The Zen of waiting....

H

hounddogs

Cathlete
I finally decided to take the DVD plunge with the BB series. Converted my preorder a couple months back, and bought a DVD/VCR combo player since my VCR's on its last legs. Got myself a couple sale CIA DVD's to tide me over, and settled in for the wait that I knew was going to be so worth it.

There was no remote in the new player's box. I live 70 miles from the store (or anywhere else for that matter), so when I called about it they said they'd order one for me and it would be here in about a week.

Three weeks later I called again since the remote was still remote from me, and they said it was on back order and would ship 11/8/03. Okay, the BB series would not ship till after that so I wasn't too worried.

Well, today they told me the part was scheduled to ship 12/15/03! Plus, I no longer have the option of returning the entire unit to the store and replacing it with another entire unit (presumably with a remote in the box) because they are sold out of that model and won't be able to order more till God knows when! Sorry, ma'am, we can't just make the part appear. You can get a refund....

Besides a little sympathy, I guess what I'm asking from the educated crowd is, should I wait it out for the part to a Sony SLV-D300P--do any of you have that and love it--or should I go 70 miles and get something else? I can probably do a certain amount of things without a remote, haven't really checked that out yet. Any ideas? TIA

--Ann (still trying to be patient....)
 
Just to check it out, I popped in Pure Strength DVD and tried to play it without the remote. I could get to Strong Legs & Abs and could skip to different segments within that program, but couldn't figure out how to get to Back, Bi's and Abs and Chest, Shoulders and Tris without the remote. x(

I'm think your new DVD is the next generation from my Sony, so maybe there are more buttons on its face that will allow you to maneuver through. Sorry, I'm not much help. But you'll at least be able to SOMEthing till that remote comes!
 
I would definitely investigate the refund/buy a whole nother player type deal. Sure it will be a hassle, but there is no guarantee that this remote will even work when it comes. Furthermore if you take this player back, by now you might be able to get just as good a player for less! Paying you for much more than your gas for the round trip. Then you'd be ready the second your DVD's came in the door.

However, if it were me, I'd just wait for the remote to come in the mail. I already have enough stuff to do without making more !

}( :p ;)
 
These high tech items are designed to ease our kooky lives and you need that remote, particularly if the unit was supposed to come with a remote. You know the old adage that the squeaky whehl gets the grease? I would start by squeaking via telephone to see if some gentle prompting might help them get the remote sooner. You might also search it out on the web where I am sure it is available and let them know that it is. My DVD player is not fully functional without it's remote. If they can't get your remote, I would exchange the whole thing for a player with a remote. But I am a terrible waiter! Good luck! I hope it works out to your satisfaction!
Chicks's Rule! http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif Bobbi
 
Ann, some suggestions!

Ann --

My first choice vote is for you to get the refund and start over -- you aren't getting ANY customer service from this store, they're heading into their busiest time of year which means worse service still, and you just don't need them. You can find amazing deals on DVD/VCR combos since all the big vendors are starting their holiday sales. If you really want this particular unit, you can find it all over the place online -- I ran a quick search just using "SLV-D300P compare prices" and got a ton of hits. I don't know what you paid for it, but the prices go all over the map spanning more than $50, but the cheapest is under $150. And, a lot places have free shipping incentives this time of year, too. Here are some of the results from the search I ran:

MySimon: http://google-mysimon.com.com/4014-6473_8-30469085.html?tag=ksrch.srlist&q=SLV-D300P

Bizrate: http://bizrate.com/,mss__cat_id--11530000,prod_id--7591533,rf--wgg.html

Dealtime:http://hardwarecentral.dealtime.com/xPC-Sony_SLV_D300P

Epinions: http://www.epinions.com/pr-Sony_SLV-D300P_DVD_VCR (THIS UNIT GETS GREAT REVIEWS, BY THE WAY!)

Nextag: http://www.nextag.com/SONY_VCR_DVD_COMBO~57318042z5znz500025zz1z500025zzmainz2-htm

PriceScan: http://www.pricescan.com/electronics/items/item516574.asp?sid=46640097

Another option -- Here's a place to buy the remote for $60. Speak to the store manager where you bought your unit, let him go look at this site to verify price, and see if the store will credit or refund you the value of the replacement remote. Then buy the remote here at partsolver (a cool site, by the way!):

http://www.partsolver.com/Product.a...urer=Sony&ModelNumber=SLVD300P&ModelID=366999

Last option -- actually a good one -- didn't this unit come with a Sony warranty? Well, that warranty should be good for "replacement parts" which includes the remote, of course -- why don't you call Sony customer service directly about this?

Hope it all works out for you!

http://e4u.deltait.com.au/sport/sport23.gif Kathy S.
 
Wow! Thanks for all the great ideas, everyone! Kathy S. I think I will try what you said re: partsolvers and Sony. Yesterday I was into just sort of wallowing since I'd run into such a brick wall with the store. Now I'm ready to take this on. Thanks for helping me out!

--Ann
 
Good Luck Ann, let us know how it all turns out! Gotta have that remote SOON!!!
Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/wavey.gif[/img] If You Get The Choice To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!!
 
What a pain! And on a lot of vcrs and dvd players, there seem to be at least a few necessary functions that are only on the remote (actually, I think my dvd player is pretty functional without the remote, but the vcr does less).
 
RE: Ann, some suggestions!

Thank you, KathyS! My remote is on its way from Partsolvers, and should be here in plenty of time for the DVDs. When it comes to technical things it can be a bit frustrating living in the boonies, but I would never trade it. Today I watched a salmon fight its way up the river I live beside, a red-tailed hawk fend off a couple irksome ravens, and a great blue heron waiting/wading patiently for some action. All this against a backdrop of intense fall colors on a crystal clear day, and right outside my back door. Thank you so much for the great idea once again; now I'll be ready to rock and roll when Cathe arrives.

--Ann
 
>Don't you hate that, Kathryn! Our downstairs TV can only be
>switched over to the two channels that let you play your VCR
>or DVD players from the remote and that remote has been
>through the mill. The TV is getting old and I am afraid it
>may be difficult to replace the remote when it goes.
>Bobbi
>http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/nosmile/peacesign.gif
>
>http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/person/smilejap.gif


Hmmm...could this be a plot to make us buy new TV sets before they actually "die," when only the remote really needs replacing (I'm a fan of conspiracy theories!).
 
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