McIntosh -- good for show, not for sound, says dealer

i made the post below a few days ago on the thread that was started showing ocd hifi guy’s video about 1% etc etc... shortly after i made this post, the thread was deleted -- i don’t know if it was my particular post, or the comments made by others, that led to the thread deletion

i have been asked to repost my experience by those who saw it the other day... and thus i do so here

i make no further commentary, but wanted to share the experience i had, trying to make a small purchase

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a month ago i got a set of maggie 1.7i’s... really enjoying them... read about the rear fuse bypass etc etc, figured i would try that, so i find this fellow’s site, with his jumper and fuse rod kit, $107... so i order it, pay at time of order (he is in texas or georgia i believe, i am in california)

a week goes by, no update, no reply, no shipment progress, no tracking number, just silence

i send him an email, hey there just checking in, here is my order #, did the order ship yet? silence

wait couple more days, send him a second email (two email addresses are prominently shown on his site, on his order confirmation, rec’d at the time of my order and payment)... crickets

three days later, given i had paid using paypal, i file a case to get the transaction reviewed... two days later, i get an email reply:

Theres a backorder on pure silver from our supplier. My apology for not reading your email. Have you tried calling ? I know its an old technique but I dont sit at a desk any longer it makes me ill.. Call me old school but the phone is what works best for me. I have changed the website to no longer take orders for whats not in stock. The demand has fully overwhelmed my ability to supply based on the raw materials availability from my vendor, so I apologize.

The silver jumpers should be here this coming week I hope. could be as much as 2 weeks. So let me know if youd like a refund now or can just be patient with all the others waiting for this product. It will be fulfilled for sure. Clearly you did not search the net to see if theres even one time in 23 years of doing this as a career that Ive stolen anyones money ... I dont do that ... I also am not Amazon with 24 hour delivery... But I think I will be now... This PP dispute will cause me to eliminate the possibility to order unless Ive got them in stock and Ill make them in batches from time to time and inventory will be listed on the site .

Mike Powell

my answer...

Don’t mind waiting Mike. Just need communication.

Most things are bought online these days, and order status, inventory status should be shown, along with leadtimes. Especially long lead-times. Yes Amazon Prime has spoiled us. And there is Covid and supply chain disruptions. But a vendor still needs to communicate. It isn’t on the buyer, it’s on the seller. So why do you imply it is my fault to not call you? The burden is misplaced.

I am glad the dispute got your attention to even get a response. But why did it have to come to that?

Steve

it has been another 8 days, no reply

paypal writes me, says they reviewed the case, issued me a refund

i got other jumpers and solid copper rod to bypass the maggies, improvement is minor but noticeable

no value judgments or commentary... just what happened... end of story

Thanks Steve. I missed that story first time around, and it's very telling.

Well. That was fun.

@jjss49 thanks for sharing that experience.

It’s one thing to display an arrogant, know-it-all attitude on a YouTube channel. Let’s face it, these days you have to sometimes scream to be heard (or clicked). It’s a hard life for these social media “influencers”. 😄

But in Mikes case, he appears to be under the delusion that screaming and insulting his customers, in a niche business where word of mouth is EVERYTHING, would somehow work great for his business!
 

Reading his rant above and his unique communication style with customers (as evident by what you shared), I’m now convinced this dudes a shoddy businessman and may have been rejected by McIntosh for representing their brand. He clearly didn’t take well to that rejection!  😂

@jjss49 Your reported exchange with Stereo11’s Mr. Powell shows that his irascibility and petulance -- exhibited in his videos and in his posts on this forum -- can extend to his dealings with customer. To quote Maya Angelou again, "When someone shows you who they are...believe them."

Those who have gotten good service from Stereo11 have their experience and, judging from his YouTube comments, he has lots of fanboys willing to attack anyone who questions him. But fanboys on YouTube does not a business model make.

He’s flailing. He’s angry. And pouring it out on others isn’t helping. He’s crapping in his own back yard. If he has any friends out there reading this, he needs an intervention. Go help him.