Conrad Johnson Repair Issues


The Post I Never Dreamed I’d Write
About two weeks ago I sent my beloved Conrad Johnson Premier-17 back to
the Conrad Johnson factory for repair because it stopped making any sound whatsoever. It apparently blew some internal component.
I soon received an email acknowledging receipt of the unit and an estimated bill
of about $523.00 not including parts.
On 10/14/2016 I got a phone message telling me the preamp was fixed & total charges were $579.00.
I called a few days ago to give my credit card info to pay for the repairs. The CJ
employee told me that “we also need to tell you that the unit was damaged during
shipping & the damages are not repairable because it involves damage to the structure of the unit & those metal parts are no longer available." The damage was not mentioned until that point.
Photos showed the actual frame of the preamp was twisted & bent. It looked like it had been dropped off a two story building without the box.
The repair manager felt it would be pointless to file an insurance claim because
they would automatically deny any claim where the box was not damaged & refused to assist me with any insurance issues.
The CJ phone rep assured me that Mr. Johnson, the owner, would call me that afternoon but he never did.
I did get a call from the repair employee who said they just want to
get my payment information & send my preamp to me.
I shipped U.S. Post Office & insured for $2000.00.
I’m shocked to have this happen with this company. I've had several pieces of equipment repaired by them with great service.
I would appreciate any advice. I'm a little shaken & confused.
I’m really shocked that this would happen with a company of this stature.
I've stayed with this brand over the years because of their reliability & reputation for integrity.
It really doesn’t look like shipping damage to me.Shouldn’t they at least be willing to
assist with insurance issues?
This is one of the more unpleasant customer service experiences I've had in a while.

128x128pereza

Showing 4 responses by erik_squires

Don't accept it back.

They should have contacted you immediately about the damages.

And I'm completely shocked CJ would do this, I've dealt with them before and they were the very model of professionalism.

Best,

Erik
Hah, Roger makes good speakers, but the Coda electronics, such a world apart from CJ. Not better or worse, but the chocolaty midrange and liquid treble of the CJ’s are nothing like the mid/treble of the Coda gear I’ve heard.

I actually don’t have a very good suggestion if you like CJ but need to switch... << sigh >> AR - new stuff is much better, but not the same.

Ayre?
Scratches CJ Off my list no matter what.

They should never have accepted it to begin with, or notified you at the very start of the process, not afterwards. Also sounds like they overcharged you for a capacitor replacement.

Well, I'm a long ways from buying tubes again, but now I know.

Thanks for the update,


Erik
I do not know who was at fault, I truly do not, but I would expect if I shipped a product, insured, and it arrived damaged that the receiver would be obligated to notify me BEFORE doing work on it.

But again, I have no idea in what order things occurred.

Best,


Erik