RCA DRC8335 DVD Recorder / VCR Combo

I purchased the RCA model DRC8335 VCR/DVD unit on 12/21/2007 as a gift. It quit working in June of 2008 with both a cassette and a DVD stuck inside. We attempted the troubleshooting steps outlined in the user manual with no luck. This unit has a one year warranty, so the next step was to call the RCA/Thomson customer care number on 6/19/2008. I’m not sure what country I was talking to, but communication was a struggle. Everything needed to be repeated a number of times and often spelled-out before it was understood. After being put on hold several times, and overcoming the communication gap, I was given a service request number and instructed to mail the unit to El Paso Texas. A replacement unit would be shipped back within 7-10 days I was told. We shipped the unit out on 6/23/2008 and tracking confirmed arrival on 6/272008. Over three weeks later we still hadn’t seen or heard anything regarding our replacement, so I called RCA/Thomson customer care again. Of course we went through all of the communication and please-hold issues again, only this time I was told our case had been made inactive. No reason was known or given for this, they simply opened another case number and I was told a replacement unit would be shipped back within 7-10 days. Over two weeks later we still hadn’t seen or heard anything regarding our replacement, so I called RCA/Thomson customer care again on 8/7/2008. This time I was told they didn’t have any units in stock to ship and furthermore they had no idea when they would have a unit to ship. The customer care person told me to call back again in 10 days, maybe they would know something then. Incredible!
I have very little hope of ever seeing this unit again, and frankly, that would be just fine with me. I will never have another RCA/Thomson product in my home as long as I live. After this, that brand name just makes me cringe.
On the bright side, I have enjoyed many hours of re-telling the story of the rotten customer care provided by RCA/Thomson to friends and acquaintances. Priceless!