I just got scammed by Teac America (7733 Telegraph Rd, Montebello, CA 90640) after I sent my DA-40 DAT deck to them for repairs. The machine, which had barely been used, wouldn't play or load and obvioulsy needed internal repairs. However the exterior of the machine was in flawless condition. I chose Teac America factory service because I didn't want to get ripped off by some local shyster.
Bad move.
I sent the machine back to Teac carefully wrapped in bubblewrap in a new box. I'm talking a LOT of bubblewrap. The only way that machine was going to be damaged in transit was if it was hit with a sledgehammer, run over by a truck or dropped from the top of a building.
But when I received an estimate from Teac they claimed the DA-40 was "RCVD W/BENT RACK EARS & DAMAGE TO L REAR BOTTOM & POWER CORD." They also claimed the machine was missing the "TASCAM" name plate.
FYI: The DA-40's front panel is one piece of fairly thick metal that includes the rack ears. They are not detachable. It would not be easy to bend one of those rack ears and I cannot imagine how BOTH ears could possibly be bent from any conceivable "shipping damage" scenario. I seriously doubt any damage could have possibly be done to my DA-40 in shipping considering how carefully I packed it. I asked Teac if the box was damaged when they received it and they said there was no record of damage to the box.
I told them they were full of crap but since I needed the machine and was overwhelmed with work I had them "fix" the machine (including the more than $100 in unnecessary cosmetic repairs). I received the unit today and now I'm on a mission to make sure everyone knows that these people are scam artists.
I'm taking pictures and writing consumer affairs organizations about this. I don't know if this is an isolated incident or a common occurence but I'm quite certain that I was ripped off and I wanted to warn the group and see if anyone else has had problems with Teac America customer service.
In any case, before you ship any machines to Teac America take pictures of both the unit and the packaging.
liquidt...@gmail.com wrote: > I just got scammed by Teac America (7733 Telegraph Rd, Montebello, CA > 90640) after I sent my DA-40 DAT deck to them for repairs. The machine, > which had barely been used, wouldn't play or load and obvioulsy needed > internal repairs. However the exterior of the machine was in flawless > condition. I chose Teac America factory service because I didn't want > to get ripped off by some local shyster.
> Bad move.
> I sent the machine back to Teac carefully wrapped in bubblewrap in a > new box. I'm talking a LOT of bubblewrap. The only way that machine was > going to be damaged in transit was if it was hit with a sledgehammer, > run over by a truck or dropped from the top of a building.
> But when I received an estimate from Teac they claimed the DA-40 was > "RCVD W/BENT RACK EARS & DAMAGE TO L REAR BOTTOM & POWER CORD." They > also claimed the machine was missing the "TASCAM" name plate.
You would be truly amazed at the damage carriers can do.
How much does a DA-40 weigh ?
How many inches of bubble wrap did you have between the unit and the box it was in ?
<< I'm quite certain that I was ripped off and I wanted to warn the group and see if anyone else has had problems with Teac America customer service. >>
I have had nothing but perfect professional service from the TEAC Montebello center. I have been taking Tascam products there and purchasing parts from them for about thirty years with never a single problem or issue of any sort.
liquidt...@gmail.com wrote: > I just got scammed by Teac America (7733 Telegraph Rd, Montebello, CA > 90640) after I sent my DA-40 DAT deck to them for repairs. The machine, > which had barely been used, wouldn't play or load and obvioulsy needed > internal repairs. However the exterior of the machine was in flawless > condition. I chose Teac America factory service because I didn't want > to get ripped off by some local shyster.
> Bad move.
> I sent the machine back to Teac carefully wrapped in bubblewrap in a > new box. I'm talking a LOT of bubblewrap. The only way that machine was > going to be damaged in transit was if it was hit with a sledgehammer, > run over by a truck or dropped from the top of a building.
