Do you need Concertone Support?

[Janet H]

Originally Posted by Bob Fields

Just an update to let you all know the 26" box truck with car hauler is leaving Massachusetts tomorrow heading for Elkhart, IN. It will be me and Lynda (the Mrs of almost 30 years) along with our 14 year old Jack Russell Terrier making the 900 mile journey.

Have a safe trip and speedy time unpacking. Moving can be stressful. Take care of yourself and your family - we'll be waiting for an update when you're set up and running.

[kbrown1075]

Originally Posted by grhodes50

Bob,

Talking with my dealership's service manager the other day and told him about disconnecting the power for a few minutes so the unit can reset. He claims he hadn't heard of that before and wished that Concertone would send out memo's or something so they would know about these fixes.

Now that's what he told me. I don't know anything about the communication between dealers and Concertone, but that may be something to look into.

Oh yeah, this was the third unit in my tt. I had the same problem with the second unit as I did with my current unit. Maybe this fix would have worked on the second unit, but I didn't know about the fix then and apparently my dealer didn't either since they replaced the unit.

Hope your move is going OK.

I think that what you are talking about here is more of the problem than the Concertone itself. Reseting power is a basic troubleshooting step! A dealers service department would hopefully have at least one fairly qualified person. One of the things that makes a GOOD "troubleshooting technician" is the WHY! The good tech just doesn't get it working, but they dig in and look for why! In an ideal world, you shouldn't have to reset power, but we own campers and things change as we use them. Batteries run down, bumps loosen connections, and so on. Your dealer concerns me that the service department even needs to be told about reseting a piece of electronic equipment. Just my thoughts.

[MrT]

Bob, thanks so much in advance for your generous participation in this community. Good luck with your move to RV land in Northern Indiana! My wife and I purchased our first TT this season, equipped with a Concertone ZX700 unit. So far so good, with flawless performance.

I'm sure I can come up with a few considerations for future designs, but I'll save those for a rainy day...

[great white]

So, what would cause "static" in the speakers when playing a disc? It isn't obscenely loud, it is low enough to ignore if you want buit it's still there. It also disappears when you hit "pause". Does it on every factory DVD and CD we've tried.

zx700.

It's under warranty as the whole trailer is only about a week old.

Good luck on your move and new job!

[Bob Fields]

Originally Posted by kbrown1075

I think that what you are talking about here is more of the problem than the Concertone itself. Reseting power is a basic troubleshooting step! A dealers service department would hopefully have at least one fairly qualified person. One of the things that makes a GOOD "troubleshooting technician" is the WHY! The good tech just doesn't get it working, but they dig in and look for why! In an ideal world, you shouldn't have to reset power, but we own campers and things change as we use them. Batteries run down, bumps loosen connections, and so on. Your dealer concerns me that the service department even needs to be told about reseting a piece of electronic equipment. Just my thoughts.

Kirk,

It would not be surprising that the typical service tech for an RV would not know the nuances of electronics troubleshooting and I certainly do not blame them. We all have our training and experiences for our given field and we (manufacturer suppliers) need to do a better job of helping our manufacturer partners all the way through the distribution channel.

As an STS1(SS) with advanced electronics training, I would take it for granted just as you do but for all that is not the case. This is why we must constantly "say the same thing" and work to get the word out there!

Thanks for understanding!

[Bob Fields]

Originally Posted by MrT

Bob, thanks so much in advance for your generous participation in this community. Good luck with your move to RV land in Northern Indiana! My wife and I purchased our first TT this season, equipped with a Concertone ZX700 unit. So far so good, with flawless performance.

I'm sure I can come up with a few considerations for future designs, but I'll save those for a rainy day...

Thanks Mr T and feel free to drop me a line any time.

[Bob Fields]

Originally Posted by great white

So, what would cause "static" in the speakers when playing a disc? It isn't obscenely loud, it is low enough to ignore if you want buit it's still there. It also disappears when you hit "pause". Does it on every factory DVD and CD we've tried.

zx700.

It's under warranty as the whole trailer is only about a week old.

Good luck on your move and new job!

