Topic: Tascam DR-70D 4-channel audio recorder (Part 3)

[2manyrocks]

My thought is one has to look at Tascam as a consumer marketing company aimed at selling as many different recorders as at many different price points as they think will maximize their profits.  When the 60d came out, people were amazed to get 4 channels (2 xlr, 1/8 stereo) with phantom power for what, $349?  Then the price fell as the product matured and they brought out the 70d for $299, and people were amazed to get 4 XLR channels for that price.  Sony has stuck with the run forever on AAs  m10 with prices now around $200 and only one 1/8 input.

A guy I worked with said you have to keep your hooks in the water to catch fish.  I suppose Tascam has multiple hooks in the water with all its different recorders.  I guess that makes us the fish. 

[MakersMarc]

True. No matter what, this is a ridiculous price for 4 xlr channels. Just silly cheap.

[tomuo]

It's always a gamble outside of what, sound devices? I really tormented over choice of second deck, but it was ultimately worth a few hundred more to pick up another Oade mod 661 and know it can go right to Doug for a fix, and will probably, though not certainly, be more reliable. Could have gone either way, if I needed a four channel the 70 would have been well worth a shot through the warranty period. I just think Tascam can do better. Sony does, and the M10 isn't expensive. That's how you keep customers. Now has shit customer support, many lower rung brands do better imo. It's a philosophy of giving a shit and it pays off in loyalty.

OK, what exactly is the problem with customer support, I'd like to try to improve that.
is it the limited warranty, repair problems, bad email response to pre-sales or post-sales questions, bad manuals?   
What needs imrpoving, examples please?
We put a lot of effort into getting the best combination of cost and performance into a product, we don't want to put off people from buying it.

[tomuo]

I'm sorry if my multiple PMs were an annoyance, but you could have simply replied the first time and said you didn't have that info.  I was reaching out to you after falling to get a response from Tascam for over a month.  I don't think that's "trying too hard."

Appologies; to be honest, I thought I had replied the first time, but it may have been that I started on a reply, decided "but I don't know if this is 100% correct", and deferred it to get more info...

I'm trying to find out if support email is broken.  We've had cases in the past where email to the parts department never went to the right internal address, but I thought those problems were behind us.

Tom.

[voltronic]

I'm sorry if my multiple PMs were an annoyance, but you could have simply replied the first time and said you didn't have that info.  I was reaching out to you after falling to get a response from Tascam for over a month.  I don't think that's "trying too hard."

Appologies; to be honest, I thought I had replied the first time, but it may have been that I started on a reply, decided "but I don't know if this is 100% correct", and deferred it to get more info...

I'm trying to find out if support email is broken.  We've had cases in the past where email to the parts department never went to the right internal address, but I thought those problems were behind us.

Tom.

If you're curious, I first sent an email to Tascam support.  After no rely for a week, I sent a second email there again, copied to tech support and also Teac customer support.  I knew full well those were the wrong addresses for my issues, but I thought if the Tascam customer support email was broken, my message would get through one of the others and be forwarded to the correct place.  Still nothing.  A couple weeks later, I tried again to all of those addresses.  Still no response.

[voltronic]

I thought about doing this, but unfortunately the monitoring is not accurate (again, the thing that I really wish Tascam had devoted their attention to).  See the FAQ page for an explanation.  Short version - the display moves in 2 dB steps, while in reality the gain is changing in 0.5 dB steps. 

I don't think this is a bug.   The display moves in 2dB steps, and the mic-pre takes 0.5dB steps to reach that displayed value.   There is no difference once the 0.5dB stepped ramp has ended.

Tom.

I'm not sure I understand your explanation though.  Are you saying that once you stop moving a gain pot, the actual gain "settles" into a preset 2 dB step despite that it is in fact changing by 0.5 dB steps to get to that point?  In other words, are you saying that it's not possible for channels to be mismatched by 0.5, 1.0, or 1.5 dB because the software will nudge the gain up or down to the closest 2 dB step?

Tom, are you able to clarify your explanation of the gain steps as I asked above?

[flipp]

It's always a gamble outside of what, sound devices? I really tormented over choice of second deck, but it was ultimately worth a few hundred more to pick up another Oade mod 661 and know it can go right to Doug for a fix, and will probably, though not certainly, be more reliable. Could have gone either way, if I needed a four channel the 70 would have been well worth a shot through the warranty period. I just think Tascam can do better. Sony does, and the M10 isn't expensive. That's how you keep customers. Now has shit customer support, many lower rung brands do better imo. It's a philosophy of giving a shit and it pays off in loyalty.

