Should I be offended? (Amp repairs) *

I purchased an integrated amp four years ago for $2800. Within months I had issues with the amp, mainly left channel interference and noise which sometimes completely overtook the audio. I reached out to customer service and complied to their requests to attempt a fix. Switching tubes, cleaning, etc., Within weeks the issue began again. When I began writing the emails I was fully within the warranty period.
It got to the point that I boxed the amp up and put it out of commission because I just couldn’t flip the bill for shipping this beast.
Finally I did and it cost $120 to ship.
The company has looked at my amp and is now requesting money so it could be sent back to me.
Is this normal protocol? It seems petty for a company to do this after I’ve been having documented issues with their product for some time.

 

What’s the name of the company so I’ll never make the mistake of buying their gear?

 

I recall the first time I encountered this, although under slightly different circumstances. I had purchased a Pioneer car stereo online and had issues with it. I mailed it to their service center where they told me it was not covered under warranty because I didn't buy it from an authorized dealer. Then they made me pay them to ship it back.

I completely get that paying for return shipping sucks, but in your case, I hope that at least it is repaired, which is better than what I got.

 

I'd be tempted to find the manufacturers warranty, even if on-line, and look at it closely. It seems like most places would pay for shipping at least in one direction for a warranty item.

 

How far up the ladder do you feel you need to take this to get your satisfaction?

I suggest whatever you write, be honest, be nice, send proof, take notes, consistently follow it up, take it up the ladder, supervisor-by-supervisor, the entire way...and cc the information to their competitors (don't forget to remind your original offender you're doing that - can't wait for the next CES hospitality suite function...).

 

I feel your pain. Big/heavy/expensive equipment costs big $$$$ to ship especially if it is insured. This is why I ended up driving my old mono blocks to the repair facility and back.

I think it is not out of the ordinary for companies to ask for return shipping. However, if the amp comes back and still doesn't work correctly, then I would want them to pick up the tab for return shipping back to the repair facility.

I remember a McIntosh dealer here in Boston that sold and repaired McIntosh warrantied and not warrantied. They were a certified McIntosh repair shop. For me, it was a short drive to get my old 2255 fixed. Sadly, the internet has taken over and shops like the one I mentioned are few and far between.

 

That’s the thing, it is most definitely out of warranty but I have been in contact with one specific person regarding the issue a year before the warranty was up. I just tried to troubleshoot as he instructed me but the issues never ceased.
To make it even more complicated the issue was intermittent (but bad enough that I eventually couldn’t take it anymore and finally sent it out), and my contact said that he couldn’t find an issue with it during the week that they had it. And I know for a fact that the amp is defective because I’m using a replacement amp with no issues, unplugged all components, moved three times and the issue remained.

 

Is it the Rogue Cronus Magnum II in your profile?
.

 

I’ll verify that after I get in touch with my contact

 

This is not good. You most likely have a lemon. I've had components like this in the past and even if they can fix it, there may still be problems in the near future. Your best bet is to get rid of it and buy something else.

 

I have that feeling, too. I can imagine getting it back, hooking it up and hearing nothing but static again. At that point I’d have no idea what to do. My life situation has changed drastically since I purchased this and I’m not capable of making a purchase like it (gotta reserve money for the divorce lawyer), and I don’t see it happening again in the near future. I was hoping that they could at least supply me with a different, refurbished model just to be safe. It’s been a documented issue for over two years. I’ll probably just get stressed out every time that I use the thing now anyway and only focus on what could go wrong instead of basking in the silky glow that is the world of tube amps.

 

And now that you mention it, besides the static, I’ve had both left channel JT-120’s die on me, but the right channel tubes are still going. Definitely sounds citrusy to me.

 

unfortunately it is.

as a dealer i have had to send items I've had to send back to the companies i represent. i send back they make the repair or mofication and depending on the situation they may cover the return carriage or they may not (based on the situation).

tube gear inevitably has issues during transit and during use. valves are fascinating little things but can and do fail from time to time. but this is what makes it fun.

moreover, anything that is not made by a robot is prone to having issues that may occur in transit. the company makes the products and includes a warranty period. the company is not required to cover carriage.

hope everything works out.

 

Might wanna get rid of it if the problems persist any further.

Life's too short to stress heavily 'bout something like this... particularly if you already have much more important things to stress about (as you said).
.

 

You could have a really nice integrated amp for what that is gonna cost you. Good luck.

 

Couple of things seemed clear to me.

It was out of warranty.

They did no repairs.

The OP's problems are of no concern to them.

The only recourse is to "name and shame."

 

I appreciate your angle. I wish that I was able to work with the dealer (only 45 minutes away), but from the get go I was told that only the company who made the product would be able to fix it.
It wasn’t an issue of transit because everything worked fine for the first few months. I was told that there were replacements made on the amp, but that was based on my incidents, not what they themselves had seen. My main concern is that $120 seems like all that I should contribute for a piece of machinery that has worked intermittently at best.

 

They did make a repair (see above), but it wasn’t based on anything that they saw needing attention. (Long story short, the static in the left channel would disappear when I’d PUSH the volume knob, but reappear when I’d let go—they replaced the volume knob). When I first communicated with them it still had over a year of warranty but we attempted to troubleshoot rather than attempt to ship a 3,000 pound beast.
The company has a pretty good reputation and my contact has been mostly helpful throughout the years (!), but I’m worried that the issue isn’t resolved and I’m down $2800 plus almost $200 shipping (for no reason).

 

I'm not sure that naming and shaming the manufacturer is appropriate since all of his pre-warranty discussion sounds-like it was with the dealer. So it's not like the manufacturer ever had a chance to make things right while it was under warranty.

 

Can you ask them politely to have free shipping if upon receipt the issue is still there and you have to service it again?

 

Seems wrong that ALL the shipping costs weren't discussed PRIOR to the unit being sent in for repair. If this is so, to my way of thinking its on the vendor to eat the cost, not spring it on you at the last minute. It's like a moving company that adds cost to the move when they're supposed to be making delivery! The ONLY way for this to be made right would be if the manufacturer fixed OR replaced the unit AND paid all costs to do so. At this point it's a lose/lose situation.

 

No, I only spoke directly with the manufacturer.

 

I had a similar issue.
To protect their identity I will call them Rowgg (not the real brand name!) and my Metis preamp that would let other functions bleed through and overtake the selected function, such as if I accidentally left a CD playing, but switched to phono, but I would still hear the CD right over my album.

I called and raised this issue with Rowgg (again, not their real name) while under warranty, and they pretty much said, "tough luck, it's not really broken, stop your CD".
Or, I could pay 2-way shipping and $150 for a repair that they knew about (design flaw) which they had by then rectified in their current builds (this was pre-Magnum times).
I kept it and still like the unit all in all, and I almost never play CDs, so sort of forgot about the issue... their gear is otherwise pretty decent.

 

No. Shipping is almost always paid by the buyer for shipping to the manufacturer and they in turn pay for shipping back to you.

In some cases, the manufacturer pays for both.

 

If you search for “Rogue” in this forum, nearly half the threads concern one problem or another (heat, static, etc.). Why then do people here continually recommend them when someone’s looking for a new amp?