Forte III arrived damaged, WWYD

[Sam S.]

Ok - so I was able to get in on a recent sale on the forte iii's. Received them today, boxes looked just fine but when I opened em up, one was roughed up pretty good. The other thing is that I noticed some discoloration in the stain that looks to me like it would have had to have left the factory that way -- doesn't look like shipping dent, or ding. Maybe not. At any rate, contacted the retailer, and they say they no longer have Forte iii in Cherry, so I can either return both, or they will contact me after review of the pics for a discount if I keep both. Here's the two part question --- (1) Has anyone ever had shipping damage like this, and should I even consider keeping them, even with a discount. If so, what would be reasonable? I  realize that's a difficult question. Worried of course about something else being outta whack, but they sound great. (2) I've done quite a bit of woodworking, but my guess is trying to fill or sand out, then stain these dents and dings would likely make them look even worse. (assuming the discount was substantial) Anyone tried any such repairs, or should I just do a straight return of both of them and start over. I can't afford these at the normal retail price - so it'd likely be wait and watch again. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I listened to these briefly tonight, and I have to say I'd definitely like to keep a set of these --- just worried about the damage.

[MEH Synergy]

Return unless you plan to keep forever.  I woild be concerned about the severe decline in resale value should you ever decide to upgrade or downsize... They can special order another pair.   Otherwise that would need to be a DEEP discount.  Just my 2 cents. 

[DizRotus]

+1 

[rebuy]

If it was very slight damage it might be OK but that is Not.

That is Major Damage and these are defective in workmanship

which warrants a return.

 

[Deano1974]

Return them, if not you will constantly keep staring at the damage and never be content

Thats a major dent and you paid top dollar for pristine which is how they should have arrived and havent

Contact the supplier and get it sorted

Good luck [emoji4]

Sent from my LG-H990 using Tapatalk

[Kevin S]

Reurn, return, return.

[ricktate]

Were they authorized dealer ??? If they were make them send you a new one contact Klipsch. If not return both then buy from Cory...simple.

[Schu]

Return them is the first and foremost option, if you can't or are not willing to, then that one speaker with the damage should probably be reduced to about 25% of your original cost.

 

FWIW, all my speakers have damages similar to (and more) to yours. It's never bothered me and have lived with such damages for a couple years because performance hasn't been affected. HOWEVER, I am replacing my mains with what are hopefully UNDAMAGED goods soon.

[CECAA850]

No way I'd keep them even with a deep discount.  Free????? Sure but I wouldn't pay for damaged brand new speakers.

[muel]

Wow!  I'd be staring at that damage all the time.  That damage doesn't just look merely cosmetic at that top corner... appears there might even be some structural.

 

[ODS123]

Remember that these are matched pairs so just replacing the one speaker wouldn’t do.

 

I had to send back my first two pairs of Cornwall‘s because of issues. Part of the problem is that Klipsch does not do a very good job of packaging their Heritage speakers. The cardboard is too thin and there is two little protective foam around the speakers.  

[Guest wdecho]

You would be taking a severe chance of sanding out any imperfections. The veneer used these days is super thin and it does not take much to sand through. Some glue and clamp will bring the edge back together and you could try some stain to lessen the appearance blemish. The ding is another matter. One method that might help some is a damp cloth and iron will sometime restore it to some degree. I would be very upset buying new speakers looking like that and returning is probably the right thing to do unless you can live with the imperfections vs the price paid. 

[Sam S.]

Thanks for all the replies and second opinions. All the input is highly valued and I'm glad I posted to ask for feedback! Yes, authorized dealer as far as I know (as others have posted here). I've wanted Forte iii's since they first came out, but couldn't afford the price tag, so I got in on the recent Adorama $900 each deal. I did contact them, sent pictures, and they've been helpful so far, but apparently don't have Cherry in stock to send as a replacement. I'll see what happens in the next few days. Thanks for all the suggestions.

 

And yes, I would be obsessed with the imperfections.

[CECAA850]

2 minutes ago, Sam S. said:

 

And yes, I would be obsessed with the imperfections.

You answered your own question then.

[Shakeydeal]

I guess I don't understand. If they are really an authorized dealer, they should have a pair drop shipped to you from Hope. Sounds fishy.

 

Shakey

[Sam S.]

Shakey---I read on the forum from other members that they are an authorized dealer. Teaman in a recent thread -- I didn't investigate further. I've so far had one conversation with them, and e-mailed the pictures. I haven't heard back yet, but wanted advice on the damage from other forum members in the meantime. Yes, I agree, it seems pretty simple to ship replacements, but the person I talked to on the phone said they were no longer available from them. Maybe because of the price. I dunno. I wonder if others that got in on this deal have had any problems with damage, or if any have arrived yet.

[jimjimbo]

Do you have photos of the boxes they arrived in?  Are the boxes damaged in the same place as the speakers?

[MEH Synergy]

"Received them today, boxes looked just fine but when I opened em up, one was roughed up pretty good." 

[Sam S.]

Yes, I have the boxes, but no photos at the moment. I inspected them, and I did not see any damage, other than maybe a slight scratch or two in the cardboard in a few places, but not all the way thru.

[jimjimbo]

6 minutes ago, Sam S. said:

Yes, I have the boxes, but no photos at the moment. I inspected them, and I did not see any damage, other than maybe a slight scratch or two in the cardboard in a few places, but not all the way thru.

OK, so my question is this....how does a speaker attain that much significant damage, and yet the box is relatively damage free, and certainly not punctured all the way through the packaging?  

 This would make me quite suspicious of the original condition of the speakers from Adorama....