Ann
Bowie,#2Author of original report
Thu, June 21, 2007
I called Gemstar again today to try to get information on how to order the mysterious OPTICAL DRIVE. Vivian, their technical support rep, said she was not at liberty to discuss any matters pertaining to parts. However, she was willing to speak with my technician and conference him in with their parts supplier. Well, my technician refused to speak with her and she refused to speak with me. I then called Vance Baldwin Electronics (VBE) to see if they could assist me. The customer service rep insisted that VBE was not a reseller or authorized dealer of Gemstar (AKA 3G Technology) parts. I called back Gemstar, told them of my conversation with VBE, and was told once again VBE did sell the part...HOWEVER, it is a Vivitek part. I called back VBE and was told that the part number I was given by Gemstar was not a part number instead it was the model number (RP56-HD21) of a Vivitek television. The customer service rep located the part and informed me that the optical drive cost ELEVEN HUNDRED AND NINETY FOUR DOLLARS!!! I immediately called back Gemstar and spoke with Nick, tech support rep. Nick admits that it is very unusual for the optical drive to become defective so soon after purchase. However, he reiterated that Gemstar would do NOTHING to assist me as I was out of warranty. Word to the wise...if you purchase an expensive television (such as I did) and it experiences technical difficulties within the first three months (as mine did) SEND IT BACK!!! Don't allow the retailer or manufacturer to pacify you with in-warranty service calls because the moment you're out of warranty...you're out of luck. My next step is the Attorney General's offices in Minnesota and California to file complaints against ShopNBC and Gemstar. If anyone is willing to join me in filing a complaint and/or lawsuit, please post a reply to my report. The complaints and greivances of many simply cannot go ignored.