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Quality issues with Tekton speakers....

I was reading all the buzz about these Tekton speakers and after sorting through all the reviews, decided to order a pair of the Pendragon (the big ones... $2,500 a pair).

When they arrived, I found them to be boxed well and in perfect shape, although one thing was very noticeable once I looked at the speakers. The woofers had a slightly different tone (color). The upper woofer in each tower was basically dark gray or black (like most paper woofers you might come across) and the lower woofers were slightly blue in color. After looking on the web some, I could not find a Pendragon speaker photo ANYWHERE that had this color difference. Since they did not come with speaker grilles, I knew the color difference would bother me as long as I owned the speakers.

I contacted Tekton (Eric Alexander) via e-mail and explained the issue. After almost a week of not hearing back, I sent another e-mail and his response was...

(copy and pasted right from my e-mail)... " I'm sorry. Please refresh my memory. What seems to be the problem? Thanks, Eric"

I described the issue again and he offered to exchange the speakers. I said there was no need to ship back a huge pair of 85 pound speakers and have him send me another pair and suggested maybe he just send me grilles at no charge to cover the speakers and I could live with the slight color difference in the woofers. I really feel that grilles should be included in a $2,500 price tag however.

All of these e-mails took several days to answer by the way.

He agreed and said he would get the grilles out right away... they were sent a few days later and upon arrival, I realized there was a pretty big problem. I had a normal type speaker grill with 4 pegs on the back and a speaker with no peg holes. After all the time, e-mails, no answers, etc., I was not interested in wasting any more time with the matter and asked for a partial refund through PayPal and asked a simple question... why send me grilles for a speaker that he just shipped to me with no holes to put them in? His reply was to offer to make new grilles and send "velcro dots" to affix them to the speakers with.... WOW.

The WORST part about all this: Within 30 minutes of making a PayPal claim about the issue and asking for a partial refund from him, Eric tried to call me right away... now that there was money at stake.

The really sad part of all this is that the speakers actually sound pretty damn good now that they are broken in... I just hope the quality and communication come up to the same level for the sake of Tekton as a company.
128x128audiofreak32
polarin
73 posts
 
I'd say it's time this thread died...
b_limo's avatar
b_limo
2,277 posts
 
I had the same problem with Paradigm Speakers. I've owned 6 pairs in the past 3 years, none had sequential serial numbers, some had mismatched binding posts and my last pair of Signature 2's (awesome speakers) had mismatched 8" drivers in color.

I feel your pain. I think its acceptable to expect your speakers to match, no matter the cost but especially at the $2500 mark.
tubegroover
2,320 posts
 
B_limo

Are you saying you owned 6 pair of Paradigm speakers in the past 3 years that had the problems you note? If so did you like them alot or expected a different outcome the 3rd-6th time? Just curious why you would put yourself through such an ordeal.
skoczylas's avatar
skoczylas
240 posts
 
My experience with Eric and tekton was great
rebbi
1,326 posts
 
I have been following this thread with interest, too.
If the photo posted by the OP reflects the actual color difference between the two drivers (and isn't mainly an artifact of uneven lighting, as someone else pointed out) then, sure, I'd be unhappy, too, and I'd want a solution from the manufacturer.
If the manufacturer's offer to exchange the speakers included return shipping, then I think that's a reasonable solution. I certainly don't think the customer should be on the hook for something the manufacturer got wrong.
I don't think that being a small or "boutique" manufacturer should be an excuse for less than perfect QC. For that matter, even if you're Wilson and the automotive paint job on your speakers cracks with age (read about that somewhere) you need to take responsibility for that.
Furthermore, if I went the grille route and got a set with pegs for a "pegless" cabinet, I'd be pretty steamed... this kind of aggravation tends to be cumulative - that's a pretty human response. And all the more so if communication's been sluggish.
That said, once somebody takes to flaming a company in a public forum looking for support for their anger, I start to wonder if they're being reasonable. Once you get over the "but it should have been perfect" indignation, you're either willing to work toward with the manufacturer toward a solution or you're not.
I have never had dealings of any kind with Tekton, but it seems they've flourished for a long time, so I'd think/hope this kind of shoddy QC is a fluke...
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