Markbass fan failure

[big90sbasshorns]

I'm starting this thread to share my experience with anyone who's curious about Markbass' resolution of warranty issues/claims.


I have purchased one of their CMD121p 1x12 combos and run it with one of their 1x15 cabs for my live rig and have recently been having trouble with the fan periodically failing. I just e-mailed them through their website today and will keep updating this thread as things progress and hopefully reach a satisfactory outcome.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed! I really love their products and hope that they can resolve this.

Here's the e-mail I sent through their site:

Hello,

I'm writing because I purchased a Markbass Mini CMD121p (serial #mu1-----4) from Guitar Center on 5/12/09 and I am now having intermittent trouble with the fan. When the combo was sold to me I was told by the sales person that it carried a 2 year warranty so I wanted to see how it would apply in my situation.

Sometimes on powering on the fan doesn't spin up to full speed and makes a loud "whirring" noise, as if it's sticking or a bearing in the fan has gone bad. To remedy this on my own I'll either lightly tap on the fan or keep turning the amp on and off and eventually the fan runs properly. As mentioned before this problem doesn't happen all of the time, in fact the combo could go through weeks of normal use with no issues.

My concern as a gigging musician is that the fan will not "spin-up" properly at a gig and I won't be able to hear that it's not cooling correctly due to the background noise in the clubs, what-have-you. This would be my worst nightmare, to have thermal failure of my Markbass rig during a show.

I know I could replace the fan myself for probably less than $10, but by opening the case/combo I would be voiding the remainder of the warranty.

I was told when I purchased the amp that since (at that time, and I don’t even know it it’s true or not.) Markbass didn't have U.S. service centers that any warranty issues would be handled through the store and they would just swap it out for another unit. Today when I visited Guitar Center I was told that isn't the case and I am on my own to resolve the issue with MB customer service since I did not purchase the Guitar Center warranty.

As a gigging bass player I choose my gear based on researching companies/product lines and the expectation that it will not fail in mission critical situations. I have heard many good things about MarkBass and any help in resolving this situation would be appreciated.

[Freddels]

I believe there's a two year warranty that comes automatically with the product. You can also purchase an additional GC warranty.

Send a PM or email to Peter Murray here on TB. That's usually the best way to get in contact with the company.

[big90sbasshorns]

Originally Posted by Freddels

Send a PM or email to Peter Murray here on TB. That's usually the best way to get in contact with the company.

Thanks, I dug around on their site in the FAQ's and while there's a whole section dedicated to quality, I can't find anything which actually outlines the term of the warranty.

I guess if anything I'm just a little sore that when I purchsed the rig @ GC I was told that if there were any failure issues within the 2 year period my remedy would be to bring the rig back to the store and they would swap it out on the spot since Markbass doesn't have U.S. service centers (this is just what they told me at the p.o.s, whether was true at the time or still is the case I have no idea).

Again, thanks for your suggestion, but I'm not going to PM anyone about getting in touch with MB, it's not my desire or intent to escalate this outside what I've been told are the official channels for reaching them (their website...either that or calling intl., and I don't speak italian, so that's a no-go). I did what they said when I went back to GC today and e-mailed customer service through the Markbass site.

If their corporate office is in Italy (It's not even business hours over there yet is it?) I don't mind waiting for a response at all.

I made this thread just to publicly share the process of dealing with MB on a warranty level as it unfolds.

For those about to rock!

[big90sbasshorns]

The issue was resolved within 1 day going through the customer service e-mail form on their website! Go team Bumble Bee Power!

Thanks for writing.



First of all, despite what the GC sales guy might have told you, you are still covered under warranty.

It’s a 2-year factory warranty. What you didn’t buy was the extended warranty, that would give you two extra years of warranty coverage.

5/12/09 is less than two years ago.

So unless the problem is related to user abuse, misuse or modification, you’re okay.



Regarding the shutoff... Our amps run quite cool even without the fan, but obviously the fan is an important precaution.

The shutoff protection circuit is designed to prevent your amp from being damaged, so even if it was set off, your amp would probably be okay once it cooled down.

But it sounds like maybe there’s just some foreign object or dust in your fan that is interfering with it intermittently.

I would suggest getting a can of compressed air (that people use for removing dust from computers, etc) and spray it in your fan opening.

That would possibly dislodge anything that’s obstructing.



Beyond that, if this continues to be an issue, you should contact our service network at Markbass@vs---ice.com.

We have a network of about 30 service stations across the US, and they would help you obtain warranty service.

We are no longer exchanging defective products, we are repairing them.



As you have correctly noted, our products are not user-serviceable.



I hope that helps, and if you have any further questions, please let me know.



Best,

Peter



Peter Murray

I'm going to spray the fan out with canned air and give it a few weeks to see if it malfunctions again. Hopefully it doesn't but at least now I know that if it does Markbass has got my back for the remainder of my factory warranty.

[Freddels]

Originally Posted by big90sbasshorns

Again, thanks for your suggestion, but I'm not going to PM anyone about getting in touch with MB, it's not my desire or intent to escalate this outside what I've been told are the official channels for reaching them (their website...either that or calling intl., and I don't speak italian, so that's a no-go). I did what they said when I went back to GC today and e-mailed customer service through the Markbass site.

If their corporate office is in Italy (It's not even business hours over there yet is it?) I don't mind waiting for a response at all.

I made this thread just to publicly share the process of dealing with MB on a warranty level as it unfolds.

For those about to rock!

That's fine but Peter Murray is the rep for MB so you'd be contacting the company when you contact him.

[Peter Murray]

Hey all,

First of all, if any of you have any problems or questions regarding your Markbass gear, by all means feel free to PM me here. I am happy to help.

Now I would like to repost something I already posted on another Markbass thread, regarding an important announcement about our US warranty.

We have recently partnered with a US service network called VST (Virtual Sounds Technology), headquartered in Pasadena, CA.
Through this network we now have close to 30 authorized service centers (so far) across the USA for warranty and out-of-warranty repairs to Markbass and Markacoustic products.

From now on, we will no longer offer exchanges on defective products (not including the 30-day return policy at Guitar Center and 45-day return policy at Musicians Friend). All defective products will be repaired through our service network, and whether it's a warranty repair or not, VST will assist in the process. The contact email for all US service matters is now markbass@vstservice.com and the phone number is 626-794-8196. If you need service, please contact VST using that email address or phone number.

As always, warranty repairs do not cover instances involving user abuse, misuse or modification.

Customers should keep all original packaging in case they need to ship the product for service. And you must keep the original receipt. Important to note: the 2-year factory warranty is now TRANSFERRABLE but only with the original sales receipt and original packaging. So in other words, if you sell your Markbass gear within two years of buying it, the new owner can get warranty service provided they have the receipt and packaging. This applies right now to any Markbass or Markacoustic gear purchased new in the US within the last 2 years.

We are happy about this new service network and confident that it will allow us to provide even better service to our US customers.

If anyone has any questions please let me know.

Cheers,
Peter