Buyer Beware

dannno

I purchased a brand new a Polk Audio Soundbar 4000, 3+ years ago. It has had nothing but problems the last 6 months and finally stopped working altogether even after constantly re-setting it. And today customer service tells me TOUGH LUCK! Its past its 1 year warranty and they could care less, and then HUNG UP on me after I said thats a **** company policy!

I paid huge dollars for this "thinking" it would last for 6-8 years!!! These people charge big dollars for their junk and won't offer to help in the least!

Nightfall

The person on the phone was just doing their job. I understand you are and were frustrated but you didn't need to talk to them like you did. You're at least 3 times over the warranty period, you want it fixed forever and for free?

dannno

Frustrated doesn't begin to explain why a company won't stand behind/repair a "FLAWED" item from the START! Check the internet, this is a HUGE problem with this specific soundbar. Had I known, I wouldn't have purchased this thing! When car companies produce known "flawed" parts, the cars are recalled and fixed for FREE!

Moose68Bash

danno,

Welcome to Club Polk. I'm sorry you arrived under such a cloud of bad feelings about Polk Audio.

Many of us have been customers of Polk Audio for many years -- 26 years in my case -- while there have been hiccups along the road, by and large Polk Audio customer service has been outstanding. Many of us have greatly appreciated Polk's continued interest in the great products they developed and introduced in the 1980s and 1990s. Few companies can match their record in that area. We all "quiver in our boots" as we watch the transitions going on now that Polk has been acquired by a larger enterprise.

It's probably too late now, but my advice to you is that "you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar." I've always found that with warranty matters past the standard warranty period, companies usually have a category of assistance they refer to as "policy" or some such euphemism. It means that the company will help customers with legitimate complaints "as a matter of policy," even outside the warranty period. They may not give you free repairs or a replacement product, but they will often go a good ways to help you repair or replace their product at a significantly reduced cost.

For example: An iPod Classic of mine recently failed (hard drive crashed) some 4-6 months after my Apple Care policy lapsed. I talked nicely to the Apple Care folks and asked about their "policy" with respect to such failures. The rep called the nearest Apple store, told them I was coming and to help me. When I got there, I learned that the store rep was instructed to check to see whether there were signs of abuse or damage. When he confirmed that there were none, the store sold me a brand new iPod Classic for $129.99 -- not free but better than $250.00 or whatever the MSRP was at the time. (iPod Classic no longer available! )

Just some friendly advice from a guy with a lot of gray hair and scars on his back!

dannno

I was very nice to the customer service rep, explained everything in detail and he basically told me in a few words: it's out of warranty, its your problem not ours!!!!! I explained it was a "flaw" in this model soundbar, and again he said: "not our problem"

I know how to be polite and courteous, but I don't understand how a company will NOT stand behind their "Flawed Product". I was NOT asking for a NEW soundbar.

This is the world we live in now; corporations only care about their bottom line dollar and share holders, screw the consumers that buy their products.

Had these people done the right thing and offered to fix their "mistake", I would be on the internet telling people what a GREAT company this is.

[Deleted User]

Hello danno,
Thanks for posting on the forum, welcome. I'll bring this to the attention of Kim Jasper, Polk's CS manager. Give him a call at 1-800-377-7655 extension 5208 or send him an email to Kim.Jasper@soundunited.com
Regards, Ken

dannno

Thanks Kenneth, I'll do that.

I suppose I should add to this thread that the customer service rep told me right up front that my unit didn't even need to be diagnosed because Polk was aware the amplifier in the soundbar and probably the wireless sub woofer was the culprit, which is the reason for my dismay that Polk knew about or knows about this just says too bad for you.

Hopefully I'll get a solution.

Thank you.

[Deleted User]

Hello,
As always there is another side to this unfortunate situation. Polk's CS representative maintains that since your unit was outside the original warranty period it couldn't be repaired at no cost. As a way of accommodating you they offered a new replacement soundbar with a full warranty at a reduced price. At this point you refused his offer and began swearing at the representative.
Probably working with Kim directly would be the best option.
Ken

gudnoyez

cnh

I think there are a lot of people on short fuses this year. I know I've been on one! Winter, etc. has been a BiTxH!

But it looks like Ken is being "unbelievably" reasonable and helpful above so I'm confident that if you take a few deep breaths and accept his advice, something good can come of it!

teekay0007

dannno, dannno, dannno.

My guess is that they'll be using your CS phone call recording for training purposes for years to come.

So ya got that goin' for ya...



...which is nice!

F1nut

I've got ZERO sympathy for people like dbago.

tonyb

Kenneth Swauger wrote: »

At this point you refused his offer and began swearing at the representative.

OOOPS.....kinda left out that tidbit of information didn't ya.

I don't get how consumers feel that everything should be repaired for free outside the warrantee period. No car dealer will do it....unless it's a safety recall. No other electronics manufacturer does it either. Then to start running your mouth at a CS rep ?

You attract more bees with honey dude.

[Deleted User]

Let's go easy, gentlemen. In all likelihood the customer felt that since the failure was a known problem (the CS representative knew exactly what the probable cause was without him having to describe it in detail) that it should be handled under an extension of the warranty. I believe, rather than an intrinsic flaw in the unit, the representative had dealt with enough similar symptoms to make a valid diagnosis quickly.
In any event, I know that Polk will meet him more than halfway and try and do the right thing for everyone.

dannno

Tonyb, you don't know the facts, so who are you to criticize me or my conservation with the CS rep?

