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DIFFICULT PROBLEM WITH A REPAIR SERVICE-

I sent off a Teac R to Reel (a 35-2B) to  guy near Chicago to refurbish. It had originally sold for $1700 when it was new, and it had a lot of useful features, including direct outs to an external preamp from the playback heads. When he dragged his feet fixing a part I sent him ANOTHER preamp unit I found on Ebay with a working switch.  Then he complained the machine had some distortion on playback and couldn't find the source. Initially I told him to try to sell the machine and give me a partial refund but he never even tried. This guy claims he has a 200 machine backlog (!)
In the past he did fix 3 Teacs for me of a newer vintage and they all came back working like new. He took his sweet time (of course) but I tried to be patient, etc. But THIS time around Dr.Jekyl turned into Mr. Hyde and no matter how many complements I gave him, PLUS a $300 deposit as an incentive, he is (now) the nastiest creep you can imagine.
So I told him to put the machine in a box, send me a invoice, and ship it to a really top-notch repair guy I discovered not far from where he lives. I've been reminding him for the last SIX MONTHS to do this, and STILL I can't get him off his lazy butt to do this. I just hate to see this super-nice machine gathering dust halfway across the country from me.
PLUS (OF COURSE) it belongs to me, not him. But since I "kept changing my mind" (only once but he's completely irrational) he is now not even answering my emails. I'm not an attorney, but I would like to make this person do what I requested and do it NOW. I ALSO would like to put a big dent in his reputation without using facebook. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you. ALSO- Happy Easter and Passover.
french_fries
french_fries OP
815 posts
 
I'm done whining about my "little problem"- life is too short anyway. But just so you know, this "technically proficient" guy had TWO outboard preamps to work with since the deck comes with a separate transport unit. It was designed to be a semi-pro deck with umbilicals to connect the two units. It has a 1/4 track and a 1/2 track playback head and records at 7.5 and 15 IPS.  I gave him ample opportunity plus extra parts plus a lot of time, and after spending over $1000 I have nothing, not even a partially assembled deck in a box to send to another repair service. Because he's too lazy (or trashed it or sold it (?) to get his thing together and even do that. AFTER I agreed to pay him even more money
if he sends me an invoice for the caps he replaced, etc.  There are some people in this world I do not understand nor do I approve of their disregard for others.  But as long as his cat gets fed I guess that's all that seems to matter...

lewm
12,461 posts
 
I don't know where you are located, but if you have the stomach for trying again, I suggest Bill Thalmann of Music Tecnologies in Springfield, VA.  If Bill cannot fix it, he will tell you straight out after trying.
generankin's avatar
generankin
16 posts
 
I sent my Sony WW-D6C off to Sam Palermo four + (count 'em: 4.5) years ago.  I bugged him once each year, just inquiring as to status.  He finally claimed to have opened mine up and found previous 'work' that was wrong.  As I have never opened mine up except to replace cassettes or batteries and had never used any wall wart except the factory-supplied one, I suspected he had the wrong device tagged to me.  So I dug out my original receipt & sent him the serial number.  Last October was the last word I got from him.  He threatens to send back complainer's devices.  I invited him to do exactly that.

Oh, and I ain't gonna file suit in Small Claims.  I'm a lawyer, licensed in an adjoining state, and I know how fruitless that'd be.
best-groove's avatar
best-groove
831 posts
 
  and they are Otari and Technics.

....and Revox
french_fries OP
815 posts
 
THAT'S THE GUY- SAM PALERMO. He is a big effing problem.
There is a discussion group called "Tape Heads" that he regularly participates on, and I was going to relate my experience with him on their site after talking to the site-manager.  He appears to know his stuff but has both an attitude problem and a business-ethic problem.  Maybe I'll go ahead anyway- I have saved dozens of his nasty e-mails so it could turn into a book. 
"SKYWAVE" is his moniker. In any case do NOT EVER send him a vintage machine. 
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