Mary
morrison,#2Author of original report
Tue, April 10, 2012
I did contact Pandigital about the broken jack & their customer service was great. I spoke with a customer service rep who assured me that defects do still occur, especially with the large volume of products they make.
They had me send the ebook back to them, even though I no longer had the original box. I emailed them a copy of the original receipt & received a RMA# within 3 days. It took about 3 weeks for me to receive my complete new ebook.
I will have no problem buying a Pandigital product again. I will not, however, buy it from Radio Shack.
Radio Shack also misrepresents their warranty - they tell you it DOES cover accidental damage when they are trying to sell it to you. (I overheard a salesperson telling a prospective customer that, when the woman said she was concerned about her 10 yr old breaking the tablet she was looking at.)
voiceofreason
North Carolina,#3Consumer Comment
Thu, April 05, 2012
I'd try calling Radio Shack's corporate executive office numbers to see if a higher up might not arrange help for you. Don't get into a whole back and forth about the store manager. Just keep it simple; you can't reach Pandigital, you're in a bind, you're their customer and 200 miles away from the store you bought it at etc etc. Can they do you a favor and either exchange it or arrange for Pandigital to give you authorization for repair.
Radio Shack isn't a mom and pop store that the product distributor is gonna push around. No reason they can't take the item and send it back to Pandigital, their 30 policy notwithstanding. They can bend their policy when they feel like it. Be humble with whoever you deal with and maybe they will.
Watson
United States of America#4UPDATE Employee
Thu, April 05, 2012
Let me make this very clear. Radio Shack expects each and every employee to sell their extended warranty on every eligible item.
Each store and kiosk is given specific monthly sales goals, which include the amount of extended warranty (referred to as EPP). Radio shack expects each store to achieve a EPP sales goal of about 40%.
And let me tell you there is an enormous amount of pressure for associates to sell EPP.
The pressure to sell EPP is so extreme that a manager can get fired for not meeting EPP goals. The pressure is so extreme on managers (and associates) that they will pay for the EPP out of their pockets, just to avoid having to meet with a district manager and get chewed out. Stores/kiosks that don't meet EPP goals can be required to be on a conference call with a regional manager who will make it very clear what the consequences are for not selling extended warranties.
If stores don't meet goals, the district manager doesn't get his full monthly bonus, and likewise, the regional manager can get stiffed too.
And when it comes to cell phones and warranties offered by others, Radio Shack employees are not allowed to offer the carrier extended warranty when they sell or upgrade a cellular phone contract. So, for example, while the T-Mobile extended warranty plan covers theft, the Radio Shack EPP does not, and the employee is prohibited from adding the t-Mobile warranty onto the cellular plan even if the customer asks for it.
I should also point out that Radio Shack employees are paid on commission, and they get a nice commission for selling the extended protection plan (EPP). That is part of the reason they push the EPP.
Another major point is that the store/kiosk managers get a sizable monthly bonus if they meet goals, and those goals include selling extended protection plans.
Now, if all fairness, there is a 30 day limit of returns at Radio Shack and that is printed on the receipt. After 30 days the warranty is the responsibility of the manufacturer. So you cannot blame Radio Shack for not taking a return after 30 days.
The reality is Radio Shack warranties can be expensive. But they are reasonable priced when compared to extended warranties offered by cellular providers. But they are overpriced for other electronics items such as e-readers, tablets, ipods, etc. You can get a much better and less expensive warranty from Square Trade.
Because the reality is, all Radio Shack does is sell another companies insurance at a jacked-up price.
Ken
Colorado,#5Consumer Suggestion
Sun, April 01, 2012
The charging jack is soldered to the internal circuit board and if it is torqued by the plug being struck in a sideways motion, it will soon break the connections inside. At first, operation will be intermittent, and then as the damage progresses, it will fail to work at all.
I've repaired literally dozens of audio, video and game equipment with this wholly customer induced problem. There's NO mistaking it when the unit is disassembled for repair.
Knowing this, I'm extremely careful to protect my really great Dell laptop from this type of damage and it's in its third year of flawless use.
Sorry this happened, sometimes it's just an isolated incident, sometimes not knowing what can occur, proper care isn't taken. This kind of problem is NOT relegated to only inexpensive electronics.
I can't think of any repairs I made to the many items brought in, that ANY just had a failed jack.
The repair consisted of cleaning up the circuit board foil paths around the jack, resoldering the connections and using jumper wires across the breaks to minimize a recurrence.
Hope this helps you for future purchases and care of the equipment.
Gabriel
Anderson,#6UPDATE Employee
Sun, April 01, 2012
Radio Shack offers replacement plans on most high end electronics such as tablets. By not purchasing one of these service plans you relieve Radio Shack of any liability for any product after 30 days as per our return policy clearly printed on each receipt. By not purchasing our service plan you are essentially saying to us "If I have problems after 30 days I will not ask Radio Shack for help, but rather the company who manufactured the product I bought." Manufacturer warranties usually include parts and labor, but not shipping. They never cover accidental damage, and rarely cover "wear and tear." It can also be difficult if not nearly impossible to contact a manufacturer directly. Electronics are cheaply made and go obsolete every year. Our replacement plans allow you to send your electronics in and get the amount you originally paid (minus the cost of the plan) back on a radio shack gift card. These plans still do not cover damage (but wear and tear like a faulty charging port is covered). Next time spend the little extra and just let us take care of it for you.