Best and Worst customer service?

Abstract7 - I do not "feel cheated" as a result of ML's drop shipping policy. I WAS CHEATED by Martin Logan's failure to pay for a $350 shipping charge Martin Logan promised it would pay if I agreed to reinstate my order for ML speakers. Martin Logan's failure to honor its commitment to pay this charge not only constitutes "poor customer service," it is unlawful.

In January I sent Gayle Sanders, President of Martin Logan, a cordial letter explaining the situation and asking him to honor ML's promise to pay the $350 shipping charge. Mr. Sanders has taken no action to correct ML's error; in fact, he has not even bothered to respond to my letter. Is this any way to treat a customer who has bought 2 pairs of ML speakers? I would be glad to email you a copy of my letter to Mr. Sanders (or maybe I'll post it here). If you read my letter, I think you'll see that I have been treated very unfairly by Martin Logan. I think you'll also see that, despite how poorly I've been treated, I have remained reasonable. I will also gladly fax you my original order cancellation letter and the correspondence from Mr. Chern (ML's Sales Manager) stating that ML would pay the shipping charge.

In response to some of your other remarks, Abstract7, it is worth noting that my dealer is the one who -- after ML had delayed shipping of the speakers I ordered -- suggested that I ask ML to drop ship to me to avoid further delays. This wasan't an attempt to do "mail order" as you suggest.

In any case, your post seems to be an attempt to discredit my experience and justify ML's conduct. I have no doubt ML treats some of its customers fairly, and I'm glad you were one of these. However, my experience with Martin Logan is ALL negative. Your limited experience cannot undo this, nor does it justify or excuse the shameful way I have been treated by Martin Logan. Don

Djjd, I'm not trying to discredit you. It's clear you had a very bad experience. My comment about mail order is to protect the dealer in your new location--not the one that you are doing business with--that's why they wouldn't drop ship to you. I really do understand your point and frustration, but I also understand MLs policy and why they do what they do. As to the $350 charge--if they said they would pay it, and you have documentation that backs that up (when and who you spoke to that promised to pay the $350 shipping charge)--then keep calling them and write them--but I'm not sure it's Gayle Sanders that will deal with a shipping charge. I would also advise that you get your dealer involved in helping you resolve this. They buy a lot more than 2 pairs of speakers from ML and have a lot more clout--and if they are a good dealer they should support you on this.

As I stated in the previous post my dealings with ML have been excellent. In no way do I want to discredit what has happened to you. That's why we have these forums--so we can see the variation in what has happened--but I did want to share my positive experience and my experience in distribution and drop shipping (in an entirely different field) and let others know there are some serious business issues surrounding that. I do hope ML makes good on any promises to you.

Thanks for the advice and understanding Abstract7. As I mentioned in a previous post, I think it is important for people to post positive and negative experiences; only by considering a large sample of different experiences can one get a sense of whether or not a company is likely to treat its customers fairly. For this reason, your post is valuable too.

I did carefully consider asking my dealer to help address Martin Logan's failure to pay the shipping cost it promised to pay. However, I decided not to bring my dealer into this matter for 3 reasons: (1) my dealer was not responsible for the shipping delay that led me to cancel my order, (2) my dealer had no knowledge of ML's commitment to pay the shipping charge in exchange for my agreement to reinstate my order, and (3) it would be wrong to burden my dealer (with whom I've done business since the mid 70's) with a problem that ML is solely responsible for creating and resolving. I'll also add that after my speakers were delivered and I inquired with Martin Logan about its failure to reimburse me for the shipping charge, ML told me to see if I could get the dealer to pay the $350 shipping charge. So not only did ML not value me as a customer, ML apparently didn't really care about pissing off its dealer either.

As for ML's policy on the drop shipping issue, I think it is important to keep in mind direct/drop "shipping" to a customer is not the same as direct "selling" to customers. If a dealer suggests direct shipping, what possible harm could that cause? It's not like the manufacturer is competing with any other dealer by shipping to a customer after one dealer secures a sale from the customer. As I explained in a post above, other companies have drop shipped their gear to me (at their suggestion, not mine), so ML's unspoken policy on the "drop shipping" issue is by no means an industry norm. Also, my situation was highly unusual, and my ML dealer was the one who suggested the drop shipping option to prevent further delay. When companies like Martin Logan adhere to inflexible rules to the point where they can can no longer take into account such unusual circumstances, they lose contact with the customers.

In any case, my complaint isn't about Martin Logan's drop shipping policy (which I still think is silly and wasteful). My complaint is with Martin Logan's failure to honor its promise. I have now had to retain a lawyer to file suit against Martin Logan to recover the $350 shipping charge ML promised to pay. I'll leave my dealer out of it and focus on those responsible. Don

Well I must comment on the recent service I got on Martin Logans. My previous post did voice my negative opinion on how I was treated by ML. Recently I called the company and must say I was treated very well and the customer service rep was exceptional. I guess some days are better than others and this time I was very satisfied with the service.

After e-mail Sony 3 times--asking the same question, with responses from Sony, but none of which answered the question this is what I finally got from them: (my last question to them is at the bottom of the post)

Thank you for contacting SONY.

You have reached the SONY Customer Information Services Center. We are responsible for providing technical support for SONY audio and video equipment. The information you request is beyond the scope of what we are able to provide.

Thank you for the opportunity to be of assistance.

The SONY Internet Group
Customer Information Services Center
CU55

Original Message Follows:
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Okay, according to the instruction manual it will play VCD, but there are a variety of formats within the VCD realm. There is the basic VCD format,which is pretty horrible and I seriously doubt that with the power of the Sony 9000ES it would be limited to that. There are XVCD formats which are
VCD formats with a higher bit rate, but still MPEG1 encoding. There are SVCD formats which are very high bit rate--up to DVD rates and use MPEG2 encoding. However, in order for a system to recognize a disc appropriately the format, bit rate, and frame size must be encoded properly (including the correct audio bit rate). I have software that is nearly infinitely flexible--but that leads to my original 2nd question:

"2. I need specific formats (including the combinations that will play back, resolution, bit rate, audio bit rate, are all important). I'm trying to make the best quality possible."

You still haven't even attempted to answer my first question which is what brand of CD-R and CD-RW will play in the Sony:

"1. I need specific brands of CD-R and CD-RW that work with the 9000ES."

I have tried CompUSA (CD-R), Samsung(CD-R and CD-RW), and Memorex (CD-R and CD-RW). None of these worked. The Sony did recognize the Memorex CD-RW and the number of tracks--but could not play it. On the other hand, I'm having
very good luck with my Pioneer players at playing all of these media brands (but my Pioneer players are very limited in terms of VCD formats--they only play the basic VCD format--which is why I am desperately trying to get this
to work on the Sony).

Lastly, it might interest you that Sony's reputation for customer service is among the worst in all of the audio and video forums. I hope that this time you will read these questions completely and answer them completely. I
would think that a relatively high end DVD player (with superb video performance I might add) would deserve a little better customer service.