Poor customer service at Klipsch

[colterphoto1]

I rue the day that Klipsch outsources it's customer service. Nothing like calling in there and hearing a voice with a nice southern drawl. Make you feel at home.

[Lostinozz]

Hmmm, now let me get this straight....out of warranty..i.e, they are no longer responsible for problems that occur...they gave you a new one for a palty $60.00....OK, they should have contacted you but other than that I'd say you came out smelling like a rose.

Isn't it nice to have a place to voice your problems and actually get a reply!

[Espguitars]

Its really not that simple. I know and understand that it was out of warranty and so forth that was not my worry at. But when I was I would have it back in 30 days then the 30 days turns into 60 and so on thats not cool at all. If I didnt call in to check the status out of the item I wouldnt have a single clue as to what and where and so on was even going on. It may be out of warranty to you still should always stand behind your product no matter what, I mean this could of potentially turned me off to going with Klipsch ever again. And from what I have seen on here Im not the first person to have complaints about poor customer service here.

[Guest BobG]

My job at Klipsch includes a Customer Service role and messages such as this are important to me. Both sides of this thread are valuable; Espguitar's complaint and the very nice support shown by others here defending Klipsch for our intentions.

I've worked in audio sales for over 30 years (yeah I know, I'm old as dirt) and in that time I've learned that customer service is simple, but frequently not easy. People mostly just want to be sure that somebody is listening and working to help them solve their problems. When they are ignored, treated badly or otherwise unsure their needs will be addressed; they are unhappy. It's that simple.

Many times the solution to a given problem is challenging and that happens to be the case here. Due to circumstances beyond our control (and I know that sounds like a copout) we don't have the part to supply to Espguitars in a timely fashion. That's not acceptable to us or to our customers and our customers have every reason to be unhappy and to let us know their displeasure. Them's the rules. If a company cannot play by those rules, they won't be in the game very long.

In this case, we compounded the problem through a lack of communication. Yeah, it's hard for us to stay in touch with everybody who needs to hear from us, but again, them's the rules. So I apologize on behalf of Klipsch for failing you Espguitars. I know that doesn't get you your sub any quicker but it does let you know where our heart is.

I treat every mess-up as a learning opportunity and I will certainly be clear with our Customer Service group as to our failure in this instance. I also do welcome constructive criticism and additional opportunities to help our customers solve their problems.

[jacksonbart]

There is an important question looming over this thread that no one has answered, which is 'how old is dirt?'

[oldbuckster]

There is an important question looming over this thread that no one has answered, which is 'how old is dirt?'

58.?????????

[Guest " "]

""The real question is how much more money is the consumer willing to spend on better customer service?"""

service plan?

[PhilMays]

There is an important question looming over this thread that no one has answered, which is 'how old is dirt?'

58.?????????

Yes OB..Yes...That is the correct answer!!!!

[Lostinozz]

There is an important question looming over this thread that no one has answered, which is 'how old is dirt?'

58.?????????

My wife thinks I'm dirt now. I'll have to tell her she's got 6 more years before she's right.[]

[johnyholiday]

My job at Klipsch includes a Customer Service

role and messages such as this are important to me. Both sides of

this thread are valuable; Espguitar's complaint and the very nice

support shown by others here defending Klipsch for our

intentions.

I've worked in audio sales for over 30 years (yeah I know, I'm old

as dirt) and in that time I've learned that customer service is simple,

but frequently not easy. People mostly just want to be sure that

somebody is listening and working to help them solve their

problems. When they are ignored, treated badly or otherwise

unsure their needs will be addressed; they are unhappy. It's that

simple.

Many times the solution to a given problem is challenging and that

happens to be the case here. Due to circumstances beyond our

control (and I know that sounds like a copout) we don't have the part

to supply to Espguitars in a timely fashion. That's not

acceptable to us or to our customers and our customers have every

reason to be unhappy and to let us know their displeasure. Them's

the rules. If a company cannot play by those rules, they won't be

in the game very long.

In this case, we compounded the problem through a lack of

communication. Yeah, it's hard for us to stay in touch with

everybody who needs to hear from us, but again, them's the rules.

So I apologize on behalf of Klipsch for failing you Espguitars. I

know that doesn't get you your sub any quicker but it does let you know

where our heart is.

I treat every mess-up as a learning opportunity and I will certainly

be clear with our Customer Service group as to our failure in this

instance. I also do welcome constructive criticism and additional

opportunities to help our customers solve their problems.

johny

has a picture in his head, of bench techs working away on these gizmo,

at headquarters,but what is the chain of repair?,just

wondering.......,sorry about your stuff breaken ESP ,it's good to have

backup equipment , an if the Klipsch takes care of the little stuff,

it's good to get the backup equipment an new equipment from them

also {johny breaks alot of equipment}

[Marvel]

There is an important question looming over this thread that no one has answered, which is 'how old is dirt?'

58.?????????

Yes OB..Yes...That is the correct answer!!!!

