MARTIN LOGAN = WORST. I have had a very frustrating experience with Martin Logan that really calls into question that company's integrity and commitment to its customers. A while back I bought a pair of ML ReQuests together with a pair of Aerius i's. I ordered them from my dealer in Florida (where I used to live) with whom I've done business since the 1970's. I thought the ReQuests with oak trim were the most beautiful speakers I had ever seen, and thought they sounded pretty good to boot. So I cleared out my savings and bought the set. For some reason, ML did not ship the speakers from the factory for more than a month. To save time and money, and to reduce the risk of shipping damage, MY DEALER advised me to call ML and ask them to ship the speakers directly from ML's Kansas factory to my home in Wyoming. I called Martin Logan, but ML (David Penrod) refused to ship to me directly, even at my expense. Thus, the speakers would have to be shipped all the way from Kansas to my dealer down in south Florida then all the way back west to Wyoming (no doubt right past the ML factory a couple of weeks later). ML said this was necessary to ensure there would be no "bad blood" with its dealers. ML never did give me a compelling reason for this irrational policy; my ML dealer was actually the one who suggested the "direct shipping" option, and Dunlavy and other major audio companies have shipped their products to me directly without my even having to ask. In any case, I thought this ML policy was wasteful and ridiculous, so I canceled my order. A few days later, ML's US Sales Manager, Dennis Chern, called me and said he was instructed "to do everything possible" to resolve my concerns so I would buy the ML speakers. He then committed to have ML pay the shipping charge if I would reinstate my order. On his promise to pay the shipping charge, I agreed to reinstate my order. Nearly two months later the speakers finally arrived from ML, via Florida, along with a $350 shipping charge. Still no check from ML, and Mr. Chern was not available by phone when the speakers were delivered. So I accepted delivery trusting ML would reimburse me later. Weeks passed, but still no word from ML. When I contacted Mr. Chern and asked him about the shipping charge, he faxed me a terse and impolite letter saying Martin Logan "was not in a position to make a decision on reimbursement of shipping costs." His letter then said I should try to get my dealer to pay for the shipping cost. Talk about creating bad blood with the dealer (not to mention the customer)! My dealer had no knowledge of ML's promise to pay the shipping charge, nor was my dealer responsible for the shipping problems that led me to cancel my order in the first place. Moreover, when I agreed to reinstate my order, Mr. Chern assured me that my dealer would not be penalized in any way for the shipping charge. Hoping to resolve this problem informally, I wrote a cordial letter to Gayle Sanders, President of Martin Logan, explaining the situation and asking him to honor the promise to pay the shipping charge. Mr. Sanders has never replied. The bottom line: I have not been able to enjoy my Martin Logan speakers because whenever I look at them, I feel cheated and betrayed by Martin Logan. I spent a lot of time and money tweaking my system trying to make the MLs sound "right," but I know now these speakers will never be right. They are tainted. And it looks like I will have to spend more time and money hiring an attorney and going to court just to compel ML to abide by its commitment to pay a shipping charge it offered to pay in exchange for my business. This might get me back what I am rightfully owed but there is nothing to make up for the frustration and loss of musical enjoyment I have experienced because of the way Martin Logan has treated me. If a company won't stand behind its word, I doubt it will stand behind its products. I will never buy another Martin Logan product. If you have read any of my other posts here on Audiogon, I think you'll see that I am not one who is prone to scandalaous accusations or muck raking. This is an honest account of my experience with ML, and since ElDragon started this thead by asking what companies have the worst customer service, I thought it was approriate to explain my experience with ML here. I have never had a more unsatisfactory experience with an audio company. As for the BEST customer service, I have heard TALON Audio is unbelievably good. (FYI, I'm not affiliated with Talon or any of its dealers.) Talon offers a 5-year transferable warranty on their speakers, and I know of two cases where Talon actually flew techicians out for "house calls" to service Talon speakers in their customers' listening rooms. Now that's standing behind your product! Don
