GoVideo VR5940 Dual-Deck DVD Recorder and VCR
Machine was TRASH straight out of the box and GoVideo Company is UNBELIEVABLY AWFUL!
I shopped around and have good prior experiences with GoVideo Dual Deck VCR's so thought this unit was exactly what I wanted and needed for transferring camcorder and vhs family tapes to DVD's. I purchased the unit from the GoVideo Website's recommended vendor, TheElectronBeam.com because I could not find it anywhere locally. That was my first HUGE mistake. Straight out of the box the DVD player/recorder did not work. It could not read ANY DVD's without extreme pixelation, scrambling, and errors. I tried everything the manual, GoVideo website, GoVideo automated telephone responses and internet research recommended to try and fix it. I contacted TheElectronBeam.com and they said there was nothing they could do and that I needed to contact GoVideo. If I had purchased the unit from Costco or even Amazon.com that would have been the end of this story as they would have gladly taken the unit back and exchanged or refunded my money. NOT SO WITH THEELECTRONBEAM.COM!!! I tried emailing GoVideo first, like the phone answering system recommended,   but to no avail whatsoever. I then started calling GoVideo. After much waiting on hold (average of 25 minutes per call), 4 phone calls and faxes of proof of purchase, I was instructed to send the unit to them at my expense. I waited two weeks for a replacement VR5940 \\"OR A NEWER AND BETTER UNIT\\" to arrive. Sure enough, I get a delivery and they sent me the VR3845 model which sells for 1/3 of the price I paid for the VR5940 and has less features than what I had originally paid for and needed. After a total of 12 phone calls since December 30, 2005, and all to customer service reps with names such as \\"George, Elias, and Elizabeth\\" and yet not a clearly understandable English speaking person in the bunch,  (I also have complete documentation of every call), I was finally told that no Manager or Supervisor was ever going to speak to me (they told me in every phone call that a supervisor or department manager would call me within two days) or was going to do anything else to help me, because management considered my case closed. I was told I was not going to get a VR5940 as they don't have anymore and don't expect any for at least 2-3 months, per the customer service rep, who then within minutes changed it to 3-4 months when I asked to be put on a waiting list for one of the new ones. I explained that I had paid 3 times what the VR3845 cost and this was just not right. I never used foul language or lost my temper with these people and all the last rep would tell me was that he was sorry and that there was nothing else he could do and nothing the company was going to do either. When I told him I had owned the Dual Deck VCR's and recommended them for years all he said was that the company had been through some changes and it was not right what they were doing to their customers now, and that again he completely understood how I felt and was very very sorry but there was nothing else he could do. I explained it was not like I expected something for nothing and it was just wrong the way they were handling the situation. I even referenced to the rep that it was like taking your Mercedes in for a repair and when they don't want to fix it or replace it the Mercedes company keeps your car and gives you a Volkswagen and tells you to shut up and be happy. I was told there would be no refunds of the difference in price or for the VR5940 even if I returned the still unopened VR3845 that I still have because GoVideo \\"doesn't do refunds\\" or would there be any other compensation because they are told to say that the VR3845 is the best quality unit they currently have. I cannot believe that I am out a total of $450 (I also purchased an extended warranty that is completely useless) and nothing will be done. <br /> <br />BOTTOM LINE: GoVideo DOES NOT GIVE REFUNDS and they will send you INCREDIBLY CHEAPER units when what you paid for fails and they tell you to return it. Then they will refuse to accept the replacement back and call it ALL GOOD!