HD24 major problems

E

edthehorse

New member
Hi All HD24 users and abusers! I'm from Canada and just purchased a new HD24 from an online music store in the states called music123 out of NJ. Got a great deal on it even with the crap kicken on our Candian dollar! Took it out of the box and recorded 4 tracks of acoustic guitar and bass. Suddenly it froze up. None of the buttons would work. I turnned it off and back on again and it worked for a bout 30 seconds and then froze again while I was paging through the util. keys. I have 2 hd drvs for it. A western digital 60 gig and the 20 it came with. The problem persist on both. I tried to re-initialize the system and that didnt work. It will still freeeze up after a bit of playing or scrolling through parameters. I called Music 123 about return policy, and was horrified by their ability to find the right department to care for my concerns. because I bought the HD24 in the States, my warranty is void in Canada. I have to ship it back to music123 so they can send it to Alesis for inspection. There is no garantee when I will get it back. I will also have to pay shipping and duty all over again. Some deal its turnned out to be. I found a repair centre in Ontario Canada that I shipped it to. They dont seem to know what the problem is. They have been waiting for a reply from Alesis tech division for two weeks now. If any one out there has experienced the freeze up problem and has found the solution, please let me know. It seems like the HD24 is the cats meow and a great solution to an easy 24 track studio, but if we cant get a good support system happening from our dealers and Alesis themselves, then it may be a wise move to purchase from a much more stable company. I have owned many alesis products over the years, including the 1st black faced adats and have always been impressed with the technology offered by Alesis. Unfortunately, I now have an expensive problem on my hands and a declining respect for the company that once led the recording industry into the digital modular recording era. Good luck to all you existing HD24 users!
edthehorse from way up north (Elliot Lake Ontario Canada)
 
I'd like to know how this turns out for you. I've had my HD24 for a little less than a year and have never had a problem with it, but if I ever did, it would be nice to know I can get it resolved.
 
Call customer support yourself..In Los Angeles California@310-821-5000..They appear to be trying to change their image..Good luck and let us know what happens

Don
 
Hi Don,
yeah! I called them too and they told me to send it to the dealer in NJ then they would send it to alesis for a look see at it. I 1st spoke to a techie that told me to initialize it by pressing track # 9 + 20 while rebooting. He had no more advise for me after that. Problem still persist. The music store in NJ wont take it back for a return, but said they will send it to alesis at my expense. So you see, I would have to pay for shipping and brokerage fees to get it there and hopefully get it back in a resonable spand. I opted to send it to a Canadian alesis service rep in hopes that maybe if this problem was a factory recall or something, that alesis would cover it and even if I have to pay something, at least the machine is still in my back yard. Dont want this post to sound like I'm whinning, but as well as being pissed off at the dealer for selling me a dud, my primary motive is to make fellow adat users aware of the problem in case it happens to others and mabey then we can pool together to sort these things out. Thanks for the reply's so far. I have to sign out now. Im renovating my studio by night and its that time again. I'll check for new post when I come in at the wee hrs. Thanks again
edthehorse
 
Hi all, remember me! the guy from Canada that bought a brand new
HD24 out of the States from a company called Music123 and received a
non working item. Well it turns out that the warranty is void in
Canada but will be covered if I Send it to the States. Problem is
though, it will cost me to get it back into the country in duties.
Intelemix Canada is the official Alesis dealer in Canada. They have
had the unit since November and have just called me to inform me
they dont have the knowledge required to do the repairs, so a new
main board will have to be replaced at a cost of $670 canadian funds.
I'm really pissed off at Alesis because when I spoke with Hershel in
Newmark, he said that they would agree to send intellemix the parts
free of charge for the repairs. I guess now that they know it will
need a new main board, they are refusing to send the part free. I
can't understand the mentality there. They would do the fix in the
states under warranty, but won't send the part to canada for repairs
free. I am being blackballed by the Alesis dealer in Canada for
buying out of the States. its really sad when a guy gets raked over
the coals for trying to save a few dollars! Who knows, maybe the
HD24 only needs a OS upgrade or has a loose ribbon cable, and the
repair centre is pulling a fast one because I didnt buy it in Canada.
Regardless, I am relly upset with the whole deal and will never buy
Alesis products again. In fact, I am going to create a web page to
discourage potential buyers of their products because of their
(Alesis) warranty policy. But for those of you that want to stay
with Alesis, you can buy my brand new unit that needs repairs ( and
will get them free in the States) for $1500.00 U.S. funds and I will
cover the shipping fees (but not any dutes if any)Good luck to all
you HD24 users!
Edthehorse
 
