Don't support Western Electric: shameless warranty runarounds

Discussion in 'Tales from the Bully Pulpit' started by purr1n, Mar 27, 2023.

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Should Marv make his first official SBAF YouTube video on this experience?

  1. Hell ya

    91.2%
  2. Na, let them slide

    8.8%
  1. Pancakes

    Pancakes Friend

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    upload_2023-3-28_0-58-24.gif
     
  2. VinylSavor

    VinylSavor MOT: Elrog Tubes

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    Hi!
    I am Thomas Mayer the producer of Elrog tubes. I am very sorry about the thread starters experience. But why are you claiming that I treat my customers the same or even worse? Is this based on any real life example or just a guess? Customer service and good customer communication are of utmost importance for me. And if there would be a doubt if a warranty claim is legit I rather decide in the customers favour than turning away.

    Best regards
    Thomas
     
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  3. internethandle

    internethandle Almost "Made"

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    Yeah I don't trust them for a variety of reasons, Marv's experience just adds to the pile. Seems like there's, anecdotally, been a lot of reports of these failing or having noise issues, here and elsewhere, at the very least, so that what at first seems like a generous warranty (for tubes) reveals itself to just be a backstop against poor engineering/QC.

    Also, @EagleWings tipped me off to this in the warranty fine-print. Hopefully he doesn't mind me quoting him:

    So uh, yeah... not exactly the most forthcoming or transparent outfit. I'd stay away.
     
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  4. Lyander

    Lyander Official SBAF Equitable Empathizer

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    Even if this does get sorted for you, it says volumes about WE as a manufacturer because in a very real sense you're an "influencer" (gag) who's able to put predatory practises like this in front of a relatively large audience; their initial response sidestepping responsibility is likely what just about anyone else buying their product would have been ultimately left to sit with, no recourse.

    +1 that random online vendors seem to offer better aftersales support, gah.

    More reason why people trying to get the Internet Archive taken down are screwing others over: proof of shenanigans like this.
     
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  5. Amfibius

    Amfibius New

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    Have you noticed that the price for a matched pair is more than twice of a single tube, and a pair of matched quad is more than twice of a matched pair? This tells you something about the manufacturing tolerances at Western Electric. If it was easy to supply a matched quad, it would simply be 4x the price of a single tube. If not slightly cheaper. But the way they priced it, it looks as if they have to trawl through a huge number of tubes to find a matched quad.
     
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  6. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    Hmmm... American law? I don't know (therefore potentially useless words follow...)

    But, according to my basic study of English law, you cannot unilaterally change a contract after it is made. You (they) can't add or remove conditions or clauses, etc.

    This means that stuff like conditions printed on the back of the receipt are meaningless. Obviously, by same reasoning, inside the box doesn't count at all.

    I am not even American, but I feel bad about debasing the great Western Electric name. In the same way that I feel bad when I see cars branded "MG" --- the brand name was bought by a Chinese company, probably for a very small amount of money.

    (Not against Chinese companies. I feel the same about the Germans having turned the Mini into an expensive car)
     
  7. Lyander

    Lyander Official SBAF Equitable Empathizer

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    Tangent: so that's why I've been seeing loads of MG-branded cars around my area in recent months.

    Also: @purr1n, might want to have a VERY BIG NOTICE on top of that WE300B measurements thread that I know likely helped drive a fair few sales discussing how RMA processes are both opaque and anti-consumer. It's only fair :)
     
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  8. JayGee

    JayGee New

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    I agree, but you're buying vacuum tubes, so mailing in a warranty card might be part and parcel of the experience.
     
  9. Phantaminum

    Phantaminum Friend

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    I seriously can't believe a company like WE would pull something like this. Outdated practices like these should of become extinct.

    I bought a cheap pair of 300B Electronix Harmonix tubes from an authorized dealer. Never used the tubes just popped them in to make sure they worked. Ended up selling the EC Studio Jr B with those tubes and the person who bought them from me had them failed not once, but twice. This is close to the year warranty being up. They replaced the tube two times and I didn't need a warranty card. They just needed the email invoice as proof. I'd expect more from a company that sells tubes for $1500 vs $400. Smh...
     
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    Last edited: Mar 28, 2023
  10. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Last edited: Mar 29, 2023
  11. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Thanks for your backstory. Some of us have already known for a while, but it wasn't our place to tell others. I am glad that you did.

    LOL, I call bullshit on the special pair designed for the Studio B. WE probably did that to make Josh feel special. The Studio B doesn't push the 300B hard at all. I've never had issues on Craig's amps, Chinese tubes, EU tubes, vintage tubes. The one other in pair I have has no issues at all. And both worked for the longest time, almost a year.

    The buyers of the "Western Electric" brand (and old manufacturing equipment), they've certainly done a good job at marketing the past. It's reminiscent of Shinola marketing. At this point now fully realizing what they are, I hate this new Western Electric.
     
    Last edited: Mar 28, 2023
  12. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    How is Elrog's 300B availability right? I checked PartsXpress and they don't have in stock.
     
  13. SoupRKnowva

    SoupRKnowva Official SBAF South Korean Ambassador

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    I like the poll, but instead can we use some SBAF funds to hire a law firm to go after them for this nonsense like you suggested earlier?
     
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  14. VinylSavor

    VinylSavor MOT: Elrog Tubes

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    I stopped selling through PCX since they were very slow in restocking even when tubes were available. You can order directly from us. check our website
     
  15. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    Publicly shaming them is much cheaper, still satisfying, could get them to make a change, and if all that fails the legal action is still available. I say drag them through the town square first, sue after.
     
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  16. Walderstorn

    Walderstorn Friend

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    In the case you only sell within Europe i can receive them and then forward the tubes to @purr1n .
     
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  17. Qildail

    Qildail Friend

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    The other cute game being played in some corners is pushing out warranties to the asterisked number only if you post a picture of the new toy on public social media. Why have marketing and advertising when you can get your customers to do it for free...

    Not to go completely off the intended target... depending on how they were purchased there might be some recourse through a credit card's extended purchase/warranty benefit. I've had these pay out for a few things over the years, but there's always a paperwork slog with those claims.
     
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  18. Wobbletits

    Wobbletits Facebook Friend

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    Not to excuse it but a ton of my pc parts are similar with the warranty stuff but they give you like 90 days instead of 10, also I was looking at another turntable recently and at a minimum clearaudio and I forgot the other also had similar astericks where the warrantys of 2 years on several thousand dollar tonearms only applied if you registered within x days of purchase ;/

    It seems to me like the having to post it to social media thing is liable to make social media pics of all the broken devices...
     
  19. VinylSavor

    VinylSavor MOT: Elrog Tubes

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    We ship world wide.
     
  20. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    People already do that by being on social media in the first place, as you are the product being sold. Something something pimp/ho analogy.
     
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