[Sab]

I have sent my P7 power amp back to repair to Arcam via my dealer. I rang Arcam today and they said the P7 had just been sitting there for a week with no work done on it. I find this frustrating as the P7 is an expensive piece of kit and I want it back as soon as possible.

They estimate another week or two before I get it back.

Has anyone else had poblems with Arcam repairs ?

[radio]

Originally Posted by Sab

I have sent my P7 power amp back to repair to Arcam via my dealer. I rang Arcam today and they said the P7 had just been sitting there for a week with no work done on it. I find this frustrating as the P7 is an expensive piece of kit and I want it back as soon as possible.

They estimate another week or two before I get it back.

Has anyone else had poblems with Arcam repairs ?

i just sent my unit out and they have a time frame of 3-5 weeks and im here in canada.

[Richard Torble]

Originally Posted by Sab

I have sent my P7 power amp back to repair to Arcam via my dealer. I rang Arcam today and they said the P7 had just been sitting there for a week with no work done on it. I find this frustrating as the P7 is an expensive piece of kit and I want it back as soon as possible.

They estimate another week or two before I get it back.

Has anyone else had poblems with Arcam repairs ?

Arcam have a very large back catalogue of products and they try to maintain a level of repair service for them all. This means that at any one time they can have a lot of products waiting to be repaired, so when one comes into the system it may be a while before it gets looked at. I'm sure they hadn't simply forgotten about it.

I would ask your dealer if they would be prepared to lend you an amplifier until your P7 returns.

[proux]

My DV79 and AVR300 spent a very long time with ARcam, but it was over Christmas... My AVR300 then had to go back with another fault , but has been fixed quicker this time.

I don't know how quick a repair one can realistically expect, but prevention is always better than cure- I would expect something with the price of a P7 to be very well designed and made, and therefore pretty durable! I may just be unlucky, but I am not impressed with Arcam AV equipment reliability- although I never had a problem with their 2-channel stuff.

[Crustyloafer]

The turnaround time for FMJ repairs should be around 1 week. However if circumstances dictate and they are overloaded with jobs then it can take a little bit longer. Rest assured that when they do get onto it they are very thorough.

[deaf cat]

My avr took 3 weeks + a few days. I was told 3 weeks to start with....

At the 3 week point I called up just to see how it was getting on, and told " I don't know, there's loads of things here to repair " I thought.

Never the less, it returned shortly, fixed, and I could not tell that it had been in a work shop However, it has developed a different fault since, which is easy enough to live with, as I don't fancy another 3 week wait, and of course having to pay for it this time.

Love the sound quality of the thing, but not the build quality.

[mcguiganp]

My A90 has been away for 5 weeks now

Still no sign....

[KShep]

My DV139 developed and issue and was replaced under warranty within one week or reporting the malfunction.

The CD36 is being shipped out today for a tray problem for which I have been told to expect a 10 business day turnaround.

[Dankeech]

Arcam CR-80 Remote handed to dealer, then 10 days later I recieved word from my dealer that Arcam have provided a CR-100 as replacement and it's ready waiting for collection from my retailer.

That was fine by me....But being without an AVR for even a day would probably take the floor out from under me I think

Dan.

[p203557]

My c31 was back within 10 days when an internal fuse went. Although not ideal I found that acceptable, if I'd had to wait weeks I would not have been happy.

[Sab]

I spoke to Arcam yesterday and they said my P7 should be back with the dealer on Wednesday next week.This would mean that I would have been without my P7 for 3 weeks.

My dealer is closed on Mondays and I handed my P7 in on a Friday, hence the delay in return to Arcam.

At the moment I am using the TV speakers to listen to music, watch DVDs etc. I am really missing my P7 and the dealer does not have a spare power amp for me.

All I can do is wait ...

[webhammer]

I may only speak for the USA market, and then only from my observation as the person respomsible for processing of defective returns, and as a former USA Arcam retailer myself. Every one pays hard-earned money for Arcam products, and we, Arcam, and our dealers make every effort to satisfy over-stressed and temporarily unhappy owners.