You can ship to the US duty-free for repairs/service, as long as you "green tag" the item at customs (ie, register the item at your local customs office) and have the service center clearly indicate the invoice is for repair/servicing so that you aren't charged duty on the way back into Canada....

I did this last year with one of my XT20s (sent to Stan Jacox at the Studio Maintenance Centre in Calif.)

Yes you pay shipping charges, but the item WILL get repaired by Alesis and you'll only pay the hundred or so dollars to get it down there....
 
Thanks For The Tip Blue Bear

I'll look into that! I am waiting for a reply from intellemix as to when they ship the HD24 back to me. They had initially told me a qoute for repairs was free, but now has to check with senior staff to see whether I should get screwed even further. As soon as I know its on the way back to me, I will make arrangements to talk with customs about this. Are you from Canada too! I would sure like to get this matter taken care of without loosing my shirt or trashing my investment. Thanks again for the tip.
Edthehorse
 
Wow... I guess you really get around. I saw this on the HD24 newsgroup. Sorry you are having trouble, but I don't blame Alesis here at all. Gray market stuff is a real problem for the purchaser if you have a problem. I see this more frequently with camera stuff though. Best of luck with your problem.
 
HD 24

I am the canadian rep for alesis
the hd 24 problem was discovered, and due to the fact that he purchased the hd outside of Canada the guarantee is VOID....dealers in CANADA must be protected.....therefore our friend here has to pay to repair it.
I had 1 conversation with this gentlemen, told him that I would check his machine, we received it on JAN 16th, estimate was done on the 20th, no one is being black balled at all, we at INTELLIMIX did our job, and our service centers are now fully prepared to service all of alesis gear....
It is very unfortunate that such an issue has occured, that's what happens when we take chances.....being an end user myself I have always looked to the great deals, but always kept in mind SERVICE ISSUES, who do I talked to when something goes wrong, and who pays for it.
Paying more for piece of mind I guess
To our friend with the problem I will be in touch shortly....
Thank you
PREV
 
I must also point out that my own experiences with the folks at Intellimix have been excellent............

Gray market is gray market........... you may save some money up-front, but you're paying it forward against any future service needs......

Something to think about.............
 
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Not Blaming Intellemix

Intellemix is not the problem. It is not up to them to cover the warranty, and they are not the issue. It is up to Alesis U.S. to do something about poor sales reps on behalf of their product. Why dont you read all the post and get the facts. Music123 is an authorized Alesis dealer and they bareface lied to me about the product. I spoke with Eric at Intellemix today and feel that his intentions are very sincere. Really, my only issue with Intellemix is that when I called them in November, they directed me to a comapany in Brampton for the repairs. This Brampton company had no clue what to do with the HD24, they never seen one befor. Eric apparently was not aware of this and when I spoke with him, he had it shipped back to Intellemix for a look see. I do not hold Intellemix responsable for anything. I may have made some lude comments about being blackballed and excuse me for being paranoid but what would you think if your machine was sitting at a repair centre for two months and no one has a clue! As far as the machine needing a new main board, Alesis U.S. told me that if the board was sent to the States, it could easily be repaired by a qualified repair centre there. To me it was like suggesting your car needed a new engine because the oil filler cap was ceased and no more oil could be put in. regardless, Eric at Intellemix is now on board and is going to bat for me at Alesis U.S. which is a noble thing to do as our Canadian Alesis Rep. Hats off to you Eric and thanks again.
Edthehorse
 
Hmm... Ed, Didn't mean to ruffle your feathers. Music123 is primarily a discount internet reseller. I for darned sure would not buy anything like this from them.