> But when I received an estimate from Teac they claimed the DA-40 was > "RCVD W/BENT RACK EARS & DAMAGE TO L REAR BOTTOM & POWER CORD." They > also claimed the machine was missing the "TASCAM" name plate.
> FYI: The DA-40's front panel is one piece of fairly thick metal that > includes the rack ears. They are not detachable. It would not be easy > to bend one of those rack ears and I cannot imagine how BOTH ears could > possibly be bent from any conceivable "shipping damage" scenario. I > seriously doubt any damage could have possibly be done to my DA-40 in > shipping considering how carefully I packed it. I asked Teac if the box > was damaged when they received it and they said there was no record of > damage to the box.
> I told them they were full of crap but since I needed the machine and > was overwhelmed with work I had them "fix" the machine (including the > more than $100 in unnecessary cosmetic repairs). I received the unit > today and now I'm on a mission to make sure everyone knows that these > people are scam artists.
> I'm taking pictures and writing consumer affairs organizations about > this. I don't know if this is an isolated incident or a common > occurence but I'm quite certain that I was ripped off and I wanted to > warn the group and see if anyone else has had problems with Teac > America customer service.
> In any case, before you ship any machines to Teac America take pictures > of both the unit and the packaging.
Before bashing them in public you should have found out who signed for your package, when it was delivered, and what condition it arrived in. I've seen packages that have been run over by trucks and even skewered by forklifts. It's amazing the amount of abuse that a package can take while simply travelling across town...
If you shipped it with UPS that would have been another huge mistake. A few years back I had to file a complaint while I was living down in Riverside, CA. and someone at the local UPS hub was obvioulsy breaking into packages and stealing the contents and then re-sealing the boxes and sending them on their way. Another time I received a box that contained a hefty back full of utterly destroyed contents. The douchebags at the loading dock must have crushed the intire box under a truck or a forklift. They then dumped all of the mangled contents into a plastic bag and placed it in a brand new box and cut off the cardboard flap with the original shipping label and taped it to the new box. Seriously! The there's the time I caught the UPS clerk in the Riverside center was padding down the scale with an extra ten pounds so he could overcharge customers...
I could go on and on about the various criminal activities that go on at UPS every single day but it would take all night because there are so many problems I've had with them. And that's not to mention all of the problems I've had with them professionally while working in shipping & receiving at various businesses over the last 7-8 years. I simply stopped shipping anything with them back around the end of 2003. Unfortunately I still continue to sometimes have problems when receiving packages from UPS. The usual delivery guy for my neighborhood happens to be really nice, but their warehouses and distribution hubs seem to be inundated with criminals, speed-freaks, liars, and psychopaths.
liquidt...@gmail.com wrote: > I just got scammed by Teac America (7733 Telegraph Rd, Montebello, CA > 90640) after I sent my DA-40 DAT deck to them for repairs. The machine, > which had barely been used, wouldn't play or load and obvioulsy needed > internal repairs. However the exterior of the machine was in flawless > condition. I chose Teac America factory service because I didn't want > to get ripped off by some local shyster.
> Bad move.
> I sent the machine back to Teac carefully wrapped in bubblewrap in a > new box. I'm talking a LOT of bubblewrap. The only way that machine was > going to be damaged in transit was if it was hit with a sledgehammer, > run over by a truck or dropped from the top of a building.
> But when I received an estimate from Teac they claimed the DA-40 was > "RCVD W/BENT RACK EARS & DAMAGE TO L REAR BOTTOM & POWER CORD." They > also claimed the machine was missing the "TASCAM" name plate.
> FYI: The DA-40's front panel is one piece of fairly thick metal that > includes the rack ears. They are not detachable. It would not be easy > to bend one of those rack ears and I cannot imagine how BOTH ears could > possibly be bent from any conceivable "shipping damage" scenario. I > seriously doubt any damage could have possibly be done to my DA-40 in > shipping considering how carefully I packed it. I asked Teac if the box > was damaged when they received it and they said there was no record of > damage to the box.
