Onkyo's Dirty Little Secret

c4kaboom
c4kaboom Posts: 20
edited February 2008 in Electronics
Bought a Onkyo 605 about 28 days ago after reading articles that it was better than imported beer. Tried to hook a brand new panny blue ray up but no dice. I could only get audio and no video. I also could not get the FM function to work. After calling tech. support I was advised to return it to J+R Electronics because they have a 30 day return policy. I asked the tech guy for a number or verification of some sort and he said no way. No numbers.

Called J+R Electronics and advised I wanted to turn in the reciever and of course they asked why and I said it was broken from the get go and it was a piece of junk. I also told them of the blame shifting I got from Onkyo as they had told me it was not their problem it was J and R's. The girl at J + R said she had never heard of this procedure. She asked me if I had saved the box it came in and of course that it is some landfill now. She took mercy on me and gave me a RA number and will allow the return. I am NOT replacing the Onkyo but will investigate Denon or something else. Onkyo left a bad tatse in my mouth with this.......... I have to pay shipping and pakaging back to NYC too. Caveat Emptor.:mad:
RTi 12's main
CSi5 Center
Monitor 70's Surrounds
PSW125 Sub
Onkyo 805
Fronts Adcom GFA 555 powered
I/C's from the wall of Circuit City
Wire by BlueJeans at $.65 per foot
Post edited by c4kaboom on

Comments

  • ryanjoachim
    ryanjoachim Posts: 2,046
    edited February 2008
    Did you make sure that the HDMI out option was turned on on your receiver? I had to manually turn it on when I hooked up my 605.

    You have to go through the setup by watching the receiver screen first sometimes in order to get the HDMI video out to work.

    Just my 2 cents. So far I haven't had any problems with my receiver at all.
    MrNightly wrote: »
    "Dr Dunn admitted that his research could also be interpreted as evidence that women are shallower than men. He said: "Let's face it - there's evidence to support it."
    mystik610 wrote: »
    Best Buy is for people who don't know any better. Magnolia is for people who don't know any better and have more money to spend.
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  • Gaara
    Gaara Posts: 2,415
    edited February 2008
    You would be surprised how many customers return products for simple errors on their end. I can't say how many receivers I got back because the digital inputs didn't work, customers never even thought about checking in the manuals of their players...just assume the new rcvr must be defective and send it back.
  • c4kaboom
    c4kaboom Posts: 20
    edited February 2008
    The tech guy and I set all the stuff that needed to be set. The answer to your question is yes.
    RTi 12's main
    CSi5 Center
    Monitor 70's Surrounds
    PSW125 Sub
    Onkyo 805
    Fronts Adcom GFA 555 powered
    I/C's from the wall of Circuit City
    Wire by BlueJeans at $.65 per foot
  • billbillw
    billbillw Posts: 7,578
    edited February 2008
    c4kaboom wrote: »
    Bought a Onkyo 605 about 28 days ago after reading articles that it was better than imported beer. Tried to hook a brand new panny blue ray up but no dice. I could only get audio and no video. I also could not get the FM function to work. After calling tech. support I was advised to return it to J+R Electronics because they have a 30 day return policy. I asked the tech guy for a number or verification of some sort and he said no way. No numbers.

    Called J+R Electronics and advised I wanted to turn in the reciever and of course they asked why and I said it was broken from the get go and it was a piece of junk. I also told them of the blame shifting I got from Onkyo as they had told me it was not their problem it was J and R's. The girl at J + R said she had never heard of this procedure. She asked me if I had saved the box it came in and of course that it is some landfill now. She took mercy on me and gave me a RA number and will allow the return. I am NOT replacing the Onkyo but will investigate Denon or something else. Onkyo left a bad tatse in my mouth with this.......... I have to pay shipping and pakaging back to NYC too. Caveat Emptor.:mad:

    Hope you learned your lesson. Never, ever throw out the packaging before your 30 day return period is up. In fact, never throw boxes for receiver away ever!

    Overall, I'm not really sure what your beef is here with Onkyo. Sometimes you get defective electronics. That's just part of the game. That's why you always test them thoroughly when you first get them.

    Most companies like JR don't have a problem if you return it for an exchange, but they don't like returns for a refund. Overall, I think you will have a hard time finding a comparable replacement for the Onkyo without spending quite a bit more money. I would give them another shot.
  • kuntasensei
    kuntasensei Posts: 3,263
    edited February 2008
    Not sure why this is a negative on Onkyo's part. That's pretty common practice for most electronics purchases, as you're supposed to use the store's return policy before the manufacturer warranty. That's not blame-shifting - it's just the way most businesses handle these things through resellers.

