I reported in a blog post last week about the hassle I was having getting a hold of Sanyo to take care of some warranty work for a Sanyo massage chair. Well, I never resolved it last week, but was back on the phones yesterday after a restful weekend in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada celebrating my mother’s 80th birthday.

I needed the rest to be able to handle the 2 hour sojourn I had on the phones yesterday trying to get some closure to this Sanyo 7700 massage chair warranty issue.

Here is what happened…

I called the number given to me by my Panasonic/Sanyo distributor, which was a number that was to lead me to Sanyo warranty support. That number was 757-382-4518. Well, after a few minutes on that call, I learned that I needed to call Panasonic customer support. The kind lady gave me the phone number to that department,which is 800-211-7262. I called that number but was given another number, 800-332-5368, which was supposed to be the department in question.

When I called that number, I realized that it was the same department that the previous number had led me to. So, I pushed buttons until I got through to a person (oh, those automated phone trees are so bloody annoying!!). When I reached that person I was told to call 800-211-7262. Sound familiar? Yes of course it does because I had just called that number before this number! I called that number back and then was finally given the following number: 800-421-5013, which I dutifully called. I spoke to a nice fellow named Joe, who answered the phone saying “Sanyo Customer Support.” I was elated…

Elated until he said he could patch me through to the parts department. This he did and, after being on hold for a number of minutes (probably about 5-10 minutes), a fellow from Panasonic Canada in Mississauga, Ontario answered the phone and said that I was in contact with the Canadian branch of Panasonic.

I am from Canada and hold Canadian citizenship along with my US citizenship. So, ordinarily I’d be thrilled to be talking to a Canadian, especially if the person on the other end of the line knew anything about hockey. But, this time I was chapped and said that I was mistakenly forwarded to my Canadian friends but was really looking to get a Sanyo massage chair part in the USA. I was put on hold and referred back to somewhere in the States, where I was told to call 800-421-5013.  Sound familiar? Yes, of course it does, because that was the number I was given which was known affectionately as “Sanyo Customer Support” (remember that one?).

If I’ve lost you, don’t worry…you are not alone!

I called that number back and, strangely enough, got Joe on the line again. I explained my journey and he apologized (not that I had to speak to Canadians in Mississauga, Ontario, but that I was sent off on a wild goose chase). This time Joe put me through to a lady named Lynn, who asked me where I wanted the part sent to.

Well, at this point, I almost broke down in tears because I had finally reached the promised land. Lynn sensed my gratitude and apologized for the fiasco. Then she proceeded to take at least 15 minutes to get my credit card info and shipping info. Oh, man, it was painfully slow.

I am happy to announce that I finally found the part that I wanted and it is now being shipped to my client in Washington (she will be so excited to get her chair part).

But, here is the bad news (yes, there is more)…

According to Joe, there is no warranty support for the Sanyo 7700 massage chair, or for any Sanyo massage chair, for that matter. Apparently, none of the Sanyo authorized repair centers have opted in to the Panasonic network…yet. Until they do, there is nobody out there to fix your Sanyo massage chair. Isn’t that delightful, especially after spending around $5K on a new massage chair???

The other bad news, is that because there is no warranty support or coverage, I had to buy the part for my customer and pay for it out of my own pocket. Dang, do you think I am going to encourage folks to buy a Sanyo 7700 massage chair? Duh…not now anyways! Sanyo is working hard at getting their authorized repair centers to join the Panasonic revolution. When  that happens, then there will be warranty support for my Sanyo clients. How long will that take? Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe someone from Panasonic will read this blog post, feel sorry for me, and change their entire massage chair department to make things a little easier on such a huge purchase.

(Thank goodness the Sanyo 7700 is a very well built massage chair that rarely breaks down…whew!!)

Man, I am feeling the stress of yesterday’s phone calls all over again. I think I am going to grab some Pha at my local Vietnamese restaurant to relax and bring my heart rate and blood pressure down a notch.

Dr. Alan Weidner
www.massage-chair-relief.com