Good Bye Yamaha- I guess they saw the Light

Fossil01 · 02-16-2003, 01:56 PM

Well some smart executive at Yamaha must have decided to discontinue the CDR's before their was a public outcry. I am not here to flame Yamaha, but this last episode has me a little upset. A little history before I start my rant.

I purchased a Yamaha 2X cd recorder in the early days of cd recorders. I paid almost $400.00 for the recorder and I think $4.50 for a blank cd. It would take almost 30 minutes to record a cd and that was fine with me. This recorder still works today although it's use is limited by the other recorders I have.

With this positive experience, I bought an 8424 recorder which would burn a full cd in 10 minutes. I paid just over $200.00 which was about $10 less than the equivalent Plextor. This recorder works today and is used on a regular basis, meaning atleast 2 times a week.

As I built a new machine, the new CRW 2200 was on market and being that Yamaha has never ever let me down, I purchased one for $185.00 which is almost twice the amount of money for other available 20X burners other than Plextor. The 2200 has a 8mb cache and burns with different technology than other writers so spending the extra money for a burner to last several years wasn't given a second thought. About 3 weeks after my purchase, Yamaha announced the 3200 to keep up with the Jones (Plextor) who were already planning the release of the 44 X. It is obvious that Yamaha were hurring to keep up with the pace and letting quality suffer.

Just 2 days after Yamaha anounced they were leaving the CDR business my CRW 2200 stops working. I found my bill and it was 5 days past a year so I decided to give them a call.

Now, lets re-track here. This is what I have bought from Yamaha.

Motorcycle YZ 250
Motrorcycle YZ 465
Motorcycle RD 400
Motorcycle RZ 350 2 of these bikes cause I raced.
Outboard motor - 25 HP 4 stroke
3 CDR Burners
Total approximate dollar value spent - $25,000.00

I was told that I purchased my burner over one year ago and that I would have to purchase a new one. Was I just plain stupid expecting a $25.00 gift certificate towards the purchase F1 recorder? Guess so.

Yamaha, you obviously have some one with some intelligence in the marketing department who decided it was time to get out of CDR market cause with that attitude you have alot of other business to loose.

- Proud owner of a Lite-on 52 - 24 -52. Did a back up of one of my hardrives, 22 discs and not one error.

RIP- CRW 2200E - Made in Malaysia - Aug. 2001- ser. #FER0107316

The only good part to this story, is I can take this one apart and practise a future mod I have been thinking about.

packetloss · 02-16-2003, 02:16 PM

Up with lite-on down, with yamaha

Nothing like dealing straight with the manufacturer

FB · 02-19-2003, 02:20 AM

Quote:

Up with lite-on down, with yamaha

i couldn't agree more

traveler · 02-19-2003, 03:15 AM

Fossil01,

give Yamaha another call now. Tell them you bought a Lite-on and tell them why you bought a Lite-on. Tell them you are posting your story about how you were treated to various major internet computer forums. Ask them what they would like to do to regain your business. If the person you are talking to says they can do nothing then ask to speak to someone else. Talk to no fewer than six people at Yamaha before giving up and writing off Yamaha forever and to forever not recommend them.

bjadams44 · 02-19-2003, 11:43 AM

I bought a Yamaha external firewire burner about a year and a half ago. During the first year it stopped recognizing disks that were inserted. I called support and they told me to send it back. A few weeks later they returned it with no comment. I plugged it in and it worked, then it worked only intermittently, then it stopped working at all. I contacted support again and told them I was having the same problem as before. They said my warranty was up and I sould buy a new one with the discount coupon they were enclosing (right!). I asked them to send me the name and address of the Yamaha executive in charge of computer sales in the US so that I could discuss the issue with him. That was when they told me that when I returned the burner previously nothing was found wrong with it and it was not "repaired". They told me to return it again and they would consider it still under warranty.

Yamaha is not great at customer service or support but you can get a little more out of them if you put the fire to their feet.

Fossil01 · 02-19-2003, 01:01 PM

Ya I know the squeaky wheel gets the grease. But you know, after using this Lite-on I don't think I could go back to Yamaha. It is 100 times quieter and doesn't vibrate my desk when burning.

Just to let you all know, the mod is going pretty good. I have all the physical modifications done and i am waiting for my certification to perform eye surgery. Thats right, if your tired of looking like a computer geek with pop bottle glasses, come give my Yamaha burner a try. If it screws up, don't worry it has rewritable characteristics. The tray load servo motors have been adapted to handle over 200lbs of clamping pressure just for the squemish people.

