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Cary Audio

Over the weekend my Cary Amp (V12) died, so I thought. Only do these things happen during a weekend when there is no one to call for support, manufacture or dealer. As the weekend progresses I only get more depressed. Long story short, Sunday night I Emailed Dennis Had (owner of Cary Audio) and told him of my problem, hoping that he would forward it on to the person that would, hopefully, take care of my problem and give me an RAN (Return Authorization number). Monday morning comes I call Cary and ask for there customer service, I was informed that they take calls on Mondays after 1:00. I hang the phone up and it immediataley rings, Dennis Had on the line. He asks me a few questions suggests we try a few things, and guess what it is now playing music as beautifuly as it ever has. Without going into the reasons why it wasn't working all I will say it was something I had done.

My point with all this rambling is that Cary Audio as well as many of the other high end audio manufactures should be applauded for the customer service that they render. There are a few manufactures that I have also dealt with that just don't seem to care when I have called with a problem or just a question, these manufactures should take a closer look at the Cary's of this world. This was not the first time I had dealings with Mr. Had or some of his people, all I can say is that I applaud you and your company for your custome support. I should also mention Mr. Kevin Deal of Upscale Audio who also called Monday morning with concerns of my problem. Again to both Mr. Had and Mr. Deal, thanks for taking care of just one customer......Bob
bmotorcycle
9 responses Add your response
rockhead
83 posts
 
That's a great story. Cary certainly deserves its' excellent customer service reputation. I feel like customer service is being down-sized in corporate America. I have had many fustrating experiences both in and out of audio where no one seems to want to make the situation right. "I only want what I paid for" has become my mantra this year. Here's a quick one-I ordered a mucho bucks, fancy-pants new fridge from Expo. Finally it arrives...DOA. Call Expo several times.Finally get to talk to "the man" He says, "Oh, no problem...it's still under warranty...call their 800 number"
It took almost 2 months of phone calls and visits for them to understand I did not pay thousands for a DOA fridge and I would actually require obtaining what I paid for.
Sigh, maybe I expect too much.
Regards,
Patrick
john_l
782 posts
 
High end is the only place I've found where you can talk to a person who can actually help you. The right person can usually solve your problem in under five minutes. Major Kudos to Pass Labs, Ayre, Audio Research, Upscale Audio, and BAT. I will be customer to these companies for a long time to come.

I actually find myself buying fewer products for fear of getting dipped into '1-800' hell. Examples being AT&T and DirectTV. I got so tired of dealing with their 1800ANIDIOT lines that I re-evaluated my need for their products and decided to cancel them. "Your Call is important to us". Hey AT&T, ever wonder what happened to the customer who used to spend $400/month with you?
slmccaul
17 posts
 
Bob, Patrick, John: I agree with your respective insights on the "fly by night" dealers/manufactures and the ones that are here to stay. I have had great experiences with Dennis Had, Kevin Deal, Nelson Pass, Richard Vandersteen, Israel Blume and others from the high end community that take the time to help you out with any problems or issues you might be having with your equipment. In the past year or two, I have come to rely heavily on their support for purchase and tweaking of my electronics and speakers and its the value add they give to me that makes me come back for more and pay the extra dollar or two for the support after the sale they give to me. Keep it up, we appreciate your knowledge and honesty.
wehamilton
65 posts
 
I once had a similar situation where Nelson Pass personally worked out a solution to an imcompatibility problem I was having. He called me back with the answer, and then emailed me a diagram of the fix.

PS Audio has also proven themselves to be extremely customer oriented.

I agree with John 1, though, the rest of the wold is becoming dreadful as regards to customer service. The internet may not have invented hiding from customers, but it certainly seems to have raised the activity to an art form for many companies. I've had similar problems with AT&T- just unbelievably bad. ATT seems to invent new ways to alienate their customer. Worse part is nobody seems to care. The incompetent monolith just buys more small comanies to mask the fact that it has no way of growing on it's own.

A few companies still care and it's usually becasue there's a Paul McGowan or a Nelson Pass that's personally involved and whose reputation in on the line. They take their customers seriously and it shows in the way they conduct their business. I take my hard-earned money seriously also, and it shows in whose products I purchase.
drguayo
30 posts
 
Great to hear stories like this. Kudos to Ty at Tyler Acoustics..I called and he answered. I email in the evening and get replies within an hour...I guess it's true about running your own business - 24/day job.
stokjoc
43 posts
 
I have two problems with Cary. One is that the do not allow warrantees to be transferred to second owners. In my opinion this reduces resale value considering potential repair costs. The other thing is that I think their products are a bit pricey. In spite of that, I have owned two Cary amps and liked them both. Build quality seems to be excellent and yes you can talk to a real person about any problems. I now own an ARC and have had no desire to reshuffle.
artmaltman
769 posts
 
I've had fantastic experiences with high end manufacturers and most distributors but find most dealers (not all) to be very moody. This is the opposite of what I would have expected. Shouldn't a dealer be customer-oriented so as to justify the markup and further their reputation? Go figure.
bmotorcycle OP
68 posts
 
Stokjoc, you might want to check Audio Research's warrenty policy, they to only warrant to the original purchaser. I am not trying to convert you to a Cary amp or any of their products, the sole purpose of this thread was to applaud manufactures/dealers that will spend some time to render help when needed. The sale has already been realized both by the manufacture and the dealer, nothing at this point is to be gained by them except goodwill. If you have recieved the same type of support and service by Audio Research, then they to should be applauded. Good listening......Bob
stokjoc
43 posts
 
I believe that a warrantee should be honored as long as the original conditions have been met. The ARC unit I purchased was beyond the warrantee time period so it was not a factor. I would not dismiss a unit because a warrantee was not available,but would certainly lean towards buying something that was guaranteed all other things being equal. Manufacturers should realize that many upgrades occur because the original owner is able to sell quickly and economically. Considering the quality of ARC and Cary they would probably not have to repair a second hand unit anyway so why not help the person who paid retail ?
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