    Fortunately for you, J&R are cool enough to accept it without the box. You should NEVER throw the box away for a receiver, man! Especially if you only bought it 28 days ago!
    Equipment list:
    Onkyo TX-NR3010 9.2 AVR
    Emotiva XPA-3 amp
    Polk RTi70 mains, CSi40 center, RTi38 surrounds, RTi28 rears and heights
    SVS 20-39CS+ subwoofer powered by Crown XLS1500
    Oppo BDP-93 Blu-ray player
    DarbeeVision DVP5000 video processor
    Epson 8500UB 1080p projector
    Elite Screens Sable 120" CineWhite screen
  • reberly
    reberly Posts: 173
    edited February 2008
    I am pretty sure no matter where you buy your Onkyo that you have to return it to whomever you bought it from. I am on my second Onkyo receiver over 18 year period and would buy a 3rd whenever the time comes.

    Boxes and the original packaging material are great for when you go to move. Never throw them out. Live and learn I guess.
    Onkyo TX-SR805
    Polk LSi15 , LSiC, LSiFX
    Parasound Halo A52
    Panasonic 42'' Plasma
    Oppo BDP-83
    Sonos
    Panamax 4300
    Audioquest cables
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 51,794
    edited February 2008
    What the last 3 posters said and "I have to pay shipping and pakaging back to NYC too." is a standard business practice, so I don't see that you've got anything to beef about, at all.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."


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  • WilliamM2
    WilliamM2 Posts: 4,807
    edited February 2008
    Sounds like Onkyo gave you great advice. Would you rather send it back and get a new one, or send it in and WAIT for a repair, and possible damage (scratches, etc) upon return?

    Whether you sent it in for repair, or back to J&R, you will always be responsible for shipping costs one way. That's the risk of buying on the internet. If that pisses you off, find a good local dealer and pay more up front, you won't have to worry about shipping that way.
  • WilliamM2
    WilliamM2 Posts: 4,807
    edited February 2008
    You should NEVER throw the box away for a receiver, man! Especially if you only bought it 28 days ago!

    It's even on the first page of the manual on un-packing the unit. "Save all packing materials in case the unit ever needs to be shipped for repair in the future."
  • jdhdiggs
    jdhdiggs Posts: 4,305
    edited February 2008
    In all honesty, it sounds like someone didn't turn on the HDMI monitor to "ON".... I would also suggest that, in the future, you check multltiple AV forums before contacting tech. I garauntee that the AVS forum is more knowledgeable than any Onkyo rep you're likely to get.
    There is no genuine justice in any scheme of feeding and coddling the loafer whose only ponderable energies are devoted wholly to reproduction. Nine-tenths of the rights he bellows for are really privileges and he does nothing to deserve them. We not only acquired a vast population of morons, we have inculcated all morons, old or young, with the doctrine that the decent and industrious people of the country are bound to support them for all time.-Menkin
  • reberly
    reberly Posts: 173
    edited February 2008
    I do feel your pain though. You spend good money and expect is to work straight out of the box. I've banned myself from using other companies goods and services for even trivial things. Then about 5 years go by and I can't figure out why I hated them so much. LOL .
    Onkyo TX-SR805
    Polk LSi15 , LSiC, LSiFX
    Parasound Halo A52
    Panasonic 42'' Plasma
    Oppo BDP-83
    Sonos
    Panamax 4300
    Audioquest cables
  • avguytx
    avguytx Posts: 1,628
    edited February 2008
    My 605 works like a champ and passes HDMI audio and video with no problem on HD-DVD or Blu-Ray. Things happen in this electronics world...especially in mass production. I do concur on the making sure the HDMI monitor output on the receiver might nor have been set to "Yes". Then again, maybe it was and it was just a bad unit. Did you get audio and video when the Blu-Ray was tied directly into the TV? Did you have another cable to test it with? I've seen DOA HDMI cables where the pins didn't quite make contact internally. Not very often, but it does happen.

    Man, I'm a packrat for boxes. I think I have them for stuff I don't even own anymore! I never throw them away unless I don't own the item anymore.
    Richard? Who's your favorite Little Rascal? Alfalfa? Or is it........................Spanky?.................................Sinner.
  • Ron-P
    Ron-P Posts: 8,520
    edited February 2008
    Bought a Onkyo 605 about 28 days ago after reading articles that it was better than imported beer.
    There's your first problem, no audio device on this planet is better then imported beer, none.
    If...
    Ron dislikes a film = go out and buy it.
    Ron loves a film = don't even rent.
  • speakergeek
    speakergeek Posts: 555
    edited February 2008
    Ron-P wrote: »
    There's your first problem, no audio device on this planet is better then imported beer, none.


