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Magnepan Service HORRIBLE???

I am now into my 5th week waiting for Magnepan to evaluate shipping damage to a pair of MG 3.7's. My wife and I paid Craters and Freighters to build a custom wood crate for them so they would not be damaged further by the trip from Richmond to Minnesota.

I know everyone will say they are a small company and I need to be patient but this is ridiculous to my mind. I have called 5-6 times and the seller has also called. The last time I called Shelia acted like she had never spoken to me before despite the previous phone conversations.

I know the MG 3.7's are supposed to be sensational speakers and I bought my first pair of Magnepans in 1975 but I am seriously considering flipping these if Magnepan ever inspects and repairs them. The aggravation simply is not worth it to me.

A month and I can not even get anyone at Magnepan to open the crate, inspect them, and give me a damage estimate to provide to FedEx who is ready to pay the claim. Unfortunately, they can't pay until Magnepan provides an estimate of the damage and then I have to wait for the actual repair.

I never thought I would feel this way about Magnepan but this current situation has changed my mind to a huge extent. This is just ridiculous the way I see it and I can see no good excuse for it.
etmerritt33
steveaudio
331 posts
 
*Erikt--This is like a soap opera - must....resist....watching....but can't :-)*

I can't believe I'm still reading this, let alone responding again. But "it is like a soap opera"; I keep tuning in for the next episode.

Among all the things I don't understand about this train wreck, is WHY anyone buying used, out of warranty, gear from a very small, esoteric mfg., would "assume" that the co. would have some prompt repair operation. It's just not realistic. Buying huge, hard to ship gear just compounds the problem.
wolf_garcia
6,734 posts
 
I just realized I do have an axe to grind, but it's an actual axe and bench grinder so I'm not sure it even matters to this thread. That said, a relevant point I can make illustrates the fact that a "lean organization" has even more incentive to not be marketing oblivious as the leanness could lead to no businessness. In a hurry. I started a small company many years ago that competed with huge players in the same (financial services) market...we were insanely successful because we did a better job at everything the big boys did...most importantly service. The excuse of vacations (!) or "smallness of workforce" combined with the inability to simply respond to any customer with a beef is a harbinger of disaster, especially when Magnapan is magna-panned in public.
whart's avatar
whart
3,064 posts
 
Wolf- I gotta say, apart from the substance of your post (which i tend to agree with), you are pretty funny.
mrschret
52 posts
 
As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I will be visiting Magnepan Thursday 8/9/12. Per their website instructions, my family will be taking a tour and then hopefully audtioning the 20,7's. There is a good chance that my tour guide will be Wendell. I'm very tempted to ask him what he knows about all this. I have to think it's simply that they do things one way and that way is very slowly. When you buy new, they don't hide the fact that you will wait. You are told right up front that the wait time is long. Your not told two weeks just to make you feel good. Your told two months or longer. As a result your getting a finely crafted piece of equipment that has absolutely no rivals anywhere near it's price point and many multiple price points beyond. This company has been doing business this way since 1969 and obviously has been extremely successful. Considering the 100s of thousand of speakers they've sold I don't think they're too concerned with this. When they're ready they'll get to it. If you don't like it then go someplace else. Once again, their website tells you that they have plenty of business and are not in a hurry for anymore.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,464 posts
 
My recollection of Magnepan service when I called upon it a number of years back (in the relatively prosperus 90's) was it was reliable built not necessarily fast even back then.

Home audio is a luxury, not a necessity so FBOFW my experience is that most vendors are not well equipped for fast/immediate turnaround with service requests.

The best ones though will always provide reliable communications including estimates in a timely manner. But even then, if you are anxious to get things through as quickly as possible, you have to take the lead in communicating clearly and regularly as needed. And an estimate is just that, an estimate and is always subject to change.

I expect most any service event where I must ship out my gear to last weeks. That's why I always try to keep decent spare gear around to hold the fort when something in my starting lineup is on the disabled list. If you want to play a game, it always helps to have a strong bench.
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