Hello eveyone, I have an octatrack which has developed screen burn and thinking of sending it to elektron for repairs from the UK.
Just wanna get an idea of the price of postage/custom fees etc before I go ahead with it. Has anyone else sent their device from the UK for repairs who can shed some light on how much it will gennerally cost?
Have tried getting a quote online although having some trouble doing so on the royal mail/dhl website.
Any other general advice anyone has towards this would be appreciated as well.
After you get an accurate idea of shipping cost, you should also factor in the turnaround time and the cost of the repair itself and then get a direct quote from them for purchasing a replacement for the entire control board with the screen already installed (and shipping of course) and compare that amount to the cost of shipping and repair and any other associated costs.
It may ultimately be the same or a lower cost to purchase a replacement board directly from Elektron and install it yourself (which would be relatively straightforward) or have someone do it for you. Conversely, a replacement screen part could be acquired an installed locally if you have someone who you trust to do it for you and if you’re capable of doing your own soldering that would definitely be the lowest cost option.
If you’re still covered under the Elektron warranty, it would be nice to have Elektron do the repair though, so that would also be a factor for me. Hopefully you can navigate yourself towards the option with the lowest cost once you get a bit more information. Good luck.
Cheers for the reply, unfortunately my warranty has expired now although that’s a good suggestion about purchasing a replacement board, wouldn’t of thought of that.
I have looked into/considered replacing the screen myself. My soldering skills aren’t the best and I wouldn’t trust myself to do it right now, although perhaps this would be an opportunity to improve them given the cost and time it would take to send it over the Sweden.
I do know a repair guy in another city who i’m confident could do it so that could definitely be another option too.
The device is perfectly usable so there’s no real rush to get it done, just it will get worse over time so will need to be done at some point.
Well, that’s unfortunate but some options are better than none, or some are even better than one because you can then weigh them against each other. Hope it all works out for you!
When I’ve sent stuff to Elektron for repair in the past, they have taken care of the courier and customs etc.
If I remember correctly I was sent a postage label to print out and a link to arrange collection.
The cost was added to the invoice but was very reasonable.
I think this was about 2 or 3 years ago.
Pre-Brexit I had joy using the phrase on parcels “Goods repaired under non commercial OPR (outward processing relief).” I had stuff coming in from the states with that which incurred no import fees - I just had to ask the sender to clearly mark it as such on the declaration their end.
I’m in UK and have had to send my Digitone 2 back to Elektron for repair as one the mute lights failed. I sent it via DPD; it’s been in transit for 5 days, the tracking shows that it was picked up, but nothing more, I’m starting to get worried.
When filling in the customs form the only options they gave were Gift or Sale - so I selected Gift. There were no options for repair or returns.
I just wondered if anyone else in the UK has sent their Elektron box back to Sweden since Brexit and what courier you used?
Not elektron, but post Brexit I returned something to France for repair. Can’t remember the exact details, but I’m sure they arranged the shipping in both directions, to cover exactly the customs situation, to make clear it was a warranty repair. I seem to recall filling out a customs form, which, when the courier picked it up, they said they would redo.
Hope it all works out alright, above advice is more aimed at someone else starting the same process.
Mate, I sent a box back to elektron and didn’t put any of the paperwork on it. Box literally had the shipping companie’s barcode on it and nothing else.
It got there eventually.
Elektron were really polite about how annoying it was to sort out at their end.
Your question’s been moved to this (also renamed so it’s not just about the Octatrack) thread to make it easier for future searches of the forum to find the information in one place; hopefully there’s some useful tips here too.
OK thanks, I have a feeling mine might come back to me. I do want to get it sorted, especially as it is still under warranty. Elektron don’t arrange postage, unfortunately.
Just an update - my Digitakt seems to have been lost by DPD - I’m more than heartbroken. Elektron told me to insure the parcel for £50 - I’m guessing that this is to stop them having to pay high import duties. However it means that if a parcel goes missing, the sender looses out big time.
Yes, it’s in the email they send out that gives instructions on how to send it to them. Desperately trying to find out what might have happened to it. DPD are a nightmare.
Additional information for sending the device from a country outside the EU:
Commodity Description: Broken Electronics – DO NOT TAX
S/N: A0E2435LK108-52
Value for Customs:
50 USD (or similar to your currency, please note additional costs derived from the importation of the item will be forwarded to you)
keep us updated, hope they find your Digitakt but is the onus on Elektron to send a replacement now as the maximum insurance you get is ÂŁ50 based on their instructions.
Frustratingly it was just a mute light that was broken, it worked fine apart from that but I figured it was worth getting repaired as it was still under warranty.
Do you know how long it took to get through customs on the way to the Elektron warehouse?
I sent my Digitone 2 back and according to Royal Mail tracker it’s been sat in customs for over two weeks now.
While I’m slightly concerned, I’m glad it’s currently accounted for and am running on the hope that it might just be a week or two longer because of Brexit.
I read this morning that items that cost over ÂŁ135 take longer to process.
I also thought this was worth posting here in case others are experiencing similar issues.
although that’s a good suggestion about purchasing a replacement board, wouldn’t of thought of that.