    Classic! :D
  • J_Kennedy
    J_Kennedy Posts: 138
    edited February 2008
    I agree, it's kinda silly to be mad at either Onkyo or JR. You bought it under certain terms, industry standard terms.

    If you didn't want to pay shipping, you should have bought it at a local brick and mortar store, paid much more, and saved the $20 shipping.

    There's a price when saving money. :D
    - Onkyo TX-SR805
    - Polk RTi8's Main L/R's
    - Polk CSi A6 Center
    - Polk FXi3 Surrounds/Rear Surrounds
    - HSU VFT-2 MK3
  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited February 2008
    What both companies did was standard business practice. However, that doesn't make it a good business. Keeping customers happy sadly isn't a goal of some stores and companies. I feel your pain c4kaboom.
  • PolkThug
    PolkThug Posts: 7,532
    edited February 2008
    Onkyo did the right thing by advising you to follow J&R's 30-day return policy. This is always the best option because you never know how long it might take to fix the defective item if you just treated it as a warranty issue.
  • hockeyboy
    hockeyboy Posts: 1,428
    edited February 2008
    Bottom line here to me is that Onkyo shipped a defective product. A lot of people don't see that as a negative, but in my book a defective product on the shelf is a very big NEGATIVE.
    My Main Gear
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  • ryanjoachim
    ryanjoachim Posts: 2,046
    edited February 2008
    It can't be helped hockeyboy. It really can't.

    With the sheer amount of products that Onkyo pushes out from their production lines, they can't possibly test EVERY function of EVERY device. They would never get anything done.

    They DO make sure that the basic features of every device are in working order before shipping, but right now HDMI is still NOT a basic feature for most american households.

    Is it annoying and frustrating to get a "lemon"? Of course! However, you can't blame JR for it, since they didn't MAKE the device. You can grumble about Onkyo making crappy equiptment, but EVERY company that manufactures ANYTHING has "lemons".

    It sucks, but Onkyo has a very good track record for quality, so I tend to look at their "lemons" as a "aw shucks" rather than an "CURSE YOU ONKYO"
    MrNightly wrote: »
    "Dr Dunn admitted that his research could also be interpreted as evidence that women are shallower than men. He said: "Let's face it - there's evidence to support it."
    mystik610 wrote: »
    Best Buy is for people who don't know any better. Magnolia is for people who don't know any better and have more money to spend.
    My System:


    TV: SAMSUNG UN55B7000 55" 1080p LED HDTV
    HTPC: Chromecast w/ Plex Media Server. Media streamed from Media Server.
  • J_Kennedy
    J_Kennedy Posts: 138
    edited February 2008
    hockeyboy wrote: »
    Bottom line here to me is that Onkyo shipped a defective product. A lot of people don't see that as a negative, but in my book a defective product on the shelf is a very big NEGATIVE.

    What manufactured product of any kind, has zero, as in 0, none, not even 1, defective product rate?

    Do you realize what you'd pay for such a product? No, because it will never exist. ;)
    - Onkyo TX-SR805
    - Polk RTi8's Main L/R's
    - Polk CSi A6 Center
    - Polk FXi3 Surrounds/Rear Surrounds
    - HSU VFT-2 MK3
  • PhantomOG
    PhantomOG Posts: 2,409
    edited February 2008
    hockeyboy wrote: »
    Bottom line here to me is that Onkyo shipped a defective product. A lot of people don't see that as a negative, but in my book a defective product on the shelf is a very big NEGATIVE.

    And how do you know Onkyo's at fault? It could have been damaged by the shipping company OR by the company he bought it from.

    If he had kept his box, he'd probably have been able to get a brand new perfect unit for $0 out of pocket. Since he didn't, and he was convinced, like you, that Onkyo is at fault he wants a refund. When you do that with online ordering, you get bit with shipping charges. Don't like it? Don't order online.
  • ryanjoachim
    ryanjoachim Posts: 2,046
    edited February 2008
    Walmart would have if you **** enough.

    Trust me.

    I've seen people return 3 year old TV's just by bitching loudly at management.
    MrNightly wrote: »
    "Dr Dunn admitted that his research could also be interpreted as evidence that women are shallower than men. He said: "Let's face it - there's evidence to support it."
    mystik610 wrote: »
    Best Buy is for people who don't know any better. Magnolia is for people who don't know any better and have more money to spend.
    My System:


    TV: SAMSUNG UN55B7000 55" 1080p LED HDTV
    HTPC: Chromecast w/ Plex Media Server. Media streamed from Media Server.