Just as an example, with the introduction of the DV137, there were a host of software-related problems and a shortage of replacement product. So, Arcam, at their (and our) expense, shipped new DV79 as temporary replacements. It didn't keep everyone happy, but it was a good faith effort that I don't recall seeing from other hifi manufacturers in my 25 years as a retailer.

Everyone in the Arcam family whom I have had pleasure to meet is seriously concerned about part delays and unhappy customers. But, Arcam is also doing their best to provide the best value products on the market. That means that they buy parts from a lot of different vendors to get the best price (rather than making nearly all themselves regardless of expense), which occasionally puts them at the mercy of their suppliers regarding delays.

Arcam part failures are on par with industry figures, which does nothing to make the owner of a faulty product happy! What will make Arcam owners happy is to buy from the best dealer they can find, and, before purchasing, ask for their policies should units fail. Most Arcam dealers I know will take care of a customer's problem with total empathy. Please give those dealers your support.

[RagePrblm]

Originally Posted by Sab

I have sent my P7 power amp back to repair to Arcam via my dealer. I rang Arcam today and they said the P7 had just been sitting there for a week with no work done on it. I find this frustrating as the P7 is an expensive piece of kit and I want it back as soon as possible.

They estimate another week or two before I get it back.

Has anyone else had poblems with Arcam repairs ?

Hi I was wondering if you could tell me who your dealer is in Toronto. I live in london and my dealer no longer deals in arcam. My power supply is humming loudly and im about to flip cause noone nearby repairs them. Thanks...

[westcoastman]

You can try down loading the spreadsheet containing all the Canadian dealers for this link.
Arcam | Eriksonconsumer

Click on the Arcam Dealer Locations and it will download an excel spreadsheet of locations. You can then choose the one nearest you.

[jimborae]

Maybe Arcam's repair times wouldn't be so long if they improved their quality control, then there would be less units to repair so quicker turn around times.

[gbaby]

Originally Posted by webhammer

I may only speak for the USA market, and then only from my observation as the person respomsible for processing of defective returns, and as a former USA Arcam retailer myself. Every one pays hard-earned money for Arcam products, and we, Arcam, and our dealers make every effort to satisfy over-stressed and temporarily unhappy owners.

Just as an example, with the introduction of the DV137, there were a host of software-related problems and a shortage of replacement product. So, Arcam, at their (and our) expense, shipped new DV79 as temporary replacements. It didn't keep everyone happy, but it was a good faith effort that I don't recall seeing from other hifi manufacturers in my 25 years as a retailer.

Everyone in the Arcam family whom I have had pleasure to meet is seriously concerned about part delays and unhappy customers. But, Arcam is also doing their best to provide the best value products on the market. That means that they buy parts from a lot of different vendors to get the best price (rather than making nearly all themselves regardless of expense), which occasionally puts them at the mercy of their suppliers regarding delays.

Arcam part failures are on par with industry figures, which does nothing to make the owner of a faulty product happy! What will make Arcam owners happy is to buy from the best dealer they can find, and, before purchasing, ask for their policies should units fail. Most Arcam dealers I know will take care of a customer's problem with total empathy. Please give those dealers your support.

I can honestly say that Webhammer is right in everything he says on this issue. Webhammer worked at Audiophile Systems in Indianapolis, Indiana, the past USA Distributor for Arcam. I posted on this very site about a problem I was having getting a dealer to upgrade an Arcam pre/pro I owned, and Webhammer saw the post, e-mailed me and had my unit upgraded in record time. I think it was three (3) days including the day I shipped it to him. My point is in the USA, Audiophile Systems made sure that you were a satisfied customer. Since my unit was upgraded last year, Audiophile Systems are no longer distributors for Arcam. But, for Webhammer to continue to defend Arcam is a true testiment to the great value of the Arcam product as well as how great Audiopile System is as a distributor. I regret that they no longer are a distributor for Arcam products.

[KBD1]

Hi Folks

Just a quick question before contacting Arcam.
My DV 79 has just developed a power supply fault, most likely an internal fuse. I was wondering, do Arcam send out a courier to uplift equipment, as my retailer has recently & sadly went out of business.
I can not remember if i registered the player with Arcam on purchase for extended warranty. So i presume they will charge. Is there a set rate?

Thanks.

