Philips HDRW720 DVD Recorder with 120 GB Hard Drive
no no  no customer service is no help
The product was great, how ever one month after buying this item, the DVD drive stopped working (on 12/27/05).  I figured it would be just as quick to send it in and have it fixed as it would be to return and order a new one.  <br />Well, I was wrong, I did not know that I was about to step into the lower pools of hell with this company.  I mailed the hdrw via ups with tracking and sing. Confirmation, (so I had a record of the shipping) it was received on 1/5/06.  I called on 12/29/05 and had already received and rma# and a ref# (that where placed on the item and on the box that was sent), so I thought things would go fine, ooooh no, only in a dream world.   <br />Well, I called 1/20/06 at this time they stated they could not find my packaged, had no information, and to call back on 1/25/06.  Not to mention that I could hardly understand the customer service reps dialect (I'm sure it was just me, maybe I had a cold or something, yeah right) it also sounded like they were just reading off cue cards and could not provided any real answers or explain anything about the process of getting a repair done. <br />  Now a little concerned that somehow my packaged was lost, on 1/26/06 I called back and talked to the barley understandable customer assistant who tried to tell me that they did not receive the item by mail until 1/18/06. \\"What\\" , I stated; \\"I have the tracking information in front of me. Judy C. singed for it on 1/5/06\\", I tried to explain (tracking number  1Z 4E9 728 42 0999 760 1)  .  Well after trying to understand and arguing with her for about 15 min, she finally decides to look up the tracking info on ups.com for herself, or at least acted like she was. Well after being lied to by her at first, she finally agreed that maybe, (maybe, being the key word) they did receive the item on 1/5/06. She then transferred me to another costumer service rep with new ref #.   <br />I was transferred to john at 1-866-845-3578, where he stated no one ever checked the packaged into the depot repair center until 1/18/06 and that there was never a repair claim processed on the item, (their fault.)  John (which I could understand great) at first wanted to again try to convince me that the packaged was not received until 1/18/06, well after I explained what I had just went through with the last person he stated that the item probably sat around until it was checked into the depot area ( a honest answer).  He also stated that when I originally received a rma# and ref# on 12/29/06 the person I talked to must have not correctly entered the information in, because a service ticket (I think that is what he called it) was never made until the item was received by the depot.  I do find it funny though that they would have known what to have fixed, even though it was never entered into the computer in the first place, just a thought. John then stated to call back in 10-15 business day and that it would take no more than 20 days. I should note that John was very nice and helpful and seemed to listen and try to help. <br /> This sounded fair but I was still upset because I had already been directly lied to, and delayed by their mistakes.  Well 16 business days later I called back, now I was told that the item would take up to 20 business days but that my hdrw would be shipped out by 2/14/06 (yes this would be 29 business day after they received it).   <br />On 2/20/06 I called back again and what do you know they still gave me the shaft, and no, I don't mean a drive shaft wrapped up with a pretty bow on it. Now the customer rep. stated that it was over there normal 20 business day repair time (well now it had actually been 33 business days) and then she stated that she would transfer the ref# to another customer service agent, yes that's right now the third step in customer service representative, and that this person would have to call me back in 3-5 business day, however she could not provide a direct contact number or a name of who the case wouldbe followed up buy, only that it would be handled by one of two people.   <br />Overall I find this company to have hell like customer service.  It makes you hot, irritable and is a real pain in the butt.   I have been lied to, had my repair delayed due to their mistakes, and been given the run around and passed to three different levels of reps.   <br />At this time I just wished they would send the item back to me, even broken, so that I could return it to Costco and just get my money back.  I will never try to return something to Philips to have it serviced, but wait that wont matter.  I will never buy a Phillips product again.   Everyone needs to trust me, stick with a company that has good old fashioned American based helpful service.  Not one that wants to keep customers running to the hills, while they having an odd walk, from getting bent......, well you know. <br />I guess there is no exact one person to blame here, but Phillips hired these people, created there own return process and are there to represent and stand behind their product.  I don't expect anything special ever from retail, trust me my expectation are low.  What I do expect is when a company makes so many faults and realizes their faults in dealing with a custome,r that they would take an extra step in doing something to fix that.  This company had many opportunities to step in and correct their mistakes but they haven't, please taken this to heart when thinking about buying products from them.  Remember next time it could be you getting the run around or at least if you do buy from them plan on returning it to the store and getting a refund.   <br />