[net.consumers] Help on finding lost VCR's

gm@trsvax (08/12/85)

I have a question for the general net populace:

On May 11, I took my Sony SL-2700 VCR to the Dallas Sony Factory Service Center
to have it repaired (it ate one of my tapes). 3 weeks later I got a letter
from them saying that "they were unable to repair it at the Dallas facility,
and had shipped it to Houston". I found out later that the Dallas VCR repairman
had quit, and rather than wait for a new-hire, they shipped it to Houston. 
Fine. About 2 weeks later I got a letter from the Houston people informing me
they had determined the cause of my problem and ask me to mail them $37 to
cover the labor (the parts were under warranty). I did, and on July 8 they 
shipped it to me via a trucking company called Mistletoe Express. Somewhere
between Houston and Ft. Worth the VCR disappeared. Sony put a tracer on it 
on July 17 and hasn't heard anything from the trucking company since (as of 
Aug 9). The VCR was insured by Sony for $1000 (although I paid $1300 for it).

Now the question. What would you do? Sony has already said they would replace
the VCR with a new one if the trucking company has indeed lost it. The only
problem seems to be in getting the trucking company to admit they have lost it.
After all, it's going to cost them $1000, so why should they hurry? Meanwhile,
I've been without my VCR for 4 months now. I was thinking about asking Sony
to replace it with their new top-of-the-line model, the HF-9000 (with 
SuperBeta). There is only ~$100 difference retail between that and the SL-2700.
Is this reasonable? Any ideas on how I, the lowly consumer, can light a few
fires under Sony and Mistletoe "Express"?
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	    "Cocaine is God's way of saying your making too damn much money."
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						George Moore (gm@trsvax.UUCP)