Some feedback on Klipsch/6ave (Klipsch authorized reseller) customer support.

[cognitive77]

I wanted to share my experience as a way to share some light on how
companies think they should treat customers. First, a little about my
personal behaviors as a customer/business owner. I’m a very level
headed person who always tries to understand the an entire situation
before passing judgement. I’m never the first to complain, but do feel
it is important to share feedback with business owners/companies so
that they can improve their processes/products (and I respect that from
my customers as a business owner).



My story begins with me noticing no low end frequencies coming from my
Klipsch RW10d home theater subwoofer last late November/early December.
I called in to Klipsch tech support and was provided with prompt tech
support over the phone. We tried replacing the subwoofer fuse, but that
didn’t’ resolve the issue. It was determined from Klipsch tech support,
that I’d have to send the subwoofer in for repair. I purchased the
subwoofer in July of 2008, and was told by Klipsch that this would be
covered under their warranty, as long as it was purchased from an
authorized reseller. The subwoofer was purchased from 6ave electronics (http://www.6ave.com),
who are an authorized reseller of Klipsch products. I contacted 6ave
electronics via email to inquire about how to go about sending my
subwoofer in for repair. You can see my full email correspondence below:



“Hello,



I purchased a Klipsch subwoofer on July 25th, 2008. The order was
placed through Amazon/6ave (Amazon order number 104-3502172-4497025) I
chose Klipsch after doing an extensive amount of research online. I'm
very particular and thorough when it comes to larger purchases like
this, and my wife and I enjoy our "theater" time with the setup I've
pieced together. The Klipsch surround sound has exceeded my every
expectation, to the point to where we don't frequent theaters much
anymore.



It was just recently that I noticed a lack of low bass coming from my
stereo. Upon checking out my Rw-10d sub, I noticed that the digital
display was not lit up. I removed the power cord from the multi outlet
strip and plugged it into a dedicated, separate outlet, but still it
wouldn't power up. I unplugged the power cord from the back of the sub
box, flipped the power switch from ON to OFF and back, to no avail.
I've owned many subwoofers in my life, whether they be car or home
audio, and have never had one fail on me (let alone fail just shy over
a year).



Any help would be greatly appreciated on this matter. With the weather
cooling down here in the Midwest, my theater is my one and only warm
retreat ”

And 6ave response below:



“Dear Chris,


Thank you for your email. As stated on
our website we have a 30 day return policy, so at this point we can not
return this item. If it was in the 30 day policy we would have gladly
returned this for you. We would have serviced it for you because we are
authorized by Klipsch but you exceeded that 1yr warranty also. You
would have to contact Klipsch at 800-554-7724. If you need further
assistance with 6 Ave Electronics please contact us at 1-877-684-2831,
Prompt 3. Sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused you. Thank
you.

Happy Holidays!

Sincerely,

Customer Service”



After contacting Klipsch again about the confusion, they instructed me
to contact 6ave via phone to inform them that it would indeed be
covered under warranty. After calling in to 6ave, they agreed that it
would indeed be covered and gave me specific instructions on how to
mail the subwoofer in. Those instructions involved: double box the
subwoofer, insure the subwoofer for shipping, pay for signature upon
receipt of subwoofer and that I can expect to receive the subwoofer
back 4-6 weeks after they have received the subwoofer. I drove 30
minutes to a local UPS shipping location and paid $164.96 to have the
subwoofer shipped (this was my only option after inquiring for box
options at my local USPS, UPS authorization center and a local business
that didn’t have clean boxes available). The tracking number verified
that the subwoofer was delivered on 12/7/2009. After waiting 6 weeks, I
sent an email to 6ave (and copied Klipsch onto that email) inquiring
about the repair status and/or when I’d could expect to receive the
subwoofer back. Below is my email to them:



“Hello,



I wanted to follow up on a subwoofer I had sent off for repair to 6ave.
I was told that the repair time would be 4-6 weeks. 6ave received the
Klipsch subwoofer on December 7th. The tracking number on the subwoofer
to 6ave was: 1z3412x34226705876. Would there be any way that I could
get an update on the status of it's repair?



Thanks”

6ave replied back, but didn’t bother to copy Klipsch on to their reply. Their correspondence is below:



“Dear Chris,
Thank you for your email. In regards to your
order, unfortunately I do not have any status of the repair for this
product. We received it on the 9th of January and was transferred to
the service center. I greatly apologize for the inconveneince you may
have experienced as well as the delay on your email response. Once the
item has been repaired it will be shipped out to you right away. Thank
you.

Sincerely,

CustomerService@6ave.com 877-684-2831”



Me being confused, I sent an email to clarify on the date that they had actually received the subwoofer.

“Just to clarify, did 6ave receive the subwoofer on January 9th or December 9th ?



Chris”



And 6ave’s response below:



“Dear Chris,
Thank you for your response. In regards to your
order, I greatly apologize for the misinformation. We received the unit
on December 9th. Thank you.

Sincerely,

CustomerService@6ave.com

877-684-2831”



6ave didn’t bother to send any of their replies to Klipsch. But seeing
as how Klipsch obviously values their products enough to warrant
authorizing resellers, I thought I’d forward these replies on to
Klipsch, but haven’t gotten a reply back from them.



Now, to me, it’s just a little irritating being told that “we have no
idea where your product is in regards to the repair process and we
can’t tell you when you’ll get it back”. My point being, that I wanted
to share my experiences with Klipsch and 6ave. Now don’t get me wrong,
I love my Klipsch products. I’ve got a full 5.1 HT surround sound and
an iPod Klipsch docking station. But maybe posting this elsewhere to
get exposure will give 6ave/Klipsch enough incentive to treat their
customers better.

