Actual Lead Time on Tekton Speakers
@daros71 This seems to be a simple matter of leverage. You say you have an invoice from Tekton with your address and shipping costs. How did you pay Tekton? If you paid via PayPal and or credit card you have the leverage. If you didn’t Tekton has the leverage. If you paid via PayPal / Credit card inform Tekton you are going to initiate a dispute with PayPal and or your CC company as they have not delivered the product that you paid for. You have the invoice from Tekton to back up your case. Tekton will most likely buckle at that point. If they don’t I’m sure you’ll win the dispute and Tekton will have to pay return shipping. If you paid by some other way you probably have no leverage and will most likely have to pay the additional 350€ to get your speakers. I wish you good luck and, should you end up with the speakers, I hope you like them. |
This is a customer relation issue for sure. BUT I wouldn’t sell my speakers out of the US. This is the exact reason why. I’ll bet there was NO problem at ALL, just payola and a SHIPPER knowing he’s gonna get paid no matter what, IF Tekton new they had to grease someone’s palm and didn’t, that’s different than NOT knowing. This is pure shipper screwing BOTH of you.. You’re lucky they didn’t disappear, just to reappear for a 1k fee.. IF I were to sell overseas, all the money up front before I start building AND arrange your own shipping. WAY to subject to payola.. I mean who’s gonna call a cop. You got to pay them off too and they just SLOW things down even more so. YOU get your moneys worth from them all right. I went through a BIG issue with a seller in Perth AU. All about payola with their civil justice system, and ZERO recourse from the US side.. It was ONLY 2500.00 but nothing could or would be done.. Fly to Perth and back.. LOL 2500.00, Lawyer 5k, court cost, 500.00 LOL it was a total joke. I’ll never do business in Australia again.. Thank God it wasn’t Russia there is 5 ways in and out of that country, ALL with different payola BS.. PAY the people and settle up later.. or wait for the BIG gouge and prices really go HIGH, Wait and see. $$$$$ now $$ Regards |
It's been another 5 days and 4 emails to Tekton. No response. Fortunately I have their invoice where my address is listed and the total shipping cost. By the way Tekton wanted to be paid before sending me the invoice! Can you imagine? As if I bought something without having a written proof of the exact content of the purchase! Crazy. I had to ask 4 times and wait for one week only for the invoice. Luckily I didn't pay first. |
Mistakes happen and from the provided information it’s difficult to discern if the fault lies with Tekton or the carrier. But the bottom line is this. A stand up dealer, seller, manufacturer, etc will absorb the cost to make it right. It’s just good business sense. If Eric is saying you are on your own now, you figure it out, well that’s just not acceptable. But the problem now is it sounds like you ARE on your own. You could just send them back, but that will cost you more than getting them from where they are now to your house. And what happens if you pay the extra coin to get them home and you don’t like them? Shipping back to the US? You are in a precarious situation and I wish you good luck. I would still press Eric for a refund to offset the extra expense. Oz |
On the other hand, if Tekton was aware of the extra cost to deliver the speakers to your home, that cost would have been added to the overall purchase price of the moabs. So you are where you would have been anyway, except as you state above, it was a miscommunication. End result, would your decision to purchase the speakers have changed knowing of the extra costs? The only answer to such a indescrete question is... who knows! Or maybe you can find the answer by asking yourself another question: would Tekton have sent me the Moabs if for some reason I had sent them 350 euros less than indicated on the invoice? |
This same scenario happened to me last week, but the company I purchased the speakers from took care of it immediately (TMR).I paid for residential delivery, but someone at FedEx made a mistake,put the merchandise on an eighteen wheeler then called me to unload it myself from a parking lot.Not happening. TMR straightened it out and they were delivered to my door the next day. Unbelievable that Tekton is of no help to you whatsoever. Even if you did misunderstand the delivery process initially that's a horrible way to treat a customer. Loading those huge speakers on and off a truck by yourself.... |
On the other hand, if Tekton was aware of the extra cost to deliver the speakers to your home, that cost would have been added to the overall purchase price of the moabs. So you are where you would have been anyway, except as you state above, it was a miscommunication. End result, would your decision to purchase the speakers have changed knowing of the extra costs? |
