Need Repair for Dead Transporter

[cliveb]

"I am very sorry we no longer support the Transporter." So, there you have it, if you buy a Transporter SE, once it goes out of warranty you are out of luck, it appears.

Yes but, yes but, yes but ....

Logitech are still selling the TP SE in the US. Therefore there must be TP SE's that are still in warranty which they should be able to fix. And your TP (presumably non-SE) has EXACTLY THE SAME MOTHERBOARD.

If Logitech sold a TP SE today and tomorrow the motherboard blew up, they would HAVE to fix it - probably by replacing said motherboard.
So they are clearly in a position where they could supply a replacement motherboard for your TP. The fact they are refusing to do so is simple bloody-mindedness. (The alternative - that they are unable to replace the mobo of a TP SE in warranty - is too shocking to contemplate).

This is absolutely unacceptable customer service, and I bet the senior management at Logitech would be appalled to know it is going on. So find out who the CEO of Logitech is and write directly to him.

[callesoroe]

Sadly this is true. I requested to speak to a supervisor (denied), then engineering (denied). "I am very sorry we no longer support the Transporter." So, there you have it, if you buy a Transporter SE, once it goes out of warranty you are out of luck, it appears. Just to be clear, in light of previous posts, this was Logitech US I was talking to. Very disappointing, especially in light of the fact, there appears to be no other vendor that can/will fix the unit. It pains me that this unit is headed for the recycle bin. I suspect a problem in the output stage, possibly the op amps. I can't imagine that it can't be repaired. Frustrating, as I would happily pay for repair.

Rob Stone

I don't know if Sean Adams(former of Slimdevices) is still arround. Long time since I've seen posts from him, but you can try to write to user "seanadams" and see if
he replies. Maybe he knows what to replace, and then get a local engineer to fix it.

[Rob Stone]

Complain to the BBB. They'll forward your complaint to Logitech within 2 days, who then have 14 days to respond in writing.

You're not asking for a repair under warranty, i.e. free of charge, but it's reasonable to expect a manufacturer to be able to repair a product that they are still offering for sale in the same market.

If they think you're not going to go away it's easier usually just to sort it out.

Thanks to everyone for their thoughtful replies. As I have come to understand it, under California State Law, Logitech is required to provide service (for a fee) for a discontinued product for five years. Now, the Transporter is not discontinued, so Logitech is in clear violation of current statutes. As has been pointed out, all they have to do is replace the motherboard and problem solved. I also think the problem may be resolved without replacing the motherboard. In any event, the unit is clearly repairable. I will call Logitech tomorrow and take this up with them. If they are not willing to repair it, i will be filling a complaint with the BBB tomorrow. If anyone knows who I should contact at Logitech, please let me know. I will also try to contact Sean Adams. Sad state of affairs, given the fact that when I purchased the unit, you could talk to engineering about software or hardware issues and get a prompt and helpful response.

Rob Stone

[bhaagensen]

Keep bugging them Rob! As a (currently happy) TP owner I wish I could help more than encouraging you here

[ghostrider]

Thanks to everyone for their thoughtful replies. As I have come to understand it, under California State Law, Logitech is required to provide service (for a fee) for a discontinued product for five years. Now, the Transporter is not discontinued, so Logitech is in clear violation of current statutes. As has been pointed out, all they have to do is replace the motherboard and problem solved. I also think the problem may be resolved without replacing the motherboard. In any event, the unit is clearly repairable. I will call Logitech tomorrow and take this up with them. If they are not willing to repair it, i will be filling a complaint with the BBB tomorrow. If anyone knows who I should contact at Logitech, please let me know. I will also try to contact Sean Adams. Sad state of affairs, given the fact that when I purchased the unit, you could talk to engineering about software or hardware issues and get a prompt and helpful response.

Rob Stone

Keep us informed Rob. It is inexcusable to sell a $2K component and not have provisions in place to service said component for a reasonable period of time.

[Rob Stone]

I just spoke with Logitech USA. I asked to speak to the supervisor. Here is his answer. We no longer support the Transporter after the warranty expires. I informed him of Logitech's legal responsibility to provide service/repair for a fee five year after discontinuation of a product. I pointed out that Logitech still sells the Transporter with a warranty, so obviously they can repair the unit. I pointed out that if Logitech posted on their website that they will not service/repair the Transporter SE after the warranty expires why would anyone buy one? His answer? With some pride, he says, just to let you know what a great company Logitech is, we provide one year of service beyond the warranty on the SE. (He also said, that they do not have a service center to repair the Transporter. So, how do you service a Transporter SE that is still under warranty, I asked? His reply, we have you send in the unit and we send you a new one!) I said, again, if you posted on your website that on the 37 month of ownership, Logitech would no longer stand by the product (Transporter SE), do you honestly think anyone would buy one? At this point, he didn't have a reply, other than he wanted to talk about how old my unit is (four years) and that I couldn't expect any more life in the unit. Then, as if this couldn't get better, he asks, so would you like suggestions as to who can repair the unit? Yes, I replied. He then suggests I contact Sears, as they have a service company that will repair any electronic device. I am not making this up. So, we shifted to a discussion of the legal responsibility of Logitech to service/repair the unit. At this point, he said he needed to talk to their legal department and he would get back to me in three days.