[dtel's wife]

I fully understand your concern regarding the status of your repair. I would suggest that you contact Klipsch Tech Support by telephone....as they obviously assisted you with the warranty information and you were well satisfied with the result.

If the company is an authorized dealer I am sure Klipsch has procedures in place to handle situations like this. I realize you forwarded emails to Klipsch, however it is possible those emails did not reach the appropriate person/party.

Tech Support should be back in the office on Monday morning. Please let us know how you make out.

[Daddy Dee]

Cognitive,

I would suggest emailing Amy Unger, forum admin, and ask her to take a look at your post. She will want to help get things sorted out in good order.

[cognitive77]

Don't get me wrong though. I absolutely love my Klipsch products. It's just kinda aggravating being told "we have no idea where it's at or when you'll get it back.

[dtel's wife]

Cognitive77,

It's obvious you love your Klipsch products and we here on the forum want you to know Klipsch is one of the most customer oriented companies you will ever do business with.

Contacting Amy Unger is also an excellent idea....Amy is the Forum Administrator here and she will be unrelenting in getting answers to your questions. Find a post made by Amy, click on her avatar and send her a message.

We want you to continue enjoying your Klipsch products....so please feel free to let us know here on this thread if we can help you in any way.

Christy

[Daddy Dee]

Don't get me wrong though. I absolutely love my Klipsch products. It's just kinda aggravating being told "we have no idea where it's at or when you'll get it back.

I completely understand you aggravation. It would chap me, too, for sure.

I'm just suggesting that Amy is the person to contact for the best possible resolution, which is what you are hoping for, right?

6ave service is unacceptable, IMO. Definitely not up to par for a Klipsch authorized reseller. I don't think Klipsch will like that one bit, either.

[kelA]

While it is nice to have a paper trail, I would contact 6ave via phone and actually talk to the knuckleheads. I think this situation calls for some personal attention. It is too easy to tell a customer we have no idea where your product is or know when to expect it over emails. If I was talking to them live, I would never accept that answer. They may not have a timeframe for the fix, but they would have to know where the package is, afterall they requested you send it UPS with a tracking number and delivery confirmation. Good luck.

[Amy]

Hi Chris,

I did get your email, but was unfortunately (for me, mostly!) I was out yesterday with a nasty bout of stomach flu. I'm slowly getting back in the game, and will investigate your situation shortly.

Thank you for your patience!

[winchester21]

Sorry to hear about your problems. I own classic old stuff now but have purchased new Kilpsch products since 2000. Have switched between several systems. I can tell you that klipsch is the gold standard in customer service. Everybody has hicups bit I feel sure that they will resolve this. Ever had a Sony product break down??. Throw it in the trash and replace it-I am not a Sony hater- I have several Sony components- but getting them serviced would be a total nightmare. My point is that by comparison- Klipsch service is excellent. Hang in there- it will get fixed.

I have dealt with at least 5 klipscch dealers on new products- never a problem except for one who failed to honor a price quote a price quote.

Good luck with your repair- It will be well worth the wait.

[dtel's wife]

Most of us on this forum will tell you that we have never seen a company take care of its customers the way Klipsch does.

Klipsch is the reason I became involved with dtel's audio obsession....this forum, the customer service and the genuine "down to earth" attitude of the employees are just a few of the reasons I am such a huge fan of this company. All the way from the corporate office in Indianapolis to the factory in Hope, each employee takes pride in their job. The employees of Klipsch take their own personal time to ensure we are well taken care of....I have seen this on more than just a few occasions.

I know Amy has been under the weather the last few days....but I am confident your issue(s) will be resolved well beyond your expectations.

I mentioned earlier about having formed life long relationships with members of the forum....the same is true of our relationships with the employees we have come to know.

It's like a big family....sometimes slightly dysfunctional.....but always there for you when you need them.

[Daddy Dee]

cognitive,

Been checking back to see if you have an update.

How have things turned out so far?

[cognitive77]

Klipsch(Amy) was very prompt in addressing my concerns. Unfortunately, there's not much they can do but keep an eye on 6ave as being a reseller. After placing a call to 6ave, they gave me a timeframe of receiving my subwoofer in 3 weeks. Guess I'll mark the calendar and wait.

[Daddy Dee]

Hoping for a good result. Three weeks will tell the tale.

[Fish]

Wow,the perfect customer........you did everything right.Congrats...there is not near enough people that show that kind of decorum nowdays(other than here),my hat's off to you,good luck.

[russ69]

they gave me a timeframe of receiving my subwoofer in 3 weeks.

This is an excellent opportunity to try a Hsu sub, free trial period if not satisfied.

Thanx, Russ

[cognitive77]

I appreciate all the legitimate feedback from everyone here. Says something about us Klipsch owners

I've been on both the receiving and giving ends of customer service and I've seen some pretty crazy situations before. I handle each the same way by, IMO, giving everyone the benefit of the doubt.

Here's to hoping we get our sub back soon so I can watch all of those blu-rays I got for xmas!

[cognitive77]

Just a quick update to what's turning out to be a saga.

I called 6ave last week to follow on Tuesday or Wednesday. This would have been the 3 week timeframe they gave me. This 3 weeks was above the 4-6 weeks they had originally told me on the phone last December. I spoke with Rose, the manager, and was told that they were performing the repair and that is should be done "by the end of the week, if not sooner".

By my estimation, if it was to be done with the repair at the end of last week, it should have shipped last Saturday or Monday/Tuesday of this week. I guess I should expect it by the end of this week, beginning of next.

We'll see I guess.