Polk Direct Warranty Change

metal83

Polk has changed the warranty on refurbs from 5yrs to 2yrs for their speakers. Not sure when this happened, as i just bought my A7's from them in January and was told they have a 5yr warranty.

http://www.polkaudio.com/support/warranty-returns.php#q9

treitz3

Nothing is valid unless it's in writing.

That said, the economy may be putting a pinch on Polk [I don't know.....just saying.....] and they may be acting accordingly. At least you know up front what you are dealing with.

As far as your situation is concerned.......contact Polk CS. Hear it from the horses mouth.

metal83

treitz3 wrote: »

Nothing is valid unless it's in writing.

That said, the economy may be putting a pinch on Polk [I don't know.....just saying.....] and they may be acting accordingly. At least you know up front what you are dealing with.

As far as your issue, contact Polk CS.

When i bought these i was told directly by Polk CS (the horses mouth) that i have a 5 year warranty. I guess i should of requested this in writing though.

I don't have an issue.
But i will call them again to make sure that i still have the 5yr warranty.

treitz3

I wouldn't sweat it. Polk has the best reputation that I know of when it comes to CS. I was just thinking off the top of my head when I wrote that response. The economy has hit all factors of business that I have been in contact with. Sign o' the times I guess?

Or maybe just an executive decision.

metal83

I mean it does suck that they dropped 3yrs from the warranty.
But at the same time it won't prevent me from buying from Polk Direct.

metal83

Now if Polk Direct would get some black A9's anytime soon, my speaker upgrade itch would be done for quite some time, and i'd be one hell of a happy camper!!!!!:D

Toolfan66

I am not to worried about it, i have had the RT55i's for almost ten years, naver had a problem with them once, they still sound just as good as the day i got them + IMO if there is going to be a major problem i think it would happen in the first year. also with that said im sure they would hook you up with what ever you needed to fix the problem with little cost if any at all.

metal83

TOOLFORLIFEFAN wrote: »

I am not to worried about it, i have had the RT55i's for almost ten years, naver had a problem with them once, they still sound just as good as the day i got them + IMO if there is going to be a major problem i think it would happen in the first year. also with that said im sure they would hook you up with what ever you needed to fix the problem with little cost if any at all.

Yeah i'm not really worried at all to be honest. Just the fact that i was told i have a 5yr warranty, and now it's changed, is of course going to make me want to call and make sure my 5yr is still intact.

I'll still be buying from Polk Direct, no question about that.

comfortablycurt

I'd have to guess that only applies to new purchases. If you bought something from Polk Direct before the change, you probably still have the 5 year warranty. The 2 year warranty is probably only applied to products purchased after the change.

I may be wrong on that, but just my 2 cents.

metal83

comfortablycurt wrote: »

I'd have to guess that only applies to new purchases. If you bought something from Polk Direct before the change, you probably still have the 5 year warranty. The 2 year warranty is probably only applied to products purchased after the change.

I may be wrong on that, but just my 2 cents.

Well yeah that would make the most sense of course, i agree.
But like i said, i'll still call to find out, that will have to wait until Monday though.
I have to call them anyways to inquire about some A9's, might as well kill two birds with one stone.

Spike111

Thanks for pointing out the change metal. I will have to call on Monday to find out. I just purchased my LSi 9's and 7's on 2/7 and the eBay listing said 5 years but the LSiC I ordered yesterday only said 2 years.

tcrossma

I didn't read all this *too* closely, but I think this might actually be a clarification and extension of the Ebay warranty policy instead of a reduction:

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=66196&highlight=warranty

I believe their terms used to indicate a 180 day warranty for Ebay refurbs, which now appear to be 2 years. It was *not* 5 years before, even though their documentation seemed to indicate it was.

kneedragger37

The following was copied from an old ebay auction page from Polk direct. Anyone care to speculate on the difference between "remanufactured" and "refurbished?"

You are bidding on a Factory Refurbished product, direct from Polk Audio. It comes direct from Polk Audio and has the original factory warranty. To learn more about what Factory Refurbished means, click here.


Remanufactured for home speakers and electronics
Limited Five Year Warranty
Polk Audio, Inc., warrants to the original retail purchaser only. This warranty will terminate automatically prior to its stated expiration if the original retail purchaser sells or transfers the product to any other party.

Polk Audio, Inc., warrants, to the original retail purchaser only, that the LOUDSPEAKER(S), PASSIVE CROSSOVER COMPONENT(S) and ENCLOSURE on this Polk Audio Loudspeaker Product will be free from defects in material and workmanship for a period of five (5) years from the date of original retail purchase from Polk Audio.

