My suggestion, based on a lot of professional experience in dealing with problems (as a lawyer): write a brief, and balanced letter to the President and a few other top executives at the company, explaining that you bought the speakers used, they were damaged in shipping, that the seller or carrier's insurance is covering, but that having gone to the trouble and expense of crating and shipping them to the company 5 weeks ago (or whenever), you have yet to get the necessary estimate. That you've called a number of times, and you need their help to get this sorted out quickly.
I presume you are going to have the company repair the speaker using the insurance money? You might want to ask them what the realistic timetable for that is, once you can have the insurance payment sent to them (in other words, encourage them to get you queued up for the repair quickly once the estimate is rendered and the payment for repair is made). |
Tom, in my experience, while a phone call is good for a nudge, there is something about creating a written record that lights a fire under people.
I haven't dealt with Maneplanar since the early days, but they have a good rep. I would write the letter I described. |
My take:
1. Magnepan should have communicated with you promptly once they received the damaged speakers and should not have waited five weeks to give you an estimate. I assume you now have the estimate and the insurance claim is in process, right?
2. Shipping crates- cost more money than cardboard and styrofoam to fabricate, and add to shipping weight. If they have experienced alot of damage by cheaping out on packing, it would be self-defeating, and more costly to them in the long run. But, is it clear that your seller used the original shipping cartons and packed them properly?
3. Turnaround time- you should have probably been told what to expect when you first contacted Magnepan. I don't fault small companies for this- it sort of comes with the territory. When my Lamm L2 started acting up, I called Vlad and was told they were leaving for the Munich show and wouldn't be back for a month. He's a one man band. Had to wait until he returned and then drove the units to his house/factory because I'm in NY. He repaired it quickly after that, and the initial wait was frustrating, but I adjusted my expectations, and bought something to use temporarily in the interim (which I thereafter resold once the Lamm was repaired).
4. This is one of the downsides of buying stuff used or from private sellers. I'm not advocating buying new from a dealer (I have taken advantage of used equipment here and through dealers), but the premium you pay a dealer should cover delivery and set-up, loaners when there are issues and generally make your life easier. They may also have more clout than you, as an end-user. The dealer I rely on locally makes house calls, delivers stuff, provides loaners, takes trade-ins and is responsive to emails and phone calls when i have questions or needs. That's why I go to him. I don't think about the premium there because at the end of the day, it's worth it. |
OnHwy61- my sense is that OP is venting his frustration and perhaps using this as a way to put pressure on the company but frankly that only works if: (a) the company knows about the posting; and (b) is usually given the opportunity to make it right before that threat materializes. Of course, the company could take steps to rectify a problem with a customer after he goes 'public,' just to reduce the fall-out, but alot of the comments here seem to recognize the limitations of smaller manufacturers and the pace of repairs, regardless of manufacturer size.
There was an interesting article several years ago in HiFi+ about how a single poster could poison an audio product in the marketplace. It raised the spectre that a poster could be an anonymous shill for a competitor. I'm certainly not suggesting that is the case here, but it is a problem. (The converse is also true, like fake 'likes' on Facebook- pumped up 'raves' over a product that are contrived by a vendor as guerrilla marketing).
I say we cut the guy a break, he received some constructive suggestions here, and we see what happens.
I do think complaints about service, or poor quality, deserve to be aired and benefit others.
Best,
bill hart |
Why bother to have them shipped back to you? Once repaired, presumably with a warranty of some sort from Mag, you could arrange to have them drop shipped to your buyer directly from Magnepan, and potentially have the buyer pick up the shipping cost. In fact, there's an old pair of Tympani listed right now, where the seller is doing precisely that- he had the speakers restored, and the buyer can choose the color of the 'grill' cloth and shipping apparentlywill be directly from Magnepan to the buyer.
My only suggestion on the letter is that it be even handed, no hyperbole, facts usually speak louder than characterizations. And ask for his help, rather than dunning him. |
agreed, while we may not need a blow by blow of how pissed you are on a daily basis, Tom, i would also like to know the outcome. And, i have no axe to grind with Magnepan. But since you reached out to the community, not only to express your displeasure with the company but to get some help, I feel somewhat invested in the outcome at this point. |
Wolf- I gotta say, apart from the substance of your post (which i tend to agree with), you are pretty funny. |
Very informative post by Josh. (Josh, btw, are those your refurbished Tympani that are for sale, to be delivered from Magnapan on completion?) |
