buyer beware!

[eacmen]

I purchased the IFi system about a year ago. It worked great and sounded great. I thought it was a great product. About 4 months ago I was having problems (see: http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/thread/807267.aspx). And about a month later the speakers were completely unusable, I couldnt even use them through my PC.

I emailed Klipsch customer support, and initially they were very helpful. They were going to replace the control dock at no charge. I waited about a month, nothing arrived.

I sent an email asking what the status was, no reply.

I tried calling the parts department, waited on hold for 30 minutes - then left a voicemail which was also unanswered.

I emailed the customer service rep who originally helped me, no reply.

At this point I gave up for a few weeks because of the holidays.

I called back a few days ago, actually spoke to a person. He said he would call me back with an answer, he never called back.

Today, I called and spoke with a woman who was very rude and informed me that the part I needed (the control dock) is backordered for another 3 months. I wish I knew that 2 months ago!

Needless to say, I packed up the iFi brought it back to the retailer and pleaded for my money back. After I told them my story, they gladly took the item back.

Klipsch has a reputation for making some of the best speakers on the market. I think they bit off more than they can chew with this system. I was planning on buying the RVX-42 speaker system for my new flat panel, but after this experience that will never happen.

Respectfully,

Peter

[Jay481985]

where did you buy it? who was the woman that was rude to you, what was her name?

[eacmen]

The unit was purchased at Costco. I don't usually buy my AV gear there (usually just large amounts of food []), but I head alot of good things about the system so I had to try it. Costco was very nice, especially giving me a full refund after owning the unit for over a year.

I didn't catch the woman's name who was rude to me. But I wouldn't want to single out any one person in the Klipsch organization. If you look at my post, I believe that the problem with Klipsch customer support is a systemic issue - not localized to any one individual. Some comments that might be helpful:

1. Is anyone actually manning the parts department phone? I tried calling them several times, put my phone on speakerphone while I worked and I never got through.
2. It seems that once a customer service case is closed, communication back to the customer is not a priority. My initial dealings were great, with prompt email and phone replies. But once the request was sent to the parts store for what I needed, the customer service pretty much ended.
3. If you have the option of leaving a voicemail, someone should actually be checking them and responding (even if there is nothing they can say that the customer wants to hear). If I initially knew the part was going to take six months to arrive I might have been ok with it, but to have to jump through the hoops that I did just to find that information out annoyed me to a point where I did not even want to own the unit anymore.

I hope my post is not misunderstood. I think the iFi is a great product when it works. But when it doesn't work I would expect the customer service to reflect the quality that the Klipsch name represents. Maybe Klipsch should stick to what they do best, making great speakers. Since everything seems to work fine except for the "complex" electronics (the control dock).

Just my 2cents.

Respectfully,
Peter

[Amy]

I'm sorry about the trouble you've had, and if you were treated rudely. There is no excuse for that.

The docks unfortunately have been on backorder for too long. The vendor has been waiting on a component to build them, and we've been given conflicting information as to when they will be ready. I'll try to get a definite answer and post it here.

If anyone is having trouble and needs a replacement ASAP, we will be more than happy to exchange the entire unit as opposed to waiting on a part. Please request this when you are speaking with the returns department.

Again, I apologize.

[colterphoto1]

Thanks Amy, I was instructed by our Customer Service Manager for you to contact him directly at the number listed below. His name is Gerry Power. He is willing to help you in your predicament. You might mention that Amy has already responded. That's what I call teamwork. I only wish we'd responded better on the first round.

But we are here, we listen and we care.

Michael

[neo33]

Maybe I have been lucky but every Klipsch product I have ever own (old or new) has never give me any problem and seem to stand up to its name. I bought my original iFi at Costco and it has never been turned off. I have since bought two more systems when Costco lower the iFi price. I hope that this is not your last Klipsch purchase because they do make the "BEST" speakers in the world for the price.

[gmanathome]

NOW...that's costumer service, very proactive approach and follow up. Good to see that there are still people proud of their products and willing to make things right. Great Job Klipsch peeps!

[eacmen]

Amy, I have a pending order from your parts department for a new iPod
dock (order #PS15488). You can go ahead and cancel it. I wont be
needing the part since I returned the iFi to Costco. Looking on the
forums I was not the only one waiting for the dock to get replaced, so
I may as well let my part go to someone who needs it.

I never contacted Gerry. Although the forums are not "officially" for customer support, it is vastly superior to talking to someone on the phone. If I was given an extension to reach him at I may call, but I am not going to wait on hold just to ask to get transferred to someone else. I dont really see the point, since I dont even own the iFi anymore.

I did, however, buy a reference Cinema 8/10 hybrid system (2 rsx-5s and 2 rsx-4s with an rw-10d). The only reason I bought the system (other than the speakers sound awesome) is because of the way Amy and Michael responded. It showed me that there are actually people who care, although they may be hard to reach.

Thanks!

-peter

[Amy]

I'm sorry we've had so many issues with getting these docks in. I'll go ahead and cancel the order.

I am glad you decided to stick with us, though! Please feel free to email me directly if you have an future questions/problems.

Thanks,
Amy

[fbktoto]

I had the same problem with my iFi. It stopped working. Its like there is no power getting to the unit. What should I Do?

I'm very disapointed, since this was bought from Costco and I have always had confidence in products they sell. I know the quality of your company, but I'm wondering that's why the price was lowered at Costco.

Please let me know how can I solve this issue.

Thanks a lot!

[Amy]

Please call our tech support for troubleshooting help at 888-554-5665.

Thank you!