VMK20 headphones broken, I want to return them
Electronics break sometimes. It sucks, but it's a fact of life. The good news is we're not the kind of company that shrugs and points you to the door. At Valco, we fix things. And if a repair doesn't make sense, we'll figure out another solution.
Let's walk through how to move forward.
First: what's actually broken?
Before you pack those headphones in a box, let's check a few things. A surprising number of "broken" headphones come back to life with one simple trick:
- One side is silent or cutting out: Push the 3.5mm AUX cable all the way in and pull it back out. This resets the Bluetooth circuit. Restart the headphones and pair them again.
- ANC is buzzing or hissing: Make sure the ear cushions sit snugly against your ears. If the cushions have gone soft after months of use, the seal suffers and ANC starts acting weird.
- Sound is distorted or strange: Try the headphones with the AUX cable without Bluetooth. If the sound is clean on the cable, the problem is with the Bluetooth connection, not the speaker itself.
- Headphones won't turn on: Charge them for at least an hour via USB-C. Sometimes the battery is just flat.
If none of that helps and the headphones are genuinely broken, move on to the next step.
Warranty repair or return?
Valco offers a 24-month warranty. If your headphones are within the warranty period and the fault is a material or manufacturing defect, we'll repair them free of charge. Our service workshop is in Kajaani, and Jasse or one of the other lads will sort it out.
Here's what to do:
- Send us an email at info@valco.fi
- Include your order number and order date
- Describe the fault briefly – no need to write a novel
- Attach a photo of the issue if possible (e.g. a detached part, visible damage)
- We'll reply and tell you where to send the headphones
A device that breaks after one day of use is a clear-cut warranty case. No need to philosophise about it.
Note: Our first priority is always to repair the device. We don't automatically send a replacement, because we believe stuff shouldn't end up in the bin. If a repair isn't possible, we'll figure out the next steps together.
What if the warranty has expired?
If your VMK20 headphones have served you faithfully for several years and the warranty period is already behind you, you've got a couple of options:
- Repair kit: You can buy a repair package and we'll refurbish the headphones. Price depends on the fault.
- Trade-in: We've had offers where you can trade in your old headphones for a newer model at a discount. Ask us about the current deal.
Five-year-old headphones that have been repaired a couple of times and still work – that tells you something about how we do things. But even they won't last forever.
If nothing helps
If the troubleshooting didn't get you anywhere and the situation is unclear, drop us a message at info@valco.fi. Include your order number and what's going wrong. We'll reply and get it sorted.
We won't leave you alone with a broken pair of headphones. We can't afford to – every customer is funding our Death Star, and we need every penny.
