Transparent Cable will validate serial numbers
Has Nordost forgotton who pays the bills?
Recently I was entertaining the thought of purchasing a pair of used Nordost Heimdall 2 rca Interconnects from a private owner online. Prior to purchasing the cables I did a bit of research on Audiogon to see if anyone had any issues with counterfeit cables. I found no real issues but did read that if contacted Nordost would authenticate the serial numbers on the cables to verify that they were the genuine article. Well, I did contact Nordost and much to my chagrin I was met with the following response from Nordost:
"Due to the overwhelming requests to validate serial numbers for cables being purchased on the used market we are no longer able to offer that service. Serial number verification requests can only be requested by authorized dealers/distributors for cables involved in trade in/up requests"
My curiosity got the best of me so I contacted my local dealer that I have been doing business with for years. I was told by the associate that "He did not have access to this information" Long story short, I bought the cables and I do believe that they are genuine. But the larger issues is that it seems Nordost has gotten too big for its britches. Lets not forget that without consumer there would be no Nordost. The response from them seems so snobbish, not customer friendly or client centered. Most audiophiles are aware that cables have the greatest mark up of any other audio product. Given that and the already overly inflated price for Nodost cables you would think the company would at least give the hint that they care for their customers. Used cables are truly a bargain and my be an introduction to the brand. I digress. My goal with this post is merely to inform folks that if you are considering used Nordost cables and are looking for then to authenticate your potential purchase, well forget about it. They ARE NO LONGER ABLE TO OFFER THAT SERVICE!
Stay well, Stay safe, Stay home and listen to tunes.
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- 39 posts total
Hello, I think if you have a relationship with a specific Nordost dealer they should look into it for you. Especially since they are the only ones allowed to do it. Labor cost money and it could cost the dealer $25-$50 in time to verify. Ask the seller to provide a receipt with the dealers name and number. If they won’t do that then they might have bought it used or it might be a fake. The Nordost dealer I deal with in the Chicagoland area has a 1 year upgrade program. https://holmaudio.com/ It’s not just with Nordost, but all the new products they sell. They even let you demo in your home before you buy to make sure the product works in your home on your system. No guessing and no buyers remorse. |
Mark1961, Thank you for the sentiment, I actually never considered that point. You get what I am saying. Another thing for us to to consider is that we are all responding to a post on a website that sells primarily "USED" equipment. This should be food for thought for anyone that shops the pages of Audiogon. Let me be crystal clear, its's not about expectations or that the company owes me something, because they don't. I know that. It's also not about "snarky" remarks as builder3 suggests. Lets be honest, as much as we may love Nordost cables, they are and can be expensive as heck! Does the term "Odin Supreme" mean anything. 50k for audio cables? Well that's another post all together. But seriously, thank you all for responding to my post it has been a blast. Just remember this post the next time you contact a private seller on Agon, perhaps you will hear a little voice inside your head telling you to ask more of the seller to verify the authenticity of what they are selling. Until next time. |
I don't know what went into the original offer/policy in the first place and whether it has much utility. If all they are doing is confirming that a particular serial number is a real number (one given to a particular type of cable) how valuable is that information? It would not take much for a counterfeiter to use a "real" number. If, Nordost made any effort to actually trace the number--associate that number with a particular buyer, determine if that number has come up with a frequency that raises suspicion, et.--that would be a much more expensive service to provide and that expense has to come out of someone's hide, such as buyers of their new product. |
- 39 posts total