I need some advice - Damaged Heat +FX

shigginpit · 2023-08-03T17:37:56.175Z

Well, anticlimactic as it may be, you’ve now got a clear plan of action and once it’s gone through repair or replace you can decide if you’ll move forward with selling it again.

Have you set up an account on the elektron website before this point?

Elektron

if you go to account and then register, you can start the process of opening a repair ticket.

You have to make sure your personal information on file is current and then register the piece of gear with the serial number so it’s on file, at which point you can open the aforementioned ticket.

deepseacommittee · 2023-08-03T17:45:28.573Z

Yep… and I might just keep it this go around haha. Yeah I registered it under my Elektron account last night and opened a ticket.

Do y’all think I’d be better off going the Elektron warranty route, or go through Thomann?

shigginpit · 2023-08-03T17:46:09.508Z

What was the thomann purchase date? let’s take a look at their policy.

Also, are you a thomann EU customer or thomann US?

deepseacommittee · 2023-08-03T17:50:13.913Z

Original buyer purchased on 06Jun23.

Thomann also offers 3 year warranty: 3-Year Warranty – Thomann United States

deepseacommittee · 2023-08-03T17:51:55.431Z

The buyer was in US but paid international shipping from Thomann

shigginpit · 2023-08-03T17:52:05.176Z

check this out, I might confirm with them that they will honor a warranty to second party sale, or dig a little deeper than I did. I’m still looking at google but one of the first things I found is this

Thomann Germany refuses 2nd Hand Warranty / Guarantee - The Lounge / General Discussion - Elektronauts

someone was basically saying thomann in germany was refusing to warranty a used product to the second owner.

My feeling is that if they will honor the warranty and it’s within the first 3 months, you’ll probably get it exchanged for a new unit. If they won’t then you’ll need to go through elektron regardless, but this close to purchase and with the documents already sent to you I’d move in that direction.

deepseacommittee · 2023-08-03T17:52:47.034Z

Good to know… according to the website all you need is the invoice number…

shigginpit · 2023-08-03T17:54:12.735Z

Well, I’ll keep looking for a minute, I can usually dig things up pretty well but some companies do it on a case by case basis so it’s all speculative at this point.

@deepseacommittee I think it might be good to call their hotline right now and find out directly from them if they’ll honor the warranty, I see that live chat is available 9:30am to 9pm and it’s currently 8PM Central European Time so even though I assume the international hotline goes by north american timezones, even if it’s by european time you should still be able to get someone now. And you have the order number. I think that’s probably the easiest way to find out directly.

I have a burning question about my order! – Thomann United States (thomannmusic.com)

this is the listed hotline number but I’ll see if there’s an 800 number or something +49-9546-9223-532

I don’t see an 800 number, you’ll probably have to call the international hotline. I think speaking to them directly is the only way to find out what their policy is on second hand sales, I would make sure they know the purchase date was in june so they know it’s a recent purchase but they probably have some sort of rules about it and I’m sure they won’t be shy to tell you one way or the other.

djst · 2023-08-03T18:24:37.128Z

I can’t imagine you’ll have any trouble fixing this under warranty regardless of path chosen. Just… maybe don’t send it in an obviously water-damaged box.

Claid · 2023-08-03T18:35:17.760Z

Mine worked perfectly for a month or more, then one day the crackling began. I think first batch AH+FX units are prone to this issue.

deepseacommittee · 2023-08-03T19:24:52.142Z

Oh interesting! Yeah then it probably wasn’t the wet packaging then. It’s wrapped in plastic inside the original packaging so it probably stayed dry

Claid · 2023-08-03T21:15:17.903Z

Yeah I would say from experience that this was not to do with the packaging, seems like a coincidence. Mine died and I’ve read a few reports of similar issues - one side crackling without a fix beyond sending for repair. I actually opted for a refund and got my AHMK2 back which I kinda regret because the +FX is so damn cool, but c’est la vie.

OldmanChompski · 2023-08-03T22:47:29.755Z

One thing too, just as a general tip for selling things online, document your serial numbers. You never know if someone is trying to screw you over by swapping out a broken device for your working one so keeping track of your serial is a good thing in general.

I doubt that’s what happened here cuz literally all of these devices are covered by a warranty right now but if a device is older than a year make sure you have those things documented.

Speldosa · 2023-10-06T15:22:58.262Z

@deepseacommittee How did it all work out in the end?

deepseacommittee · 2023-10-06T19:04:50.125Z

In ended up filing a ticket with Elektron and sending it in for repair. They paid for the DHL shipping. I sent it in a while ago and haven’t heard anything yet, though they did warn me they were short staffed and it could take a while.

drumandbrain · 2023-10-06T20:43:50.038Z

deepseacommittee:

In ended up filing a ticket with Elektron and sending it in for repair. They paid for the DHL shipping. I sent it in a while ago and haven’t heard anything yet, though they did warn me they were short staffed and it could take a while.

This is how it should be! I work at MOOG Audio (a synth retailer, not the actual MOOG) as a service technician… I wind up primarily organizing warranty claims and oversee the RMA processes for pretty much every device that comes back to us - Elektron is one of the easiest and nicest companies to deal with. If you’re sending it to Mario and folks you’ll be in good hands (although they have been short staffed since mid summer)

shigginpit:

Thomann Germany refuses 2nd Hand Warranty / Guarantee - The Lounge / General Discussion - Elektronauts

This however is completely gross, in Canada it’s illegal for a product manufacturer to not honour a warranty by either repairing, crediting, or replacing a device outright. I think it’s fucking absurd that a warranty can be cancelled due to the device changing hands; private ownership is outside of the concerns for a product manufacturer… if they made it, and it broke within a set time frame, that responsibility is still theirs.

Boboulus · 2023-10-07T11:34:03.255Z

I agree that it sucks that warranty doesn’t follow the product from the retailer but it’s also understandable. If they need to send a replacement unit or pay you back the difference it’s not possible to uphold GDPR-laws. They would need to contact the original buyer to credit the purchase or send out the replacement. It’s how it most often is with bigger retailers and webahops. Smaller companies that doesn’t rely as much on automated systems could probably honour it.

However if it’s a warranty from the manufacturer they will probably honour it. I know for a fact that Elektron will honour it even without a receipt (in this case the date of manufacture will be the date that they will look at for the 3 year warranty) and it’s enough for you to show the purchase document from the original buyer for them to determine how long your warranty it valid. Elektron is great this way

deepseacommittee · 2023-10-21T20:42:02.507Z

Update: The repaired unit has just arrived, courtesy of Elektron. They’ve impressively returned it in entirely new packaging and a brand-new box, and upon initial inspection and use, it appears to be functioning seamlessly without any noticeable issues.
While experimenting with various settings with Syntakt plugged in, I did perceive a slight crackling sound in the right ear, and the volume momentarily dipped for a brief span of seconds. However, this was a subtle occurrence and, fortunately, it hasn’t recurred since that initial experience.

shigginpit · 2023-10-21T21:10:42.535Z

It’s great you were able to resolve this and had such a good experience moving forward from the initial unpleasantness. I hope you’ll enjoy the unit now that it’s back in your possession, congratulations, it’s like a birthday

reeloy · 2023-10-21T22:15:31.943Z

…this product is only half a year + in the market…
send it to elektron and be assured, apart from shipping costs u get it back as brandnew…

edit…oh i see…it happened already…