How Long Is Too Long?

Four months is quite a while! You can hope it doesn't stretch out to six months! Do you have to pay for this repair?

I sent my Quicksilver phono preamp from Connecticut to California for repair. It took a total of two weeks . BTW, I was not the original owner and I was not charged except for my shipping cost one way. BTW, QS is a small company!

@ jasonbourne71, 

No, I don't have to pay for the repairs. That's good I guess but the question now is, is it worth it?  

I've been casually looking at used phono pre's on this site and USAudiomart as I may just write it off as a loss until I get it back and then I can decide if I want to sell it or not..  

@ yogiboy, 

Fortunately, my phono pre is not in the same class as yours.  I would be really pissed if it was and I had to wait so long.  LOL!

@yogiboy and QS is a great little company. 

Four months is a long time. But with a tiny business, well, he has to make choices. Hopefully if you ever get it back, then he will not charge you. 
 

Unfortunately, you can probably get results by being the squeaky wheel. 

@ ghdprentice,

He doesn't charge for the repairs.  After having to wait so long, I think it would be good business that he doesn't. 

Whenever one deals with a small outfit, especially a one-man shop, there are potential issues different from those encountered when dealing with a larger firm such as NAD or Bryston.

One often gets cordial and personal service (which Bryston also nails) but what if the owner gets sick? gets busy? dies? loses the main technician? In those cases, long delays occur and in the extreme, there is no support at all and a product can become unrepairable.

Balancing the risks can be substantial rewards. One might get a fine product at lower price, a product that can’t be had any other way, and one that brings joy over a long period.

@ mike_in_nc,

I get what you are saying and as I said, I gave him a call. He said he was swamped due to a big influx of orders but at some point you have to take care of your customers who already bought and own a piece of your equipment. Especially if it is in need of repair due to parts failure which I believe is the problem after talking to the owner/designer/builder.  He admitted as such.

Yeah, I wasn't as kindly as I could've been when, talking about Quicksilver tube reliability in another thread, I complained about the unreliability of the tubes used in my Quicksilver Mono Amps. I have to say, though, that at that time Quicksilver was a truly a tiny company. I would actually go to Sanders' house and he'd personally deal with my problems, then and there.  Ya' couldn't get much better service than that!

Tascam has been the worst for me! They are more pro gear but still what lousy repair service. Beware!

Audiogon Discussion Forum

ozzy

@ ozzy,

Yeah, no matter what the excuse is, it appears we’re at the mercy of the manufacturer. I guess we can only hope that we get our problems or issues resolved in a reasonable amount of time.

When I spoke to the guy, he said he wasn’t even answering emails any more because he felt like he was just getting "feelers" and he didn’t have the time to respond.

I get it. When you’re pretty much a one man operation, time can’t be wasted on conversing with potential customers.

Oddly enough, the few times I talked to him on the phone I had to cut him off because he just kept on rambling. I should have told him, "Hey, a little less talk and just fix my gear please". LOL!

It does seem to be the way of life these days. Too bad though.

I had an MRI done on my knee 3 weeks ago and I can’t get my Doctor /or Nurse to call me back with the results. I guess I’m going to have to drive to the facility to get some answers. Really sad...

ozzy

Sorry to hear about your knee Ozzy.

My wife has a lymph node problem she's been trying to get diagnosed.  She gets lab work done and nobody calls or sends her the results.  She has to keep calling her doctor to find out the results.  So, you're not alone in that regard.

My pre amp took 3 months last summer. It was in for an update, which I paid for.

It is unfortunate that magazine reviewers, Youtube reviewers and other industry

types fail to address this matter when they provide a review. Before the purchase.

Unless parts are from China, 30 days should be the max. Uptone Audio performed a same day repair for me-I dropped the product-.Thanks Alex!

A new customer waiting on delivery can wait longer than an established customer waiting for service, as long as expectations are properly set for the new customer.

Under promise/over deliver. Perhaps has his priorities mixed up. Maybe because he needs the revenue, or just doesn't understand this fundamental; a customer service issue is an opportunity if you handle it correctly.

My ex said 9” was too long 

it was simply a matter of time, wasn’t it..??. 😆😂

I’m happy to see some have a sense of humor on this sight. 😄

It’s always difficult to get a small operator to do a job that is free (even if he’s the one who set the price) when paying jobs are lined up. It shouldn’t be that way, but it is. I remember (30+ yrs ago) paying a remodeling contractor when half a day’s work remained. The only way to get him to finish was a lawyer’s letter.

I’m not suggesting you do that in your case.

I wish you best of luck, and I hope it gets done soon.

@nicktheknife what company? what piece of gear? 

Four months is definitely too long.... but you have done it so you are going to have to live with it and your backup phono preamp will have to do. I would give him another call but be nice or you will never get it back and in the mean time look for another reliable tech to use next time. I think we all have had similar experiences with different things.

