Progress at londondecca.com
There have been two hopeful changes at londondecca.com - there is a "Coming Soon" link which promises an online store, and there is the ability to create an account for online shopping. I did so and received a welcome e-mail from Stewart Suda (I have e-mailed back and forth with a Stewart who seemed to be in charge). So I looked him up, and turns out he is the owner of Rogers Music Systems, which is the agent for Rogers speakers in the USA, based in Green Bay, WI.
So Decca is probably now an American enterprise, though repairs are, I assume, still based in the UK It has been Neil Marshall in Exeter). The online shop might indicate that new cartridges will soon be sold (he had told me he hoped for August 2024, but evidently that has slipped). I wonder if they will be made in the UK or the USA?
I’m hoping there will soon be a new generation of Decca enthusiasts!
Chris
I have to send others to the USA, so it makes no difference to me. As to why repairs are in the UK, either it is because the majority of Decca owners are there, or maybe Neil could have been trained by John Wright, and could easily take over his equipment, whereas an American tech might not be able to do either so easily. It will be curious to see what they are to cost now, and whether there will be an "improved" version as suggested when londondecca.com first came online. |
@lewm Every time I've sent Decca to JW, the package was delayed by customs and VAT applied + £13 fee. |
Dunno what's up. No VAT involved (perhaps because the Koetsu is not made in the UK in the first place, whereas the Decca is made in UK), and if UK or US customs examined the package, I don't know about it, and there was obviously no hold up associated with customs, because ESR informed me when the cartridge was on the way back (probably via DHL, but I don't remember), and sure enough it arrived 2-3 days later. |
Customs can, technically, charge tax and the value of the repair/service conducted abroad. I once sent a pair of Olympus OM-2n cameras to the best tech there is in the USA (John Hermanson), and got charged on their return, not for the value of the cameras, but their increased value by virtue of the CLA they had undergone. But, @noromance , there can be no reason to charge VAT on entry to the country, and I assume that's what you mean since it is in sterling. |
@dogberry The UK charges VAT on goods into the country. Otherwise, it’s contaband. In my case, they didn’t care that the cartridge was to be in the country temporarily for repair. Same thing happened when I sent a 401 to AudioGrail, the SOBs charged me over £200. The point being, repairs into the UK can be delayed and further costs added. |
