Need help with Non Functioning Head Unit

[youyou]

Hi everyone,

So as the title says i'm in a bit of a jam.

I purchased a Pioneer Avic Z110BT online and received it last week. Spent a few hours at a local shop getting it installed in my new car. Once everything was pretty much done we went ahead and started it up. Everything works fine except for the fact that the unit won't open up or tilt. I've tried resetting the unit and that didn't help.

Searched through the forums and saw a few people with the same issues. Apparently it's a bad motor.

So i went ahead and called Pioneer and to my huge surprise they're telling me that if i don't have a receipt from an Authorized service reseller that they will not repair/replace it under the manufacturer's warranty. Which it still is under.

I find this to be the most ridiculous thing ever and right now i don't know what to do.

Not only is the fact that i will need to take out my head unit and get it repaired/replaced driving me crazy but the fact that they are telling me they won't cover it is just beyond me. I mean it's brand new and was just taken out of the box!

All the wires are in the car , everything is in there and i really don't know what to do from here...

Has anyone experienced similar issues and what are my options?

Thank you everyone

[tntsniper]

Wow I can't believe they won't repair/send you a new unit! Thats complete BS. I would call and speak to a supervisor. As long as you purchased it and its w/ in a year (W/ Proof of Receipt) , you should have a warranty.

[DJ KIDD]

You are going to have to deal with the online company you purchased it from. They should hopefully cover the warranty. Not to sound like a jerk but that's what happens when you purchase from an unauthorized dealer. Yeah you might be getting a good deal, but what happens if something goes wrong? In my opinion it's not Pioneer's fault that you didn't buy from one of their authorized dealers. As you know now, they would would repair it if you sent it in with a receipt from a legit dealer.

[VBLUE42]

Why are you surprised at their reaction. This is nothing new when buying anything. Every item that has a warranty, especially electronic items, clearly states that it must be purchased from an Authorized dealer in order to have warranty coverage. You should never purchase high dollar electronic items from an unauthorized dealer. You will almost always pay the price in the end as you are now finding out. Your best bet is to contact the place you purchased it from and pray they have some sort of exchange policy.

[tntsniper]

Why are you surprised at their reaction. This is nothing new when buying anything. Every item that has a warranty, especially electronic items, clearly states that it must be purchased from an Authorized dealer in order to have warranty coverage. You should never purchase high dollar electronic items from an unauthorized dealer. You will almost always pay the price in the end as you are now finding out. Your best bet is to contact the place you purchased it from and pray they have some sort of exchange policy.

 

So basically, I bought mine from Amazon.. They aren't authorized, I'm screwed if something happens in the next 12 months? Thats nuts, pure insanity. I've bought thousands of electronics off of Amazon, some car items that I knew weren't authorized, but still the companies covered it under their 1 year mfg warranty.

 

The product is BRAND NEW. Its not being sold used. The MFG Should stand behind their product and cover it. It's obvious that Pioneer sells them to these companies. What Pioneer is doing should be illegal. They are requiring that you must pay a higher price at an authorized dealer to get a warranty for a brand new unit? Pioneer is still selling the product to Amazon and other resources, thats pretty obvious as I used to be a buyer for such companies.

 

If Pioneer sells a brand new unit to, lets say amazon.com, they should cover the warranty, period.

[VBLUE42]

So basically, I bought mine from Amazon.. They aren't authorized, I'm screwed if something happens in the next 12 months? Thats nuts, pure insanity. I've bought thousands of electronics off of Amazon, some car items that I knew weren't authorized, but still the companies covered it under their 1 year mfg warranty.

 

Thats funny, most people, regardless of where they buy there stuff, ever have to utilize the warranty to find this out. And here you are saying you have never had this problem before. Ummm, Sounds fishy to me.

 

They are requiring that you must pay a higher price at an authorized dealer to get a warranty for a brand new unit? Pioneer is still selling the product to Amazon and other resources, thats pretty obvious as I used to be a buyer for such companies.

 

Then there is no reason you should not have known better. I am sorry but your credibility is falling by the minute.

 

If Pioneer sells a brand new unit to, lets say amazon.com, they should cover the warranty, period.

 

They don't sell to Amazon. Amazon is not selling the product. Merchants use Amazon to advertise the products they sell. That is who your buying from. Those merchants buy the product from other merchants and then resell that product. Again, this is nothing new. It is your responsibility to show wisely when you buy high dollar items. Im sorry, but you didn't shop wisely.

[CamelTowing]

To the original poster: If you just bought it and received it "last week," there is no reason to involve Pioneer. They just repair decks under warranty anyway, not send out new ones.

 

Call or email the place you bought it from and make them replace it. If they give you grief, contest the purchase with paypal or your credit card company and then buy it from an authorized dealer instead

[tntsniper]

They don't sell to Amazon. Amazon is not selling the product. Merchants use Amazon to advertise the products they sell. That is who your buying from. Those merchants buy the product from other merchants and then resell that product. Again, this is nothing new. It is your responsibility to show wisely when you buy high dollar items. Im sorry, but you didn't shop wisely.

 

Wrong, Amazon does sell it. "In Stock.

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com." (http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-AVIC-Z110 ... 871&sr=8-1)

 

Then there is no reason you should not have known better. I am sorry but your credibility is falling by the minute.

