ProSoundWeb Community

Sound Reinforcement - Forums for Live Sound Professionals - Your Displayed Name Must Be Your Real Full Name To Post In The Live Sound Forums => LAB: The Classic Live Audio Board => Topic started by: Lee Brenkman on April 03, 2014, 03:12:44 PM

Title: Sennheiser repair prices
Post by: Lee Brenkman on April 03, 2014, 03:12:44 PM
I have over a dozen Sennheiser E835 microphones and after several years of reliable service as an all purpose vocal and instrumental microphone two of them have recently stopped working, the second one just last night between two sets.

So I go to the Sennheiser "Service Portal", create an account and password and check on their flat rate repair prices.  I did this knowing from the past that their charges for repairs on MD 421s in the past closely approached the price of a new microphone.

Here's what I found on the page of flat rate prices with the quoted price rounded up to the next dollar.

MD421 $184.95 ($380 current average street price)  49% cost of new

E845 $59.95  ($135 street)  44%
E845S $59.95 ($150 street) 40%

E835S $39.95 ($100-110 street) 36% of average

And then:

E835  $83.95!  ($100-$120 street)  76% of the average street price!

What is up with THAT?  A premium price because it is their most popular Evolution series vocal microphone!

This makes no sense to me.  Particularly when I can buy a three pack of the same microphone for about $250.

Comment form anyone at Sennheiser USA would be interesting.
Title: Re: Sennheiser repair prices
Post by: Brian Jojade on April 05, 2014, 01:01:21 PM
On a sub $100 item, it's surprising that they would consider the effort of repair at all.  The management cost of handling the repair and return shipping would quickly eat away at the cost to perform the repair.  Chances are, when you send in the mic, they are simply going to be replacing the unit for you.

Now, As far as the difference with the 835 and the 835S are that the 835S has the chance of the failure simply being the switch. No switch on the 835 likely means that the average repair cost is going to be more expensive, therefore the higher price.  And no, it's not worth the effort to even send it in at that point.
Title: Re: Sennheiser repair prices
Post by: Thomas Dameron on April 05, 2014, 01:25:53 PM
I guess you win some and you lose some.   I'm getting back some ek100-g2 belt packs for about 35-40% of street price.  I'm pretty happy with that for a discontinued, out of warranty piece of electronics.

I was thinking that Shure's flat rate repair program for sm57/58's was about 80% of retail too.

thomas d.
Title: Re: Sennheiser repair prices
Post by: Brian Jojade on April 05, 2014, 03:21:50 PM

I was thinking that Shure's flat rate repair program for sm57/58's was about 80% of retail too.

thomas d.

Shure's repair pricing for the SM58 is $56 for both the switch and non switch version.  After factoring in the cost of shipping the unit, that's again going to be roughly equal to dealer cost of the mic.  I'd be surprised if they do anything more than make sure the mic you send in is a real SHURE and then ship you a new one.
Title: Re: Sennheiser repair prices
Post by: Lee Brenkman on April 05, 2014, 03:51:20 PM
Shure's repair pricing for the SM58 is $56 for both the switch and non switch version.  After factoring in the cost of shipping the unit, that's again going to be roughly equal to dealer cost of the mic.  I'd be surprised if they do anything more than make sure the mic you send in is a real SHURE and then ship you a new one.

I have always thought that Shures repair and replacement prices were fair.  They do pay return shipping and if you are shipping more than one at a time the shipping cost per mic to them is considerably less.

More often than not I get a new microphone back from Shure.  I'd rather that they deal with the dead "remains" of what I send them.  I'm trusting they don't just wind up in the landfill somewhere.

I don't accept your suggestion that they charge less for the switched E835 because they might only have to replace the switch.  That still does not explain the inflated price of for the non switched E835 relative to the other similar Evolution series dynamic microphones.

I can buy a three pack of new E835s for about the same price as their repair price for three of the same microphones.  But I don't really want to just toss the old ones away.   There are too many pieces of gear that are considered disposable.  I'd rather fix and continue to use things.  Even ones in the "sub $100" class.


