[comp.sys.amiga.advocacy] Dealer problems

sss10@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Homicidal Lunatic) (05/15/91)

It seems my df0: on my A500 decided to die on me on Sunday so I said "aww fuck,
i gotta bring it in for servicing." Fortunately I was still covered under
warranty since I bought it in november of last year on the Educational discount
from a local dealer <Amaginations.> Anyway, I called them on Monday and then 
commented that I believed it was a drive misalignment <i got rw errors on my
disk that I chose to boot up from, even if it were just fine. All bootable
disks gave me this error> and the guy at Amaginations told me on the phone that
"Disk alignments are not covered under warranty. If thats the problem, you will
have to pay to get it fixed" and being somewhat stunned and angry, I hung up.

I was not even sure if they would have given me a free diagnostics test to at 
least make sure if it were a misalignment or something truly faulty in there
so I called another local dealer <Leighs> and was told it WAS covered under
warranty. I brought in my 500 today and after a 1/2 hour, my 500 was running
fine again.

So whats my point? At least in NYC, its a sad state of affairs with the Amiga
dealers/sellers. Montgomery grant <nuff said> and J&R music world arent dealers
but sell amigas <however I assume J&R music world at least stands by their 
product alot more anyway> and PC Solutions has had a history of problems.
Amaginations, perhaps the most well known dealer here in NY, is no angel.
Horror stories:

My friends A2000 "blew out on him" and he wanted to get it fixed. Amaginations
told him:

1- it would take them 3 weeks before they even look at it
2- it would cost $50 to look at it
3- the $50 was NOT deducted from the cost of repairs <which couldve taken alot
longer than 3 more weeks the way that store gets sometimes>

He sent it to a dealer in Georgia and got it back 11 days <business?> later
after they promised him it in 10.

Another friend of mine tells me when he was in the market for an amiga and told
them <Amaginations> that he wasn't too knowledgable about the amiga itself, the
saleperson<s?> tried to push a 1000 on him. And apparantly this isnt the 1st
time this has happened. I would expect this from Montogomery Grant but not an
authorized dealer. 

I dont fault commodore at all for any of this, I was just somewhat aggravated
this week and I wanted to ask what can be done about this.


<incidentally, my "new" A500 that I got last november came with the fat agnus.
I dont know when the fatter/super agnus was shipping with the 500's but I think
it was before last november. And is the 1084S supposed to pop all the time? 
Argh! mine looks so "unprofessional" and "non-sleekish"with the Commodore in
big blue letters at the bottom.>



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