change brands. I use the web and base my choices by customer reviews. Any company that puts stock in using this is the company that will do better than those that think flash and marketing is the answere. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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