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Post by guitfiddler on Jan 15, 2019 14:06:54 GMT -6
I want to delete this thread. I guess I got really upset to actually post a negative thread. I just wanted to share my concerns with you guys, now that everything has been finally worked out.
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Post by rowmat on Jan 15, 2019 17:27:56 GMT -6
I still can’t wrap my head around the idea that you would charge somebody a fee to service an item your selling! As a dealer your reputation is on the line with every sale, it should either be as is or in perfect condition that’s it! My understanding with VK was they generally advertised that used gear will be serviced (recapped if required etc) which is normally included the original sale price. I ‘assumed’ that either the Neve modules were already serviced or at least would be serviced in a timely manner once I had paid for them. I had no idea, and there was no obvious indication prior to my purchase, that this servicing could take up to three months to complete after I had paid for them and before they would be shipped to Australia. So with shipping I could have been looking at almost a four month delay. I totally understand that something like a console could take many months to service but three months to service two Neve modules seemed excessive even taking into account how busy their service depot may be. When I was told this I was somewhat annoyed and said that I couldn’t wait three months or more (a client had booked a session partly because of these Neves - yeah dumb I know!) as I figured a month would be an adequate time period to service them and ship them. I was then told they could provide a high priority express servicing option (about a week) but this would incur additional charges (I can’t remember the exact figure but it was at least several hundred US dollars). In the end VK capitulated and serviced them within about 10 days and shipped them at no additional charge. The Neves are great but I wish VK had been clearer about their servicing time frames and ‘additional fees’ for servicing them in less than three months before I had paid for them. At the time it felt a little like I was being held to ransom especially after my Neotek console purchase saga a couple of years earlier. Kind of “Either pay up or you’ll get them when you get them.” |
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ericn
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Post by ericn on Jan 15, 2019 17:59:06 GMT -6
I still can’t wrap my head around the idea that you would charge somebody a fee to service an item your selling! As a dealer your reputation is on the line with every sale, it should either be as is or in perfect condition that’s it! My understanding with VK was they generally advertised that used gear will be serviced (recapped if required etc) which is normally included the original sale price. I ‘assumed’ that either the Neve modules were already serviced or at least would be serviced in a timely manner once I had paid for them. I had no idea, and there was no obvious indication prior to my purchase, that this servicing could take up to three months to complete after I had paid for them and before they would be shipped to Australia. So with shipping I could have been looking at almost a four month delay. I totally understand that something like a console could take many months to service but three months to service two Neve modules seemed excessive even taking into account how busy their service depot may be. When I was told this I was somewhat annoyed and said that I couldn’t wait three months or more (a client had booked a session partly because of these Neves - yeah dumb I know!) as I figured a month would be an adequate time period to service them and ship them. I was then told they could provide a high priority express servicing option (about a week) but this would incur additional charges (I can’t remember the exact figure but it was at least several hundred US dollars). In the end VK capitulated and serviced them within about 10 days and shipped them at no additional charge. The Neves are great but I wish VK had been clearer about their servicing time frames and ‘additional fees’ for servicing them in less than three months before I had paid for them. It felt a little like I was being held to ransom. Either pay up or you’ll get them when you get them. It isn’t funny but maybe Stam got his buisness model from VK? Years ago VK and EBay put most of the used brokers out of buisness. You wanted cheap you bought on EBay and took a huge risk, VK meant it worked and there was somebody to back you up. It was either in stock and ready to go or it wasn’t. We sent them a bunch of buisness simply because it was that simple. I’m just trying to wrap my head around this and feeling pissed that people I have sent their way might have gone through a similar situation. |
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Post by guitfiddler on Jan 15, 2019 18:45:34 GMT -6
