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Focal Headphone Repairs?

Unfortunately, it appears that despite their high-end reputation, Focal has crap quality control. Their Drop Focal Elex is infamous for driver and connecting wire failures. And now, I find so is their Focal Clear model.

I bought a pair in May, and after less than 20 uses, the left channel is dead. It’s not the cable or anything external, but definitely something internal. I take extremely good care of my stuff, so there’s no excuse for this type of failure.

Although the headphones are still in warranty, I’ve been told Focal is awful about honoring US-based claims. Plus, shipping them back to France will be expensive and take weeks, if not months. So, I’m afraid my only choice is to pay someone to fix them stateside. I’d be grateful if anyone can recommend an experienced, reliable repair shop for the Clears in the US.

Thanks.
output555

Showing 3 responses by output555

output555 OP
120 posts
 
Update as of 8/20/20:

Wrote Focal Naim America. Received a reply within a few hours. Filled out the form required to get return authorization. Then...nada.

Four days have passed, three emails sent, and zero follow up by the company. I called their 800 number, tried to get hold of four different people, and again...nada.

It's as if this company is no longer in operation. More likely, their customer support is as bad as their quality control.

Stay tuned.
output555 OP
120 posts
 
Tried that, and no go. Needs to ship back to France, at my expense.
output555 OP
120 posts
 
Not sure how to reply to each post individually, so I'll attempt to do it collectively here.

I guess I can't hold the dealer accountable since the 'phones worked fine initially, and asking him to do a replacement loaner for a $1500 headphone for at least 3-6 weeks seems unreasonable. However, I very much hold Focal accountable. These are well-known issues, and inexcusable for a a high-end manufacturer. They seem content to let customers deal with these chronic problems rather than improve quality control. I also own 'phones by Beyerdynamic, Sennheiser, NAD, B&O, among others and never had an issue. Pre-Apple Beats is the only other company where I experienced such shoddy QC.

I appreciate the tip about contacting Focal Naim America. They may indeed offer a satisfactory solution. Maybe they'll understand that posts like mine can be death to a brand. Then again, some folks still don't understand how word of mouth can make or break a brand in this age of the Internet. I'll let you know,

As for dealers, as we all know, some are great and go the extra distance, and some just plain suck. The ones that are honest, fair and trustworthy get my repeat business--for years. The others that are less than that can go out of business as far as I'm concerned, Burn me once, but never twice.

Thanks everyone for your comments and concern.
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