Faulty Kontrol Z2 - No USB, Australian support process?

HI all I have a Kontrol Z2 that is no longer detected by USB. It began as occasionally not being able to connect, to only connecting for one in every 10 or so restarts of the mixer, it now will not work for USB connection at all. I have been through forums, internet searches and conducted many troubleshooting steps (different cables, made sure drivers are correct, different laptop etc) and am pretty much 100% sure its a hardware issue (other posts point towards motherboard replacement).

About a week ago I reached out to Native Instruments via the Traktor support troubleshooter following all the required steps unsuccessfully and submitted a ticket (twice actually). I have had no response so far, I am in Australia and I am unsure about if there is a repair centre that I can send it off to.

can anyone recommend any further steps I can take to organise a repair? I am hoping someone from support sees this and can help me. Thanks in advance

 

same problem here no answer from ticket

 

All I am after is some advice on where I need to send it for repairs, happy to pay, it was bought in December 2017.

 

Hey!
You can reach our team on our website directly via this form: https://support.native-instruments.com/hc/en-us/articles/360009441878
Our team in Berlin will be able to advise on how our process works

 

Please feel free to send me a PM with your ticket number.
I'll escalate this right away

 

Looks like we have the same problem - a logic board problem inside the Z2.
TL;DR you have to leave it WARM UP for a while, then shut it off and on and the Z2 will work.
Turn the controller ON and leave it for about 10 minutes. Then turn it off and on again.

I have a video showing the problem on youtube and the description of my contact with NI about this (it's a know issue) and my solution for years:



Since I bought my Kontrol Z2 last year I'm experiencing some issues. First I thought it was a software problem. Then I updated everything and the problem was still there. And now it got worse. My Kontrol Z2 never connected to my Macbook Pro at first try. I always have to turn the Kontrol Z2 on/off several times and restart my Macbook to get it to work. It's really annoying, but I kept doing so, thinking Native Instruments would fix it soon. Then I updated everything as soon as I could and the problem was still there. This by itself is a big problem, mostly now that I'm getting bigger parties to play and things are getting even more professional. I looked around in the forum for a fix, and the only positive answer that I got (from the several posts with the same issue) was a replacement. Here is a video of me trying to get the Kontrol Z2 to connect to my Retina Macbook Pro, with no success. Sometimes I do the same and got it working, sometimes I have to try it for over 10 minutes.

### UPDATE: NATIVE INSTRUMENTS SUPPORT ANSWER ###

Regardind USB connection: after a few e-mails and, when the e-mails didn't solve the problem, I called NI support in the USA (I live in Brazil) and they told me that my Kontrol Z2 has a factory problem in the logic board (or something like that, so a hardware problem) and I'd have to take it to the shop that I bought it (in Hungary), because they don't have international warranty. Basically, I'm stuck with a crappy product and the company doesn't give a s*** about their clients.

 

Hi Leonardo, thanks for your post and Yes this is my exact issue. I actually discovered your fix a little while ago when experimenting with the different combinations on how to successfully power up the mixer. Luckily I have also found my retailer offers a repair service which is much easier than the International process that was offered by the NI Support team in Berlin. At the moment I cant go for an extended period without a mixer so am powering on for 10 minutes and then re-booting which works every time!

 

Hey Leonardo!
Thank you for your post.
I've tried to look for a request in our system but I could only find you request from 2016.
Just to clarify, we do offer warranty for all our products but the free return of the unit can be processed from the same country the unit was purchased it from. If you purchased your unit in Hungary then we can organize a return from Hungary to the closer repair center.

djbobb Did you end up contact our hardware team about your issue ? If so, can you please post your request number ?

 

As I wrote in the description of my Youtube video (and have also explained over the phone when I called NI from Brazil to USA), I bought the product during a year I was living in Budapest, but now I live in Brazil. I just don't get it how a worldwide company like NI don't have a international warranty. Are DJs and musicians supposed to stay locked in one country once they bought your product?

My request number is Ticket#2016030910003329 and after several emails with Andrew, he asked me to call the Customer Support number, which I did, and got the unbelievable information that there was nothing NI could do to solve my problem.

 

We're not expecting users to stay in the same country and again warranty applies wherever you are. We're just not going to be able to offer free return if you've moved outside the EU after purchasing your product in Hungary.