OK, what exactly is the problem with customer support, I'd like to try to improve that.
is it the limited warranty, repair problems, bad email response to pre-sales or post-sales questions, bad manuals?   
What needs imrpoving, examples please?
We put a lot of effort into getting the best combination of cost and performance into a product, we don't want to put off people from buying it.

One example, which has kept me from seriously considering Tascam/Teac, starts at the following post and continues for several pages: http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=172109.msg2139103#msg2139103

< eta the original reason it went back for warranty service: http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=172109.msg2132611#msg2132611 >

[tomuo]

I'm not sure I understand your explanation though.  Are you saying that once you stop moving a gain pot, the actual gain "settles" into a preset 2 dB step despite that it is in fact changing by 0.5 dB steps to get to that point?  In other words, are you saying that it's not possible for channels to be mismatched by 0.5, 1.0, or 1.5 dB because the software will nudge the gain up or down to the closest 2 dB step?

Correct, the 0.5dB steps of the mic-pre minimize any staircase clicking (whcih was a problem blown all out of proportion on the DR-60D when it first came out), but the front panel control itself can only resolve to 2dB steps.

[voltronic]

I'm not sure I understand your explanation though.  Are you saying that once you stop moving a gain pot, the actual gain "settles" into a preset 2 dB step despite that it is in fact changing by 0.5 dB steps to get to that point?  In other words, are you saying that it's not possible for channels to be mismatched by 0.5, 1.0, or 1.5 dB because the software will nudge the gain up or down to the closest 2 dB step?

Correct, the 0.5dB steps of the mic-pre minimize any staircase clicking (whcih was a problem blown all out of proportion on the DR-60D when it first came out), but the front panel control itself can only resolve to 2dB steps.

OK, I had thought that the controls were resolving to 0.5dB and it just wasn't being displayed.  Thanks for clearing that up.

[tomuo]

Email support : the form on this webpage is currently broken:
http://tascam.com/contact/support/

don't fill it in!  It currently generates an auto-response, but doesn't forward the email to our internal system.

For customers in the US, email us directly at custser@tascam.com
For customers in the US needing to send in a unit for repair : contact@teacfactoryservice.com
For customers in the US, and worldwide who are willing to pay for international shipping, needing a part to do their own repairs : parts@teac.com
Phone support for US customers: 323-726-0303 ext. 617 (M-F, 8am-5pm Pacific)

For customers outside of the US, start here: http://teac-global.com/   and follow the links for your country/language.

[tomuo]

I was out of the country (at TEAC HQ in Japan) when 404 Not Found was having his repair problem, but I asked around.
Since the DR-70D is a newer product, all returns come to TASCAM HQ in Los Angeles, not our
factory repair center.   This is so that we can keep an eye on any problems.

The unit he returned was verified to have a problem.
We authorized a NEW replacement unit.
Records show a unit was sent out.
404 received a unit that was shipped out from the Warehouse.
It was not from new stock, but from a different set of random return units that dealers stick us with. (i.e. a pre-refurb)
This was the warehouse's mistake, but the records show them sending a new one.
Thus the confusion started...

404 eventually requested and received a check from us for the full amount he paid (so we are out more
than we made from the unit when the dealer first got it from us.)

We certainly don't have any policy of "repairing" units with refurbs, this was a one-off mistake that took time
to be fully uncovered.

[hi and lo]

Wow!  This level of transparency / detail is refreshing. Thanks, Tom! I've been critical of the warranty and repair  process in the past, so having this information is extremely helpful.

We certainly don't have any policy of "repairing" units with refurbs, this was a one-off mistake that took time
to be fully uncovered.

Glad to hear this is not policy. My experience of the process in 2011 was different, so kudos if this has changed. Receiving a new replacement was a primary concern when we initiated our repair request and we had to appeal to J. Finch because Tier 1 support made it very clear to us that we were not guaranteed a new unit and that we might be receiving a refurb.

[MakersMarc]

Getting a refurb for a warranty return is seriously fucked up.

[2manyrocks]

Happened by accident in the warehouse and then they refunded the entire purchase price when the mistake was found.   

[flipp]

Happened in the warehouse and then they refunded the entire purchase price when the customer complained about it and made the manufacturer's legal department aware of it.

fyp

Seems it could have been handled better if the one CS agent assigned to this model had been willing to believe the customer actually knew the difference between a "new" unit and a "non-new" unit - which turned out to be an abused dealer return.

On the plus side is a manufacturer's rep taking the time to find out what happened and to post the results of those findings.

In light of that, I'm more likely to consider a DR70D when I decide to purchase a 4 channel recorder, though the R44 is still the front runner due to all 4 inputs being on the same surface since that will fit my current bag whereas the DR70 won't; but with the money I would save getting a DR70 I could purchase a new bag and still have enough for new patch cords etc.