From: kmr4@po.CWRU.edu (Keith M. Ryan ( aka. Wolphgang ))
Newsgroups: rec.audio.car
Subject: Re: ALPINE SUCKS!! (still)
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 1992 17:39:48 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA)
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.22.255.189

In article <1992Oct5.131303.18256@cbfsb.cb.att.com> mxl@cbnewsg.cb.att.com (marc.a.levy) writes:

>5 years ago, they made a decent unit.
>Having worked in retail for many years, I can figure....  The
>dealer was nice, and pulled some strings with alpine.
>
>Maby my point was not clear:  The unit's that I bought 3 years
>ago, (Along with some friends who bought the SAME units and
>the SAME time) all have the same problems, along with some
>mail I have received from people on the net (Who wont post for
>some reason) I can conclude that theese problems are common to
>theese units, and alpine should be responsible.  My complaint
>was how alpine handled me, and even if I had a bad attitude
>(Wich I did not) THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT!  The more
>reasearch I do on this unit, the more I know I am right!

	Okay, why don't you stop complaining and publically assaulting their
image on a few isolated cases? Why not try to do something useful, which 
may just solve your problem? Here is what I suggest you should do:	

	First, try to contact as many people as possible with similar units 
exhibiting similar problems. Post requests on this board, and any 
related boards, both locally, and nationally. You may even try printing up 
a few fliers and ask a local stereo store to display them. And, you can try 
putting a small ad in the local paper. Many papers allow free, or very 
inexpensive ads for subscribers. 

	Then, when you have a sizable group of people with complaints, 
write up a formal letter. This should contain exact descriptions of all your 
problems, both generically and specifically. Include all documentation of 
such, where you bought the units, when specific problems occured, etc. This
letter should be also contain why you feel wronged, including a record of all
previous refused repairs. It should also include what you feel would be an 
appropriate and fair response from the company. This letter should be mailed 
to a high level management level, not the normal repair center. [ I do not 
have their coporate headquarters address handy, but you should have no 
trouble getting it from Alpine ] Hopefully, if you are all courtious, and
straight forward, you can demonstrate that there is a specific manufactoring
defect. Alpine may very well call a recall of the unit(s) in question. This
is called a consumer induced recall. Many times a company feels that fixing 
the problem in the long run is rewarded with customer satisfaction. Some-
times, these can happen when the model is even 5 years out of production!
But, many consumers never attempt such, as they don't even believe the com-
pany will do so.

	[ I had a Sony walkman unit recalled after 3 years. I never had any
problem with it, but it seems many people's auto-reverse mechanisms were 
defective. They collectively were able to show Sony that there was a likely
hood of inappropriate break downs. So, I got a newer model ( the equivalent 
model ).]

 	If you have no response, or it is a brush off, then write to the 
various consumer protection agencies. If you can demonstrate that Alpine 
truley is selling "lemons", then you have rights. 

	In other words, you can do something about it, if you try.
Newsgroups: rec.audio.car