HELP Electrocompaniet stole Christmas

I still think that Father and Son should have alerted Ernie about what could happen in this situation. They should have said that they would be happy to help him but realize that if your unit is a grey market item that it is possible that you will not be able to have it done. It seems they were just trying to help but also to make a quick few dollars. I do not think that 1000 will be the price of a swap. It will be closer to the price of what he offered the DAC to you for or even more. Good luck!

Good morning.
I haven't much time to comment now as 8-12" of the powdery white stuff is about to fall on my 8 Subarus and I have to get to work....
Zaikesman: again, thank you for your incredibly-insightful, cogent synopses............
LjGj: guess I should contact Heinz. Per the comment that the mod started in the US (!), perhaps HE'S the source??! That'd sure make life easier...except the RT shipping to Florida....On your second point: F&S could NOT have been expected to apply due diligence re checking serial numbers as this whole transaction was a swiftly-arranged one on Christmas Eve. If they had landed the EMC-1 back at there shop in Idaho they would probably have checked the serial number before risking sending it cross-country to PA for a mod that would have been blocked by Alan! I cannot blame Mike for ANY of this unfortunate incident. And, again, I do not expect him to be a hero here. HE is the one who suggested that he needs a demo unit, and that this may be an opportunity to buy a used one at a discount ($1000?) and save the day for me at the same time. I appreciate his creative thinking and generosity. I am NOT applying any pressure here. It's just that this is the only solution presented so far that seems reasonably quick and serves multiple benefits. He has NOT called me back yet. Perhaps that's because relations with EC and/or its distributor have intervened...or mabe he's just in bed with the flu. I have no idea what's transpiring............ I have NOT contacted EC, as Mike asked me to hold off until a local solution could be had. So I'm in limbo right now. Perhaps the easiest thing would be to ask EC to read this thread? It'd be the quickest and most thorough method as I'm a two-fingered typist, and you've all said this better than I could......
SoS: I can't comment on each of yours now, but I repeat that NONE of the events I portrayed are ANY different from the truth! I don't know how Alan's version could be ANY different. I want to be clear about this. It is NOT a case of varying portrayals of actual events. To recap: I asked by email in Oct for a mod around Christmas direct in PA so as to avoid shipping risk, and because I knew of no dealer in New England. Alan agreed to perform the mod, and asked me to contact him after his return from a business trip. I confirmed our intent in December, noting that I would pay cash. He agreed to a drop-off Christmas week, and that he would need 1-2 days to perform the mod. I arrived in NJ and called him Christmas Eve to set a drop-off meeting time, and that I was bringing $500-550 cash. He said all was OK except that he would NOT undercut the list price of $800, and would only perform the mod for the full price unless it was purchased through an EC dealer. I was a bit stunned (but fully understood his wanting to not undercut his dealers), and we agreed that since the only dealer I had EVER talked with about this in the distant past was Fathers & Sons, that I would try to contact Mike and immediately purchase the mod through him on Christmas Eve. I found Mike and he sold me the mod at $650, and contacted Alan to verify, wherein I would pay Alan directly, and F&S would be credited their small profit. I called Alan to verify. All was set. Alan said it was OK to drop it even on Christmas Day, so the following morning I drove 2 hours through a storm from central NJ to Phila. Alan and I opened the unit's box in the back of my Outback, wherein he stated for the first time that he would not work on it if it had no serial number, as there had been some recent gray-market units from New York with scratched-out numbers. I stated that mine indeed HAS a serial number from earlier in 2001, but that I was not the original owner. He then took the EMC-1 from my car and brought it into his house, and said he'd call me back in NJ in two days. I drove back in this hellish storm to my sister's farm, then called him in 48 hours to arrange a pick-up either that Friday or Saturday. He THEN announced that the serial number of the unit indicated a Danish sale, and that he had emailed me at my sister's that fact LATER Christmas Day (after I'd returned to NJ). He repeated that he would not touch the unit, nor supply spare parts nor mods, and that I would have to share in the victimization of the gray-market! I was stunned, and drove back on Saturday to pick it up, tail between legs. I softly told Alan that I thought that he's made a bad business decision in this case because he never asked me for a serial number in the past, and he apologized for that. I asked if I should try to contact the Danish dealer or EC to get the boards swapped for newer (modded) ones, but he said that EC would probably not do that either, and that I should just sell my EMC-1 and buy a new one. Other visitors arrived at his house coincidentally, so I parted quietly rather than extend an awkward moment.
There you have it, again! I don't believe I've omitted any fact of consequence that SoS may be alluding to that Alan related to him.
Thank you all for your support, analysis, and thoughts toward finding a win-win here. Gotta go find the snow shovel and take more Tramadol....
Ernie

Well, until now, I have stayed out of this thread...

