View Full Version : Refurbished, my foot!
Last week one of my HR20 700s started acting up and finally had to be rebooted every morning. I called the Protection Plan and after several calls got them to ship me a replacement. I was told that the replacement might be a new unit or a refurbished unit.
ISSUE #1 They know perfectly well that they are going to send out a refurb.
Got the (sure enough) refurb 100 Tuesday and hooked it up. Everything went along well with the setup and I manually recorded a couple of shows and set series links for that evening. Next morning it would not respond to the remote or the power button and I had to reboot it.
All the recordings were on the list, but were blank. Did another reset (I only reset by pulling the cord) and the blank recordings disappeared from the list. The three programs I had programmed manually were still there and had full content.
The front panel on this unit was loose and rattled. Stuffed it with paper and it quieted down immediately. The power cord would not seat properly in it's port. I tried three different power cords and the only way I could get the thing to boot was to jiggle the plug until I saw the blue power light come on.
ISSUE #2 The people who supposedly "refurbished" this unit saw none of this? It would seem to me that nobody did anything to this unit other than to send it to me.
Yesterday, I called the PP and they sent me "either a new or refurbished unit". Surprisingly, it arrived this morning, and even more surprising, (dare I say shocking?) it was a 100 refurb! Set it up and only spent an hour on the phone getting it activated. Everything seemed copacetic.
Set it up to record a couple programs manually and set series links for tonight. Put it in standby and went downstairs to fold clothes and watch my huge, wonderful Panny plasma.
Two hours later I go upstairs and the unit won't respond to the remote or the power button and when I reboot it, it starts humming, loudly humming. Pressed my hand on the top and it sure sounds like the HD.
Called up the PP and told "Elizabeth" (got another "Ashley" this morning) my harrowing story and she immediately said they would send me a new or refurb unit. I said, "C'mon, you know it's gonna be a refurb." She actually admitted it!
ISSUE #3 The only way you can get a working HR20 refurb is if you get lucky enough to get one that was returned to D* for some odd reason and works perfectly.
My conclusion from this experience and prior experiences is that the refurb department has regressed to the point where nothing is done to actually refurbish a faulty unit. I used to be happy when I got a refurb. No more. Something changed drastically and I'm sure I'm not the only one who has gone thru this experience.
RehabMan
11-02-07, 04:01 PM
Not too long ago, I had the second tuner in my first HR20 fail. Called D*, it was within the warranty period (I did not have PP at that time), and they sent a refub HR20...
When I fired it up, I noticed right away that the hard disk makes a "ticking" noise as you trickplay through a recording. The old one didn't make that "ticking" noise, and I considered immediately returning the refurb for another. In the end, I gave it a chance, and it hasn't failed yet -- its been running fine for about 3+ months.
Hearing your story, I'm glad I stuck with it, since it seems you're really rolling the dice with these refurb replacements...
Stuart Sweet
11-02-07, 04:10 PM
Somebody refurbished your foot?
Greg Alsobrook
11-02-07, 04:31 PM
Somebody refurbished your foot?
:lol:
Not too long ago, I had the second tuner in my first HR20 fail. Called D*, it was within the warranty period (I did not have PP at that time), and they sent a refub HR20...
When I fired it up, I noticed right away that the hard disk makes a "ticking" noise as you trickplay through a recording. The old one didn't make that "ticking" noise, and I considered immediately returning the refurb for another. In the end, I gave it a chance, and it hasn't failed yet -- its been running fine for about 3+ months.
Hearing your story, I'm glad I stuck with it, since it seems you're really rolling the dice with these refurb replacements...
Out of about 20 refurbs I have three that function correctly and have been in use for months without a problem.
Somebody refurbished your foot?
Ah, ya got me. I actually had to backtrack and see who wrote that.
Somebody refurbished your foot?
I can't begin to tell you how frustrated I am. It would probably be easier to get my foot refurbished. I do have a bunyon and should have surgery, but I have heard some real horror stories about foot refurbishing.
tfederov
11-02-07, 07:02 PM
I can't begin to tell you how frustrated I am. It would probably be easier to get my foot refurbished. I do have a bunyon and should have surgery, but I have heard some real horror stories about foot refurbishing.
You need to be careful with that too. Let some doctors start cutting on you, by the time you come out, you'll only come out....
