Sadly, my Helix has stopped working and I've been told by the folks at tech support to send it in for repairs. I figured I'd start a thread to let people know what kind of process to expect if they're from outside the US (Canada, in my case) and their Helix needs to be serviced. The problem with my Helix is that it no longer has any input signal which, after trying various troubleshooting options, seems to be a hardware issue. This comes after only 13 months of bedroom use: practicing and some recording as well. I've never used it live, never knocked it around, never given it any reason to act up but here I am anyway, and I'm not happy about it. Of course, I understand that things break but it's a tough pill to swallow one month after the warranty expires.
The Helix costs just over $2200 here in Canada so it's not a purchase that's taken lightly. I hemmed and hawed over buying a digital modeller and chose the Helix because of the great reviews it got. It hasn't disappointed. I love the sounds I've been able to get out of this thing. But all the glowing reviews in the world are meaningless if the darned thing can't take more than a year's worth of use.
Anyway, the process in Canada seems to be that you take it back to Long & McQuade and then they send it out to be fixed. As of yet I have no idea how long this will take or how much it will cost. I suppose this tale of mine is meant for those who are from outside the US worried about repairs and for those wondering about the long-term durability of this expensive piece of gear. A cautionary tale, maybe. I'll update this post as soon as I know more.