HELP Electrocompaniet stole Christmas


What a mess:
After finally deciding that spending money on the latest EMC-1 parts mod, I contacted Electrocompaniet's distributor back in October to arrange to bring my EMC-1 MkII to him directly in PA so as to avoid RT shipping risks and expense for this 50 pounder. All was set for a Christmas week mod, as I was to be in NJ visiting my relatives that last week.
I called on Christmas eve to arrange a drop-off time, and was told that Christmas Day noon would be fine, but that I had to arrange the deal through a dealer! Yikes! So I remembered Fathers & Sons and called them, arranging for the paperwork and profit to be credited through/to them. Fine. So I drove 2 hours through a nasty winter storm to arrive at Warshaw's house, where he said he'd NOT perform the mod if my EMC-1 didn't have a serial number on it, as there was a grey-market guy in New York who sold a few of these this year. I assured him that mine indeed had a serial number, was produced in spring '01, and bought used by me in summer '01. He said OK, and lugged the player into his house, saying he'd call me in a couple of days to pick it up. Great!..............
I returned to NJ and watched the storm intensify....
Two days later I called to arrange a pick-up hour, and Alan told me that he did NOT perform the mod because the player had been originally sold by a Danish dealer, and NOT through him, so he had made a decision to NOT support any players not originally sold thorough him. No warranty repars, parts, nor mods!..............
I was stunned, couldn't convince him to make an exception since he had never asked me to provide a serial number beforehand, and I went through a total of a half-day of driving through a storm to accomplish this mod.
He just told me to come pick it up at my convenience. I glumly arrived on Saturday and retrieved my untouched puppy, where Alan said that unfortunately I had to share the victimization of the gray-market. I asked if I should contact a Danish dealer to see if a board-swap could be done (of course thinking he didn't really know the answer), but he thought that Electrocompaniet wouldn't support my player either! I asked with some incredulity what was going to happen with all the players that people have when they move from one country to another (!), but he said that this policy was the only way they have of penalyzing the gray market.... I suggested that in THIS CASE he should have installed the mod because of his lack of due diligence in assessing the production/sales history of this particular CDP, ESPECIALLY given my enormous effort in delivering it to his doorstep on Christmas Day.... I left sadly but gracefully.
WHAT SHOULD I DO? I contacted the Danish dealer but he's not responded. Should I contact Electrocompaniet directly and try to arrange a board swap or purchase the parts mod "kit" and instakllation directions (I'm pretty familiar with boards and soldering)? Should Alan have acted differently? Isn't the world getting small enough so that internationally-sold products should have protected lives independent of sales point?
PLEASE HELP!
A Happy and safe New Year to all!
Ernie
subaruguru
Subaruguru, in your e-mail to Per Abrahamson why did you twice refer to this Audiogon thread? Remember, this thread is fill with heated statements by several people that they would never purchase EC products. I guess if Abrahamson now intercedes and makes you happy those same people will change their minds and US EC sales will go thru the roof. That would be a win/win situation for everyone. Move over cheese, it's now "the power of the Agon forum"!
Mike, no need to apologize. We are both entitled to our opinion, and I thank Audiogon for providing a forum in which a wide range of viewpoints may be expressed.

I have probably said more than my share in this thread, so I will attempt to again move back to the sidelines. My original reason for staying away was my personal feelings, both for Ernie and Alan. I have the utmost respect for Ernie, he is a truly good guy. I am hoping for Alan to also make me hold him in the same regard.

Sean, I thank you profoundly for your support.

The only other thing I should make clear is as I said, and I stand by, you are a model for what we all wish for in an audio dealer.
rather doubtful that a Scandanavian manufacturer has ever heard of this website, let alone be familiar with it or the large international audience that subscribes? Ernie did you at least provide them the URL hyperlink for this thread. Now whether or not they'll read it, or actually be swayed be the overwhelming bad publicity, or actually DO something about it is questionable. If they do intercede on your behalf then we'd be interested to know about it - but even if that does happen, it's also questionable if that's actually due to this publicity. If EC does even read this thread, then a contrite followup post by "theirs truly" would perhaps be their only saving grace IMO. Otherwise the damage is unquestionably now permanant.
Well, for once I must actually disagree with my friend Bob B. :-) Audiogon has an international audience, and I would think that anyone with a proprietary interest in the high end market, such as a manufacturer or distributor, would at least have a passing familiarity with it's existence by now. I also don't think that "permanent damage" has necessarily been done yet. Although Ernie's story has an undeniable touch of the dramatic about it, and it's generated a fair amount of heat around here, I for one will be happy to state for the record that - depending on the ultimate resolution reached by the parties involved - nothing which has transpired so far is in my mind so incorrectable as to cause me to pre-emptively disregard or be unduly wary of the EC brand in the future. All things are still possible in this situation for the time being, and I trust Ernie would second that.

P.S. - I am interested in learning, Ernie: How many views so far on this thread with around 90 responses as of now (albeit by many fewer than 90 members)?
Zaikesman: 569 views. What's puzzling to me though is that the number of views of my system (The Sanctuary) has spiked too! Can't account for that, except collateral interest.
Ohnhwy61: again, I'm a REALLY slow typist, and wish that NO pertinent facts be deleted. I'm gathering that this is an important matter for EC and that they should have the benefit of our collective feedback in toto.

Unfortunate news:
I received this morning the following response from Heiz Preiss (the referred independent EC serviceperson and hoped-for US originator of this analog-parts-swap mod:
Hi Ernest,
big disappointment for you---I have had no contacts with Electrocompaniet since 1999, the company just broke off our relationship without explanation. Repeated attempts via Email on my part remain unanswered. I have no service info on any of the new stuff and frankly do not even know what you are talking about. My Electro service is now limited to the older amps and pre amps. Cd players came out after our relations were severed.
I'm sorry for the bad news.
Heinz......

As well, I just found out that MY email (above) to Per at EC has bounced back undelivered. Darn! Guess I'll try again. Does anyone know how to reach EC except by "elcomp@electrocompaniet.no"?
Also, I don't know how to direct to a "url". I'm just an analog guy I guess....
Perhaps someone else could emal them in parallel and direct them here, or to contact me...or their distributor, as they deem fit.
Thanks again.
Blizzard conditions here in New England, and I have theater tix tonight. Figures....