Defective Recording, Poor Service, and Lack of Reliability!
Written: Nov 11 '00 (Updated Nov 11 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Excellent features and convenience;
Cons: Repair service sucks; recording does not work after 3 months of purchase
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| charles's Full Review: RCA CC6151 VHS Analog Camcorder |
In less than a year, this RCA CC6151 has gone through so many events. It has brought joy and headache to my wife. First, let me tell about this interesting birthday present of hers. You can imagine how happy she was when she received it from her god-father. The money we were saving to purchase one to record our kids' milestones went to something else. With the camera in mind, we started videotaping our son's first moves about the floor or his crib. My wife could not be happier to work on all these family projects.
Just like many families, we wanted to record some of the memorable moments of our family. We taped our daughter's ballet and tap dance practice so my wife could help her remember the moves during the week. We recorded her recitals. She was very happy to see how the crowd reacted to her performance. A few weeks after, it was time for us to go on a trip. Being a sea lover, we decided to go to Pismo. Walking in the sand barefooted and playing all over the place while flying our kites were a few of the activities we engaged into. We recorded everything so we could relive back home with friends.
In short, we started having fun, lots of it with this camcorder!
Camcorder failed us when we needed it the most
My wife had promised her best friend of hers who was pregnant that she would be there for her. She wanted my wife to tape her delivery. Then, she would delete some of the shots and send a copy to her parents who live overseas. A few weeks before she was due, my wife participated in a birth day party for one of her cousin's children. She took the camera to videotape their play in the castle. The kid's father had paid for castle time at a new children's business venture around here. All of the kid's friends including my kids were invited to play in the castle. When my wife got ready to videotape, nothing was recorded. She thought the battery was the problem. She went through all the checks and balances to figure out what was going on. It was to no avail! In just less than a year, she went from being happy to being frustrated over this camcorder!
When buying camcorders, buy extended warranty too
After three months of purchasing the camcorder, it quit recording.
What happened was that the parts were covered under warranty for just a year. My wife failed to purchase the warranty when it was offered. So she had to wait for one year until she could buy it. All this time, the camcorder was just sitting at home amassing dust. She grew tired and impatient with the camcorder. I advised her to contact the company so they could do something about. All her attempts and efforts did not produce anything. By then, it was almost time for her to be able to purchase the extended warranty. Once we had bought the warrantee, she was instructed to send the camcorder to a local repair shop named City Video.
Nightmarish repair time
For a few weeks, the repair man could not figure what was wrong with it. He called us to keep us informed of his lack of progress. In the meantime, we took so many trips and we participated in some many events that we could not record. What we thought would take a technician just a few seconds to repair ends up being a nightmare. We hated this back and forth thing. All the while, the repair man was in communication with the RCA company for advice on how to fix the problem. It was if my wife was being told something different by both companies. The delay was given in blocks of 7 days. We got tired of this problem. So far, it's been over a month since the shop has had it. The company is thinking about sending parts to fix it.
It's time that this repair be done: The company must replace it
Finally, we had some good news. It came after repeated phone calls. The company will send a replacement to the repair shop for us. I guess they finally realize that the problem is more than they originally thought. Since we have not received the new camcorder yet, we will not rejoice yet. So far, everything is just a promise.
I hope the RCA company delivers on its promises. This review is subject to be updated once my wife receives the new camcorder. It would be fantastic to have it as the holiday season is drawing near.
Here is a list of features the RCA CC6151 comes equipped with
* VCR compatible
* Tele-Macro Focus
* 8 quick titles
* Scene Select AE (Auto Exposure)
* Five-hear Video System
* 22x Power Zoom
* Low-light Operator
* Auto Shot (TM)
* Built in titler
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
charles
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Location: CA, USA
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