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The Exogal saga continued....

As the owner of the Comet Plus/Ion combo, I have been a vocal critic of Exogal for fumbling the ball on the absence of applications needed to run them. They made the Comet without an illuminated window and reading it is difficult, and the remote, by their own admission, is inadequate. So the apps were indispensable, period. They have claimed for months that a new, improved remote "module" was in the making and about to be released immanently. I actually tried out a prototype they sent me and it wasn't very good. As time passed I tried to communicate with them via their website (on which they advertise a streamer line that they don't make!) and by phone, and was ignored.

So I chased down their sales manager here on Audiogon and he put me in touch with the CEO. The CEO admitted there was a problem and offered a range of excuses--a knee operation, a major internet hacking of their site, the pandemic, poor Chinese-sourced parts, an inability to get parts, etc. [In retrospect I am surprised that he didn't claim the same aliens who started the forest fires in California had attacked Minnesota] I said that I had the Ion packed up in a box as it was unusable and requested a remote for the Comet which he said was ready and would be shipped. He further stated that a new product line was in the making and that when it was released those who had the misfortune to purchase the Comet/Ion could trade those units in for "generous" credit toward the new line. Very well, I have spend thousands of dollars on this stuff so how long do I have to sit on it until I can change it out? There is no timetable for the new offerings--possibly by the end of the year, possibly not. Basically I got the old "trust me, I'm working on it" speech that they give everyone.

Two weeks went by--no remote. At that point I demanded a refund for the Comet and Ion which of course the CEO denied. He claimed he didn't send the remote because he assumed that I had packed both the Comet and Ion away until the unspecified time that he would so generously exchange them for his new products! He said he would send the remote immediately.

Yet another week has gone by--no remote. So I pass all this on to the court of public opinion. But it is ironic that the CEO of Exogal, in one of his own public postings right here on Exogal wrote: 
 "Too many audio companies announce a product, start selling it, and then frustrate the paying customer with BS excuses. Meanwhile, they've got your money." That sounds remarkably like the situation I find myself in. 
rtorchia
rtorchia's avatar
rtorchia OP
138 posts
 
I never expected a full refund, just some sort of refund for the more recently bought Ion which is useless in itself. I have been demanding a remote for the Comet for months. I suspect they don’t have the money to refund anything because they haven’t been selling any products to generate income. 
If it ever got out that they refunded money to me many others would make the same demand and they would be busted. A class action lawsuit would get their attention. 
In addition to the company’s failings listed above, they had a falling out with a major discount dealer active on Audiogon who initially distributed the Comet. In 2018 they were going to buy Core Power Technology but that deal fell through. I believe that CPT now has a close relationship with that discount dealer (who in my opinion is excellent in all respects).

People have been privately suggesting they lost a major financial backer, they are in the process of bankruptcy proceedings, or they are trying to sell out to another company. I urge other dissatisfied customers to come forward—you don’t owe these people any loyalty and they are just sweet talking you to gain time. 

mlsstl
1,594 posts
 
Sounds like you've been screwed. The only recommendation I have is don't let it ruin your life -- letting resentments run your life day after day is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. 
rtorchia's avatar
rtorchia OP
138 posts
 
I agree entirely. But the CEO and Sales Manager are well known figures in the audio world and Audiogon and revealing all this disgraces them and keeps others from suffering the same fate--many people were erroneously giving them the benefit of the doubt. I venture to guess that they have lost a great deal of credibility in the industry and that will be their undoing. I have been buying audio stuff for many years and this is the first time I have ever been swindled. 
jaybe
863 posts
 
So that's one side of the story
unsound
7,424 posts
 
I seem to recall a post here on Audiogon from a company representative not too long ago. It came  off as rather candid and sincere.
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