Furthermore, Polk Audio, Inc., warrants, to the original retail purchaser only, that any AMPLIFIER OR OTHER ELECTRONIC COMPONENT that may be included in this Polk Audio Loudspeaker Product will be free from defects in material and workmanship for a period of three (3) years from the date of original retail purchase from Polk Audio.

Refurbished for home speakers and electronics
Limited One-Hundred and Eighty Day Warranty
Polk Audio, Inc., warrants to the original retail purchaser only. This warranty will terminate automatically prior to its stated expiration if the original retail purchaser sells or transfers the product to any other party.

Polk Audio, Inc., warrants, to the original retail purchaser only, that the LOUDSPEAKER(S), and PASSIVE CROSSOVER COMPONENT(S) on this Polk Audio Loudspeaker Product will be free from defects in material and workmanship for a period of one-hundred and eighty (180) days from the date of original retail purchase from Polk Audio.

Furthermore, Polk Audio, Inc., warrants, to the original retail purchaser only, that any AMPLIFIER OR OTHER ELECTRONIC COMPONENT that may be included in this Polk Audio Loudspeaker Product will be free from defects in material and workmanship for a period of one-hundred and eighty (180) days from the date of original retail purchase from Polk Audio.

Furthermore, Polk Audio, Inc., does not warrant any COSMETIC APPEARANCE, IMPERFECTIONS OR BLEMISHES on this Polk Audio Loudspeaker Product.

jacob.simpson

If i get it right what i read in the eBay terms for Polk refurbs its 2 years on speakers, for all the new ones its still 5 years

DollarDave

Sort of on subject, but did anyone notice that Polk Direct has over 180 listings on e-bay right now? About a year ago, e-bay had about 300 - 350 total listings. Now, over 700 listings.

Sign of the times, I guess. Polk is selling more direct product (they can't have 180 defective/returned products at any given time) and others must be selling their surplus. Just guessing on these observations.

mmadden28

tcrossma wrote: »

I didn't read all this *too* closely, but I think this might actually be a clarification and extension of the Ebay warranty policy instead of a reduction:

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=66196&highlight=warranty

I believe their terms used to indicate a 180 day warranty for Ebay refurbs, which now appear to be 2 years. It was *not* 5 years before, even though their documentation seemed to indicate it was.

Eric at Polk CS clarified this (on this board) not too long ago. The warranty wording on the eBay site was unclear. He verified that in fact the refurb speakers had the full 5 year warranty, but that the other electronics (iSonic, etc) had 180 days. I recall the site was updated with direct clarification of the terms showing 5 years for refurb speakers. I'll see if I can find that thread.

However it is clear from the warranty statment now that it has been reduced to 2 years, but before that change it would be 5 years not 180 days (although I'm still not sure why my Lsi9's had that 180 day sticker on it. )

mmadden28

Here it is:

Eric Wong wrote: »

You're right the wording is confusing. We will change the lingo.

Here is the bottom line on refurbished Polk goods:
Electronics (e.g. I-Sonic, subwoofer amplifiers, miDock, tuners, etc.) have a 180 day warranty.
Home speakers have a 5 year warranty (original warranty).

Keep in mind this thread was from Dec and would no longer be relevant for any new purchases from Polk Direct since they meade the change.

cfrizz

While it might be nice to have a warrenty, I wouldn't worry too much. My speakers are 19years old & still going strong.

Polk builds them to last.

comfortablycurt

kneedragger37 wrote: »

The following was copied from an old ebay auction page from Polk direct. Anyone care to speculate on the difference between "remanufactured" and "refurbished?"

Refurbished speakers are speakers that were returned, and have been certified to be in good working order as is, and may contain some minor cosmetic imperfections.

Re-manufactured speakers, are speakers that have had drivers, or crossover parts replaced to bring them back to new condition. They may also contain minor cosmetic blemishes though.

cnh

Is it possible that such a change in policy is just an addendum to the fact that Polk is now providing a link to the Polk Direct ebay site above?

And that it doesn't make a lot of business sense to offer the same warranty as they do on store bought/i-net NEW products as on Direct purchases!

