2. amps-preamps
  3. 185125-96030

How Long Is Too Long?

I know this forum has tons of experience with all things audio. 

My question to the members is when you send a piece of gear to the manufacturer for repair; what is a reasonable turnaround time? 

I will leave the "company" out for now because I don't want to potentially hurt their business if it's not warranted.

I sent my phono pre and step up device in for repairs four months ago.  It's a small one man operation in California.  Around the time I sent them in, one of his products got a small positive review in Stereophile magazine and he said that since then he's been swamped with orders.  Understandable I guess and good for him.  Not so good for me though.

As I said, I haven't seen my equipment in four months.  Is this considered reasonable?  I called him about a month ago and talked to him directly and he assured me that he would get to my equipment soon.  So far, nothing.  I guess I should have asked what his definition of "soon" is.

I'm happy that he's selling units and business has picked up for him but with his new found success it appears like us early supporters are being left out in the cold. 

I know my hands are tied at this point and I do have a back up phono pre of lower cost and quality so I haven't been without the ability to play records.  

I appreciate any thoughts or advice.  

Thanks, 

Nick

nicktheknife
mike_in_nc
1,123 posts
 

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.

nicktheknife OP
194 posts
 

 

@ 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.

edcyn
1,876 posts
 

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!

ozzy's avatar
ozzy
7,220 posts
 

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

Audiogon Discussion Forum

ozzy

nicktheknife OP
194 posts
 

@ 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!

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