FB · 02-19-2003, 01:02 PM

A company that has great company support is the maker of Backpack externals. I had an old 4X external burner and the tray quit opening after year and they sent me a brand new one, although it was still only 4X

yamawho · 02-19-2003, 03:19 PM

I have five 2200e's and three 3200e's.
I started getting errors on a 2200e using cdmate. In this rig I burn 3 cd's at the same time. I replaced it with a spare and all is well. It seemed to have trouble reading Verbatim 4x cdrw disks.
I few weeks later I started to have this issue in a 3200e. I stopped using those cd's and no problem. I still don't know if the 2200e I replaced is defective maybe it's OK.

Yamaha has been great for me. When I found out that the bundled version of Nero could only burn to one burner at a time I called tech support. I had discussed using multple burners with them before I purchased. After afew days Yamaha sent me a retail version of Nero so I could burn to more than one at the same time.

And fossil01 ... when the warranty is over it's over.

Fossil01 · 02-19-2003, 03:59 PM

Yamaho:

I think your missing my point. I was very pleased with Yamaha burners but in my opinion, I believe they couldn't keep up to new models coming out every 3 months and their quality suffered. I really don't think they are justified in asking a higher retail price for a product that is below market standards. I never had a problem with any media I throw at my 2 remaining burners. But before you start tooting Yamaha's horn, give Lite-on a try. You might be surprised. I know I am impressed.

yamawho · 02-19-2003, 06:05 PM

Other companies may follow suit and stop making them as well.
It seems to be a race to the bottom on price so there doesn't seem to be the profit in these products as before.
The new buz is dvd so cdrw drives are old news.

I am sure that I will not buy another cdrw drive. I had a bad time with the A05 Pioneer dvd drive last month so I will wait before buying into these new dvd drives. Prices are high, formats are up in the air and media is not available everywhere.

BTW burning at speeds over 24x can produce cd's with errors, many yellow and red sectors.

traveler · 02-20-2003, 12:57 AM

Well Fossil01, you did move to a better drive.

02-16-2003, 01:56 PM	#1
Fossil01 I came I saw I broke it. Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 222	Good Bye Yamaha- I guess they saw the Light Well some smart executive at Yamaha must have decided to discontinue the CDR's before their was a public outcry. I am not here to flame Yamaha, but this last episode has me a little upset. A little history before I start my rant. I purchased a Yamaha 2X cd recorder in the early days of cd recorders. I paid almost $400.00 for the recorder and I think $4.50 for a blank cd. It would take almost 30 minutes to record a cd and that was fine with me. This recorder still works today although it's use is limited by the other recorders I have. With this positive experience, I bought an 8424 recorder which would burn a full cd in 10 minutes. I paid just over $200.00 which was about $10 less than the equivalent Plextor. This recorder works today and is used on a regular basis, meaning atleast 2 times a week. As I built a new machine, the new CRW 2200 was on market and being that Yamaha has never ever let me down, I purchased one for $185.00 which is almost twice the amount of money for other available 20X burners other than Plextor. The 2200 has a 8mb cache and burns with different technology than other writers so spending the extra money for a burner to last several years wasn't given a second thought. About 3 weeks after my purchase, Yamaha announced the 3200 to keep up with the Jones (Plextor) who were already planning the release of the 44 X. It is obvious that Yamaha were hurring to keep up with the pace and letting quality suffer. Just 2 days after Yamaha anounced they were leaving the CDR business my CRW 2200 stops working. I found my bill and it was 5 days past a year so I decided to give them a call. Now, lets re-track here. This is what I have bought from Yamaha. Motorcycle YZ 250 Motrorcycle YZ 465 Motorcycle RD 400 Motorcycle RZ 350 2 of these bikes cause I raced. Outboard motor - 25 HP 4 stroke 3 CDR Burners Total approximate dollar value spent - $25,000.00 I was told that I purchased my burner over one year ago and that I would have to purchase a new one. Was I just plain stupid expecting a $25.00 gift certificate towards the purchase F1 recorder? Guess so. Yamaha, you obviously have some one with some intelligence in the marketing department who decided it was time to get out of CDR market cause with that attitude you have alot of other business to loose. - Proud owner of a Lite-on 52 - 24 -52. Did a back up of one of my hardrives, 22 discs and not one error. RIP- CRW 2200E - Made in Malaysia - Aug. 2001- ser. #FER0107316 The only good part to this story, is I can take this one apart and practise a future mod I have been thinking about.
(Offline)

02-16-2003, 02:16 PM	#2
packetloss IRCtastic Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 1,704	Up with lite-on down, with yamaha Nothing like dealing straight with the manufacturer __________________ Asus P4S533 Intel Pentium IV 2.0A Samsung 512MB PC-2700 Chaintech GF4 Ti4200 WD 80GB SD Windows XP Nikon Coolpix 2500
(Offline)