My understanding with VK was they generally advertised that used gear will be serviced (recapped if required etc) which is normally included the original sale price. I ‘assumed’ that either the Neve modules were already serviced or at least would be serviced in a timely manner once I had paid for them. I had no idea, and there was no obvious indication prior to my purchase, that this servicing could take up to three months to complete after I had paid for them and before they would be shipped to Australia. So with shipping I could have been looking at almost a four month delay. I totally understand that something like a console could take many months to service but three months to service two Neve modules seemed excessive even taking into account how busy their service depot may be. When I was told this I was somewhat annoyed and said that I couldn’t wait three months or more (a client had booked a session partly because of these Neves - yeah dumb I know!) as I figured a month would be an adequate time period to service them and ship them. I was then told they could provide a high priority express servicing option (about a week) but this would incur additional charges (I can’t remember the exact figure but it was at least several hundred US dollars). In the end VK capitulated and serviced them within about 10 days and shipped them at no additional charge. The Neves are great but I wish VK had been clearer about their servicing time frames and ‘additional fees’ for servicing them in less than three months before I had paid for them. It felt a little like I was being held to ransom. Either pay up or you’ll get them when you get them. It isn’t funny but maybe Stam got his buisness model from VK? Years ago VK and EBay put most of the used brokers out of buisness. You wanted cheap you bought on EBay and took a huge risk, VK meant it worked and there was somebody to back you up. It was either in stock and ready to go or it wasn’t. We sent them a bunch of buisness simply because it was that simple. I’m just trying to wrap my head around this and feeling pissed that people I have sent their way might have gone through a similar situation. See, now you’re pissed ericn...lol |
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ericn
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Post by ericn on Jan 15, 2019 19:30:39 GMT -6
It isn’t funny but maybe Stam got his buisness model from VK? Years ago VK and EBay put most of the used brokers out of buisness. You wanted cheap you bought on EBay and took a huge risk, VK meant it worked and there was somebody to back you up. It was either in stock and ready to go or it wasn’t. We sent them a bunch of buisness simply because it was that simple. I’m just trying to wrap my head around this and feeling pissed that people I have sent their way might have gone through a similar situation. See, now you’re pissed ericn...lol As pissed as one can be after a week in the Bahamas! Oh the hotel had a stupid resort fee of $58 a night total for the 3 of us, well our suite included access to the club room we ate and drank that $58 a night fee! |
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Post by guitfiddler on Jan 15, 2019 23:11:03 GMT -6
See, now you’re pissed ericn...lol As pissed as one can be after a week in the Bahamas! Oh the hotel had a stupid resort fee of $58 a night total for the 3 of us, well our suite included access to the club room we ate and drank that $58 a night fee! Oh I see, you just take off to the Bahamas without inviting RGOer’s? Lol...nice! I can’t even drive to Nashville for less than that! Now I’m pissed again! Lol |
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Post by jeremygillespie on Jan 19, 2019 12:50:15 GMT -6
I got a telefunken 676 mic pre from them about 6 or 7 years ago. I jumped on it because it was only $280 which was silly cheap. I didn’t realize that they don’t service the gear until somebody purchases it, and they were backlogged. I think it took about 4 months to finally get the mic pre, I actually was excited when it showed up as I was pretty sure they were going to burn me.
After that, I’d just find those modules on eBay and scoop them up cheap and have my tech put in new caps and all was good. I’ve got a rack full of them now and they are so damn good for what I paid for them.
Only reason I’d use VK again is for something I’d want to finance. Which honestly is something I try as hard as I can to stick away from.
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Post by notneeson on Jan 24, 2019 22:27:47 GMT -6
Interesting. I bought a used Avid Omni from them recently and it took a good long while to ship after I paid. I had no particular rush, and when I finally enquired they did throw in a free digilink adaptor.
Still, it was curious.
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Post by EmRR on Jan 25, 2019 12:54:20 GMT -6
I got a telefunken 676 mic pre from them about 6 or 7 years ago. I didn’t realize that they don’t service the gear until somebody purchases it, and they were backlogged. I think it took about 4 months to finally get the mic pre That seems like the sort of thing a State Attorney General's office might be interested in, if it's not disclosed and they are taking payments. |
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ericn
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Balance Engineer
Posts: 16,086
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Post by ericn on Jan 25, 2019 23:00:32 GMT -6
I got a telefunken 676 mic pre from them about 6 or 7 years ago. I didn’t realize that they don’t service the gear until somebody purchases it, and they were backlogged. I think it took about 4 months to finally get the mic pre That seems like the sort of thing a State Attorney General's office might be interested in, if it's not disclosed and they are taking payments. Probably is stated somewhere on their website in the tiniest print in a dielect even a lawyer needs to have an interpreter to understand. |
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Post by chessparov on Jan 28, 2019 13:41:36 GMT -6
THE BIG PRINT GIVETH.
the little print taketh away.
Chris
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Post by Ward on Feb 19, 2019 6:57:29 GMT -6
Better call Saul-ahem John K! I agree . . . like having a brother in the business!! |
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