i recently sent a mail to Marantz Europe about the distribution and availability of the RC 5000 remote. Being in the UK, this is more relevant to us because we are faced with having to import Prontos. I hope Marantz are as good as their word - not a bad price aswell. Iexpect they are trying to undercut the HK remote which has had good write ups in the UK press.

> Comment :
> I am looking for a universal learning remote and came across the
> Philips Pronto which is only available in the US. Through links
> and the UK trade press, I understand that Marantz will be releasing
> their version of the Pronto - the RC 5000 (?) soon.
>
> A few questions:
>


> 1. if it is released, when?

We are looking to release the RC 5000 in mid-june here in the uk.
with a price tag of £280.

> 4. colours
ONLY GOLD

> 5. differences between the Philips and the Marantz

Philips and Marantz are the same company it's just Marantz covers the
hi-end hifi bracket of the market as the the Rc5000 is directed towards
hi-end equitment the Rc 5000 will be launched under our logo.

many thanks

Neil Gill
Product suppor manager
Marantz uk.

Still works out about 80 pounds more expensive than importing it though (assuming you can get it at $300 with about $30 shipping on top).

yep...looks like we're still going to have to pay over the odds to get hold of a RC5000/Pronto...thanks Marantz...now where's that importer's web address again? :>

Yes people, but don't forget that the Marantz RC5000 COMES with the charger ($80), And dont forget about the VAT charges, and the fact that the RC5000 is expected to retail at $480, NOT $300

So infact you're getting a pretty good deal:
RC5000 = $480+$30(shipping)=£320+£56(VAT) = £376
Pronto = $300+$80(charger)+$30(shipping)=£256+£45(VAT) = £301

So £280 is £100 cheaper than importing the RC5000, and STILL £20 cheaper than even importing the Pronto!!

Plus warranties are easier, and you'll probably get a 14 day moneyback guarantee, and possibly even interest free credit?!!

Not to mention that the Marantz version will probably cost a little more in than the Pronto w/charger - because you always pay a little more to get the premium name brand (even though it is the same product).

Will the rc5000 include prontoedit and the neccesary cables.

The mail below was in response to the replies I read after my first mail so there may be some duplication of points others have made since then.

I apologise for wanting to share some information that I thought would be useful to non US residents.

I do not work for Marantz but I am sure that I have one or two reservations about buying electrical goods over the net. Yes, they may work well and be from exactly the same manufacturer, factory etc but they are electronic/electrical devices and as such they do go wrong from time to time. That is my main reservation about what to do then. What of the after sales, shipping costs back to the dealer, time factors, transatlantic phone calls, non-arrival of goods etc. I may be a pessimist but when I am spending $300+ I want to be.

I do already buy DVD's from the US but I am aware of the risks associated with this - it has been said that if a DVD shipped from the US does not work, you may as well throw it in the bin due to the amount of grief and costs associated with shipping it back for a replacement disc. I feel that the plusses far outweigh the minuses in this case.

The point I was making with the release of the Marantz RC5000 was that there was at least an alternative to mail order from the US. The person to person back up, after sales, peace of mind and warranty you get from your local HiFi dealer must surely be worth something.

By the way, I don't know about finding importers addresses but I think that some basic maths tuition is order:

Marantz RC5000

UK retail price £280.00

US retail price $399.00(?) = £245.13
Shipping + import duties $30.00 = £18.43
VAT £42.90
TOTAL=£306.46

Therefore by importing at the retail prices you find yourselves £26.46 worse off. In addition, the post office handling charges (whatever they are, but you still ahve to pay them).

OK, you can find cheaper by mail order:

US retail price $320.00(?) = £195.60
Shipping + import duties $30.00 = £18.43
VAT £34.23
TOTAL=£248.26

Admittedly, there is a saving there of £31.74 but that is the most (or thereabouts) that you will save by importing and remember that the £280 UK price is only the recommended price and UK dealers will be selling them below that.

Sorry to have got on my soap box about this but I just wanted to talk about an alternative rather than get into a 'discussion' about prices and the pros and cons of importing.

The guy I got the info from is at this address so he is the person in the know:
[email protected]

I guess you could mail him direct with questions regarding charger, Pronto edit and cables. He is pretty speedy with his replies and don't forget to share.

Cheers

I'm not knocking the fact that the Marantz will be sold over here - and at a good price too (for the UK). However, I very much doubt that the RC5000 will be discounted by UK dealers - the most I've ever seen the RC2000 discounted by was £5 ( thats about 3 percent). Warrantees are not usually a problem on major name appliances as they are usually applicable to European dealers as well as US ones - admittedly, since the Pronto isn't sold in Europe you probably can't get it serviced over here, but I don't see any reason why Marantz would not honour the warrantee over here on an RC5000.

As to VAT, you as an importer of US DVDs should realise that the chances are that you won't get caught by customs ( especially if you can persuade the dealer to put on a gift or sample goods label)

One key point between the two has been overlooked isa the warranty. The RC5000 comes with a 3 year parts and labor warranty. At roughly the same cost as a complete pronto, and being the proud owner of a pronto, Im still choosing the RC5000. Its contrast against the chassis is a cosmetic plus. Goto the Marantz.com , they have a picture posted of it.

Can someone offer some idea of the OS differences if any?

I mean, is Philips sending them the latest bug fixes, and such, or did their OS builds begin to diverge at some point?

Just received a phone call (yes, you know where people actually talk to each other) from Marantz UK. He confirmed the following:

It will retail at £280 and will come with a PC cable and charger which is suitable to run on the UK or European voltage without the need for a step up transformer.

It will have a full one year warranty.

It will differ in the colour of the case only and the software is slightly rewritten for the RC5000.

Their staff are actually on training courses to allow support for the product.

Marantz UK do not see any supply problems and are set to release it mid-June. It should be freely available from approx end-June.

Following on from the treatment of customers from Philips US trying to repair their Pronto's, it is a stark contrast and is what I call real 'Customer Service'. I am surprised and genuinely pleased that some of these large companies still take the time to talk to the man on the street.