02-19-2003, 03:15 AM	#4
traveler Where to next? Join Date: May 2001 Location: South Florida Posts: 18,226	Fossil01, give Yamaha another call now. Tell them you bought a Lite-on and tell them why you bought a Lite-on. Tell them you are posting your story about how you were treated to various major internet computer forums. Ask them what they would like to do to regain your business. If the person you are talking to says they can do nothing then ask to speak to someone else. Talk to no fewer than six people at Yamaha before giving up and writing off Yamaha forever and to forever not recommend them.
(Offline)

02-19-2003, 11:43 AM	#5
bjadams44 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Florida Posts: 153	I bought a Yamaha external firewire burner about a year and a half ago. During the first year it stopped recognizing disks that were inserted. I called support and they told me to send it back. A few weeks later they returned it with no comment. I plugged it in and it worked, then it worked only intermittently, then it stopped working at all. I contacted support again and told them I was having the same problem as before. They said my warranty was up and I sould buy a new one with the discount coupon they were enclosing (right!). I asked them to send me the name and address of the Yamaha executive in charge of computer sales in the US so that I could discuss the issue with him. That was when they told me that when I returned the burner previously nothing was found wrong with it and it was not "repaired". They told me to return it again and they would consider it still under warranty. Yamaha is not great at customer service or support but you can get a little more out of them if you put the fire to their feet.
(Offline)

02-19-2003, 01:01 PM	#6
Fossil01 I came I saw I broke it. Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 222	Ya I know the squeaky wheel gets the grease. But you know, after using this Lite-on I don't think I could go back to Yamaha. It is 100 times quieter and doesn't vibrate my desk when burning. Just to let you all know, the mod is going pretty good. I have all the physical modifications done and i am waiting for my certification to perform eye surgery. Thats right, if your tired of looking like a computer geek with pop bottle glasses, come give my Yamaha burner a try. If it screws up, don't worry it has rewritable characteristics. The tray load servo motors have been adapted to handle over 200lbs of clamping pressure just for the squemish people.
(Offline)

02-19-2003, 01:02 PM	#7
FB Re-Retiring Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: MN, USA Posts: 24,834	A company that has great company support is the maker of Backpack externals. I had an old 4X external burner and the tray quit opening after year and they sent me a brand new one, although it was still only 4X __________________ Bye Bye ABXZone.....Rest In Peace. Last edited by FB -\|-+ : 02-19-2003 at 04:25 PM.
(Offline)

02-19-2003, 03:19 PM	#8
yamawho Linux user Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Montreal Posts: 4,074	I have five 2200e's and three 3200e's. I started getting errors on a 2200e using cdmate. In this rig I burn 3 cd's at the same time. I replaced it with a spare and all is well. It seemed to have trouble reading Verbatim 4x cdrw disks. I few weeks later I started to have this issue in a 3200e. I stopped using those cd's and no problem. I still don't know if the 2200e I replaced is defective maybe it's OK. Yamaha has been great for me. When I found out that the bundled version of Nero could only burn to one burner at a time I called tech support. I had discussed using multple burners with them before I purchased. After afew days Yamaha sent me a retail version of Nero so I could burn to more than one at the same time. And fossil01 ... when the warranty is over it's over. __________________
(Offline)

02-19-2003, 03:59 PM	#9
Fossil01 I came I saw I broke it. Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 222	Yamaho: I think your missing my point. I was very pleased with Yamaha burners but in my opinion, I believe they couldn't keep up to new models coming out every 3 months and their quality suffered. I really don't think they are justified in asking a higher retail price for a product that is below market standards. I never had a problem with any media I throw at my 2 remaining burners. But before you start tooting Yamaha's horn, give Lite-on a try. You might be surprised. I know I am impressed.
(Offline)

02-19-2003, 06:05 PM	#10
yamawho Linux user Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Montreal Posts: 4,074	Other companies may follow suit and stop making them as well. It seems to be a race to the bottom on price so there doesn't seem to be the profit in these products as before. The new buz is dvd so cdrw drives are old news. I am sure that I will not buy another cdrw drive. I had a bad time with the A05 Pioneer dvd drive last month so I will wait before buying into these new dvd drives. Prices are high, formats are up in the air and media is not available everywhere. BTW burning at speeds over 24x can produce cd's with errors, many yellow and red sectors. __________________
(Offline)

02-20-2003, 12:57 AM	#11
traveler Where to next? Join Date: May 2001 Location: South Florida Posts: 18,226	Well Fossil01, you did move to a better drive.
(Offline)

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