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@daros71 It is beyond comprehension that you paid for a pair of speakers and they are not delivering them to your house. This is of course unless you were previously informed of this delivery fact and did not understand. Assuming you were not notified of this delivery method, what is certainly the case is that the speaker manufacturer did not properly calculate what the shipping cost would be in his quote of the sale price to you. So rather than begrudgingly but honorably absorbing the additional cost, you are over a barrel, so he is sticking you with it. He likely justifies this because he sells a large speaker at a lower than average price, so your paying the extra just brings your total price closer to what other speakers of its size/quality would cost. Discount the other poster, that person and the lemmings he has carefully cultivated as his followers do not reflect the spirit of this website or its long term members. |
Hi MC, thanks for your wise advice. I figured out what I need to do... I'm going to rent a truck for 400 euro, drive 450 km to Milan and back to my house spending another 400 euro in diesel and highway tolls and then I'm going to kindly ask you to give me some sympathy lessons. Then I will write to Tekton to thank them for enlightening me on how in the USA companies give us the opportunity to show how much we are prone to their brands. I paid to have the Moabs at my home, tekton never told me the moabs will stuck at 450km from my home, tekton has to help me hout. I asked tekton a 350 $ refund in order to pay the courier to my home. I think it would be an elegant way to quit this "misunderstanding" as Tekton says (yes... They answered me by mail 60 minutes after my previous post and giving me more or less the same whise advises MC give me). |
Sounds like you have a problem with the carrier. If you want to call Tekton first look at the time zones and call when someone will be there. If the phone rings long enough it transfers over to Eric's cell. But my question is, why? Do you want them? Or not? It seems to me if you want them then simply drive down and get them. No this is not what you bargained for. Yes it is not supposed to be this way. For sure you can stand on principle. demand the shipper do what they obviously will not do. Demand Eric do what he obviously cannot force the carrier to do. You can in other words fish or cut bait. Cry over spilt milk. Throw the baby out with the bath water. Or whatever it is they say in Italy to describe one who cuts off his nose to spite his own face. Sorry, but I look around at the way things are in the world these days and see a guy stomping his feet impotently and just don't have a lot of sympathy. Empathy for what happened sure. But sympathy for your way of handling it no. If I was calling anyone it would be the carrier. But honestly I would not be calling even them. I would be in my car or borrowing a truck and getting the job done myself. Would not be the first time. Good ol' American can-do. Capiche? |
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I'm trying to reach tekton by mail and by phone but there is no way they answer the mail and no way they pick up the phone. So i write here knowing that those speaker manufacturers often read more the forums as their mailbox... I paid 500$ for shipping the Moabs to my home in italy and now the courier says the shipment tekton purchased arrives only to Milan Airport and that i have to pay additional 350 Euro to have the speakers at my home. But i asked Tekton to send the speakers to my home and not simply to my country... I want the spakers at my home and i don't want to spend one signle additional euro for the shipping (excluding the import taxes obviusly which belong to me). |
Some of us are a little more sensitive than others.. :-) I'm an old mechanic.. You can't hurt my feeling.. OR anything else for that matter.. It's already been hurt.. sometime twice over. People that lie about deadlines.. Just lie BACK about the "put on hold notice" for the check you posted. :-). It will be cashable as soon as the speakers SHIP.. Decware was so simple to deal with. They sent YOU a notice via EMail and they were within 3-4 days of those Emails. No need to call or leave BS messages. It was a pleasure to work with them. It just took a LONG time.. Two week build and test.. ONCE they pulled the parts.. AND they told you when they pulled the parts.. Kinda cool really.. |
" Then act surprised when others see this, quite correctly, as attacking the guy. Well, that is what you did. "I’m sorry, Who are these ’others’ you allude to? I see only you drawing that conclusion. In fact, reading through this thread, I see the exact opposite. I see the overwhelming majority agreeing with him. |
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What did you learn? You pretty much accused the guy of stealing your money to use interest free, knocked his whole business model, holding yourself up as a paragon of business virtue while really doing nothing more than whining about a situation you put yourself in and willingly participated in. Then act surprised when others see this, quite correctly, as attacking the guy. Well, that is what you did. I continue to be amused by people who have one standard for themselves, indeed a whole set of definitions of words held just for their own use, and another quite different set for everyone else. Not. Amused, I mean. That was mockery. |
It was not my intention to start a hate thread on Tekton. In that case then you should not have written the post you did.
