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Conrad Johnson Repair Issues

The Post I Never Dreamed I’d Write
About two weeks ago I sent my beloved Conrad Johnson Premier-17 back to
the Conrad Johnson factory for repair because it stopped making any sound whatsoever. It apparently blew some internal component.
I soon received an email acknowledging receipt of the unit and an estimated bill
of about $523.00 not including parts.
On 10/14/2016 I got a phone message telling me the preamp was fixed & total charges were $579.00.
I called a few days ago to give my credit card info to pay for the repairs. The CJ
employee told me that “we also need to tell you that the unit was damaged during
shipping & the damages are not repairable because it involves damage to the structure of the unit & those metal parts are no longer available." The damage was not mentioned until that point.
Photos showed the actual frame of the preamp was twisted & bent. It looked like it had been dropped off a two story building without the box.
The repair manager felt it would be pointless to file an insurance claim because
they would automatically deny any claim where the box was not damaged & refused to assist me with any insurance issues.
The CJ phone rep assured me that Mr. Johnson, the owner, would call me that afternoon but he never did.
I did get a call from the repair employee who said they just want to
get my payment information & send my preamp to me.
I shipped U.S. Post Office & insured for $2000.00.
I’m shocked to have this happen with this company. I've had several pieces of equipment repaired by them with great service.
I would appreciate any advice. I'm a little shaken & confused.
I’m really shocked that this would happen with a company of this stature.
I've stayed with this brand over the years because of their reliability & reputation for integrity.
It really doesn’t look like shipping damage to me.Shouldn’t they at least be willing to
assist with insurance issues?
This is one of the more unpleasant customer service experiences I've had in a while.

128x128pereza
ghosthouse's avatar
ghosthouse
4,312 posts
 
Pereza - 
Based on your account it IS outrageous.  Some good input from others...especially Swampwalker's #1..."send a link to this thread".  I don't have much to add other than to comment the more A'gon members that do reply to your post, the more weight it should carry.  To that end, I hope others register their support here and that CJ steps up with an honorable resolution.  "Shaken and confused"?  I get it.  Would feel the same way.  "We fixed your pre-amp.  That'll be $579.  Oh, by the way, we couldn't fix your pre-amp it is FUBAR."   Damaged in shipping?  Yeah, maybe in THEIR shipping dept. on it's way back.  Obviously, there'll be a great deal of interest in how this plays out.  So please update as things progress.  Good luck to you.
tubegroover
2,320 posts
 
What is going on with this service manager? It starts and ends with him and he CLEARLY is not doing the right thing and handling this situation in any way a professional manner, it is Jeff, right?. Outrageous indeed!
sbank's avatar
sbank
3,379 posts
 
Please don't be one of those super-passive customers who give them weeks or months to reply to you. The reported behavior is completely unacceptable and deserves a commitment to fast resolution without any need for a drawn out response. Start out at the top of CJ and don't take no for an answer. 
Under no circumstances should you pay without getting a satisfactory solution agreed to first. That agreement shouldn't result in you paying for more than you bargained for for repair and shouldn't result in you getting last than an item in the condition it was shipped to them.
No reasonable CJ employee would order repair on a FUBAR piece without discussing with customer first. They have a responsibility to report damage as soon as the piece was received at CJ.  Something smells very fishy! Cheers,
Spencer
wolf_garcia
6,704 posts
 
I shipped a guitar amp to the manufacturer for an update and it was dropped on its corner by UPS…bent the metal frame corner. It was sent back to me by UPS in the same packaging (!) and I unbent it and it works fine. UPS was an insane pain in the a-- and refused to pay for the damage, so my little amp will live with a bent corner and I’ll pack such things much better in the future, but in YOUR case Conrad Johnson risks damage to their reputation and I’d be friggin’ relentless in your quest for the truth! It seems clear from what’s been described that they’re attempting to dodge their own mistake, and that’s just lame. Go get ’em!
czarivey
5,946 posts
 
there's simpler way:

1. Give a call to the main CJ office and explain the problem.
2. Request an identical unit sent for free
3. If declined, than PURCHASE new unit from CJ directly
4. Do not accept old unit and initiate credit card dispute to bring back full amount paid for new unit.
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