Help all ye Triplanar Gurus

I read this thread exactly as Dan and Audiofeil did, and the post of 11/20 really surprised me - this, after the extensive private coaching I took Sunnyboy through - for someone who is not even my customer.

We now learn that Markd51 has also gone out of his way to help a member of our analog tribe. This is a great and helpful group of individuals, and Markd51 went the extra mile to help Sunnyboy.

My bullshit meter pinned to the right side of the dial however, (it's an analog meter after all) when I read Sunnyboy's 11/20 post.

Sunnyboy not doubt panicked, and this likely resulted in his hasty post, but I still am completely puzzled why he let his dealer off the hook when the time came to ascribe responsibility. In my experience, dealers are the weak link in the distribution chain, and this dealer was getting a free ride, IMHO.

I have to admit, that in these conversations with him as well as how the early part of this thread unfolded had me thinking about a dealer who had neither the interest in earning their markup nor the competence to do so by helping Sunnyboy recover from his error.

One of the reasons I've been very slow to adopt a dealer distribution model is because of the vulnerability it exposes one to - being able to count on your dealer network to support your product in a competent and ethical manner.

In the old days, an analog dealer knew more than than just how to mount a tonearm and dial in a cartridge. I am friendly with a dealer in Ft. Collins for example who recently went to his drill press and tapped some holes to solve a problem.

This is a disappearing breed ...

Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier

Mark :
thanks for a dispassionate and objective post and indeed taking the trouble of speaking up for me. I had made up my mind not to respond but on further reflection I find some of the innuendos and insinuations deeply offensive. For example to impugn someone's lingustic skills or language comprehension just because they are born/live in some other part of the world.........!!
Lets just stick to the facts as I know them. Its been close to 4 weeks and in this period neither my dealer nor I, till the point of posting this response, have received any response from the manufacturer. IOWs there has been no happy ending. Given the absence of any communication from the manufacturer, I have no idea where this will lead. I have sent 3 mails the last of which bounced, therefore I can probably infer that with some probability the first two mails could have reached. I did not send a flurry of mails coz I was advised by a private mail that I should leave it to the dealer to resolve the matter. I have no idea how many mails the dealer sent but given the rather obvious fact that the dealer is in an ongoing commercial relationship with the manufacturer I imagine he has the means to make contact. I am told though again I have no basis to substantiate it, this particular dealer is probably the largest seller of Triplanar tone arms in Asia. The dealer has offered to locate the screws locally in Singapore if I can get the arm to him. This is a dealer devised solution. I have an excellent relationship with the dealer and I suspect a high degree of mutual respect.
Making a telephone call is not an option for me given a time difference of 13+ hrs.
Now if you were in my shoes, you would feel pretty peeved and how would you classify this customer service? For the record let me state that the Triplanar(not that its necessary to repeat the obvious)is one of the finest tonearms in the world and I am proud to own one.
I would request that we close this thread at this point.

>>Making a telephone call is not an option for me given a time difference of 13+ hrs<<

BS and that's a lame cop out.

If you were seriously interested in contacting Tri you would have inconvenienced yourself a bit and made the call.

Yes, it probably would have been at the expense of a full night's sleep. Big deal. Those of us with kids know that drill all too well.

No sympathy here Biff.

Sorry to hear your story Audiofeil.

Let me introduce myself.
I am William Lillmars, agent 002
at Tri-Planar Precision Tonearms.
I know that Tri doesn't spend much time
on Audiogon, but I am here to help.
Any questions you need answered, feel free to
contact me on Audiogon or by phone.
Please request phone by private mail.

Wm Lillmars
Tri-Planar

Wm. Lillmars,

I suggest you read the entire thread.

Sunnyboy1956 is whom you should be addressing.