Since I read on both forums you are bashing Alesis on, I thought I had the facts pretty straight. I'm not a cheerleader for Alesis but I fail to see that they have done anything to raise your ire. This whole episode seems more in the "squeaky wheel gets the grease" vein. I bought my HD24 (and $50k worth of other stuff) from Sweetwater and have had nothing but good luck. I was pretty fried with Alesis a couple of years ago when they were doing the bankruptcy tango and my ADATS were caught up in repair man limbo for 5 months. Interestingly enough, Alesis finally did come through. I own the following Alesis products:
Masterlink
HD24
Quadrasynth
Adats original (2)
Q2 Reverbs (2)

I have been a pretty happy camper for the most part. I truly do feel bad for you, but just don't agree that there is any problem with the parent organizations response. I'm sure when you finally get it up and running it will be worth it. Good Luck and God Bless!
 
I wasnt replying to your post so really the feathers are not ruffled at anyone here on the forum. Its equal opportunity opinions and I respect that. I was replying to Bluebear about Intellimix. yes I accept the fact that I bought from a lousey company (music123)and spent my money in the U.S. and if this company is dealing in the grey area then what is Alesis doing about it. Seems to me that they should show an interest in whom is doing there sales out there! Don't fret my good neighbour, as I do respect your opinion as everyone elses on these forums. God Bless you back!
Edthehorse
 
Sorry Ed.... I don't think you understand "grey market"....

When you purchase a product from a company outside your country (and outside your local distributors), this is dealing with "grey market"....

It's not illegal as such, but you end up being caught between 2 conflicting warranty policies.... (you're not covered by Canadian warranty, since it was not bought in Canada - and to get US warrranty work, you have to incur the costs of sending back to the original manufacturing company in the US)....

The shipping costs you have to pay are what I meant when I said you're "paying it forward" -- you save initally on a cut-rate purchase price, but then have to shell out somewhat for repairs..........

Like it or not, you should have been more aware of the implications of purchasing outside the country - so you do have to bear some responsibility for your own decisions here.... had you bought locally, you would not have had ANY servicing issues!

I have purchased outside of Canada myself, but I know the potential pitfalls, so at least I don't get any nasty surprises..........
 
Okay Bluebear, thanks for the lesson on grey market purchasing. yes I do accept the responsibility of buying outside my market area. There is no law against trying to save a dollar, and I guess I should just stop trusting people abroad(especially online authorized alesis dealers in the U.S.). The point is, I made a huge mistake buying from this salesman. I'll never do it again! This product did not even work at all (Remember the "MAIN BOARD SHOT"). It should never have been shipped. The company should have told me to send the item back for a replacement or a full refund. Regardless, I hope other Canadians new to online shopping have learned a lesson from my foolish mistake.

Oh yeah SteveE9C6, I said hi to Wilbur, so the next time your talking to God, say hi to him for me!!!
 
To Ed/BLUE BEAR

Please keep us posted here at the BBS on the status of your repair issue. I work at a pro-audio outfit in Pickering Ontario, and have come to deal Alesis through the Numark purchase.
For me it works out great that Intellimix is now the distributer as we already had a history with them buying Numark from them before.
I myself have two old Adats at home with about 1800 hours on each. Just spent about $250 on one of them b4 Christmas at the aforementioned service place in Brampton.
I also just bought a Mackie 24-8 used, so Blue Bear and I are sort of on par that way.
Next purchase for me I think is going to be a set of Blue Sky's with the sub. Heard them here at the shop and really have never heard music so well.
Anyway Ed I just wanted you to know that I cut and posted your comments and forwarded them to my Intellimix rep Arif, who is a great guy and will usually jump through hoops for us.
I could understand if you had a failure a few months down the road, but right out of the box!!!C'mon.
Anyway, keep me (us) posted on your situation. I would like to upgrade to the HD24 at some point, and am interested to know if the service on them is as simple as ADATs.
Craig McMillan
Apex Sound & Light
Pickering, Ontario
 
PROBLEM SOLVED
Once again to avoid any service issues buy within your territory, it might cost you more but you will have piece of mind.

Eric
 
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