...wait for it....
...a head. :grin: :lol:
Bijou Media
11-02-07, 07:08 PM
I feel your pain Rich! LOL!
I do service work for another satellite provider that also refurbs all their equipment (or so they say!). I often troubleshoot systems that they sent a supposed refurbed box that doesn't work.
So, last night I walk upstairs and my son unwinds from his girlfriend and says "something sounds wrong in the family room". Filled with trepidation, I walk into the room and hear a buzzing so loud it's a wonder the HR20 stayed on the shelf. Quickly unplugged it. And I had hoped it would miraculously heal itself. I can't wait for the next one which should be arriving Monday. Oh, joy!
I hate the thought of working, but I would love to run the refurb department for D* (or whoever they use) for a year or two. Within six months, there would be a lot of unhappy employees and a lot of happy customers.
Thanx for understanding.
I feel your pain Rich! LOL!
I do service work for another satellite provider that also refurbs all their equipment (or so they say!). I often troubleshoot systems that they sent a supposed refurbed box that doesn't work.
I've had a refurb R15 and H20, guess I was lucky that both have been working just fine.
I got a refurb HR20-700 without issues.
Chilli_Dog
11-03-07, 11:01 PM
I went through two refurbs in a row recently. There is no way they could have been thoroughly tested. First one had a bad tuner. Second would lock up tight every hour. It was a pretty frustrating experience.
I did finally manage to get a working box, but only after getting a new box from a local store (and the appropriate credits from D* for the purchase).
Bijou Media
11-04-07, 07:34 AM
So, last night I walk upstairs and my son unwinds from his girlfriend and says "something sounds wrong in the family room". Filled with trepidation, I walk into the room and hear a buzzing so loud it's a wonder the HR20 stayed on the shelf. Quickly unplugged it. And I had hoped it would miraculously heal itself. I can't wait for the next one which should be arriving Monday. Oh, joy!
I hate the thought of working, but I would love to run the refurb department for D* (or whoever they use) for a year or two. Within six months, there would be a lot of unhappy employees and a lot of happy customers.
Thanx for understanding.
I'm not stopping you!
I think that they get a bad system back in, pack it up and ship it right back out. LOL! :nono2:
Hola! I got a 700 today. Last time it was used was back in February. I hope this one works. I had all but given up hope of ever seeing a refurbed 700 again after 6 100s in a row. Seems all right so far. See what happens tomorrow when I hook up the eSATA...
I went through two refurbs in a row recently. There is no way they could have been thoroughly tested. First one had a bad tuner. Second would lock up tight every hour. It was a pretty frustrating experience.
I did finally manage to get a working box, but only after getting a new box from a local store (and the appropriate credits from D* for the purchase).
I have a feeling that they just ship them out without ever checking anything. Makes FedEx happy.
Stuart Sweet
11-05-07, 03:25 PM
I doubt that. I think it's clear that some bad hardware is getting out there, but in the case of intermittent errors, or things based on temperature or humidity, it's probably harder to test than you'd think.
SDizzle
11-05-07, 03:31 PM
I have a feeling that they just ship them out without ever checking anything. Makes FedEx happy.
I heard FedEx LOVES the lease program:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
I doubt that. I think it's clear that some bad hardware is getting out there, but in the case of intermittent errors, or things based on temperature or humidity, it's probably harder to test than you'd think.
You would not believe how badly that unit was vibrating last night. Hard to believe anybody tested it for more than a couple of minutes. The longer it was on the worse the vibration got.
That said, the last post I put up was facetious. But there was a time that getting a refurb meant you were getting something you had a decent chance of being able to use. I have three that have been working perfectly for months.
I heard FedEx LOVES the lease program:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
And the Protection Plan.
Doug Brott
11-05-07, 03:41 PM
Out of about 20 refurbs I have three that function correctly and have been in use for months without a problem.
Wow! .. I'm probably an anomaly myself, but really, I've had for my personal use at least a dozen different receivers over the past 10+ years. I've had zero returns - period. As a result, I've never had a refurbished unit.
Kinda stinks that you got so many bad ones in a row ..
txtommy
11-05-07, 03:47 PM
I heard FedEx LOVES the lease program:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
I don't think Fedex ever takes the units back to D*. They just keep a few broken ones on every truck and deliver them when D* provides an address.
