Help: My newly upgraded AA Capitole gives no sound

Audiogonners
Mr Jerome Andre (GM, Audio Aero fr)
Audio Aero present and future owners

I find it disgusting that the GM of a company like Audio Aero comes up on this well respected forum to tell lies, distort the truth in an attempt to cover up shortcomings and problems of his own organisation and products.

I am currently going through all the e-mails I sent Audio Aero, bank statements and the rare replies I received from them relating to my Capitole. I intend to, shortly, post undeniable documentary evidence that, contrary to what Mr Jerome Andre is falsely imputing in his recent post:

(a) I paid 535 Eur for the normal SE Upgrade at Audio Aero factory in France (without additional analogue inputs) and not 420 Eur insinuated by Audio Aero. I have the receipt, and bank clearance evidencing all this; for information, the same upgrade costs $700 in the US, and a job done within a week, compared to 4 months taken in my case by AA factory.

(b) contrary to the false and malicious statements made by Mr Andre that I refused to pay shipping charges for the return courrier, I paid a sum of 35 Eur for return shipping (termed in French as Frais de Port) to a French destination and this is well stated in Audio Aero's own invoice bearing ref. no 09060003 dated 12.Jun.2009, which was duly settled by me through a France based bank cheque without any discussion or argument.

(c) as falsely imputed by Audio Aero, the SE upgrade was never ready in August 2009 but only on 14 Nov 09, and this is evidenced by Audio Aero's own e-mail message (signed by Mr Guillaume Bouly - chief techincal support of AA) to me. In fact they had originally agreed to complete the upgrade by 27 August 09, but they sent me apology e-mails for not being able to do so due to restricted man power and the festive season. In reply, I sent a strong letter of protest to Mr Jerome Andre on 20 Aug 09 complaining about the company's lack of consideration for customer service, and its inability to honour its own commitment to finish the job in Aug 09, i.e. the date when it was already arranged for shipment it back to my country through a traveling passenger. Due to delay on Audio Aero's part, the player missed the arranged courrier and was finally upgraded only several months later in Nov 09, and thus had to wait for 2 months in France for rearranging its desptach to Mauritius though another travelling passenger.

(d) Contrary to what Mr Andre is advancing, they never shipped the player to Paris. The destination was Ambilly France) - which is quite far away from Paris. From Ambilly (20 mins drive to Geeneva), the player was taken by car to Geneva airport and on to my country on an Air Mauritius direct flight (Geneva-Mauritius). There were no "traveled on several planes" as wrongly stated in the post.

(e) Again, contrary to what Mr Andre is saying that I have now asked for a new player, all that I requested was, since Audio Aero factory is unable to help me (their response is non-existent, despite them having undertaken to send me information on possible causes on the problems I was experiencing and instructions and guidance on how the problem could be solved locally through a technician), I am prepared to send my non-working freshly upgraded player to their distributor is UK and they arrange to send me one that works. And I would personally call at the said distributor to collect the working player after verification to avoid any future issues on the player.

(f) Mr Andre very conveniently omits to disclose another serious error on their part and which caused great delay in me lodging the complaint that the Capitole is not playing properly after the upgrade: they changed the transport shaft with a bigger and larger shaft but failed to send me the new puck that goes with the larger shaft. I was thus unable to play the Capitole for nearly a month (my post on Audiogon about the missing puck bears testimony) and despite repeated e-mails and phone calls to them, they only agreed to send me the puck very recently.

I think it is important for current and prospective owners of Audio Aero products to know the truth about the acts and doings of Audio Aero or its staff. To me, it just sums up in a few word: adding insult to injury. After injuring clients with their notoriously problematic products, they have guts to publicly deny the truth and post stories, lies and fabrications and attempt to put the blame on customers who have splashed out a small fortune on AA products.

I am therefore requesting Mr Jerome Andre to verify his information carefully and rectify his post with an unreserved apology failing which I will have to make public a whole bunch of documentary evidence showing to what extent the GM of Audio Aero has resorted to shameful maneouvres, lies and fabrications to cover up their own inefficiencies, product and communication issues etc.

I will get back shortly with a new post/thread if Mr Andre or Audio Aero does not rectify his post and insinuations.
lall
Dr Jawa Lallchand
Mauritius

Rooski
Am quite inclined to send it back to Audio Aero France. But having just spent some $1500 on the SE upgrade, spending another $500 or so on shipping and handling charges and, perhaps more, without any guarantee of it returning back problem free is a risk I'm not ready to take.

For info, my player was playing flawlessly before I sent it for the SE upgrade.
Not only my money is gone, but the player is no longer playing!

