So disappointed......cs-700

[sammysmithazt]

I have always been a loyal customer of klipsch. Every speaker and sub in my house is Klipsch and my father, who has a much higher budget that I do, has always been committed to Klipsch as well. I drool over his set up, he has an entire room dedicated to his system and I recall as a child that when we would move the purchase of the home was always determined by the room that would accommodate his corner horn speakers. He purchased them in the 70's and has never had a problem with them. I have had my system since 1997, when I purchased my own home and have never had a single problem.

Last week I decided to order a system for our bedroom, of course I did some research before making my decision but my heart has always belonged to Klipsch (having grown up with them and owning two systems of my own for over 10 yrs).

I received my cs-700 yesterday and the sub was DOA.

The White Glove service number said they were available from 8am to 8pm EST but upon calling at 5:30 when I got home and realized I had a problem with the sub, the White Glove Service number had a message saying they were closed and normal business hours were from 8am to 5pm EST. I guess with the economy being in its current state they have cut hours and I can certainly understand that. However, they should really update the information when sending out a new system.

So, of course, I didn't give up. I worked with that sub for hours. First checking all the setting on the TV and the included receiver. I made sure to disable all my wireless equipment including all my blue tooth devices. I tried different outlets. I even hardwired the sub as a final test (wish I had just done that first instead of wasting all that time) but all attempts were in vain.

I called the toll free number again this morning and was on hold for 45 minutes before someone answered. 45 minutes!!! When someone finally answered I said "wow, you guys must really be busy". The reply back was "we were in a meeting". No apologies for the wait. I work with clients al day long and my job is 100% commission so I know how important it is to simply say "I'm sorry for your wait". It’s really not that difficult and a little goes a long way when it comes to making a client feel that you are concerned about their satisfaction.I wasn’t on the line for long, maybe 3 minutes when it was determined that I had a defective system. The offer was to set up a claim number, wait 24-48 hours for an email. Then I was to call back with the number and start the entire process over again...sending the unit back and waiting for another one to arrive.

Perhaps I'm spoiled but that seems like an awfully lengthy process and to be honest I really didn’t want to have to wait another week and a half (at best) to receive another system. To be honest I was really disappointed at this point and considered just returning the entire system and looking for either a local dealer (I purchased his unit directly from klipsch.com) or even looking for another brand all together. It’s disappointing enough to get a defective unit (although I realize that "things" happen) but the customer service was even more disappointing, the 45 minute hold time and then a total lack of concern for my wasted time.

I was transferred to the RA department to just return the unit without any objections or even the faintest hint of trying to come up with another solution to prevent losing the sale. I found this rather shocking. The RA dept was much better and even though they didn’t offer to try t resolve the problem without losing the sale, they did work with me when I made suggestions on how I would like to have to it handled to feel satisfied. I suggested that they simply bill me again for a new unit, send it overnight and in the meantime they could send me the RA number and I would send the defective unit back. There is no liability on their behalf by handling this way since they have my credit card and can simply charge me for both systems if I failed to return the defective one.The rep said they would have to charge me for overnight shipping but they would pick up part of that cost.

I'm still not sure what that cost is or if another system is being sent out because I was transferred back to tech support for a case # and then transferred back to the RA dept to complete the request. However, the RA dept wasn’t available. They were in a meeting!!

So I had to leave my name and number and someone will call me back. I hope!! Anyway long story short, this has been very disappointing both from the product end and the customer service end. Hopefully this will be resolved in a timely fashion and hopefully I will soon have a system that works and I will be able to write back and tell you how pleased I am not only with the product but with the service as well. Time shall tell. But honestly this doesn't look promising.

So far I am really shocked by the entire process. I really expected more from Klipsch. Is this normal? Has anyone else experienced this? I have always raved about the Klipsch and their service. Have things changed? Is it just the poor economy or has the brand and the company taken a turn for the worse? Heck, maybe I'm just expecting too much and I should just accept defective devices, 45 minute hold times, every dept being unavailable when you need them because they are in meetings and no one even attempting to save a sale?I realize I bought a lower end system but that is all I needed for my bedroom TV. I have several other Klipsch products and I, and my entire family, have been loyal Klipsch clients for decades. I hate to even have to write this......Klipsch has really disappointed me on all levels.

Wish me luck. I really want this to end well. I hate the thought of leaving Klipsch with this nasty taste in my mouth.

Its now 2 hours into this process and I have not even been able to provide a card number for the shipping. I'm not sure what time they cut off same day shipping but it looks like I may not have anything sent to me today, perhaps tomorrow? Otherwise, I guess I'm looking a next week at the earliest and I will be footing the bill.