Alan Warshaw lives about 5 minutes from my home, in Wyndmoor, PA. Like me, he is just outside the Philadelphia city limits. Alan took over Hales in its final, fleeting moments. Unfortunately, Hales is no longer in business, but that is completely unrelated to Alan. I have no doubt that things were too far gone at that point. He is the US distributor for Electrocompaniet, and I believe myriad other products.

I have had the occasion to be on the other end of things with him, where he was the customer. I was only in that relationship a short time. I don't remember him ever being satisfied the first time, and I don't recall the words "please" or "thank you" being an integral part of his vocabulary. But, I do hold out the hope that there is good in all man, and I hold out hope that Alan will show it in this situation.

Like many in the high end, he was an eccentric fellow. While everyone has their good side, he left people with the impression of him being an snobbish, elitist person. Alan is definitely upper crust. He may not have the most refined "listening skills". I mean that as a person, not as an audiophile. The stubborness he is holding to in this case is not unexpected. I was not particularly fond of him, but again, my dealings with him were over the short term.

I hold the Electrocompaniet marque in the highest esteem. The product exhibits exceptional quality, both in sound and in build. In brief, it doesn't get any better than Electrocompaniet.

Technically, I am not sure who is doing the upgrade of the player, but I would have a difficult time imagining it would be him. He is not a hands on person, but seems more like a "sales/marketing" type. He is not the type to hook up a tv in his home, it takes him 3 or 4 tries to buy the right splitter for a cable. I cannot see him modifying a CD player. It is a crime to underestimate people, however, so I apologize.

Ernie, who we have all come to know and hold in the highest regard, is in a difficult situation. However, being that he has had Father & Son go to Alan on his behalf, I believe that Alan should cede this situation. This is become not a matter of business, but one of ego. At this point, with the current discussion going on here, Alan is doing nothing to earn himself potential business. Rather, he is damaging the future prospects of Electrocompaniet in the US. The market for high end audio is difficult enough right now. Factor in the mess of a distributor who does not make Electrocompaniet ownership a pleasure, and the company just may one day find itself in the same situation which developed for Jadis in North America. A superlative audio company who all but falls of the face of the map for reasons unrelated to the product.

Ernie, may I suggest that both you and Father & Son contact Electrocompaniet in regards to your situation? If I were Electrocompaniet, I would make sure that not only that the matter is put right, but that we did WHATEVER is took to erase the bad taste in your mouth. Maybe it's just me, but I would feel the need to bend over backwards to make a public display that Electrocompaniet customers and potential customers have nothing to worry about in terms of customer support.

Being local, if there is anything I can do for you Ernie, please do not hesitate to let me know. Be it legwork/pickup/dropoff/courier or whatever, it's no problem. I may have a weak mind, but I do have a strong back. If I can do anything to save you the long drive, it would be a pleasure.

GOOD LUCK!

Subaruguru: I recommend keeping the CDP in question but looking elsewhere for the mod.
It is beginning to look like it will end up costng you more time and money than you are comfortable with.
I feel for you and I can only offer the following.

Heinz Preiss..he is a well known EC mod. tech. who does out of warranty mods only.
I have heard nothing but stallar comments about him and I think its worth a phone call at least.

Heinz Preiss
9308 34th Ct.E
Parrish,Fl.
914-776-9158
audius@access4less.net
Good luck to you Suburuguru.

It seems that Electrocompaniet’s “grey market” problem is bigger than I thought initially, when I first starting reading the thread. My humble opinion is that, somehow, the U.S. distributor has to help the customers who, without knowing they were “grey market” units, bought them. At the same time, the U.S. distributor has to protect its business. What about charging $500-$700 to “clear” the “grey market” units? I am not talking here about re-instating the original warranty, but at least to allow the owners of those units to service them for a fee if they broke down or upgrade them it they desire to. I think that this will be a fair solution to anybody involved. Pablo