unprofessional customer service

[skally]

Hummmmm...??? It "may be" a legit deal (...maybe that is) but I do find it kinda odd the OP has not re-posted back after his 1st post.

[Daddy Dee]

This thread is a credit to the good will of forum members toward newcomers with a complaint. Also a credit to the overall quality of Klipsch customer support, to which the forum members bear witness.

[moray james]

Amen put it to bed. Last time I called Klipsch was because I wanted to buy some dust caps to replace one which I damaged. They wanted to send me a new woofer. No way man that's just too much. Klipsch has my respect for a reason. Paul watches over from above. Thanks. Best regards Moray James.

[DizRotus]

In my opinion and experience, the people at Klipsch do a much better than average job of providing customer service. Unfortunately, one person's standard of good customer service is not the same as the next person's.

With any customer service department, your experience can vary depending on the individual responding or upon how the individual is feeling that day. We're all humans subject to varying emotions.

For example, in response to a civil (in my opinion) private message to a Klipsch executive (who shall remain anonymous), I received a reply that began exactly as follows.

"the truth is I could care less about your point of view."

No greeting. No thanks for taking the time to contact Klipsch. No polite disagreement. The reply literally launched as quoted, without capitalization and containing the often incorrectly phrased derogatory cliche.

Clearly, the author intended to convey that he/she could NOT care less about my point of view. While the author failed to use the correct expression to indicate that his/her "care" level about my point of view was so low it could not be any lower, the lengthy and poorly written reply made that sentiment painfully clear. I'll certainly think twice before again sharing an opinion with that individual.

To be fair, the Klipsch representative's official job responsibility is not in public relations. Nevertheless, the response was, in my opinion, inappropriate and rude and reflects poorly on Klipsch. I suspect the author was having a bad day.

The experience reminds me of two practices attributed to Abraham Lincoln (both apocryphal).

Lincoln is said to have apologized for writing a long letter, offering as an excuse that he didn't have time to send a short letter. It takes much longer to thoughtfully compose a polite and diplomatic response to a point of view with which you disagree than to spew a lengthy tirade of negativity.

Lincoln is also said to have written critical letters to his woefully inneffective Generals. Rather than send the letters immediately, he would reflect over night and then edit them substantially or not send them at all.

That was a time without instant communication. The present immediacy of communication with a customer service department on the phone, through online live chat, email, etc. makes it easier to offend, harder to be diplomatic.

Don't forget, PWK was an engineer, not a PR person. Although fundamentally fair, he could be perceived as somewhat rough around the edges. The infamous yellow buttons would have been a PR person's nightmare.

If the OP was serious that he would divest himself/herself of Klipsch due to poor customer service, that is a naive response. If Klipsch provides the best sound within a budget, it would be foolish to replace it with another product, based soley on customer service. Does the OP think he/she can punish Klipsch?

I know of no other company that sponsors a public forum like this one. Even with its faults, Klipsch remains an exemplary company in all respects.

[garyrc]

Don't forget, PWK was an engineer, not a PR person. Although fundamentally fair, he could be percieved as somewhat rough around the edges. The infamous yellow buttons would have been a PR person's nighmare.

Yes, he was rough around the edges, but this was often perceived as a breath of fresh air, at least by me. The two Klipsch dealers I knew (in the '60s & '70s) found him to be quite entertaining. He was open to hearing their points of view, even when they were counter to his (each dealer described one such conversation). His letters to Klipsch owners were legendary. One example: Some one asked if replacing the components in his nearly new Klipschorns with the brand new Klipsch upgrade would be a good idea. PWK advised waiting for at least the next upgrade, and suggeted that the customer select a charity and give the money to them instead. Now, that's PR, but I read it as honest PR.