UPS did exactly that to a DA-38 I sent to Tascam in the original shipping box. The carton was not obviously damaged, but the internal foam was crushed and the rack mount was bent.
> I told them they were full of crap but since I needed the machine and > was overwhelmed with work I had them "fix" the machine (including the > more than $100 in unnecessary cosmetic repairs). I received the unit > today and now I'm on a mission to make sure everyone knows that these > people are scam artists.
> I'm taking pictures and writing consumer affairs organizations about > this. I don't know if this is an isolated incident or a common > occurence but I'm quite certain that I was ripped off and I wanted to > warn the group and see if anyone else has had problems with Teac > America customer service.
> In any case, before you ship any machines to Teac America take pictures > of both the unit and the packaging.
I've had dozens of repairs by Tascam in Montebello and never had this kind of problem. Your bad experience is not the norm.
UPS is another story.
-Jay -- x------- Jay Kadis ------- x---- Jay's Attic Studio ------x x Lecturer, Audio Engineer x Dexter Records x x CCRMA, Stanford University x http://www.offbeats.com/ x x---------- http://ccrma.stanford.edu/~jay/ ------------x
liquidt...@gmail.com wrote: > I sent the machine back to Teac carefully wrapped in bubblewrap in a > new box. I'm talking a LOT of bubblewrap. The only way that machine was > going to be damaged in transit was if it was hit with a sledgehammer, > run over by a truck or dropped from the top of a building.
Sorry for your loss, but that probably wasn't sufficient packaging (for UPS, at least). Lacking the original box and packing, it should have been double-boxed, that is, take the package as you shipped it, and put it in a larger box with a few inches of plastic peanuts or equivalent between boxes.
> I just got scammed by Teac America (7733 Telegraph Rd, Montebello, CA > 90640) after I sent my DA-40 DAT deck to them for repairs. The machine, > which had barely been used, wouldn't play or load and obvioulsy needed > internal repairs. However the exterior of the machine was in flawless > condition. I chose Teac America factory service because I didn't want > to get ripped off by some local shyster.
> Bad move.
> I sent the machine back to Teac carefully wrapped in bubblewrap in a > new box. I'm talking a LOT of bubblewrap. The only way that machine was > going to be damaged in transit was if it was hit with a sledgehammer, > run over by a truck or dropped from the top of a building.
> But when I received an estimate from Teac they claimed the DA-40 was > "RCVD W/BENT RACK EARS & DAMAGE TO L REAR BOTTOM & POWER CORD." They > also claimed the machine was missing the "TASCAM" name plate.
Did you double box the unit? I sent a preamp to a friend a few years back and it came into his shop with a bent corner that was NOT that way when it left here.
Regards,
Ty Ford
-- Ty Ford's equipment reviews, audio samples, rates and other audiocentric stuff are at www.tyford.com
>I just got scammed by Teac America (7733 Telegraph Rd, Montebello, CA >90640) after I sent my DA-40 DAT deck to them for repairs. The machine, >which had barely been used, wouldn't play or load and obvioulsy needed >internal repairs. However the exterior of the machine was in flawless >condition. I chose Teac America factory service because I didn't want >to get ripped off by some local shyster.
>Bad move.
>I sent the machine back to Teac carefully wrapped in bubblewrap in a >new box. I'm talking a LOT of bubblewrap. The only way that machine was >going to be damaged in transit was if it was hit with a sledgehammer, >run over by a truck or dropped from the top of a building.
>But when I received an estimate from Teac they claimed the DA-40 was >"RCVD W/BENT RACK EARS & DAMAGE TO L REAR BOTTOM & POWER CORD." They >also claimed the machine was missing the "TASCAM" name plate.