 

So lets see.. If I were an online retailer and my buyer purchased units SOLD from the MFG (Pioneer) and I find out that my customers warranties are voided because they bought the device from my company, I would be furious, thus never purchasing again from Pioneer. I'm sure Pioneer isn't willing to throw away a relationship with amazon.com.

 

My job as it stands now has literally spun off my position as a buyer for an extremely large retail company. I've never heard of buying electronic products from a distributer. It comes straight from the mfg. How does it make sense for a retailer to negotiate prices when they're negotiating through a distribution company? It doesn't.. These products come straight from the MFG, period.

 

Thats funny, most people, regardless of where they buy there stuff, ever have to utilize the warranty to find this out. And here you are saying you have never had this problem before. Ummm, Sounds fishy to me.

 

Its hard for me to justify a reply to this, but I will. I'm sure 90% of people have purchased an electronic item online and their purchase may have been defective. For me, it's been car speakers, cell phones that non stop power cycle, etc. I have YET to have an issue returning those products through the MFG under the one year warranty. As long as they see a receipt, it's never been an issue.

 

Whats fishy about this whole aspect? It sounds unfair that Pioneer is distributing their products to retailers and choosing who can have a warranty and who can't? What makes another online retailer more worthy of a warranty than Amazon.com?

[youyou]

Ok well first off it's absolutely insane that Pioneer doesn't stand by it's warranty and i will stick to my point.

What difference does it make where i buy it? 1800$ at Best Buy or 800$ on Ebay?

Pioneer as a company offers 1 year warranty on their product and should honour it regardless of where it was purchased.

I've purchased multiple electronic items online before either from forum members or retail outlets or ebay and whenever i've had a problem the warranty has always been valid. And that's how it should be.

 

Example : Apple.

I've purchased many computers online before and do you think Apple turned around when i had an issue and told me oh i'm sorry because you didn't buy it from a authorized dealer , your applecare is null and void. Hell NO!!!!

It's just common sense and right now Pioneer moved down in my list of respectable companies.

And i own a 60" Kuro , Pioneer Elite amp and many other Pioneer products.

[CamelTowing]

That doesn't mean Pioneer sold it to them. Amazon often buys stuff from distributors and grey market companies to offer the best price. You never know where stuff comes from when its purchased off the internet. Lots of companies buy refurbished units, remove the stickers, and try to sell them as new. And as for your lack of experience buying stuff from distrubitors, that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. A majority of Pioneer's business is done through them. They direct ship a VERY small amount of products straight to retailers

 

 

Wrong, Amazon does sell it. "In Stock.

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com." (http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-AVIC-Z110 ... 871&sr=8-1)

 

[DJ KIDD]

I think the point is that this guy still needs to go thru the online company he bought it from. Does his receipt say Amazon or does it have some other name on it? I'm with VBlue and believe that Amazon is just a middle man and doesn't buy directly from Pioneer.

[VBLUE42]

Wrong, Amazon does sell it. "In Stock.

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com." (http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-AVIC-Z110 ... 871&sr=8-1)

 

Then call Amazon and have it exchanged. My comment was in reference to the fact that it appears you didn't buy it from Amazon as opposed to one of the merchants that merely advertises through Amazon. Regardless, if Pioneer does not list Amazon as an Authorized merchant, then Pioneer didn't sell the product to Amazon. Amazon bought it unauthorized from someone else.

 

So lets see.. If I were an online retailer and my buyer purchased units SOLD from the MFG (Pioneer) and I find out that my customers warranties are voided because they bought the device from my company, I would be furious, thus never purchasing again from Pioneer. I'm sure Pioneer isn't willing to throw away a relationship with amazon.com.

 

Go pull the warranty card from any product you buy for your retailer and see what it says about warranty and authorized dealers.

 

Its hard for me to justify a reply to this, but I will. I'm sure 90% of people have purchased an electronic item online and their purchase may have been defective. For me, it's been car speakers, cell phones that non stop power cycle, etc. I have YET to have an issue returning those products through the MFG under the one year warranty. As long as they see a receipt, it's never been an issue.

 

Whats fishy about this whole aspect? It sounds unfair that Pioneer is distributing their products to retailers and choosing who can have a warranty and who can't? What makes another online retailer more worthy of a warranty than Amazon.com?

 

There not picking and choosing which dealers will get warranty. All Pioneer dealers get warranty. Its up to Pioneer as to who they sell their product to.

 

Back to the original issue as to what the title of this thread implies. You apparently have a defective unit and you should see about getting it exchanged.

[VBLUE42]

Ok well first off it's absolutely insane that Pioneer doesn't stand by it's warranty and i will stick to my point.

What difference does it make where i buy it? 1800$ at Best Buy or 800$ on Ebay?

Pioneer as a company offers 1 year warranty on their product and should honour it regardless of where it was purchased.

I've purchased multiple electronic items online before either from forum members or retail outlets or ebay and whenever i've had a problem the warranty has always been valid. And that's how it should be.

 

It is no different from any of their competitors.

[thedak1]

I'm not siding with anyone on this issue but I have seen it go both ways. I think that if it's a "known" issue then all companies in the US should be made to cover fixing it if it's in the 1 year ( or whatever grace period ) warranty. It's not like 90% of the time they can't tell how or why a unit broke and then choose to either fix it for free or charge a fee if it was negligence. I am an Army brat and was also in the service myself. If I purchased something at the BX/PX then it should be covered under warranty even though they are not listed as an "authorized" dealer.