[Nabs]

My AVR139 had a fault - purchased exdem. I sent it to ARCAM directly. It took about 2 weeks and before I knew it it was at the door. It has had been sitting at ARCAM for a week before it was looked at. However came back as good as new with latest firmware update.

I think a couple of weeks is a fair turnaround time and compared with the customer service I have had from other brands in the past excellent.

[Mark.Yudkin]

My AV9 spent over two months with the local (CH) importer before it was replaced. Speed of service does seem to be rather country specific, which is unfortunate.

OTOH, at least there is a local service, unlike with Quad, whose importer uses refurbished rather than original parts. With Quad, I'm forced to ship to UK - where turnaround is rapid, but shipping a large speaker is very expensive.

[drewh1]

My AVR 300 went in for service in September, it is now nearly December and it is still in the shop. The first problem was getting parts from China. The parts were Dead on Arrival and had to be reordered. So still no receiver.

I am appreciative that arcam agreed to fix it (it was 2 weeks over the warranty period) and although the tech people at Arcam have been responsive, they have offered no alternative or options other than waiting and waiting and waiting for the parts.

I am sure this is partly because of the US market and terrible distribution here. However, it is maybe needless to say that I won't be ordering another arcam unit and will buy something made in the USA next time.

[Import racer]

Its perhaps because it has run out of warranty so you are at the back of the line.

Needless to say you are lucky there have agreed to fix it for free
not many companies do that.

And especially as most of us have had kit that breaks down 1 week after the warranty has run out, and have to just replace it.

[McFaber]

I've always found Arcam to be particularly sound in the way they handle their repairs even when a unit is out of warranty...

Turnaround time will always be variable for a number of reasons, i.e. nature of fault, the possible unavailability of parts for older units, number of units to fix etc....and let's not forget Arcam are still quite a small company with limited resources...

[Mark.Yudkin]

There are in fact two aspects to your problem. One is the unfortunately slow response from your Arcam importer (you are US-based). The other is that your dealer ought to have lent you something in the meantime. Although I was without my AV9 for over 2 months, my dealer lent me a replacement amplifier adequate for my speakers. I think you need to consider using a dealer offering better after-sales support.

[drewh1]

Thanks for the responses. I do appreciate that Arcam has been willing to fix the problem and the tech support people in England have been helpful. It does have more to do with the level of US support. In fact, it wasn't until recently that Arcam had a dealer/rep in the US at all.

Not intending to stir international controversy, I am just acknowledging that this is a problem that others should know about. I have worked with high tech companies for many years. If you are going to do business in other territories, it is important to find good dealers and distributors.

[TheBlueFalcon]

Originally Posted by drewh1

Thanks for the responses. I do appreciate that Arcam has been willing to fix the problem and the tech support people in England have been helpful. It does have more to do with the level of US support. In fact, it wasn't until recently that Arcam had a dealer/rep in the US at all.

Not intending to stir international controversy, I am just acknowledging that this is a problem that others should know about. I have worked with high tech companies for many years. If you are going to do business in other territories, it is important to find good dealers and distributors.

In all fairness (when I was in the industry) Arcam was one of the best manufacturers to deal with when it came to repairs. As far as I am told, that has not changed.

When a Manufacturer deals direct with Dealers it is up to them who is allowed to sell their products. When a Manufacturer deals with a Distributor, they have very little say about who that Distributor supplies, unless there are major problems. If they do have a say, they may as well be dealing direct themselves. I am not sure how things go on over in the states, but it sounds like you need to contact the Distributor if the Dealer is not providing the adequate level of support.

[Mark.Yudkin]

Unfortunately, as I have already mentioned in this thread, the level of support offered by international distributors can be slow (e.g. Arcam in CH) or even seriously problematic (e.g. Quad in CH).

To be fair though, even the larger companies can be problematic: I had serious problems getting an upper-end Denon CD player fixed 20 years ago (four unsuccessful repair attempts), until in the end my dealer replaced it with a different brand player. AFAIK from my dealer, the situation is worsening, with other larger companies also becoming ever more difficult.

Arcam does appears to be trying to be helpful. Turnaround time is likely beyond their control. We are going to have to be patient with devices needing service.