Only because you aren't that old yet. []

[garyrc]

Every company makes at least a few mistakes ... with Klipsch I get the impression that those mistakes are rare flukes.

I have always had excellent customer service and technical service from Klipsch -- and one spectacular piece of good will from JBL.

Klipsch replaced an entire Belle when I discovered that the first one had been damaged in shipping. Like all Belles, it had to be constructed on special order, and it arrived in a few weeks. The tweeter and mid drivers had new serial numbers (didn't look at the woofer), and the enclosure was brand new.

There were honest options, completely without sales pitch, from Trey on whether to replace just one, or two, K-Horn tweeters when I blew one up in 2001 (music didn't blow it; it was a stupid mistake on my part -- forgetting where the volume was set on a test tone). Fast shipping, too!

There were detailed instructions, with many helpful hints from Steve Phillips -- three emails -- on installing the AK-4 upgrades in my K-Horns recently.

Many years ago, there was a very long telephone conversation with Roy Delgado, when I was deciding on rear channels (then ambiance only with a Lexicon), and considering EQ ("Mr. K doesn't like equalizers").

And now, we have two Klipsch representatives actually inviting feedback about customer service on the forum ... including Amy readily agreeing that there should have been better communication regarding the complaint that started this thread.

Finally, there was PWK writing personal letters to customers from time to time, including the one urging a consumer to make a donation to charity, rather than buying a minor upgrade.

Now, for JBL. About 1969, I was installing one of their 075 ring radiator tweeters over a movie screen when I dropped it, and it went crashing against the concrete floor far below. The orange juice squeezer-like horn had its center point pushed in and the ring / voice coil assembly was thrown out of alignment. Naturally, their warranty did not cover damage by customers, so they predicted they would have to replace the assembly for a $16 fee (about $65, in today's dollars?). They said they would bill me. I sent off the tweeter, and about a week later, a box arrived, UPS Air, at my door. "That was quick," I thought. In the box there was a note, which I framed and displayed for a few years: "Your tweeter would have been a pain in the *** to repair, so have a new one, with a new warranty, on us."

[Tom Mobley]

however old dirt is, it's less than 53, 'cause that's how old I am and I'm older than dirt.

[cmdridq]

ESP, your point is well-taken. However, I would venture to guess that Klipsch is probably is giving you better service than most other similar companies. Not that that excuses what happened, but you have to shuffle in a little bit of reality too.

[Zen Traveler]

...Finally, there was PWK writing personal letters to customers from time to time, including the one urging a consumer to make a donation to charity, rather than buying a minor upgrade...

Garyrc,

Those were great antidotes and I can see why you are so fond of Klipsch. That being said, if I was writing to a speaker company about a possible upgrade, I would be somewhat bemused by the president of the company suggesting to me what I should do with my money. [] Of course if he sent me a free part that I did not deserve that would be another story. [] Thanks for sharing.

[garyrc]

tkdamerica:

There are 1,000 stories in the naked city...

... and, in the old Rolling Stone article [I Have Been to the City of Hope, And My Ears Are Open Wide] there is a story of a nearly naked PWK, sweating it out in a deliberately over heated room, probing his calculator with instruments to try to find out why the calculator manufacturer cautioned that it would not work well in very hot weather. The man was one of those delightfully eccentric originals.

Just for clarity:

As I remember, the reason PWK gave for suggesting the consumer not get the upgrade, was that the upgrade was only a little newer in design than his Khorns... I think it was implied that, on the average, people might be better off waiting for more than one upgrade, before going to the trouble and expense of installing new parts. When I find the book that reproduced PWK's letter, I'll let you know if I remembered incorrectly.

I waited 24 years to upgrade my Klipschorns!

[Daddy Dee]

ESPGuitars,

Welcome to the forum.

Your post and the responses indicate a few things about Klipsch. First, of course, communication as to status and resolution of your problem fell through the cracks. After bringing this issue to the attention of Klipsch in their public forum, you have been personally addressed by two Klipsch folks with an apology and personal explanation of customer service purpose and goals.

On top of that, you get a new sub for $60 plus your cost of shipping on an out of warranty unit. On balance, sounds pretty good, and IMO, rare in the industry.

Hope you can hang around the forum.

[Zen Traveler]

... The man was one of those delightfully eccentric originals.

From everything I have learned about Mr. Klipsch he was a fascinating individual. I read his biography but couldn't help but think that it was sanitized. I personally would like to read the unauthorized biography. []

[dmethe3]

I had a similar experience with Klipsch when I had a repair.Klipsch is an excellant company,but, nobody calls the customer to update the progress.As a service manager, this is what gets people angry.It is not how long it takes or cost, but the consumer feels it is the responsibility of the servicing company to follow up with the customer.If this is done, there are usually no complaints about the service. Other than that, it sounds like the actual service was great!

[Espguitars]

Hey thanks for your input. I would also like to thank everyone that helped me along with this issue.