[Frzninvt]

Paragraphs are you're friend as they make rants that much easier to read. I did not even see a mention of where or whom you purchased these items from?

Welcome to the forum someone from Klipsch will respond shortly I'm sure but it would be helpful to them if your post was easier to read and you mentioned where and in what state you purchased your gear from.

[sammysmithazt]

I'm sorry for the way it posted. I did hit enter to seperate paragraphs but when it posted it threw everything togther. I did not realize that.

I went back and edited the post to make it easier on the eyes.

A rant? indeed.

It was purchased directly through www.klipsch.com

Thanks for the reply and the welcome.

[Amy]

I'm very sorry to hear of the trouble you are having. Please send me an email with your phone number, and I will have someone contact you asap.

amy.unger@klipsch.com

[sammysmithazt]

Thank you for your reply Amy. I sent you an email as requested but I think we have something worked out. I spoke with someone in the RA dept and he is sending me a new sub and receiver overnight. I had to spend another $75 for overnight shipping but he split he cost with me (originaly $150). I hated to have to spend more money but I also didnt want to wait a week to receive it and looking at unusable equipment for a week would have been torture for me.

Hopefully I will have better luck this go around.

Thank you again.

[CECAA850]

Welcome to the Forum. Please give Amy a chance to help you before you totally abandon Klipsch. She'll get you fixed up!

[sammysmithazt]

Thanks for the welcome guys and thank you again Amy for your support.

I received a new sub today.....plugged it in and no problems at all.

Yay!!

I called tech support after I had it connected to ensure I had the best config for my componenets. They answered the phone with a "hello". It was strange. I had to ask if I had called the right number. I thought I had called someone's house or cell phone. [:^)]

Anyway, the guy I spoke to was very pleasant and helpful.

I'm very pleased with the system thus far but I seem to be having issues with the video and audio sync. The audio and video are out of sync by a few seconds. Tech support is closed now and I searched the forums and the web but could only come up with this information:

http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/t/110503.aspx

Which doesn't appear to resolved any of the problems. Does anyone have any suggestions?

My current config is

TV : HDMI to Cable Box

TV: Component cables to Klipsch Box with optical cable for audio

Also I have set the Klipsch remote to be the universal remote successfully but the remote seems to be really slow and requires a precise positioning to provide a signal and execute the command. Is this typical? Due to the lag I think I would prefer to ditch the Klipsch remote for my old Time Warner cable remote which is also univeral but I'm a bit ignorant on the unviversal settings. Would I need the specific code for the Klipsch system provided by Klipsch or by Time Warner?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. []

Update: The audio video sync problem has magically disappeared which I am thankful for but any info would still be helpful just in case it magically reappears. And the remote is still very laggy.

[Amy]

I'm glad everything is working! I'll look into the two issues you've had, and let you know what I find out. Thanks!

[JonC]

I recently bought a CS-700 and hooked it up a little differently:

Satellite box:Component to Klipsch box & Optical audio to Klipsch box

Klipsch box:HDMI to TV

I then use the Klipsch unit as the switch and select the function via the Klipsch remote. Haven't had any issues and the picture looks good.

I've seen the video / audio delay sporadically in the past before I had the CS-700. It only lasted a show or two and then went away and I figured it was an issue with the network or the satellite. That may have been the case with your issue.

As for the remote, it isn't as forgiving as the Satellite remote, but it doesn't seem as bad as what you're describing. We still end up using the Satellite remote a lot because the Klipsch remote won't do quite everything as easily and we're used to the old remote. Will either get used to the Klipsch remote or possibly get a Harmony in the future.

I think it sounds great and so far, we are happy with it. Got a Roomgroove too, and I like the Klipschcast. It can be very handy during parties / get togethers.

Jon

[sammysmithazt]

Thanks Amy. The video issue seems to come and go. Changing the DTS setting corrects it for a while but then it will eventually go out of sync again. It’s possibly the progressive scan mode and I am tinkering around with it being on or off in attempts to narrow down the right config.

I REALLY appreciate your support. You have, by far, provided the best support I have received from Klipsch. Thank you! []

Jon, Hi! Thanks for the reply. Good to know I'm not the only one that thinks the remote is quirky. I was hoping to get us down to two remotes, as one remote is impossible due to the extra component we have, Western Digital TV box, which isn’t capable of being universal.

I agree that we too will most likely end up using our cable provider remote as well since I believe the Klipsch remote is not able to perform a few key features that we use quite often.

I had my system originally connected just as you have yours but changed it to the above after speaking with the tech rep. Since our cable box is HD and we tend to watch more TV than DVD’s it made more sense to have the 1080i for the cable box. At least that is the way the rep explained it to me.

