The Blue Angel Mantis cartridge

Axelwahl-I'm having trouble understanding your...dismay...at the manufacturer of the Blue Angel being unwilling to repair your cartridge. Maybe he's too busy with his own brand to do repair jobs on other makes, maybe he doesn't feel qualified, maybe it's not part of his business model-or maybe, even, he *just doesn't want to*. Any of these reasons, or frankly no reason, should be fine. I don't expect Denon to repair my Dynavector-how is this any different? Or do you expect him to give you special service because you happen to live in the same country?

There are many places around the world to have a cart repaired-your criticism of one manufacturer to not meet your repair demands is, at best, odd.

OK, maybe you got a more 'intercontinental' way of thinking here.
In Africa (that's were this here places are) we're marching to a slightly different tune. Send your cart oversees be lucky to get it back at all, see.

That makes for a slightly different attitude. In any way the main point was, that I'd not been having a funny dream when 5 grand USD was mentioned. That added some more flavour to it all.
And lastly what makes Jan Allaerts, who sits on the other side of the globe be so helpful?
He dang well has his hands full building his own stuff also, right?

If you are fine with 'couldn’t care less' customer service, I'm not.
--- as much as I'd give my last shirt for somebody that does.
Let me tell you, people like Jan Allaerts aught to be mentioned for just that a lot more, that's all.
Some one that can, but won't fix my stuff don't rank THAT high on my list a favoured suppliers.
I think that's only natural, or?
Greetings,
Axel

Axelwhal-I don't know what to say. I've sent carts to VdH-a long, long distance away from Central Oregon, USA-and had them returned in perfect condition, in a reasonable period of time. I'm relatively sure VdH would be happy to repair your non-VdH cart also. Granted, I'm not familiar with the package delivery situation in SA, but from my perspective we're living in a time of access to any point on the globe, so I, for one, take advantage of that. Perhaps you should consider the same, and not call out your fellow countryman for "couldn't care less customer service" because he won't repair a cartridge from a different manufacturer. Frankly, your argument seems illogical to the extreme.

vaya con dios

OK, maybe I should be more accommodating to a country man. What you do NOT know, because I didn't mention it, is that I had some email discourse with the man. I didn't find him too accommodating, see.
But what the heck, I usually try to help were ever I can, it maybe this mistaken attitude that makes me take note if some other folks are more in the NO, CAN'T DO mode.
I still think it is strange, that a vd Hull, J. Allaerts, et al, and all making their own stuff, will help and my 'country man' will not.
Axel

Maybe it's a good thing to wake up this thread again, because just yesterday I visited with the esteemed Mr. Hanekom and found the experience most enjoyable and enlightening to the extreme. He dedicated the entire afternoon to me as he took me through the steps of the finer arts of cartridge construction as well as a trip down memory lane when in the seventies he bought card board boxes from my dad for the company he was then involved with.

He was very willing to take on my Colibri cartridge for a rework, but having heard the Mantis side by side on his test rig, I'm now thinking to ditch the bitch for an angel. The Mantis made his humble test rig speakers vanish in thin air as the music hung suspened in a perfect 3D hologram between the speakers. My Colibri sounded so broken by comparison, I don't think any rework would suffice.

When I get my angel, I will report back on the findings.