How is Quality and Customer Service defined in the 21st Century?


On another recent thread, a poster questioned the customer service of the Marantz  brand.  They certainly have been around a while.

Got me to thinking, what has been your experience with particular brands and quality and especially customer service? 

My 21sr century experience of two popular consumer brands was that the overall quality was not good. Particularly referring to CD players where the warranties have the life span of a lightening bug. The sound quality is/was excellent, the lasers mechanisms/transports were problematic at best and abysmal at worst.

Appreciate your thoughts and possible pointers to better quality and overall customer sat. 

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I have had great luck with everything in my system working flawlessly for years. USA made Schiit Audio items (including an original Freya from whenever that was), BIfrost 2/64, Dennis Had and Pass amps, old trusty Marantz CD player (into a bespoke DAC), Old Linn/Akito table, etc., just keep on truckin'. That could change of course but do I worry? No.

No problems with equipment from Pass, Ayre ,VPI or Magnepan. Pass and Ayre always answer the phone when I had a question and VPI was responsive to emails..Soundsmith is another company that answers the phone ( sometimes by Peter himself) and builds quality. With Magnepan I've had a few conversations with Wendell.

In the past Parasound was very easy to reach not sure how the new ownership is.

I think great established companies want to take care of their customers and continue receiving their business.

I have encountered only one quality issue. Regardless, it is customer service that really counts. Several years ago, I had a failing Krell…it was a rather old model amp suffering its age. The folks at Krell couldn’t have been nicer or more accommodating and I had it totally refurbished by them (reasonable cost) to factory specs.

Where or from whom you purchase your gear is critical. I have found on line retailers Audio Advisor and Music Direct to be extremely helpful. That equipment quality issue I mentioned? Little/no help from the manufacturer but AA offered options, return, refund, trade etc.

I have bought from Moon Audio ….easy to reach and helpful. The owner patiently suffered my dumb questions and led me through some issues.

Schroeder Amplification a high end retailer were extremely helpful and easy to deal with.

I firmly believe it is the folks who actually sell you equipment that count. More than manufacturers. As a rule of course.