>FYI: The DA-40's front panel is one piece of fairly thick metal that >includes the rack ears. They are not detachable. It would not be easy >to bend one of those rack ears and I cannot imagine how BOTH ears could >possibly be bent from any conceivable "shipping damage" scenario. I >seriously doubt any damage could have possibly be done to my DA-40 in >shipping considering how carefully I packed it. I asked Teac if the box >was damaged when they received it and they said there was no record of >damage to the box.
>I told them they were full of crap but since I needed the machine and >was overwhelmed with work I had them "fix" the machine (including the >more than $100 in unnecessary cosmetic repairs). I received the unit >today and now I'm on a mission to make sure everyone knows that these >people are scam artists.
>I'm taking pictures and writing consumer affairs organizations about >this. I don't know if this is an isolated incident or a common >occurence but I'm quite certain that I was ripped off and I wanted to >warn the group and see if anyone else has had problems with Teac >America customer service.
>In any case, before you ship any machines to Teac America take pictures >of both the unit and the packaging.
I shipped various consumer and professional audio and video equipment by UPS for over 25 years. Most packages arrived without incident but we had occasional deliverys with very severe damage. One example that sticks in my mind was a vcr that looked like someone had cut in half horizontally with a samurai sword. UPS didn't cover the damage because they said the unit had to be doubled boxed with packing peanuts between the two boxes. I did warranty service for Teac and Tascam for many years and their service was outstanding. It is much more likely the damage was caused by the carrier. Chuck
>I shipped various consumer and professional audio and video equipment >by UPS for over 25 years. Most packages arrived without incident but >we had occasional deliverys with very severe damage. One example that >sticks in my mind was a vcr that looked like someone had cut in half >horizontally with a samurai sword. UPS didn't cover the damage >because they said the unit had to be doubled boxed with packing >peanuts between the two boxes. I did warranty service for Teac and >Tascam for many years and their service was outstanding. It is much >more likely the damage was caused by the carrier. Chuck
Things go wrong in shipping. I understand this. Sometimes packages get run over by trucks. Sometimes forklifts go through packages.
When UPS destroys things, it is impossible to get them to do much about it without taking them to court. I have had several serious incidents with UPS damage, one involving a $6,000 Tektronix monitor that was forklifted, where it took litigation to make them pay up on their insurance.
The other shippers, FedEx, Airborne, Danzas, etc, also have things go wrong. But the difference is that when things go wrong, they make good on them.
Reportedly the postal service insurance is also worthless, although I don't know because I won't ship high dollar items that way. --scott -- "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
When you're dealing with a relatively heavy piece of electronic gear with corners, no amount of bubble wrap can save a brutal corner drop, even from a few feet up. Bubbles burst and there's nothing to protect the corners after that. Faulty packing is most often to blame. I know from experience.
On Mon, 01 May 2006 16:03:38 -0700, liquidtodd wrote: > I'm taking pictures and writing consumer affairs organizations about > this. I don't know if this is an isolated incident or a common > occurence but I'm quite certain that I was ripped off and I wanted to > warn the group and see if anyone else has had problems with Teac > America customer service.
> In any case, before you ship any machines to Teac America take pictures > of both the unit and the packaging.
I'm not doubting that your unit was damaged, because it most likely was. However I doubt TEAC is scamming you, I really do.
I've been dealing with them (Little Ferry N.J.) for years and they are fine, honest people who try to do a decent job.
Why on earth would a line tech claim stuff like this? What is in it for him? He doesn't make a commission based on how many people he rips off.
Chances are the unit was damaged in shipping and FWIW rack ears are VERY SHARP and cut through just about anything and they are also very oddly placed and tend to not fit in whatever box you use so when I ship things I ALWAYS remove them which I understand you could not do, but still.
