Ahem... Yamaha's customer service said what? :(

[perceval]

Not often do I vent on stuff, but this one got to me....

My DTX700, bought in Taiwan, started acting up. Snare hits would drop in velocity to about 40%, then the module would start doing things on its own, like snares off without warning. and other pads as well like the kick and some cymbals ...

Scouting the net for help, I landed on the Yamaha's DTX Facebook page. Great, I thought!

I asked a simple question about the DTX700 acting up and I got this answer: This FB page is for americans and american products only. Since my FB was registered in Canada, I can't get any help. And I didn't buy my DTX700 in the USA right? so, no help for you.

My thought was FB was without boundaries, reaching all across the world, but here it is, Yamaha USA set up that page and they will not answer to anyone else that can't prove they are americans. I get this crap response. And that's it. Great for the american Yamaha users on this vdrum site. Not so for the rest of us.

Now I'm pissed.

I then contacted Yamaha in Canada and Taiwan. I contacted Canada (and prior to that, FB) because my written Chinese sucks, and I hoped to get some kind of help. Or at least some kind of direction to take in curing my module.

Canada took a week to answer. Said they never heard of any problems with the DTX700 and they probably can't do anything for me, but I can send my module to them anyway. Not very reassuring.

Taiwan got back to me within 3 days and said I can send the unit back to them. No information, no tests to be done to check the unit. Just send it back. Hmmmm... again, isn't exactly helping my trust issues.

Finally, after dealing with customer service in Canada, a supervisor took the time to read my emails and sent me the procedures to reset the module (which is not included in the manual). Of course, that meant I would lose all my customized setups. Oh well, if that would get me my module back, better do it! It worked for a couple of weeks.

Now, my DTX700 is acting up again....

The good news is that it doesn't seem to affect the MIDI part of the module. I can hook up a computer and play VSTs as usual.
But module sounds are screwed up, unplayable.

I now have zero confidence in Yamaha's support, and I'm stuck with a unit that can only be described as a trigger to MIDI converter.

I'm not sure where I want to go next.

End of vent.

[TheYardbird]

Wow, that's some really terrible customer support. People should take notes from Triggera and Pintech, those dudes are excellent att customer service.
So none of the Yamaha divisions you contacted offered to replace your module or anything? That sucks! If any company would treat me like that I would never support their company again, even if it would kill my wallet.

[fulrmr(Daniel)]

Geezzz...talk about the cold shoulder What a bunch of twits. I'll tell you where I would go if I wanted excellent module sounds and decided to kick Yammy to the curb...2Box. Sounds like you already have some VSTs you like that you can to use for the conversion process. Talk to Scott at Cymbalism. Some of the best customer service I've ever experienced.

[OneWatt]

Major bummer. US Yamaha customer service = total fail.

The part of your tale that most especially fries my toast is how Yamaha "US" could refuse to interact with a Canadian customer on Facebook. Huh?!

I can't imagine any global company (of which Yamaha is a perfect example) imposing borders around their willingness to communicate with customers and to help them. Yeah, c-o-m-m-u-n-i-c-a-t-e. That's all you were asking for, right?

I've owned a lot of Yamaha hardware + software over the years and generally have had a high opinion of their quality. So much so, that I've not had to deal with their customer service. But if I ever got the treatment you described, it would've been my last.

And now your story really gives me pause about making a future Yamaha purchase. Thank you for sharing.

[allanjohn]

I can't imagine any global company (of which Yamaha is a perfect example) imposing borders around their willingness to communicate with customers and to help them. Yeah, c-o-m-m-u-n-i-c-a-t-e. That's all you were asking for, right?

Err - noticed the absence of 'global' advertising (with a couple of exceptions) in digitalDrummer. The reality is that most of these "global" companies act like a bunch of small national branches in most of their dealings.

[perceval]

Yep.

When a company gets bigger, they have to rely on distributors, so technically, I am not talking to Yamaha, but to their distributors. Since they only sell in their little area, they are unwilling to help others. Global? yeah... no. Still, I was expecting more from a FaceBook page, and their answer caught me off guard.... and yes, fried my toast as well!

It would be like vdrum.com only helps people from the US, because it is based there.

In my dealings with them, I mentioned: "what if I am a traveling performer across borders and I would need service while on tour?"
The answer was that I would have to carry back up units and whenever I would get back home, I would get help, but it wouldn't be possible while on tour. Not exactly the answer I was hoping for!

I think I am done supporting the big ones and will give my money to the small companies, that do offer a great service, not only because they have to, but they wish to do so.

I know, 2Box is on my short list if I have to trash my Yamaha module!

[TangTheHump]

Perceval,

Sometimes getting service from a company can take a bit of time and multiple attempts. The key is to find the right person (someone with enough resources and authority) to handle your problem. I've had absolutely superb customer support from Yamaha USA and Yamaha Canada. My suggestion is to phone Yamaha Canada, explain your problem and the steps you've gone through thus far, and ask them to recommend someone there to help you. If the first person you get through to can't help you, try again. If need be, keep escalating your problem upward to more senior people. In cases like this, it pays to be a squeaky wheel. (i.e. Keep making noise until you get the help you need.) A customer shouldn't need to do this, but in large companies it's common not to get the right person on the first few attempts. Keep trying! I wish you success with this.

Edited to add: Another option. Try the largest Yamaha music dealer closest to you. Dealers often have access to support channels that customers do not. I've used the dealer route and it does work. You may need to try more than one dealer to get results. Hit from all sides: call Yamaha Canada directly and go into dealers and show them your problem. Use the phone and/or go in person whenever possible. Email is handy, but it's easy for email accounts to stack up and easy for emails to be ignored. When you're a human on the phone or standing in front of someone, that's much harder to ignore.

Final note, don't buy into the smaller companies give better service than larger companies mantra. This isn't true. Smaller companies may not have the resources to provide support on the level you need. There is no golden rule here. The most effective thing I've found when dealing with any company (large or small) is being persistent to find the right person to help you. Keep calling back until you get the solution you're looking for.

[perceval]

Biggest dealer here just gave me the email and phone number for local Yamaha service. Already been going through about 3 people and the service has been more than limited. Problem is that my module's behaviour is intermittent. It takes about 10 minutes from power on to start misbehaving. I'm afraid, should I send my module, I will get the typical answer: "we plugged in your module and found nothing wrong." And I'll be without a module for some time. Anyway, I'll keep trying, but as you said, customers shouldn't have to jumps through hoops to get help. But in my case, it is revealing and it will tell me where I will not spend my money next time.

[Sierra44]

[perceval]

Sierra,

I never sent my module back to Yamaha, nor their distributor. Lack of faith.

One issue was with a cable. There was a short on the ground.

Another issue was with a bad ground in my headphone wiring. It would sound like the snare was in a basement with all kinds of echo.
It took me a long time to figure that one out. Found that on a wild hunch.

After I got that sorted out, the module started behaving again.

Sorry I didn't updated the thread... I had forgotten about it.