I have had good experiences with smaller boutique type sellers and prefer to support them. They are easier to contact and often are the owner/builder and willing to bend your ear…brands I like are Supratek, Aric Audio, Don Sachs, Mojo Audio, Decware, Vera-Fi, Fritz, Ohm, Raven. All of which I have personally talked or emailed for questions not repairs. The one issue I had was I bought a used Raven Blackhawk Amp which had a hum at start up that was getting louder with use. I contacted Raven and after talking with the owners they had me send it to their Tech which he replaced tube sockets and resisters and sent it back to me at no cost. It only cost me shipping to the Tech. It’s been dead silent ever since. Great customer service experience.
HOW can components be so expensive, and yet customer service is so bad.
I recently moved and had to set up the system again. In moving things around, I have had some questions and issues, so I've had to contact the dealers and manufacturers a few times over the last few weeks. I'm still waiting for a response from most of them.
I had a static issue with my McIntosh amp. I contacted them a couple of weeks ago and I still have not received a response.
I need a part for my Revel speakers. I've contacted Revel (now Harman) twice over the last week - both phone and email. No response.
I had an issue with my Weiss DAC cutting out. Turned out it had shipped with a missing part. I hoped for a new unit or at least a replacement part, but Weiss told me to fix it myself with miscellaneous parts from around the house - basically chicken wire and bubblegum? The dealer finally sent me a replacement after a couple of weeks of trying different solutions.
I tried calling the audio dealer in Charlotte where I bought the speakers but they never return calls.
I spent a long time researching and building my system and really enjoy my system. But I might have made different choices if I had known about poor / non-existent customer support.
Premium stereo components are so expensive that I would expect premium service, or at least return my calls for service or for parts. Do I just have bad luck or are others experiencing similar lack of support?