I was sitting on a plane a couple of weeks ago and saw the guys loading luggage on the plane. They tossed a guitar case 20 feet and the other guy didn't catch it so it hit the cement pavement. Hope that one was a padded case :(
I'd go after the carrier if I were you, but don't expect any satisfaction :(
On Tue, 02 May 2006 11:11:14 -0400, Scott Dorsey wrote: > Reportedly the postal service insurance is also worthless, although I > don't know because I won't ship high dollar items that way. > --scott
Been there and done that. I lost when they produced the original manual which showed how to remove the unit from the shipping carton. The first thing they demand is proof the item was shipped according to manufacturers specs and that you have proof of this. A nice digital photo with a copy of the days newspaper in the background (to prove date) might help but I suspect they will find something else you did wrong.
IOW if you didn't save the original box and packing material, look out.
"flatfish+++" <flatf...@linuxmail.org> wrote in message
> IOW if you didn't save the original box and packing material, look out. > flatfish+++ > "Why do they call it a flatfish?"
I wish that worked all the time, too. I've saved almost every box for just this reason. However, it really REALLY galls me when you return it in the original packaging and they throw away your original box and send the repaired unit in packaging that is WAY less protective. I had this happen with a piece of stereo gear and they admitted to me that they throw away all the boxes when gear came in for repairs.....brilliant.
DL wrote: > When you're dealing with a relatively heavy piece of electronic gear > with corners, no amount of bubble wrap can save a brutal corner drop, > even from a few feet up. Bubbles burst and there's nothing to protect > the corners after that. Faulty packing is most often to blame. I know > from experience.
I kind of doubt Tascam was to blame as well; but one thing they might have done was inspect the package on delivery and make note of the damage. IMO they should have taken it up with the carrier, since they received a package which had apparently been damaged in transit.
Since they failed to do so, it's much harder for the originating shipper to make the claim.
Ever been in a UPS center? Boxes are THROWN. Like hard. The euphemism that UPS warehouse people use for their job is literally "throwing boxes". Their tracking system works quite well, but you really have to pack things up very carefully. As was said, rack ears are very destructive of any sort of packaging.
jakdedert wrote: > DL wrote: > > When you're dealing with a relatively heavy piece of electronic gear > > with corners, no amount of bubble wrap can save a brutal corner drop, > > even from a few feet up. Bubbles burst and there's nothing to protect > > the corners after that. Faulty packing is most often to blame. I know > > from experience.
> I kind of doubt Tascam was to blame as well; but one thing they might > have done was inspect the package on delivery and make note of the > damage. IMO they should have taken it up with the carrier, since they > received a package which had apparently been damaged in transit.
> Since they failed to do so, it's much harder for the originating shipper > to make the claim.
Of course it'd be nice if TASCAM could have reported the damage to the carrier, taken it up with them etc .... but realistically I would not expect them play detective nor take upon themselves the task of policing shipping damage of products that arrive at their door. I really feel for the original poster's predicament but poor packing was the reason for the damage, in my opinion and based on the available info.
> Of course it'd be nice if TASCAM could have reported the damage to the > carrier, taken it up with them etc .... but realistically I would not > expect them play detective nor take upon themselves the task of > policing shipping damage of products that arrive at their door. I > really feel for the original poster's predicament but poor packing was > the reason for the damage, in my opinion and based on the available > info.
That's my impression too. I don't believe any reasonable amount of bubblewrap could prevent such a heavy item from getting damaged if handled improperly during transport. The bent rack ears are a sure giveaway, speaking from experience.
> DL wrote: >> When you're dealing with a relatively heavy piece of electronic gear >> with corners, no amount of bubble wrap can save a brutal corner drop, >> even from a few feet up. Bubbles burst and there's nothing to protect >> the corners after that. Faulty packing is most often to blame. I know >> from experience.
> I kind of doubt Tascam was to blame as well; but one thing they might have > done was inspect the package on delivery and make note of the damage. IMO > they should have taken it up with the carrier, since they received a > package which had apparently been damaged in transit.
> Since they failed to do so, it's much harder for the originating shipper > to make the claim.