There you have it.

Rob Stone

[garym]

I just spoke with Logitech USA. I asked to speak to the supervisor. Here is his answer. We no longer support the Transporter after the warranty expires. I informed him of Logitech's legal responsibility to provide service/repair for a fee five year after discontinuation of a product. I pointed out that Logitech still sells the Transporter with a warranty, so obviously they can repair the unit. I pointed out that if Logitech posted on their website that they will not service/repair the Transporter SE after the warranty expires (one year), why would anyone buy one? His answer? With some pride, he says, just to let you know what a great company Logitech is, we provide one year of service beyond the warranty on the SE. (He also said, that they do not have a service center to repair the Transporter. So, how do you service a Transporter SE that is still under warranty, I asked? His reply, we have you send in the unit and we send you a new one!) I said, again, if you posted on your website that on the 25 month of ownership, Logitech would no longer stand by the product (Transporter SE), do you honestly think anyone would buy one? At this point, he didn't have a reply, other than he wanted to talk about how old my unit is (four years) and that I couldn't expect any more life in the unit. Then, as if this couldn't get better, he asks, so would you like suggestions as to who can repair the unit? Yes, I replied. He then suggests I contact Sears, as they have a service company that will repair any electronic device. I am not making this up. So, we shifted to a discussion of the legal responsibility of Logitech to service/repair the unit. At this point, he said he needed to talk to their legal department and he would get back to me in three days.

There you have it.

Rob Stone

the Sears thing is probably stupid regarding a TP repair. But as an aside, it is true that I think either UPS or federal express does, for example, all repairs for companies like Dell Computer (may have this a bit wrong, but the concept is that these delivery companies have become full-blown logistics support companies that not only pick up your damaged laptop from your office but actually repair it somewhere and send it back to you without ever going back to the actual company. Not that odd really given that most companies we think of as "manufacturers" don't actually manufacture anything. They simply own the brand and maybe the underlying technology and simply outsource everything else.

[Stephen Scharf]

I just spoke with Logitech USA. I asked to speak to the supervisor. Here is his answer. We no longer support the Transporter after the warranty expires. I informed him of Logitech's legal responsibility to provide service/repair for a fee five year after discontinuation of a product. I pointed out that Logitech still sells the Transporter with a warranty, so obviously they can repair the unit. I pointed out that if Logitech posted on their website that they will not service/repair the Transporter SE after the warranty expires why would anyone buy one? His answer? With some pride, he says, just to let you know what a great company Logitech is, we provide one year of service beyond the warranty on the SE. (He also said, that they do not have a service center to repair the Transporter. So, how do you service a Transporter SE that is still under warranty, I asked? His reply, we have you send in the unit and we send you a new one!) I said, again, if you posted on your website that on the 37 month of ownership, Logitech would no longer stand by the product (Transporter SE), do you honestly think anyone would buy one? At this point, he didn't have a reply, other than he wanted to talk about how old my unit is (four years) and that I couldn't expect any more life in the unit. Then, as if this couldn't get better, he asks, so would you like suggestions as to who can repair the unit? Yes, I replied. He then suggests I contact Sears, as they have a service company that will repair any electronic device. I am not making this up. So, we shifted to a discussion of the legal responsibility of Logitech to service/repair the unit. At this point, he said he needed to talk to their legal department and he would get back to me in three days.

There you have it.

Rob Stone

Rob,
As Logitech is legally required to repair the the unit for five years after the warrenty period and refuses to do, I would contact their legal department and tell them you are filing a complaint with the California Department of Corporations for a violation of business practices. Time to bring some big guns to bear on the problem.

[amcluesent]

Very poor, I suppose that level of 'service' is OK when you're churning out mice and and keyboards.

At least with the real hi-fi suppliers like Linn, McIntosh, Naim etc. you're not left high and dry.

[aubuti]

Very poor, I suppose that level of 'service' is OK when you're churning out mice and and keyboards.

At least with the real hi-fi suppliers like Linn, McIntosh, Naim etc. you're not left high and dry.

And another reason why Logitech will not be selling anything remotely resembling the Transporter after they've exhausted their current stock of components.