Onhwy61
There is a huge difference regarding communication and customer service at Audio Aero now and what it used to be in the past when I decided to send my player for the SE Upgrade (in July 2009). At that time the receptionist/administration incomings were handled by one Miss Sandrine who used to reply to my queries and mails within 2 days.
Since, there are two new figures there: One Miss Sophie Lucchini for incoming mails and someone named Guillaume Bouly - who supposedly supervises all technical related problems.
From my own experience within the past 6-7 months with Audio Aero, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, get e-mail replies or technical info from AA. I had to phone them several times to pass on the same info which I had previously sent by emails. Even on the phone, impossible to get in touch with the so called technicial coordinator - Mr Bouly. Please note that France has espoused a socialist philosophy wherein a lot of employees feel they have permanent employment. Hence no need for them to wast time in stupid things like customer service.

For your info, I had no intention to go for the SE upgrade: it was only when I contacted them at that time (July 2009) to buy the new cryo tubes for my player that they offered to upgrade my Capitole to Signature Edition against payment. I agreed and sent my player to them in August 2009 but due to delays originating from AA factory, and consequently the player having had to make a forced waiting transit in France before getting to me in Mauritius, I got my player only a few weeks ago.
I maintain that AA has serious communication and customer service issues. Having said that I think the GM (Jerome Andre)is a very nice guy (I spoke to him on the phone). He told me that he expects his staff to respond to customers within 24 hrs. I also understand that Mr Andre normally spends considerable time in a different geographic location than in the technical services premises. One thing is clear though, his staff definitely has not got the Boss' message regarding customer service!

Elizabeth, Hervel
Many thanks for your advice and the offer of help regarding assistance in french language. I am a native French speaker and my country (Mauritius) was a former French colony. My communications (emails & phone calls) to AA have been mainly in French.
The issue is elsewhere - "efficiency, efficacy, concern and respect" for the clients buying and putting faith in their highly priced products in return for legitimate expectation of an attribute called "customer service" when problem beckons.

Pubul57
You are absolutely right IMHO. Of all components,Cd players and transports are most prone to problems hence warrant reliable, honest customer service.

Tpreaves
Kindly note that I posted my thread to get help responses on how I can solve my problematic player. With all due respect, I don't think your comments and posts, which do not add value to the problem I am currently facing, are warranted. Please be positive and helpful. Today, its me who's facing tough times with an Audio aero product, tomorrow it can be you or another fellow audiogoner.
thanks

Tpreaves
thanks a lot for your kind words. I appreciate. I do remember having bought some stuff from you in recent past and recall you as a nice and honest guy to deal with. All the best.
lall

Audiofun
Good and objective post. I invite all those who would like some convincing before accepting my story, to send me a private mail through Audiogon. I would be more than happy to send scan copies of the bunch of documentary evidence I am holding.
For sake of ethics, however, I think it would be advisable to give Audio Aero a few days to respond and if they do rectify their post, then we need not go that far to add fuel to fire.

Just a quick word to say that I have sent a private e-mail to Mr Jerome Andre of Audio Aero informing him that I have replied to his post on Audiogon.

Donaudio, Pubul157
Am not surprised at AA's quick response to your query. A distributor in the US means sales AND income generation. Who does not want that? Try sending them a mail about my problem and what they have done to satisfy thus unhappy customer.

In my case, I sent my AA Capitole to them in July 2009. We are in March 2010 i.e. 9 mnths without being able to listen to it.
It came back to me from the factory in Feb 2010 as a non-working player but AA has yet to send me a correspondence about what could possibly has gone wrong or how to fix it despite repeated e-mails/calls from me.

A new distributor in the US may work for a short while, but what happens when that distributor decides to pack up leave. History is witness and even distributors have blamed AA's lack of customer service/response etc.. Read Audiogon threads and it could not be clearer.

What AA needs is a 180 degree paradigm shift in customer service in such a competitive environment:

(1) understanding customer needs
(2) responding/solving their problems expeditiously
(3) be accessible and always respond positively to their queries/solicitude
(4) error is human, so admit you faults but at the same time undertake to improve the service
(5) never come up in public to cover your faults with lies and stories, and refrain from putting the blame on your customers who form the very basis of your company and livinghood.

ABC of any marketing course... Need I say more?

Pubul57
Very well summed up. Straight to the point.

Jaffeassc
I appreciate your support. I really love the sound of the Capitole and IMHO it has the sonic virtues to be the reference front end of any audiophile system. It's a real pity that some people has not considered it important to devote time understanding customer expectation. Will keep updating as things progress.

Still no response from AA. Will wait up to this weekend, if nothing, I'll post the documents.

Jaffeassc
Sorry I was away for some time.
Not yet, my problem remains the same and am not able to listen to music. Am waiting for a travelling passenger to take the player with him when he next goes to France in June. I cannot afford the $700 or so quoted by my courrier companies.
For info, other than their above post in this forum, no response at all from AA to my problem.

Pubil57
I can't say that, but am in Mauritius, a tiny little french speaking island in the middle of the Indian Ocean, some 13 hrs flight time from Paris.
If I were if the US, or had repair facility near my place, I would have long forgotten that AA fr ever existed.