Conference cookie::notes$archive:cd_v1

1516.0. "Changer Damaged CDs" by NAAD::REITER (I'm the NRA) Tue Feb 14 1989 06:57

On Thursday 2/2/89, after a long search (and after giving up on waiting for 
DAT!), I purchased a Magnavox CDB486 CD changer that accepts the Pioneer/
Magnavox 6-disk cartridge.  I got it on sale at the local Sears store.  
I subsequently purchased and 'installed' four five-inch CDs and one 3" CD. 

On Friday night 2/10/89, while executing 'shuffle' mode, it went into an 
extended search mode (it went silent and was last seen trying to locate Track 
92! on Disk 4).  The unit would neither play or would it eject the cartridge 
containing my disks.

On Monday morning, the local Sears service center unceremoniously extracted 
the cartridge from the unit and returned the disks to my wife (who had brought 
the original jewel cases) along with the defective unit.  She returned the 
defective unit to the store, who unceremoniously gave her a new unit in a 
sealed carton.

End of story?  Nope.  The nature of the failure involved an attempt by the 
machine to feed two disks simultaneously from the cartridge.  One of the disks 
is fairly beaten up, and there are minor scratches on the other three whose
effect I haven't determined yet, since I haven't decided to keep the new unit, 
so I haven't unboxed it.

Here's are two specific questions I'd like to pose:

What kind of settlement on the CD's should one reasonable expect?  They were 
days old, handled _once_ by me, and now they are in some way damaged --- 
by the failure of the machine or the attempt to extract them.

Also:
Should I open the new unit and keep it or should I return it altogether and
continue the search? 

Instead of posting this in ::CONSUMER or ::AUDIO, I decided to leave it here.
Thanks in advance for the advice...
Gary Reiter

    I'd shoot for replacement of the CD's, after all they admitted it was
    defective when they changed the unit.

    	Don't expect cooperation.  As in tape decks that damage the tapes,
    the manufacturer will not replace the tape (doesn't matter what was on
    it).  The manufacturer of the tape will replace  the tape only if you
    can prove the tape was at fault.  
    
    	You may end up with the same problem concerning the CDs.
    
    	Also, the tape replacement (and I presume CD ) isn't valid unless
    so stated by the manufacturer on that format's labeling.  The store
    won't back it up unless the manufacturer does in writing.
    
    	If all else fails, chock it up to a time consuming and somewhat
    cheap lesson.  It could've been worse, and destroyed all of the CDs in
    some fashion.
    
    	As far as Sears is concerned, if you're not happy with the
    merchandise for any reason what-so-ever, they will refund your money or
    exchange the merchandise.  No fault is ever admitted in that policy.
    
    greg