I am the seller of "Bowers & Wilkins PM-1s with Stands" (Listing ID:lis7j46i). Please look at the listing, read what I said, look at the photos and then look at the discussion in the Q & A section.
I wish to note that I really love AudiogoN for buying and selling and the community and camaraderie of the forums. I have had a quite a few transactions as both buyer and seller. All have concluded satisfactorily as you can see from my feedback. Members of the forums have helped me solve problems for which I am extremely grateful.
My listing was meant to be open and transparent. As far as price, I'm at a loss, so I'd be delighted to see offers if there are any.
I feel like john1, who hasn't had a transaction since 2011, has attacked me publicly in a libelous manner and just for sport. I feel that if he was offering his thoughts in a constructive manner, he would have done so privately instead of tainting my ad.
I also believe, maybe naively, particularly in light of the current political turmoil, that free speech is a right, so I haven't used the Delete button to remove john1's posts.
I am at loss as to how to proceed and I am asking the AudiogoN community which I have great respect for to give me thoughts as to how I should go forward.
I took a look at your ad as requested and I don't want to get into the middle of a dispute but I will say that if it were me, I would pull the ad down, replace the tweeter and then resist.
The tweeter is available directly from B&W for only $69 and literally takes only a couple of minutes to install.
My two cents are in line with Greg. Selling "damaged" used gear is really difficult if you want to get top used gear prices so I would replace the tweeter.
Good job greg. At a minimum I would first call B&W to make sure that the replacement tweeter is still available and still $69, and if so update your ad to state this. If it was me, I would buy the tweeter, but not replace the one in your speaker, and include it with the purchase. Whether or not you increase your asking price by the cost of the tweeter is up to you. No matter what I wouldn't think twice about deleting john1s rant.
If I was looking for speakers, I probably would not buy them as is if there was no replacement tweeter. But if I knew a replacement tweeter was available at $69 I wouldn't think twice.
Your description of the speaker is accurate and is not misleading, therefore, you are in the clear. Heck, a smart buyer may do some homework and find out that a replacement tweet is available to $69 and make you an offer way below market price.
You've created a good ad and I've seen many like it with a damaged driver. You should include the replacement tweeter in the sale, and also post the list price for the speakers. It's ok to delete John's post, he won't be buying your item.
I think you've done a good job with the ad. Because you used the word "damaged" it's possible that John misunderstood and interpreted the ad as meaning that the tweeter is inoperable, but I've read it carefully and I understand that's not the case and that the damage is to the dome only and not the tweeter itself. As pointed out, this is not uncommon - many a child has poked at the domes on the 800 series! Either way, his response would annoy me as well and I'd delete it.
If you decide to replace the tweeter, it may be a good idea to purchase an extra trim ring from B&W at the same time - they're only $10. That's the ring that goes around the 5" driver and covers the screws that hold the driver in place. To get into the speaker to change the tweeter you'll need to remove that 5" driver, but to get to the screws holding that driver in you have to remove the trim ring first, and the tabs that hold the trim ring in place can break fairly easily. I learned this the hard way. It's entirely possible that you get your trim ring off no problem, but if you break a tab like I did you'll wish you'd just ordered the $10 trim ring at the same time. Once the trim ring is off, removing the driver is easy and you're then into the speaker no problem.
I have had my share of pushed in tweeters- they all sounded ok, but the manufacturer always told me it would affect the sound - when I would replace them, I was always surprised by the improvement...
Thank you all for your responses. When I wrote the ad, I tried to be as open and honest as possible and I appreciate all your affirmations.
So here's what I'm doing. Went to B & W, ordered the tweeter diaphragm as well as a new tweeter grill. Special thanks to Greg for that information.I will rewrite the ad with new information included and I'm deleting john1's comments.
Thank you all again. This exchange is one of the things I really like about AudiogoN
I've been ordering parts for my various B&W's from them for years and they're a real pleasure to work with -Given that they have such an install-base at major studios, they are one of (if not the only) speaker manufacturers that I know of that let you buy their parts directly.
Honestly, I see nothing wrong with this listing. I see no bad will or intentions. I'm not sure what these speakers are worth but if the damage is already priced into the cost, its fine. I will say his though, if you want to attract more potential buyers, fixing it and relisting it maybe in your best interest (most buyers don't want to fix stuff on their own especially after spending good coin). If the price is already discounted and someone is willing to replace the $67 dollar part, great.
IMHO there is absolutely NOTHING wrong or misleading with your ad. You've made it perfectly clear that there's a issue with one speaker. If anyone doesn't like the price your asking, that's fine......move on and find something else. Its not your job to price replacement parts, it's the buyers responsibility to do his or her own due diligence.
I assumed the replacement of the tweeter would have involved the replacement of the carbon surround which would've involved monstrous money to replace & install. I have seen many ads that claim to "have no idea" what the cost would be to replace critical parts because they do not wish to share information of the massive costs involved, yet still wish to sell the item at near unblemished pricing. This is at a minimum deliberately duplicitous & unethical & always lowers the tone of AG. Making it the buyers problem to find out is never a great way to engender trust or a sign of obvious integrity, as most seem to understand here. There was I thought, a clear attempt to convey that to all sellers. To whatever degree it is a worthwhile sentiment, it was a worthwhile message. All well that ends well however & honour & integrity are satisfied.
adeep42, If you ever have something listed for sale that I am interested in, I would have zero reluctance to buy from you. You handled this matter in a truly admirable way.
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