Accessories4less AVR experience

I have purchased a few items from A4L over the past year. When I was looking to get something different, I went back to A4L.

I did a little research on the model I was considering and I came across this old thread: http://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/comment/1844941#Comment_1844941

Sorry to resurrect an old thread but, I have some information that is relevant to purchasing a refurbished unit from accessories4less and there are some misconceptions in this thread that I would like to clear up for potential future customers of accessories4less (especially during the holiday season).

To begin with, I purchased a refurbished Marantz nr1403 less a year ago from accessories4less. The unit worked fine until this October. Therefore, I had to take the unit in for repair to an authorized Marantz repair center. As I live in Chicago, there are two authorized repair centers located within 50 miles of me. The closest location to me only services Marantz items that they sell. The second is a long way from me, a 2-hour drive (one way). Without a third option, I dropped it off at the authorized repair center with a detailed account of the issues exhibited by the receiver.

So, keep in mind that, even though you have a 1-year warranty from the manufacturer when buying from A4L, you have to pay the gas or the shipping to get it to them and then back to you. They wouldn't take a credit card to ship it back to me, only a check. Then I have to mail the check, wait for it to clear, then wait for it to be shipped back. All in all, kind of a hassle.

After a week, I gave them a call to get an update on the status of the repair. No one answered so I left a voicemail message with my name and contact information.

A few hours later I got a call from a guy saying, "yes, can I speak to..." I replied, "yes, that's me." He said, "you dropped off an item for repair and you wanted an update on the repair?"
To which I replied, "yes, that's correct." He went on to say, "we had to replace a board and we are waiting on the part. Once we get the part, we'll repair the receiver. There's your update." He was kind of surly and I didn't care for his tone but he has my receiver and I'd like to get it back in working order so I say to him, "thanks for the update, I appreciate it." He says, "uh-huh" and hangs up on me.

They never contacted me to tell me the status of the repair, I had to contact them periodically. I'm ok with that; it isn't a big deal.

Finally, they tell me that the receiver has been repaired and that they can ship it back to me. I didn't drop it off with the shipping box so they had to charge me $10 for a box and packing material and $10 for the shipping. I figured that the shipping rate is very reasonable so I authorized the charge of $20. As I mentioned earlier, they wouldn't take a credit card payment so I had to send them a check.

My receiver arrived back to me pretty quickly and it is functioning perfectly.

The box it came back in doesn't match the receiver perfectly, it's a different model, but it was packed up well enough with foam encasements to keep it protected.

In the old thread, someone recommended an extended warranty. Another individual recommended an extended warranty from Square Trade. Be Advised: Square Trade does not and will not honor extended warranties for Refurbished Electronic Items. I know that A4L offers third party extended warranties, but I've never dealt with that company so I cannot speak to their quality.

This is not a knock against A4L or the Authorized Repair Center with which I dealt. This is simply a bit of advice about buying a refurbished item from A4L and what you might expect if you have to file a warranty claim under the 1-year of the manufacture's warranty.

Happy Shopping for the Happy Holidays everybody