Indeed. They are. Huge value. Greatest value.
I'll say. It would have been so easy for you to have said something like- Eric Alexander seems to be an extraordinarily creative genius with a drive to bring high end audio to a level normal people can afford. He has succeeded to such an extent the demand far exceeds supply. He could take the easy way out and raise prices. But instead he does all he can to keep them low. This means we have to wait longer than we would like. But it is so totally worth it I cannot find it within myself to complain. That is what you could have done. If you really did not want to turn it into a hate thread. Live and learn. |
earlflynn295 posts07-09-2021 3:05pmTakes a long long time to get those $1.00 tweeters from China. HAHA...exactly! |
A 20% deposit seems fair. I know that many of their speakers are custom orders, but since the demand is there, any speaker that is refused after 18 weeks gets sold to the next guy in line and Eric gets to keep the deposit. Seems like a win for Tekton. I would not be happy with giving up my $$ for months on end while playing the waiting game. |
Tekton are not getting away with anything. Nobody forced you, not to place the order, not to wait week after week. And of all your wonderful business experience nobody saw you claim to be a psychoanalyst who knows why Tekton is run the way it is run. Nobody needs a lecture from a rear view driver pretending to know how another guy runs his business, let alone why. That would be, what is the word for it? Oh yeah, pretty sure the word for that is BS. I have to call BS on that, spacecadet65. One thing for sure, if ever I want an authority who knows the inner workings of the mind of someone they never met, I know who to ask: The spacecadet. |
I have to call BS on that Miller. I spent 20 years in the loudspeaker business from manufacturing to advertising and PR. Fact is that Tekton are getting away with what they can. This is not a problem of manufacturing capacity. It's about cash flow and supply chain management. They are pushing their cash flow issues out to the customer so as not to pay for the financing of operating expenses. If not, they would be holding off on credit card charges until shipping, or at most just taking a 20% non-refundable deposit on each order. Either would be fair play in my book. BTW, I currently oversee over 1200 workers in 7 vertical industries across the country today. I don't need a lecture from an armchair audio enthusiast about optimizing business practices. I say that with love in my heart. ;-) |
So the actual lead time for my Impact Monitor order ended up being 18 weeks. The clock is still running on the powered sub - which I'm told they are still waiting for the plate amps. Within the context of the pandemic and the interruption of supply chains I can understand shipping delays. But by more than a factor of 2x? It strains credulity. AT this point I feel like Tekton is using their customers as a bank. A little like a Go Fund Me project. But with a Go Fund Me project they only take a deposit... not the whole amount. On the other hand, Schiit Audio, a company that also builds to order and sometimes has lead times, holds the order but doesn't actually take your money until the product is in stock and ready to ship. That seems more reasonable and fair. I run 3 small companies with payrolls that fluctuate wildly. I use a line of credit to smooth out the peaks and dips so there is no disruption to my customers. It's not rocket science. However, if I could get 18+ weeks of no interest loans from my customers, that would be something. Aside from the main point - the speakers sounded good right out of the box and they are still breaking in. However, the whole experience has been tainted by the feeling that I've been taken advantage of by the business process. Just my $.02 |
Hey @spacecadet65... I am driving them with a Heaven 11 Billie Amp using upgraded gaine matched tubes (ordered with the amp). My room is slightly larger than yours and mildly treated. This is my first foray into "better than run of the mill" audio equipment for a dedicated space and I love it. Much of my money and listening enjoyment has been using IEMs and headphones through a high quality amp and DAP. I wanted to untether a little with a set of speakers and amp that I’d enjoy and I’ve not been disappointed. Edit: Forgot to mention break-in. I believe Tekton recommends at least 20hrs??? I played some good full range hi-rez Tool at moderate volume for a few days (4) while at work. I noticed the bass loosen up a little and as I've mentioned, I am more than happy them. As with my IEMs, I appreciate the DIs neutrality and speed. Please keep us updated when you receive them. I'll be curious about your experience with the subs... I am excited for you! |
My experience with Tammy has been the same. And I expected a long wait. I ordered the same speakers as you but in a custom color. What are you driving you IMs with? How long have they taken to break in? I also ordered the 2-10 sub and I'm wondering how hard it will be to get them to integrate. I', in a small room.. about 13x10x8. |