Title: Re: Sennheiser repair prices
Post by: John durisko on April 05, 2014, 04:04:13 PM
I thought all evolution wired mics carried a 10 year warranty


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: Sennheiser repair prices
Post by: Lee Brenkman on April 05, 2014, 06:07:32 PM
I thought all evolution wired mics carried a 10 year warranty


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

They very well might but I may not have the requisite "proof of purchase" on these "sub $100 items"

I guess I should be composing a nice email to Sennheiser USA armed with all the input from my colleagues here.
Title: Re: Sennheiser repair prices
Post by: George Dougherty on April 07, 2014, 12:01:49 PM
They very well might but I may not have the requisite "proof of purchase" on these "sub $100 items"

I guess I should be composing a nice email to Sennheiser USA armed with all the input from my colleagues here.
If they're in 10 years and you can recall where you bought them, you might be able to get a receipt reprint from the original seller. They do have a 10 year pretty much no questions asked warranty.
Title: Re: Sennheiser repair prices
Post by: kristianjohnsen on April 07, 2014, 12:52:16 PM
On a sub $100 item, it's surprising that they would consider the effort of repair at all.  The management cost of handling the repair and return shipping would quickly eat away at the cost to perform the repair.  Chances are, when you send in the mic, they are simply going to be replacing the unit for you.

Now, As far as the difference with the 835 and the 835S are that the 835S has the chance of the failure simply being the switch. No switch on the 835 likely means that the average repair cost is going to be more expensive, therefore the higher price.  And no, it's not worth the effort to even send it in at that point.

We, as inhabitants of this shared world need to get back to a way of thinking where repairing things is worthwhile. 

More than likely this means that many things are too inexpensive as of today.
Title: Re: Sennheiser repair prices
Post by: Brian Jojade on April 07, 2014, 02:40:14 PM
We, as inhabitants of this shared world need to get back to a way of thinking where repairing things is worthwhile. 

More than likely this means that many things are too inexpensive as of today.

It's all economics.  How serviceable do parts need to be?  Would people be willing to pay more for equipment up front that guaranteed serviceability?  With automated production lines, less resources are required to build a product than are needed to service a product.  In the case of a microphone, the expensive component is the mic element.  To package and ship a low volume of mic elements for service needs may cost MORE than shipping the entire finished unit.  Actually repairing a damaged element would be in no way economical, and the resources needed to special package and ship one item is more than just shipping the additional finished good.

So, in some cases, making items disposable can be better for the world.
Title: Re: Sennheiser repair prices
Post by: Lee Brenkman on April 07, 2014, 02:57:13 PM
It's all economics.  How serviceable do parts need to be?  Would people be willing to pay more for equipment up front that guaranteed serviceability?  With automated production lines, less resources are required to build a product than are needed to service a product.  In the case of a microphone, the expensive component is the mic element.  To package and ship a low volume of mic elements for service needs may cost MORE than shipping the entire finished unit.  Actually repairing a damaged element would be in no way economical, and the resources needed to special package and ship one item is more than just shipping the additional finished good.

So, in some cases, making items disposable can be better for the world.

Yes, in some cases I DO pay more for equipment of all kinds that can be serviced.  In others I understand the initial cost vs repairability of a product.

None of this explains to me why this manufacturer charges a flat rate that differs $44 for servicing two microphones that have the identical element.  And the one that is cheaper is the one with more parts, the switch and its associated wiring.
Title: Re: Sennheiser repair prices
Post by: Art Welter on April 07, 2014, 04:17:24 PM
So, in some cases, making items disposable can be better for the world.
In the case of the last pair of Sennheiser MD421-II last purchased which both failed after less than a half a dozen uses in front of various reed instruments, slightly after their one year warranty had expired, I did not find their disposable nature better in any way for my world.

When a $300+ microphone that still looks brand new fails and the manufacturer wants near new prices to repair their defect, they have lost me to their world.