chrz@ihuxe.UUCP (p. chrzanowski) (09/19/85)
*** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR MESSAGE *** My Sanyo VCR recently died. Since I have repaired VCRs before, I felt competent to fix my own (I'd better: it was purchased from a catalog store that has zero interest in service, even though the word "service" appears in the name of the store). In order to fix something like this, it is necessary to have a schematic and a source for parts. I called Sanyo (America) in New Jersey. They said that I would have to get whatever I wanted from one of their distributors. I called the Sanyo distributor nearest to me, Fidelitone, at 312-640-2441. They said that the manual I wanted was available only in microfiche, which I found hard to believe. I then called another Sanyo distributor, this time in New York (800-221-0686); I was told that the microfiche was only for parts listings but that the manual I wanted was "out of print" and would not be available for at least 3 months. Although this is a low-end VCR, it was not so cheap that I would want to consider it disposable -- as it must be if the manufacturer cannot or will not provide the information and parts necessary to repair it.
mstach@ihu1m.UUCP (Dan Hoelker) (09/20/85)
> > My Sanyo VCR recently died. Since I have repaired VCRs before, > I felt competent to fix my own (I'd better: it was purchased from > a catalog store that has zero interest in service, even though the > word "service" appears in the name of the store). In order to > fix something like this, it is necessary to have a schematic and > a source for parts. > I called Sanyo (America) in New Jersey. They said that > I would have to get whatever I wanted from one of their distributors. > I called the Sanyo distributor nearest to me, Fidelitone, at > 312-640-2441. They said that the manual I wanted was available > only in microfiche, which I found hard to believe. I then called > another Sanyo distributor, this time in New York (800-221-0686); > I was told that the microfiche was only for parts listings but > that the manual I wanted was "out of print" and would not be > available for at least 3 months. > Although this is a low-end VCR, it was not so cheap > that I would want to consider it disposable -- as it must be > if the manufacturer cannot or will not provide the information > and parts necessary to repair it. Flame on: This seems to be an appropriate time to let the rest of the world know some of the "fun" I used to have dealing with Sanyo. I used to repair consumer electronic gear. We were not an authorized Sanyo repair center, but that is no excuse for the miserable dealings we had with Sanyo. We had to wait a MINIMUM of 6 MONTHS for a part to come from Sanyo. Try explaining that to someone who just brought their tape deck in. We got to the point that if a Sanyo needed a part, we would give the unit back to the customer with the address of Sanyo and let them order the part themselves. Needless to say I tell anyone that asks my opinion on a purchase to steer clear of Sanyo. Going off an a tangent... I have seen people gripe about repair shops, saying "Why don't you have my unit fixed yet. It must be just sitting back there." As you can see from the above, it is not always the repair shop's fault. Try and calmly find out what the problem is. Flame off..... From the smoking keyboard of: Dan Hoelker ihu1m!mstach
earlw@pesnta.UUCP (20) (09/22/85)
I remember a series of manuals on repairing T.V.'s, Radios, etc. called the "Sams Photofact", I think. You could (and may still) find these manuals in the larger Electronics stores. Each issue contained three or more models and you had to buy the whole set, no sweat since the cost was less that $5.00 total. Anyone know if you can still buy the Sams Photofact? And the cost?
prager@cholula.UUCP (09/23/85)
Sam's Photofacts is alive and well. Almost any electronic parts house carries the line. The cross references are published yearly and updated quarterly. For items such as VCRs, the manuals are usually printed in softbound book (magazine) format rather than the packet design like the TV info uses. The parts lists are complete and the schematics are laid out well and easy to read. A Sams manual is well worth the expense for any technician needing references on a piece of equipment lacking a service manual. ------------------------------------------------------------------- David Prager (w)206-827-9626 (h)206-821-3561 Teltone Corp. Kirkland, WA. ...uw-beaver!tikal!cholula!prager 98033-0657 or whatever works.