Hello @spacecadet65... I ordered my Double Impacts with standard $300 upgrade on Jan 1st and received them on May 27th. I assumed the wait would be long given the state of the world so was patient. I must add that the few communications I had with Tammy at Tekton were pleasant, professional, and I believe totally straight-up. My speakers arrived packaged well and have more than exceeded my expectations since. Be patient, you will not be disappointed. |
With supply chains in such an unpredictable state, manufacturers don’t know when the will receive parts or sub assemblies and so the “guess,” sometimes optimistically. A dealer said that some gear that normally arrived in a week or two after ordering is now taking three to six months. There are some manufacturers that were notorious for delays even before the pandemic, and Teton happened to be one such company. It was something one had to accept in order to get such a bargain product (no dealer or distributor inventory means lower cost, but a wait because the product is built after an order is placed and there could be a backlog of orders). I own a headphone amp that took 18 months to arrive after I paid the full amount. It was a hot product at that time and the backlog of orders was enormous. I did not worry that much because other buyers were getting their amps; it was just taking an extremely long time. The only good source of information on delays came from a headphone forum, the manufacturer’s communications meant nothing. It was a good thing that the amp was worth the wait. |
I don't think anyone has said anything out of line, but the reality is that the world has changed and is completely unpredictable right now. I have no vested interest in Tekton - in fact, they are a competitor - but I do hope clients can understand that these manufacturers are clients as well and when their suppliers break promises or expected delivery, it creates a chain reaction that cannot be avoided. Nobody wants an ETA of TBA so expected deliveries are still suggested. Every company I've worked with has hit major speedbumps somewhere that have caused delays and in some cases a paradigm shift in how the business operates in the here and now. Even the current state of international shipping has caused delays for me as we try to navigate logical delivery times with massively increased costs that are being completely absorbed by distributors and dealers. It's a tough world and everyone I know is simply trying to find their way through and retain some sense of normalcy with operations. |
It always comes down to is a company operating in the best interests of you the customer or not. If they are, at minimum apologies will be offered for broken promises and they will always strive to provide timely accurate information when asked. It’s all in how you treat people especially when things are not going well. |
Exactly. I used to do the same thing when I was an engineer; add 20% - 30% to a project completion estimate. The other engineers would be aggressive with their estimates, at the actual time estimated or even less, in a misguided attempt to impress their managers. Of course, they would come in late and I'd alway come in early. I retired 15 years ago. Most of the others are still working. |
I can understand if you miss a promise once or twice, nobody complains. But if you put a person to write e-mails that are systematically broken promises, then it seems to me that there is a vision of the world that we are used to recognise in large companies, those that are at the mercy of their own inscrutable rhythms and are excluded from a human relationship. Tekton, on the other hand, could still play the card of a decent human relationship. In this sense sincerity would certainly be a winner, for them and for their customers. In any case, it’s a question of taste and priorities. |
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You are not wrong to have grievances, but the state of the world today is a massive challenge for production. Manufacturers are struggling to meet deadlines because their suppliers are also failing to meat deadlines. During the post-COVID adjustment period, I would give any manufacturer the benefit of the doubt that they are doing everything they can to get the product out in a timely fashion. With as many moving parts as manufacturers have in this industry, all it takes is a single company to have production issues or extremely high demand to cause major delays. |
Many high end companies are dealing with unprecedented demand coupled with component and logistic nightmares. For some it's getting critical parts, for others it's labor. One well known US company has plenty of product but is having trouble sourcing boxes. I believe this will peak and start moving back towards normal soon. But as far as I can tell, the peak hasn't arrived yet. I think with Tekton it's mostly the massive popularity that they are currently enjoying which actually may kill them if they don't learn to manage it properly. I've seen it before in this industry. |
