How the pandemic is affecting customer support and repairs
There are currently no issues with support or repairs for the Mark-II and we do not anticipate any issues in the near future.
However, due to the loss of some critical resources during the ongoing pandemic, we can no longer provide customer support or repairs for Retro 8, Retro 9.5, Retro 16 or earlier product lines. In the past, I have done my best to help sustain those older units, often at no charge of any kind, including shipping. But, at this point, we simply do not have the resources to address concerns on products we have not made in over 8 years.
Repairs for Mark-I units are now limited to original MovieStuff customers only. If you have a second hand Mark-I not shipped directly from MovieStuff, we will not be able to assist you with customer support or repairs of your unit. Also, beyond the units already received or pending for refurbishing to sell on ebay, we are no longer accepting future Mark-I units for refurbishing and sell on ebay. Obviously, you can sell your used Mark-I to anyone you wish but, as noted above, we are limiting our support to original Mark-I owners only.
These measures may seem drastic but, as noted above, we lost a number of vendors during the pandemic related to the production of specialty components. Some vendors either shut down completely or now demand such a high minimum that it is no longer cost effective. As a result, parts for the Mark-I are now limited to what we can pull from trade-in units, which are accepted in limited quantities for obvious reasons. So there's a delicate balance to maintain. Of course, we can have any part for the Mark-I recreated but, if we are not ordering in volume, then the part becomes unreasonably expensive as a single item or a small quantity order. So this is a problem of cost effectiveness rather than a technical issue on parts production.
Due to the number of Mark-I trade-ins we receive to harvest for parts, it is my feeling that we can sustain the older Mark-I product line for short while. Also, we are talking with new vendors about possibly making small production runs of new replacement parts that would be more cost effective. However, without these new parts, there may come a time in the near future when we can no longer support the Mark-I. To be clear, I am optimistic but, due to the economy and the pandemic's unpredictable affect on resources, much of this is out of my control.
I will do my best to keep everyone up to date. Feel free to call me if you have any concerns or questions.
Roger Evans
owner, MovieStuff, LLC
830-966-4664
- FOR ALL REPAIRS -
If you have a unit or component in need of repair, please contact us first before sending anything to determine the repair costs (if any). Often we can advise a quick and easy remedy over the phone or we can send you the necessary part that you can install yourself.
However, to facilitate a service call, you must first send an email with the basic following information. Nothing long. Please be brief:
A phone number I can call. Please indicate where you are. If international, please include the country code. If you are in Australia or New Zealand, make sure the phone number you provide is one that can also be answered early morning or later in the evening. This phone MUST be right next to the unit so I can go over trouble shooting. If the unit is in a basement or area where you have no phone service, then you will either need to solve the phone problem or move the unit to an area where phone service is possible. I can not talk to you abstractly about a problem if the unit isn't next to you. Also, the PC and the unit must be free and available for the duration of the call. I can not help you if you are in the middle of scanning a role of film or if the PC is not available.
Name of person I will be talking to. This person MUST speak English and be familiar with the operation of the unit and the problems being encountered. This person does not have to be a computer tech but must have a basic understanding of how to operate a PC and access files and information, how to check drives and search for folders. If you are a Mac user and do not really understand how to navigate on a PC, please have someone available to assist you. I will help as much as I can but I can't afford to give primers on how to operate a PC.
What product do you have? I need to know something other than "8mm scanner" or "Retro unit". I need to know if you have the RetroSync Sound Module, the Universal with the HD camera or the Universal with the 2K camera or if you have the new Universal Mark-II. Also, approximately how long you have had the unit.
A brief description of the problem. Is it a software issue? A hardware issue? Is the film jamming? is the light going off? etc....
Basic information about your PC. Is it a laptop or a desktop? What brand of PC? Is it a home built or custom built PC? Are you running Windows on a Mac? Is it a rebuilt PC? Does your PC have USB3 ports? How much RAM do you have? What type and speed of the CPU? Intel i3, i5, i7, AMD, etc. Also, is this the same PC you've been using previously or is this the first time you have used this PC with our product?
What operating system is on your PC? Windows 7, 8 or 10? Was it updated from Win7/8 to 10? Did your PC go through a Windows update recently?
What film format(s) you are having problems with? Super 8? Regular 8? 16mm? All? Are they home movies someone shot or are they commercial films with a clear edge around the sprocket holes?
What version of the software you are using? I need more information than just "the latest". There is a version number in the upper left hand corner of the software. I need that number.
Check your capture and export drives. I need to know if they are internal or external and the size of the drives and how much free space is left on the drive.
Please provide ALL of the above information and I will call you as soon as possible.
- SHIPPING YOUR UNIT TO US -If it becomes necessary to send in your unit or component for repair, please click HERE to print and fill out this service form. Tape a copy of this form to your unit before you package it. Also write your name on a piece of removable tape and attach to the unit. And, finally, once the package is closed, write your name/repair on one corner of the box so that we know what to do with it when it arrives. If your repair is urgent, please make that notation on the outside of the box as well as on the top of the form.
- FOR EBAY REFURBISHING -
If you have a unit in need of refurbishing for eBay, please contact us first before sending it in to determine all refurbishing fees (if any). Please click HERE to print and fill out this refurbish form. Tape a copy of this form to your unit before you package it. Also write your name on a piece of removable tape and attach to the unit. And, finally, once the package is closed, write your name/eBay on one corner of the box so that we know what to do with it once it arrives. Generally speaking, we will ship out eBay refurbished units within 48 hours of receiving your email outlining in writing where you want us to ship the unit. The eBay refurbish will result in a 90 day warranty and shipping, both of which are strictly limited to any location in the lower 48 states.
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