Don't support Western Electric: shameless warranty runarounds

The one audio company (besides Schiit) that doesn’t want you to use a dealer

 

Is that even legal? They are selling to a dealer and those dealers are selling to customers with the expectation that the warranty will be valid once the card is mailed in. If I was a dealer I'd expect them to warranty the tubes within reason like their other products. I couldn't see Upscale Audio carrying their tubes and have customers turn around angry that their tubes were denied a warranty.

I could see this happening if it was sold through an eBay store or if they were used, and purchased through third party store, but not actual direct dealers.

 

Good grief, did these people emerge from a sewer?

I wonder at the fact they even felt the need to have a DENIED stamp made for the warranties. Plainly, they planned to use it.

Hope they get what they deserve.

 

lol I guess WE doesn't want to make money.

This. I also imagine that the overlap between "people who buy a pair of $1500 tubes" and "people who happen to be a lawyer" is going to be a bigger overlap than normal. Yes, $1500 is small compared to a few billable hours... but when it's your own time and there's enough lawyers out there...

All of this makes me wonder what's really going on at WE right now.

 

So in contrast, I bought a spdif from a brand called SnakeRiver this past spring. They had the same warranty card thing but it was 30+ days after you receive it. The warranty card was in the bag with the cable, cannot miss it. They also give you a huge box and load it with goodies, and info about the area they are made. It is extremely clear they appreciate your patronage.

Well my friend bought the same cable but used, it was out of warranty anyway. Turns out installing it he broke the cable. He emailed them and the owner responded and told him to send it back and theyll fix it. No warranty, no questions, no hassle. He ended up meeting the owner at one of the CanJams and went to thank him, the owner then took him out to lunch. The juxtaposition to WE is quite radical.

Btw those idaho spud candies are devine! If anyone lives in Idaho, please send more my way!

 

One of the first things I ever read, as a teen browsing through books in my holiday-job shop was:

A sale isn't made until the customer comes back for another one.

It is probably the only bit of "management jargon" I ever remembered and tried to act on in any public-dealing stuff (I was never in actual sales) that I did.

I cannot understand companies that either make buying difficult, or act as if they do not want you to come back.

Well, f**k them. But it's a shame if there are enough suckers to keep them in business.

 

When authorized dealer means nothing to a maker, you don't either. Shiit has marketing scheme that allows them to do what they do. Sounds like WE hasn't a clue about what they're doing. I suspect the dealer in question was not an 'authorized' dealer but once he buys stock and is told that a warranty is valid... That WE doesn't have an authorized NY dealer in a market that large with plenty of potential outlets may be telling us something.

 

It's just a matter of time until enough customers get hosed and these morons start losing money. See ya WE.

 

Just for the lols. Cant show the rest due to it being filled out with personal info.

 

I guess I'm the goodie-two-shoes y'all can make fun of and give wedgies on the playground. I filled out my warranty cards and sent them in when I received my WE300Bs. After roughly 12,000 hours one tube started making some noise and had rolled off treble, and I noticed some strange looking highlighting in the upper mica near where the filaments pass through. (Edit: if any tube nerds recognize what this spotting/orange highlighting within the mica indicates, I'm all ears!)



I contacted WE and was issued an RMA. After they tested the tube, they determined it was eligible for replacement under warranty. Took about a week, but just received the replacement (matched to the other original surviving tube). Not beyond expectations, but satisfactory after-sale service, in my experience.

 

I am very happy that this worked for you and it lived up to what is expected of the warranty. It is good to see the system does work. I just want to see it cover other owners in the same fashion without hoop jumping.

 

I have some brown/orange staining that developed at the top of the bottle in one of my Cossor WE300B clones that I think also is on the top mica, I'd need to look. No noise or roll off yet, though. Some old DIYAudio post led me to believe the brownish discoloration I'm seeing could just be from a "hot spot" in the tube - here's the post: https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/discoloration-inside-a-tube.5414/

 

I just want Marv to start a YouTube channel.