> jak
In my experience, the damage to the contents of the package is often not revealed until it is opened - the box shows little sign of the major impact it has obviously had. When UPS deliver stuff, you see the box, you sign for it, the guy goes on his way. There is NO WAY he is going to stand there for every package for every customer while the receiver spends 3 minutes unpacking the thing to inspect for any damage. You cannot blame Tascam for this, if this is what happened.
: I was sitting on a plane a couple of weeks ago and saw the guys loading : luggage on the plane. They tossed a guitar case 20 feet and the other guy : didn't catch it so it hit the cement pavement.
It is pretty scary watching those guys load airplanes. They seem to go out of their way to drop or throw the luggage. Just watch them, instead of doing the much easier placing of a box on the belt, some of them will actually throw the box up in the air so that it crashes down on the belt. I think they do it for entertainment (or possibly exercise), or maybe to see what cool crunching sounds they can produce.
<<: I was sitting on a plane a couple of weeks ago and saw the guys loading : luggage on the plane. They tossed a guitar case 20 feet and the other guy : didn't catch it so it hit the cement pavement. >>
It's not wise to check a valuable guitar as baggage. Either travel with a less than boutique instrument, or if you really have to tour with your 1952 Gibson L5 archtop, put it in a padded gig bag & carry it on the plane. Airlines have rigged the system such that they really have almost no liability anymore for damage to anything of value. Generally anytime I check foam-lined Pelican flight cases full of gear, they still make me sign a waiver of responsibility. You sign or they don't check it on the plane. Yes, they suck, whatcha gonna do? I'd never check a guitar I wasn't prepared to replace.
On Wed, 03 May 2006 08:55:54 -0700, Scott Fraser wrote:
> It's not wise to check a valuable guitar as baggage. Either travel with > a less than boutique instrument, or if you really have to tour with > your 1952 Gibson L5 archtop, put it in a padded gig bag & carry it on > the plane. > Scott Fraser
Absolutely! I felt sorry for the poor sob who owned it :(
DL wrote: > Of course it'd be nice if TASCAM could have reported the damage to the > carrier, taken it up with them etc .... but realistically I would not > expect them play detective nor take upon themselves the task of > policing shipping damage of products that arrive at their door. I > really feel for the original poster's predicament but poor packing was > the reason for the damage, in my opinion and based on the available > info.
Actually, it is incumbent upon the receiver to note any and all shipping damage and take up the claim with the shipper. I worked for a company years ago that used to receive a lot of customer returns via UPS (aka OOPS) and almost every package was damaged in some way, some visible on the outside, some only marginally visible from the outside. Got so bad we actually had the UPS person wait and watch as we opened packages.
As to receiving stuff at home, if I have the option, I ask for any other way than UPS (FEDEX, etc.). FEDEX will deliver on Saturdays. The most memorable shipment received via OOPS was some stuff from Provantage.com (a computer hardware and software vendor). The package was tossed over an 8 foot high wire fence onto our back porch, which is made out of concrete. The package had a hole in the bottom from where it had contacted one of the peaks on the fence, and multiple dents on the outside of the box. Called Provantage as OOPS had left and I could not get them on the phone. Explained the situation to them and told them I didn't want to open the package. No problem, they said, and a replacement package would be overnighted to me without them waiting for the return. Sure enough, next day FEDEX delivered the new package, undamaged, and even picked up the old UPS-delivered package (under Provantage's orders). Ordinarily, if it was just cables I wouldn't have cared, but it was a couple of computer disk drives.
-- de Jack N2MPU FN20 Modeling the NYC/NYNH&H in HO and CP Rail/D&H in N Proud NRA Life Member*
Poor packing won't be covered by any carrier. Jim Finch at Tascam service is an outstanding guy. Never had any problems with them. UPS does cover for damage if you follow packing guidelines, they don't cover used boxes or newspaper packing. UPS has always paid damage if the guidelines are followed, can't say that about FedEx, they never pay for damage, only loss. If you feel comfy tossing your box about 10 feet, you have done a good job. Remember, Ace Ventura works for UPS.
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