Just a thought?

cnh

mdaudioguy

FWIW, I received a letter in the mail this past week from Kenneth Swauger of Polk. The purpose was to reassure me that my pair of RTi10 speakers purchased almost a year ago from Tweeter would still be covered under Polk's full warranty, even though Tweeter has since closed its doors. Honestly, I wasn't concerned much about it, as I figured that if a dealer went away, the manufacturer would still be there. I guess enough people were worried about this that Polk thought it would be good to offer this reassurance. In any case, the letter was unexpected, but nice to receive. Good CS.:)

mmadden28

cnh wrote: »

Is it possible that such a change in policy is just an addendum to the fact that Polk is now providing a link to the Polk Direct ebay site above?

And that it doesn't make a lot of business sense to offer the same warranty as they do on store bought/i-net NEW products as on Direct purchases!

Just a thought?

cnh

I assume when you say "Direct" you are referring to Polkdirect on eBay and not internet direct sales in general, right?

Your right, it does not make a lot of business sense to sell what amounts to refurb products at the same time as their NIB product and still offer the same warranty, esp when the refurb product (esp the speakers) are essentially NIB as it is.
I think a 2 year warranty on what is sold as 'Refurb' is still reasonable enough for me. After all, warranties cover manufacturer defects, 2 years on a speaker should be long enough to uncover most of those defects, no?

metal83

mdaudioguy wrote: »

FWIW, I received a letter in the mail this past week from Kenneth Swauger of Polk. The purpose was to reassure me that my pair of RTi10 speakers purchased almost a year ago from Tweeter would still be covered under Polk's full warranty, even though Tweeter has since closed its doors. Honestly, I wasn't concerned much about it, as I figured that if a dealer went away, the manufacturer would still be there. I guess enough people were worried about this that Polk thought it would be good to offer this reassurance. In any case, the letter was unexpected, but nice to receive. Good CS.:)

I got the same letter in regards to the RTi10's i bought last May.
Of course i don't have them anymore, but still...;)

cnh

mmadden28 wrote: »

I assume when you say "Direct" you are referring to Polkdirect on eBay and not internet direct sales in general, right?

Your right, it does not make a lot of business sense to sell what amounts to refurb products at the same time as their NIB product and still offer the same warranty, esp when the refurb product (esp the speakers) are essentially NIB as it is.
I think a 2 year warranty on what is sold as 'Refurb' is still reasonable enough for me. After all, warranties cover manufacturer defects, 2 years on a speaker should be long enough to uncover most of those defects, no?

You're right, I should have said Polk's Direct Ebay site.

cnh

Eric W

mmadden28 wrote: »

Eric at Polk CS clarified this (on this board) not too long ago. The warranty wording on the eBay site was unclear. He verified that in fact the refurb speakers had the full 5 year warranty, but that the other electronics (iSonic, etc) had 180 days. I recall the site was updated with direct clarification of the terms showing 5 years for refurb speakers. I'll see if I can find that thread.

However it is clear from the warranty statment now that it has been reduced to 2 years, but before that change it would be 5 years not 180 days (although I'm still not sure why my Lsi9's had that 180 day sticker on it. )

You're correct- the warranty for refurbished products (purchased from our eBay direct store or directly from us) has changed to 2 years for in-home speakers. Refurb electronics was always 6 months (180 days).

We are going to make a sticky about the warranty questions.

CaligulaPolk

Eric Wong wrote: »

You're correct- the warranty for refurbished products (purchased from our eBay direct store or directly from us) has changed to 2 years for in-home speakers. Refurb electronics was always 6 months (180 days).

We are going to make a sticky about the warranty questions.

what was the reason for the change?

shack

CaligulaPolk wrote:

what was the reason for the change?

Good grief...A 5 year warranty on a refurb item goes way beyond what is normal for the industry. 2 years is an excellent warranty under theses circumstances. While offering the full 5 years on a refurb item sounds nice...it is not necessarily a good business practice if Polk is to be around for the long term.

metal83

Two years is most certainly still great, especially considering the prices in which the refurbs sell for, no complaints here! I look forward to purchasing more items from Polk Direct.

reeltrouble1

I heard if a senior Polk Employee rubs their dingus on the speaker the warranty is extended,..........get it,---dingus----extended............

RT1

Toolfan66

Like i have said i have no concern. My A9's are refurbs if there was something wrong with them it was fixed right? to me i feel i will never have a problem with them, And if i do i will just fix them with polks help if need be.

I also look at it this way, i am the one that hooked them up, and i am also the one that controls the volume. so some of the responsibility on how long they last is on me.

mmadden28

TOOLFORLIFEFAN wrote: »

... to me i feel i will never have a problem with them....

....

:eek: Hurry go knock on that wood veneer--Hurry or your gonna be sorry you said that. :eek: