Guys,
Studio Systems (distributor) and Sights and Sounds (dealer) talked and they decided to just charge me P4,500. Deep inside, I still feel cheated. If this happened in the US, wala ng tanong-tanong. They will definitely honor the warranty.
So... I will just pay the P4,500. Enjoy my music. And learn from this experience. 1 month without music is toooo long for me.
So in summary:
I still LOVE the sound of the NAD C542 and it's still the best for my ears and budget.
I HATE the after sales service of the dealer and the distributor.
By the way, I have elevated my concern to the regional office of NAD but I still haven't gotten any feedback yet.
Thanks so much for everyone's concern.
Charge to experience.
People will soon forget. Afterall, NAD products are good.
After a while, someone else like you will have the same problem when invoking its warranty. Conditional warranty!!! BS. Where in the product literature does it say so? More like selective warranty. More accuratly, NO warranty.
Unless consumers make such grievance, correction, injustice, stand out in the market, these dealers will continue to laugh all the way to the bank. At your expense, ofcourse.
(I too was seriously considering a C542. Other priorites krept in delaying my purchase. A blessing of sorts. Now that I heard about this episode of yours and after my bout with 5th Ave on the MS speakers, I really would hate to encounter the same thing. So I think I'll look elsewhere now. I don't think I can patronize a product whose local dealers can't acknowledge a lemon when presented with one, and in the very few occasions that one appears, they will prefer to give an otherwise good brand a bad name by mocking the warranties. And insulting the user as if he knows no better than to abuse and misuse the product. The NAD is not a cheap product. Like most expensive items, their buyers are often known to know how to use such products and care for them. But their dealers would prefer to treat their clientele as cheap who would put one over them at the slightest excuse. That's the kind of profit-only mentality that would assume misuse rather than accept a lemon. So be it. In the US, such episodes merit an outright unit replacement; no questions asked. But not in poor 3rd world countries. I really hope what they did to you will cost them more in terms of market share. Too bad, only a few audiophiles are pinoydvd members.
)
If I recall right, the senate has come out with something called an anit-lemon law that is supposed to protect consumers. It's about time. The DTI protects industries, so far nothing protects the consumers. We have no recourse but to charge such episodes to experience.