Wow! .. I'm probably an anomaly myself, but really, I've had for my personal use at least a dozen different receivers over the past 10+ years. I've had zero returns - period. As a result, I've never had a refurbished unit.
Kinda stinks that you got so many bad ones in a row ..
Was what I expected. I was shocked to see a 700 appear today. Hope it lives happily in my home for years.
If you've been at it for 10 years, you must have had Ultimate TV, no? They crashed constantly, but I think I always got a new one in exchange. I don't think I ever saw a refurb until my second or third year with TiVos. And all that ever went wrong with them (in my experience) was the HD stopped working correctly.
The thing that really gets me about the refurbs is that I was just as happy to get a refurb as a new one for years. Held true with the HR20s for the first six months, then suddenly got worse. Both of the 100s I got last week had a loose front panel.
dreadlk
11-05-07, 04:42 PM
So many companies just plug the units in for 10 seconds, see a picture and declare the returned unit to be still good. When are companies like Directv going to learn that this is costing them a fortune and making Fedex Fat.
dreadlk
11-05-07, 04:45 PM
Luckily I have also had the same experience, I sum my luck up to having all my sensitive electronics plugged into UPS's and always cooled by muffin fans. Power surges and Heat are the number one killers of electronics.
Wow! .. I'm probably an anomaly myself, but really, I've had for my personal use at least a dozen different receivers over the past 10+ years. I've had zero returns - period. As a result, I've never had a refurbished unit.
Kinda stinks that you got so many bad ones in a row ..
spoonman
11-05-07, 04:45 PM
I got a refurb HR20-700 without issues.
I got one back in April, have no issues with it....
Doug Brott
11-05-07, 05:09 PM
If you've been at it for 10 years, you must have had Ultimate TV, no? They crashed constantly, but I think I always got a new one in exchange. I don't think I ever saw a refurb until my second or third year with TiVos. And all that ever went wrong with them (in my experience) was the HD stopped working correctly.
No Ultimate TV here .. I had one of those really expensive $700 plain receivers when I first started out .. Then I moved to some newer (and cheaper) plain receivers. It was in November 2000 that I got my first DirecTivo .. ended up with 4 of those (one HD) .. right now I have 1 DirecTivo still in service and another 4 HR20s and one H21.
I did swap drives on my my DirecTivos a couple of times, so if you want to call them refurbished (by me) then I'd be OK with that. But really it was just to increase capacity and was a preemptive measure vs. reactive.
Doug Brott
11-05-07, 05:13 PM
Luckily I have also had the same experience, I sum my luck up to having all my sensitive electronics plugged into UPS's and always cooled by muffin fans. Power surges and Heat are the number one killers of electronics.
I haven't taken what I'd call "special" precautions. I do always have them connected to a power strip (vs. direct to the wall), but that is minimal help at best. I'd say I've had some luck and done a few preemptive things to keep thing running smoothly.
With DVRs, the typical problem is the HDD because of the moving parts. However, other things can and do go wrong.
SDizzle
11-05-07, 05:25 PM
I don't think Fedex ever takes the units back to D*. They just keep a few broken ones on every truck and deliver them when D* provides an address.
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
I don't think Fedex ever takes the units back to D*. They just keep a few broken ones on every truck and deliver them when D* provides an address.
I really like this theory, it would seem as though this is the practice.:sure:
I wonder if they sent you all those broken receivers because you're a Jets fan? :p
I wonder if they sent you all those broken receivers because you're a Jets fan? :p
Oh goody, here I am depressed by the ineptitude of the Jets and this post appears. :kickbutt:
I wonder if they sent you all those broken receivers because you're a Jets fan? :p
You're from the Boston area! Aren't you satisfied yet? I don't care about any other sport except boxing, football and baseball. I don't care about the Knicks, or Nets or Celtics. So all you Red Sox (I rooted for them in the Series, eeew), can pile on but I do enjoy watch the Pats. I never expect anything out of the Jets. Anything is gravy.
I'm almost afraid to post this, but the 700 seems to be working perfectly with the eSATA. Now if I could get my foot refurbished this well...
vBulletin® v3.7.6, Copyright ©2000-2012, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.