I am sorry you are experiencing noise while playing a disc. There are a few factors that may cause this but if it has done it from the start and it is covered under warranty then you really need to get it back to the dealer for them to check it out.

If your RV is put away for the winter, I would highly recommend reporting it to the dealer now so it is documented asap.

Good luck!

[Bob Fields]

Originally Posted by grhodes50

Bob,

Talking with my dealership's service manager the other day and told him about disconnecting the power for a few minutes so the unit can reset. He claims he hadn't heard of that before and wished that Concertone would send out memo's or something so they would know about these fixes.

Now that's what he told me. I don't know anything about the communication between dealers and Concertone, but that may be something to look into...

You bring up a good point and one we will be addressing...(Communicating Tech Bulletins & such).
Thanks!

[skidoonut]

i contacted bob through an email about the trouble my concertone gave me when new. i tried i think 15 units. now with one season working"ok" the second season it has started to act up. he has offered on this forum to "help" people that are having trouble. so i contacted him and his response was that they are offering to sell me a new unit for 250 bucks. he said he was glad that i got "some quality time" with my concertone. only used the trailer 15 nights last year so he is glad it worked maybe 5 times. now he wants to help take another 250 bucks out of my wallet. by the posts in the concertone section the new units are no better. i think i will be looking for another place to spend my hard earned money. thanks for your time bob but it looks like you are just using this forum for free advertisement. i really hope the mods for this forum look into this.

[dezolen]

Buy any home theatre receiver (Samsung, Sony, LG) for less than the $250 quoted or the Jensen unit. At least they will outlast the RV

[Bob Fields]

My response to skidoonut:

Rob

My support of the FRF is well documented and clearly my efforts to support folks have been taken as a positive. I am sorry you do not feel that way.

I responded to your email with the information available to me including reviewing the forums again. It had seemed some time had passed since you had posted negatively about your experiences – which were of course before my time. While I certainly do not agree with your characterization of my offer, I standby it as a way for you to upgrade to the newest system model with the latest feature set along with a new one year warranty at a fraction of the cost of new and less money for a competitive system. We developed this program in response to our customers’ requests as MANY people have had systems that they were very happy with (again clearly documented on the FRF).

My efforts on the FRF have been clearly stated and accepted by the community. If you wish the Admins to review my participation, I am happy to undergo whatever scrutiny they desire. I am there to support the community.

I am NOT embarrassed by my association with Concertone or my efforts to support those people that want help in a manner that is beneficial to all parties. As a consumer, I understand how frustrating any issue can be (see my recent post regarding the Internet installation at my new home in Elkhart. I am committed to responded to issues, challenges and complaints as best I can, but I am not naïve enough to believe that I can satisfy everyone.

If you have an idea that you think may work to resolve your issue, I am all ears. BUT know it must include workable options for all parties.

Again, I am sorry for your past experience and I HOPE I can help you.

I wish you the best of luck regardless of the final direction you choose!

Best regards,

Bob Fields
Vice President Sales & Marketing
Concertone
(310) 320-9910 x121

[Bob Fields]

Clearly, I will stand behind whatever I say whether it be in an email exchange in which I DO NOT get a chance to respond (let alone hear some one is angry before posting his opinion) or what I say on this forum.

Serious allegations have been made regarding my presence here and I am totally open to the Admins review of my conduct. I clearly stated from the beginning who I was and what I was doing. I restated that after taking a full-time role with Concertone and unless I am missing something, my participation was heralded as not only a positive step forward but as an example of what other manufacturers should be doing. If this has changed, someone please tell me.

As you can see, I am (like many of you) a passionate guy who is willing to say what he means and fight for what he believes. That may cause friction sometimes, but I think we would all agree that is rare and the benefits far out weigh the negatives. I have no problem admitting when I am wrong or being open-minded to alternate solutions (when presented with one).

I am here to help as best I can and will continue to do so until told otherwise.