First off- I didn't swear at anybody, after a few minutes of the CS rep defending Polks company policy, I told him thats a *****ty company policy. I even told the rep twas nothing against him.

My point only being: How does a company that has sold a defective product not stand up and repair or replace the product at their cost? The CS rep admitted to me UPFRONT that Polk knows about these defects!!!

I didn't spend close to $500 3 years ago to have this unit totally worthless as soon as the warranty expires! I have radios from the 50's and 60's that still work perfectly today!

dannno

Kenneth Swauger wrote: »

Hello,
As always there is another side to this unfortunate situation. Polk's CS representative maintains that since your unit was outside the original warranty period it couldn't be repaired at no cost. As a way of accommodating you they offered a new replacement soundbar with a full warranty at a reduced price. At this point you refused his offer and began swearing at the representative.
Probably working with Kim directly would be the best option.
Ken

Why would I want to pay any more money to a company at a discount for more of their products that they won't stand behind? Seriously? The solution is to accept a deal where I pay them again?

cnh

Hey man, you need to chill a little if you want to make some gains!

You are out of warranty, unfortunately, and that "colors" everything here. So it behooves you to try and meet them half way at least. It is unlikely that "any" company would give you a free ride after three years are up. Most wouldn't even bother; and I can list a lot of great companies that would have cut you off by now.

Why all the anger? **** happens. And sometimes it happens after warranty. My daughter's Mac laptop failed just a few months after the year warranty and that cost more than twice your Polk product. I was pissed, but I did not yell and scream at Apple-which I DO NOT like to begin with! I calmed myself and found someone to repair the SCREEN at less than Apple repair costs.

Again, look at the offer don't just throw it out!

polkfarmboy

I like the honey comment by Tony as its true to life.

dannno

la2vegas wrote: »

dannno Polk has tried to work with you to make things right, but it seems that you are beyond help. You want to win and be happy, Polk is offering you a deal that makes both sides happy. It's been 3 years take the deal and move on. OR reject the deal and move on as well. Either way you get the point.

And your opinion comes from where? Were you on my phone call? I'm beyond help?

Comments like yours only make things worse, and yeah I "Get The Point", to bad you don't.

marvda1

"I paid huge dollars for this "thinking" it would last for 6-8 years!!! These people charge big dollars for their junk and won't offer to help in the least!"

then buy something with a 5 yr. warranty or buy an extended warranty either way you would pay a fair bit more than what you paid. usually the length of the warranty is an indication of how long the product will last.

D_M

Dannno,

It might be best to see if you can get a credit towards something else. I understand that the soundbar left you with a bad taste in your mouth, but there might be a sliver lining. Polk Just had a friends and family sale where you could get items at 50% off. Obviously, you and Polk CS are on a first name basis now, so things should be cool. All kidding aside, try asking them to combine your credit with the family and friends discount that just expired. You might be able to snag a pair of RTiA3s or something similar. It will probably sound just as good or better than the soundbar. I know it probably defeats the simplicity you were going for with the soundbar, but it's an idea anyway.

ZLTFUL

This thread is so full of win. Thanks @Danno for making this boring Friday at work everything I knew it could be and more.

Polkie2009

Hats off to Kenneth for going above and beyond to try and make this Polk Audio customer happy. Happy Easter all.

ROHfan

It's a shame that CS reps have to deal with this type of customer who simply cannot be pleased or reasoned with. You handled it much cooler than I would have, Ken.

pitdogg2

Danno,

I also wasn't listening to your call BUT running your mouth here is not EVER going to help they way you want it to. There are MANY great folks at Polk that will bend over backwards to help, will it cost some money? Maybe it will, but you have soured the pudding with this as it is. Ken and Kim are two very stand up guys. Name one other company that still supports products that are YEARS past there warranty and they are trying to help.

vmaxer

Ok, so where are the ban and delete thread buttons...?

vmaxer

nbrowser wrote: »

vmaxer wrote: »

Ok, so where are the ban and delete thread buttons...?

I think the fact threads like this stay on is testament to the quality of Polk's people. It shows they do attempt to go that extra mile to satisfy a customer. If it was blasted off the boards it would be a sign of trying to hide the fact that sometimes there are a few misses, all companies should try to be this transparent.

I agree, Polk is great, but this seems to be a bit over the top. I don't know how Ken does it.

trj

Honestly, Ken has handled this thread very well. What do you expect polk to do? For all we know, you might have spilled water on the sub woofer and it broke. Not that I am saying you did, but the system being out of warranty is a big issue here.

Polk Customer service sent me a piece of plastic free of cost just charging shipping for a pair of speakers I bought used and way out of warranty. Now, if I had asked them to send me a free driver for a busted speaker, would they? I don't think so.
They offered you a product for a lesser cost, isn't that a good gesture?
What is your expectation? A free system? Free replacement? or an upgraded product free of cost? Not sure what you are expecting from polk audio when the product is out of warranty.

Also, you might not want to compare cars with the speakers. Car companies recall for safety reasons not for a broken speaker.
Imagine a car company recall thousands of cars because the left side speaker stops working after warranty is expired.

gimpod

To the OP, your lucky it's Polk, It has been my experience that as soon as company's C.S. finds out the product your calling about is out of warranty or e.o.l. they say sorry there's nothing we can do and hang up.

tonyb

Oh....look at the Squirrel....