For what it`s worth, this is a recent letter I sent to EmpireDirect.co.uk (or Empire-Indirect, as I now think of them). What chance of a response from them this time I wonder...?
Dear Sir/Madam
Regarding the purchase of a JVC-DRMH20 DVD/HDD recorder from you, please may I lodge in the strongest possible terms, my dismay and frustration at the unsatisfactory standard of service that I have received from your company and your entirely insulting subsequent efforts to remedy the situation.
There are two main sections to this letter: the first is a chronology of mainly what happened (or what didn't). The second section addresses possible solutions and my reasoning and feelings about them.
CHRONOLOGY
Jan 4th - DVD ordered online from you.
Jan 14th - DVD delivered.
Jan 17th - Noticing problems with the unit. Email sent to JVC asking for assistance.
Feb 9th - Reply from JVC saying they were unable to help but if I was experiencing difficulty with the unit, to return it to the dealer.
(Jan 31st - mid-March: acute back condition caused by ligament damage. Unable to engage in normal activities of any sort)
Mar/Apr - Email sent to technical dept at JVC describing problems experienced with the unit and asking for their advice.
April 18th - Reply from JVC stating the symptoms described were "consistent with a malfunction"
May 3rd - Email sent to Empire Direct stating that JVC have recommended it be returned to them via retailer.
May 5th - Reply from Paul Stubbs at Empire Direct asking for a convenient time and date for collection of the DVD.
May 10th - Arranged with Empire Direct for collection on 18th May.
May 18th - DVD collected for repair
May ?? - Voicemail left by Empire Direct stating that unit received safely from me.
June 10th - Phone call from Empire Direct saying that they could deliver the unit back to me the following day.
June 11th (Saturday) - Waiting for promised delivery of DVD. It didn't arrive.
June 13th (Monday) - Amtrak attempted to deliver unit to me (at home). I phoned them to arrange re-delivery of the unit to my work address but they said that only the sender could arrange an alternate re-delivery address.
Phoned Empire Direct who arranged re-delivery to work address.
June 14th (Tuesday) - Stayed late at work, expecting delivery of DVD but it didn't arrive. On returning home I found a sticker left on my front door from Amtrak, saying that they had attempted delivery (to home address) again.
June 15th (Wednesday) - Phone Empire Direct who assured me that the unit would be delivered to work address.
June 21st - Phone call from repair dept querying why the DVD had been returned to them.
June 25th - DVD finally returned to me (at home) after 5 weeks and 3 days.
After some use, it was apparent that the problems with the unit had not been fixed. Indeed the unit was in a worse condition that it was before on account of the front cover panel hanging loose (the fixing hooks seem damaged).
June 30th - Email sent to Empire Direct informing them that the unit was still not functioning correctly. No reply.
July 6th - Re-sent email of June 30th to Empire Direct. No reply.
July 8th - Re-sent email of June 30th to Empire Direct. No reply.
July 11th - Phoned Empire Direct to report the problem. After an inordinate wait on-hold, finally spoke to a woman who arranged collection of the unit on Weds, July 13th.
July 13th - Waiting for collection of DVD. No collection.
July 14th - Amtrak left a note saying they had tried to collect from me, one day late. No explanation forthcoming from Empire Direct as to wrong pick up date.
OPTIONS
There are (were) several options available:
Repair of the unit.
A repair has already been attempted once and was entirely ineffective, i.e. the unit was displaying exactly the same faults afterwards. Also the unit was returned in a worse condition; the front panel was loose, indicating damage to the fixing tags. The sound has been steadily deteriorating as well; replacement of the scart leads made no improvement.
The first attempted repair resulted in the unit being in transit for 5 weeks and 3 days, a repeat of which is highly undesirable, regardless of the distinct possibility of the unit again not being effectively repaired.
This did not prevent me from arranging to return the unit to you for a second repair attempt. However, for this second occasion, the collection company (Amtrak) turned up on completely the wrong day. As it seems that you have proved yourselves incapable of even managing to collect the unit from me, I no longer consider repair of the unit to be a viable option.
Furthermore, I have no faith whatsoever in JVC effecting a successful repair. This lack of confidence in them was caused by the following:-
- it took three emails to JVC's support department to finally elicit a response from them
- a call to their support centre was answered by someone surly, sarcastic and monosyllabic who clearly was not inclined toward offering the slightest bit of help
- their previous repair attempt shows a lack of care and attention to the work carried out
- various web forums have revealed a plethora of similarly disgruntled JVC users who have complained of similarly defective recorders and JVC's inability to repair them.
Exchange of the unit
A replacement unit, while initially seeming an attractive solution, is now less so, on account of the discovery of many online complaints about the reliability of this type of JVC recorder.
Ultimately, I do not want to have to repeat any part of my dealings with your company, given the stress it has caused, notwithstanding the loss of the annual leave that I have used up while expecting deliveries or collections from you that have failed to materialise.
I should point out that waiting for a parcel or package to arrive from a courier company is quite tedious and restrictive as one has to be prepared to answer the door immediately on their arrival - so no baths, long toilet visits, cooking, or anything that might prevent reaching the door or hearing the doorbell.
Refund of purchase price
In retrospect, it is clear that the unit was defective from the beginning. Effective repair of the unit would have cleared the matter up but it was obviously not to be.
Please note that all I have ever wanted was a functioning recorder. It is only due to your own inefficiency and lack of basic customer courtesy, that no other course of action is acceptable to me other than refund of the purchase price of the unit.
This is to give notice that if arrangements for repayment have not commenced within 14 days of this letter (i.e. 15th August 2005) that legal proceedings will be initiated for the recovery of said owed monies.
Yours sincerely
