I was initially pretty bent out of shape when my $2000 (msrp) stereo didn't work, but I understand it's a pretty complicated piece of equipment and sometimes these things happen. Here's the story:

I bought this thing online because I had little choice, no one local to me really carries these things on a regular basis so my local radio people knew squat about them. My only alternative, and as it turns out, my most affordable alternative, was the internet. After a significant amount of research, I find this crew out of California called Factories2u.com, who carries the unit at a price that I can only assume is cost, because it is far below msrp. The store is highly recommended by Yahoo, so I give them a shot.

I had the unit shipped to me 2nd day air at the rock bottom price of $42. After it arrives, I take the unit out and "mock" it up on a table to make sure it all works right. It's a factory sealed, brand new unit, but it never hurts to double check, so I did. At that time, everything worked great and I was very happy.

After 3 days of measuring, disassembling, cutting, fitting, fighting, and cussing, I ran the wire where I wanted and mounted everything where I wanted - with the help of professional installer who was charging me $30 an hour. We get everything hooked up, double and triple check all leads, grounds, and other wires, and plug it in. You can guess what happens next - no stereo. I have power to the unit, but no LCD display. I reset the unit, no LCD display. The motor on the unit works, but there is no display. Guess what, it all has to come back out.

Of course, my first suspicion is that it's not installed correctly, even as unlikely as that is. These things are so easy to install that a high schooler could do it. Everything is color coded, all plugs will only go in place in one direction, and the instructions are easy to read and follow. It's almost an idiot-proof install. Anyway, I mock the whole thing up on the table and again the same problem - no LCD display.

To make a long story short I called my guys in CA to *****. They're totally calm about the whole thing and, to their credit, offer to replace the unit. The only problem I had with that is that I had to pay to ship it back, plus the three week wait time I would have to endure for shipping, restocking, processing, etc. My other option was to send it up to Fort Wayne, Indiana, for service. Not only would this take less time (probably a week), but it was much easier to ship, and I know that the unit has been on a diagnostic machine before being returned to me. For better or worse, I think this was my best option.

So now here I am. I have a Crossfire wired for a $2000 stereo but have no stereo. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this process will be quick and painless, but I'm not holding my breath. Stay tuned.