Bad examples could be from small and big brands.

Hope that this is solved soon. 

Why don't you ask for a replacement?

At least you are being told he will fix it !

There are countless users on here who have called PS Audio about repairs out of warranty, and 50% of the time the company declines to service their own product.  I had a Power Plant which I had to throw away.  I am not the only one.

@ petg60,

I didn't ask but his excuse for not repairing my units is that he's too busy building new ones for other customers.  I doubt he has any spares lying around. 

I'll give him another call.  

@ markny2011, 

I guess I should consider myself lucky? 😄

That is shameful about PS Audio. 

@frankmc195, 

Yep, I did it so my hands are tied.  I'm going to give him a call.  Hopefully he answers the phone.  

@nicktheknife Wrote:

That is shameful about PS Audio. 

I agree!

Mike

That is appalling. 4 months is way too long to wait for service.

Sounds like he does not have the business sense to recognize the fact that servicing a previous customer is at least as important as profits from new sales.

Personally, I would move on,,, what will you do if it requires service again? I’m in this hobby for enjoyment, not frustration.

We are lucky we have options...there are lots of wonderful phono stages out there. Buy yourself a new one and when this finally gets fixed and sent back to you, sell it. If there is lots of demand now because of a positive review, it should be easy to sell. If it were me, I’d have no qualms with posting the company name on this forum. Could help forum members contemplating a purchase. Might even speed up the repair if the company owner gets wind of the bad service review.

@alvinnir2 

Good advice and I have been thinking along those lines as well.  I said earlier that I have been casually looking at other phono pre's on this site and USaudiomart..  

You brought up a good point that what happens if I need to send them back for some other reason?  I have to wait at least another 4 months?  

No. 

I'll give him a call and if I don't feel good about his response then I'm not opposed to posting the name of the company.  

I alluded to the fact that these are not in the same class as say, Quicksilver. 

Total cost for both units new today would be $827 not including shipping and tax. 

riie, what was it about the size that he didn't like?

@rpeluso 

🤣

in my case I recently bought a pre amp. the company (withheld) has supply issues and the outward case has not been delivered. It's been two month in the waiting.  This may be the case with you. I don't know the details but if you talk to the owner, you can get a better idea of what's going on and their character.. Good luck.

Nothing but good things to say about PS Audio: I bought one of their power conditioners and didn't like it. Great customer service and they even sent me a retun label so I didn't have to pay for the return shipping. Recieved the refund quickly and all went smooth. I would feel comfortable buying from them again.

I've talked to the owner and it's not a supply issue.  He simply hasn't had time to get to my gear as he is busy building new units for new orders.  

nicktheknife

He simply hasn't had time to get to my gear ...

Oh, he's had plenty of time. Four months, according to you.

You're just simply not that important to him.

I personally am sick of the terrible customer service we are receiving from a lot of companies these days. They can't blame covid anymore, it is just bad business!

Please state the name of the product, so we can all learn to avoid this company. That is the only way these companies will wake up and treat customers right.

ozzy

cleeds,

Yes, it certainly appears that way.  I was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt.  I appreciate that he doesn't charge for repairs as he "stands by his product".  

I would prefer to pay for the repairs and get my gear back in a reasonable amount of time. 

I'm 64 and life's too short.

@ozzy, 

I'm trying to get in touch with him today and if I can't get any satisfaction I will reveal the name of the product. 

I didn't want to come off as one of those vindictive types that come to the forum to soil a company's name because I had a bad experience. I wanted to make sure that others feel as I do and believe that I've shown enough patience.

Before his product got a boost from the Stereophile review, he was great to deal with.  Now ... maybe not so much. 

We'll see.

nicktheknife

I appreciate that he doesn’t charge for repairs as he "stands by his product".

If he truly stood by his product, it would be repaired and working well in your system.

nicktheknife,

You are a good man. Perhaps share with him this thread?

ozzy

@cleeds 

I believe you are correct sir! 

Not soon enough.

I took my vintage Sansui receiver to a long time shop here in KC.  Previous repair work was done in a reasonable time frame.  After 5 months I visited and was told he’d move me forward in the line.  At 9 months I visited again, and asked for the equipment back.  Had to demand a refund on the diagnostic deposit.  Bad bad service.

I've talked to the owner and it's not a supply issue.  He simply hasn't had time to get to my gear as he is busy building new units for new orders.  

That tells you exactly where his priorities lie and where his integrity doesn't.

I ordered a new pair of Magnepan LRS+

I was told the waiting period is 3-4 months

So it’s not just repairs

We’re living in a different world now

Get used to it

I sent my Ayre amp out to be repaired to Ayre....I had it back in less than 2 weeks.  excellent service.....communication