How good/bad is NI about repairing/replacing defective hardware, specifically S4?
Hi,
I hate to say it, but I’m having a mechanical problem with my just-a-little-over-a-month-old S4 unit One of the FX assign buttons started to “skip” when you press it, which is quite annoying when you try to quickly assign an FX to the channel and find yourself pressing the button like 10 times before it lights up. Here is a video showing the problem.
I’ve already submitted a support case to NI and am currently awaiting on their response. In the meantime, I would like to ask DJTT forum members if you had any experience with NI and this type of problems and if so then how good/bad is NI about repairing/replacing defective hardware?
I’m just trying to find out what to expect from them. Are they going to try and deny everything convincing me that this is normal behavior? Are they likely to admit there is a problem and repair the unit? Who is covering the shipping cost in that case? Also, if it comes to replacing the unit, can I expect a brand new factory-sealed one or some scratched god-knows-where-it-came-from re-stocked one that is “as good as new”? Only asking because it happened to me before with other products… Please let me know especially if you had to return an S4 already.
Another question is how long is the warranty good for? Should I wait for that mysterious “second revision” of S4 before sending mine in for repair/replacement?
Thanks in advance for any information you may have on this.
Mh left jog wheel doesn’t respond, and a NI tech sent me a free shipping label with allt he instructions to send it back. Still haven’t sent it back yet, will probably wait until after the holidays as to get it back faster from them.
I’ve only seen a few people that have actually had to send their units back to NI and it seems they’ve had gone pretty painless.
If you’re referring to the forums remember the NI forums are manned for the most part by volunteers who do not work for NI or get paid by NI. And as far as one on one help with NI Thomas posted a lengthy chant conversation wit on customer who bought the S4 and was asking where the CD’s went into the unit. They were flooded with those kinds of questions.
first batch got rushed… its happened to me too seem to be rare but i hate being the beta tester. Cue mix button dosent fit perfectly, fx button skip, jog whell prob , phone jack problem , fx bank knob are loose compared to some others.
so… you guys know if the units shipping now are 2nd batch? I’ve been struggling for the past 2 months and mine arrives on tuesday and I REALLY hope it has no hard issues. I know no one is working for NI and it would be rare if anyone has inside info on this, but my paranoid self needs to ask.
Well… I’m sorry to say it, but if there is really not going to be a revised version of S4 with all the obvious design flaws fixed then I’m pretty sure NI is going to lose business. The word spreads quickly these days, especially if it’s something bad. As more potential S4 buyers find out that S4 doesn’t really stand up to the high quality standards promised by NI, there will be fewer people actually buying the product. There are ways to deal with that by using PR/marketing stunts, but I truly hope that NI doesn’t go down that path as that would be an even bigger disappointment for many of us.
Please don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying S4 is a bad product or anything. It’s an awesome concept and pretty good implementation, but there is no arguing it has obvious design flaws that need to be fixed. The one mentioned here is just something that was serious enough for me to consider returning/repairing the unit. However, there are other issues as well. Most of them aren’t unique to my S4…
I still want to hear from those who had to repair/replace their S4 and/or other products with NI. What’s your experience with that? I’m expecting bad things, but I just want to know how bad so I don’t put myself in an even worse situation than the one I’m in right now. I mean I might just fix the button myself and not bother dealing with NI’s support, but I want to be able to make an intelligent and informed decision which is why this discussion is important.
Hey All,
I bought my S4 from here as these guys switched me onto the digital side of DJing and I’m always keen to give cash to ‘real’ companies than big business…
…ANYWAY, I placed my order, waited 6 weeks, got my S4 and BOOOM! Worst nightmare - before I’d even finished upacking, I’d noticed the left jog was MUCH stiffer than the right (which seemed perfect).
To cut this story short, I placed my order very early November… The guys at Techtools have been great. I’m in the UK so I assume you can see what is building…
NI on the other hand, have taken international phone calls from me and left me with rather long holds. The buffoons didn’t even get back to me even though they said they would (even though I’d explained my call costs).
It’s now been nearly 2 months since I spent a rather large amount of money and I still have no S4. I’m about 12 emails deep and awaiting some german sales dude to send me a new one as they’d admitted the unit was faulty…
Lets just say that if someone else had a serious competitor to this product, my credit card company would be on the case and I’d be with them.
NI has the absolute worst customer service I’ve ever experienced. My X1 broke and I sent it in back in September I received my replacement mid December. I called numerous times, emailed numerous times, nothing worked. They “didn’t process” my replacement 2x. And the wait time if you even get through is at least 30 mins. I even filled a complaint with the BBB. Horrible!
I also ordered a Rig Kontrol during the thanksgiving sale, and they said they sold them without realizing they were sold out. I only found out about this like 2 days ago. They said they would credit my card back and give me a coupon code for the same 50% off to purchase one when they were back on sale. No coupon code was attached to the email, i’ve emailed them about 10 times. Still no code. The last thing I want to do is wait for 30 mins to hopefully get through on the phone for a coupon code.
Sorry to go off on a tangent, but if you want your unit fixed or replaced, be prepared to be without one for a while, especially since they are completely sold-out.
In case anyone is interested, I got my replacement S4 from NI. It took about two months from the moment I submitted a support request (12/23/2010) to the day I got my replacement (02/25/2011). They did send me a brand new unit which I’m quite pleased with.
A few recommendations to those planning on going through the replacement process (for whatever reason).
Create a support case with a clear description of the problem then call local support department in a day or two; You will not get anywhere if you continue to communicate with them via email. Plus, they have a long line of people waiting for their shipping labels. If you don’t want to wait too long, call them and they will put you ahead of the line.
Do not send anything other than the controller itself. You will not get it back. I made a mistake of sending my S4 back in its original box. Now I don’t have it anymore. They ship you a “hardware only” version as a replacement. It’s brand new and everything, but the package doesn’t include anything other than the S4 and some stickers Obviously, don’t send any cords or other accessories either.
Do not hope for an S4 from another batch. They are all the same. The one I got back doesn’t have the original problem, but it’s the exact same overall build quality
If you live in US or Canada, you send it back to NI’s office in LA. From other locations, it probably has to go to Germany. You can find the addresses here (you’ll need to scroll down)
In my experience my s4 fader broke down, i emailed Ni and they told me to contact the store i bought it from and if that didnt work send them another email, this email came within 3 days.
After phoning the store i bought it from they said just bring it down once i was down there guy plugs it into one of the macbooks setup in the store and he established it had a bad Hid/Midi signal being sent and took it off my hands, pretty much told me as soon as they got more in they’d give me a buzz and i could come pick it up.
Only reason i couldn’t get it then and there is because they have none left in the country within there melbourne or sydney stores so i’ve had a good experience with them i guess :S
The bigger the company and more people they serve, the worse the customer service. Thats the way it usually goes and Native Instruments is a great example with long case waits with often question dodging frustrating responses.
My S4’s A fader is buggy but from my own fault (spilt beer), I should be able to clean the faders but I cant, which to me is a huge design flaw.
One of the FX assign buttons started to “skip” when you press it, which is quite annoying when you try to quickly assign an FX to the channel and find yourself pressing the button like 10 times before it lights up. Here is a video showing the problem.
Are they likely to admit there is a problem and repair the unit? Who is covering the shipping cost in that case? Also, if it comes to replacing the unit, can I expect a brand new factory-sealed one or some scratched god-knows-where-it-came-from re-stocked one that is “as good as new”? Only asking because it happened to me before with other products… 
Obviously, don’t send any cords or other accessories either.