[skidoonut]

the only support i have seen from you on this forum has been to unplug the unit to reset it and to contact forest river for warr. i am a gm tech and have worked at the local dealership for 10 years. i have been through my fair share of warr. claims. when we have a known trouble with a certain vehicle and a customer has had it repaired 15 times we repair it even after the warr. is up. just how much do you charge for your product if your are offering assistance at 250 bucks for a new unit and i would expect nothing less than warr. on a new unit i had to pay for. you make it sound like you are being generous. the jenson system can be purchased for the same money or less and i have many friends that have had the system for years and never had any trouble. same goes for lots of people on frf. it seems to be a comman replacment for the concertone unit. i would not expect to put 15 units in my trailer for my lifetime. do you buy a new television every year? or 15 in one year? to me is still say concertone is not stepping up to the plate. they are just trying to boost sales. when you decide to step up, contact me. rob.

[skidoonut]

funny this forum started a separate section just for concertone problems. i have been cruising through other posts and it seems that all you have said is to unplug and reset. i have not seen one post where you have stood up and helped anyone. please post proof of this help you are claiming. if i had to replace a electronic device 15 times under warr. and then it quits again after 5 or so uses i don't think i would purchase the same unit again. if the company wants to repair its reputation it would replace these failed units. i am starting to read complaints on the new units too. are these new units truely better or just got a facelift?

[Bob Fields]

Again your descriptions of my efforts are not accurate. I have explained myself to you in this public forum because that is where you have chosen to have the discussion.

It is clear in many posts on this forum regarding car dealers that just about everything you generalize about is inaccurate as well.

AGAIN, I am SORRY for your suffering and wish you the best in whatever you do!

BTW - its Jensen and the unit you are looking for costs $299.99

[Traveler II]

Bob, this is the first time I’ve seen a person (you) step up as a company representative and try and reach out to your customer base. For that I applaud you and only wish that other companies would do the same.

Don’t let the hard hits you are taking get you down or stop you on your quest to use this forum and others as a way to reach out and learn.

I’m retired from business and an axiom I used was; “At the end of the day those that know their customers best have no competition.” Hang in there.

[Bob Fields]

Thanks Jim!

[kbrown1075]

Skidoonut, FYI a few vehicles back, I purchased a new vehicle. I drove that vehicle for a year. In that time the vehicle spent more time in the shop for "warranty" work. Finally the dealer told me they wouldn't work on it anymore. I took it to another dealer thinking it was the brand they dealed, they wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole. I contacted the manufacturer direct and was told "take it to the dealer", well that effort had been exhausted. Bottom line is, I was very dissatisfied with my product. I did not think all was done to satisfy me. I didn't want a new vehicle, I just wanted the one I have to be fixed. I realized that wasn't going to happen and I could not trust it for my wife to drive. We traded it in and took a major, major financial loss. The only recourse I have is never to buy the product again. It happens with every type product. I believe that Bob is trying his best to help, but you have already made up your mind. Bob, has limitations I'm sure. If you look at my previous posts, if you are having more than 2 maybe 3 units failing, I suspect a problem with your wiring or power source. I know this isn't what you want to hear, and I'm waiting for your angered response, but we are here to HELP each other on FRF, and Bob IS doing that for as many as he can. I AM a satisfied Concertone owner at this time. I do understand you frustration from being on the service tech side. I was an electronics service tech on boats and home theater. I have been on the receiving end many times. Good luck with what ever product you decide is better.

[skidoonut]

the problem is not in my trailer as i could hook up the concertone unit in the showroom to a battery on display, hook up speakers and show my dealer the problems with these systems. i was told by concetone that the noise is from the convertor in the trailer. this cannot be as it does the same hooked to the battery in the showroom. batteries to not make noise. i am not angry. ii have worked with electronics for 20 years and know how to test. i think your car story just proves my point that he should step up. i really do not think poorly of bob. he sounds like a stand up guy. he is going to take much abuse over the concertone unit. i just wish with 15 units failed he wold have come out with a much better offer than selling me a new unit at a slight discount and then offering a warr. on a new unit i am paying for. if they want to stand up offer a new radio for 100 bucks and a three year warr. stand behind your product and be confident in it.

[MtnGuy]

Originally Posted by Bob Fields

My efforts on the FRF have been clearly stated and accepted by the community. If you wish the Admins to review my participation, I am happy to undergo whatever scrutiny they desire. I am there to support the community.

Bob, I think your presence here is an asset. I also think this a good way to work through the problems with the members and their Concertones.