We really care about these stereos- we love the way that they sound, the way they look, and the way they feel when you reach down and really crank the volume. We have been fixing these Sansuis pretty much exclusively for over 15 years and I feel I can pretty safely say that we have fixed more Sansui units than anyone else alive.
That said, these restorations take time. We are a three person operation, and during the last year our shop has been constantly at full capacity. We try to be as accurate as possible with our wait time quotes as possible, but occasionally factors beyond our control can cause delays in restoration or shipping. It’s very important to us that our customers are confident in the services we provide, and we are always available to address any concerns via phone or email.
Our usual turn around time is about 2-4 months from when we receive your unit, given that we usually have a few things “in line” before we get it. If we end up needing a part that can only be found off of a parts unit, and we don’t already have the part in the shop, the wait time can be even longer. There is just no substitute for the time and dedication it takes to get these units back to their original specs, singing like they should be. We want it to be perfect- but it is not going to happen overnight.
That timeline is once we have received your unit- due to high demand we also have an e-mail queue that is another 2-4 months long as well. This is because we simply only have so much room in our shop to fit all of our clients units! Because of the large variance in this stated timeline the best way to get a more accurate one is to e-mail us a request for service for your unit and we will update you with what our queues look like.
Shipping Policies
Over on our shipping page we give our advice about how best to ship these units. Despite this, we often get units shipped to us for repair that were improperly or poorly packaged. Sometimes we breathe a sigh of relief when we open the box and see it is undamaged, other times we are not so lucky. So, PLEASE follow our or your carrier’s packing instructions. It is our intention to return your stereo to you in the same box you shipped it to us in. If this isn’t possible because the box is too degraded or damaged we will have to make you a new box with brand new insulating foam board.
These boxes require a significant amount of labor as we double box them and cut the foam board to fit the box and stereo exactly. We use some chromium resistance wire we have strung taut over a frame that we use to cut the foam without making a mess.
If we have to make you a box to return your stereo in we will have to charge you for the foam, box, and labor involved in making the box. This varies depending on the size of the stereo but will be at least $110. It is up to our discretion whether you need a new box or not- we have simply had too many problems with stereos damaged in shipping. You can find more information on our custom boxes here.
Warranty Policies
We have now made a step-by-step flowchart to help with simple diagnostics if you’re experiencing issues with your stereo. Click here to open the flowchart.
If you have any problems with the restored unit up to 90 days after you receive it we will fix it for you free of charge. This warranty includes any problems that cannot be fixed by simply exercising switches or replacing a bulb. The warranty does not include any physical damage that may be done to the unit by dropping or other mistreatment.
We ask that anyone hoping to return the unit to us under warranty give us a call before hand so we can see if we can help over the phone. This is because we have had quite a few people try to return their stereos when in fact their phono cartridge needed to be replaced, or one of their speakers is blown.
We will simply walk you through a simple testing procedure to ensure that the problem is actually with the stereo, and not something else on your end. (Darn 3.5mm aux cables!) If you have a problem in your stereo in the first 90 days after you receive it, just ship it back to us- we’ll fix the problem and send it back to you.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to issues with customers not following our troubleshooting instructions, if upon receiving a warranty return we discover that there aren’t any issues with your restored unit, we will ask that the customer pay shipping both ways.
Repair Policies
We have now made a step-by-step flowchart to help with simple diagnostics if you’re experiencing issues with your stereo. Click here to open the flowchart.
If you’ve had your unit restored by us and are experiencing issues outside of the warranty window, we can still take your unit back in for repair. We will first try to troubleshoot with you over email or the phone, but if the issue cannot be resolved through those methods, we will have you ship the unit back in to us. For repair services, we charge $110/hr (one hour minimum) + shipping.
If you’ve never had a unit restored by us before and are just looking for repair on your unit, we may not be the shop for you. We don’t do repairs per se because with electronics this old, it’s very likely that you will have another problem within a few months to a year. It’s very upsetting when that happens, after paying shipping, and repair costs when really these units all need an overhaul. It’s usually only a bit more to restore the whole thing, which is much better in the long run. You wouldn’t do just the bare minimum on a 50yr old car, would you? Take a look at our services page if you’re interested in getting a full restoration.