I have an hdmi switch box which I have considered using. It has 3 HDMI in options and you can then manually switch sources but I have not used it and will probably take it back since there really doesn’t seem to be a need for it and its manual (I'm lazy ).

So for now the set up is:

TV with two HDMI in options.The HDMI in options go to the cable box hdmi out and the WDTV hdmi outThe klipsch box is connected to the TV with component cables and the optical audio cable and I have an extra optical audio cable running from the WDTV box to the Klipsch unit for sound.

The WDTV box is really a cool feature and a lot of bang for the buck. It’s about $99 and has two USB outlets for dual external drives. I currently have two 500 gig drives attached to it and I can move music, pictures and video on and off of it with ease.

We rarely watch TV in the living room. In fact, we rarely use the living room at all unless we have guests. The living room has our main stereo system (Harmon Kardon receiver & cd player, klipsch 15 inch sub and 4 klipsch bookshelf speakers) connected to the TV and a tivo box. I've had this set up, minus the tivo box) for about 10 yrs now. Its not surround sound. I set it up right before the 5.1 surround systems were really taking over the pro-sumer and consumer market. I was also on a budget that kept me from getting what I really wanted (amp, pre amp argon set up). But the set up has been reliable and sounds excellent. We live in a smaller home built in the early 1930's and this system is definitely loud enough to blow out the windows.

The tivo is connected to our home network via an Ethernet cable running under the house so we can access all of our media (pictures, music and video) from the computer. Its great for the times that guest are over. I can simply stream any or all files from my computer to the main stereo system. When it’s not being used in that manner it is simply dedicated to recording movies and TV shows that I then transfer to my network. At that point I can either watch movies on my any of my desktop computers which have the klipsch pro-media speakers or watch on any of my laptops.

The WDTV comes into play with the bedroom TV and my new klipsch cs-700 and allows me to simply move any of my external drives to the bedroom and access all the same media files (pictures, music and video). Unfortunately the WDTV is not equipped with an Ethernet connection, as this would cut out of the step of moving an external drive. But to be honest its really not that difficult since they are external and I know there is a work around to use an Ethernet USB adapter to accomplish this same goal but it requires downloading boot exe's and such and as I mentioned, I'm lazy, so I have yet to take on that project. I may attempt to connect one of my laptops to the bedroom system in the near future just for the kick of it. I really love having everything connected to my main network as it allows all media to be accessible throughout the house.

I have been interested in the room groove as an option for music outdoors since we have the house covered. I may consider picking one up in the fall when we usually have several major get togethers at that time at our home from Oct through Jan. Thanks for the recommendation on it. It’s always good to hear someone's personal experience with a product.

..............And sorry for the long rant. I guess I got carried away on the keyboard

edit to note: I figured out why the 1st message came through with no paragrahs. I used MSFT Word to spell check via copy and paste and it threw all everything together when I pasted it, removing all the paragraphs. Just an FYI for anyone else who spell checks with Word

[JonC]

The setup I described will pass a HD picture to the TV as our satellite is HD. The component connection from the satellite box (or cable box) to the Klipsch box will send an HD signal (it will be analog, but HD). The HDMI from the Klipsch box to the TV will send the HD to the TV (converted to digital). I was worried about the setup, but after trying it, I can't tell a difference in a HD picture between this and HDMI straight from the satellite to the TV. Just a thought as this might help your sync issues.

I'm surprised how good a HD program with 5.1 sounds through the CS-700. It really enhances things like "Without a Trace" or "CSI", which I hadn't anticipated. Of course, the DVD's sound good, but I anticipated that. I use it more for background music than anything else and I really enjoy that. It carries well through a large area of the house.

Your description of the roomgroove use is exactly what I got it for. I actually would consider mounting the roomgroove close to the ceiling on the back porch if I was sure it wouldn't get wet and ruined. As it is, I place it on a high window sill and it broadcasts well to the back patio and yard. This last weekend, I hooked the ipod up to the CS-700 and streamed that out to the roomgroove on the back porch. My wife doesn't like what I was playing on the ipod and she was in the house, so I set the CS-700 to play Sirius from the Dish TV in the house. It was pretty cool playing one source in the house and one outside, all through the CS-700. Later when everyone came outside, I used the roomgroove remote to switch the roomgroove to the Sirius that was playing inside. Later, I had a hankering for classic rock as I cleaned the porch, so I hit the remote again and had FM radio through the roomgroove. It was pretty cool. The roomgroove sounds very good for a portable set of speakers.

Let me know if you have any more questions as I've already played around with it quite a bit.

Jon

PS. I can't get paragraphs to work either, unless I manually insert a paragraph command. If I don't, it all runs together. Maybe its an issue with Safari for Mac.