Where Has Polk Customer Service Gone?
theycallmechad
Posts: 13
I recently got some in-ceiling Polk speakers from someone who was getting rid of them. They are amazing speakers, like all of the Polk speakers I have; however, the previous owner decided to spray paint the grills black. I wanted the original look, so I called Polk and ordered some new grill covers for the six speakers. The ordering process went on without a hitch. Someone answered right away and within minutes I had successfully ordered some new grill covers.
Fast forward a few short days, and the grill covers arrived. Though I was happy with the time it took to deliver them, I was not happy to see that they were more green-ish than white (which was very odd). I was even more disappointed to find that, in spite of telling them my exact speaker model, they did not fit in my speakers without an incredible amount of force. The spray painted covers are easy to insert or remove, and they even have extra layers of paint to occupy more space. These were clearly not the OEM grill covers.
Within days of making the order, I began trying to return the speakers. Like so many others here, I have gotten promises of emails and call-backs and, most commonly, this horrible, never-ending ukulele music. I have spent EASILY over 7 hours listening to this music over a period of more than 12 different days. I can't get through to anyone now. I am starting to think that my order was a cheap scam, not a legitimate order from a well-recognized and respected bran like Polk.
Look: I get it. Times are tough right now. People are working from their homes, supply chains have been disrupted, and overall the world just moves at a slower pace. But nearly a month of trying with multiple, unmet promises to help? This is absolutely unacceptable! Please help!
-Chad
Fast forward a few short days, and the grill covers arrived. Though I was happy with the time it took to deliver them, I was not happy to see that they were more green-ish than white (which was very odd). I was even more disappointed to find that, in spite of telling them my exact speaker model, they did not fit in my speakers without an incredible amount of force. The spray painted covers are easy to insert or remove, and they even have extra layers of paint to occupy more space. These were clearly not the OEM grill covers.
Within days of making the order, I began trying to return the speakers. Like so many others here, I have gotten promises of emails and call-backs and, most commonly, this horrible, never-ending ukulele music. I have spent EASILY over 7 hours listening to this music over a period of more than 12 different days. I can't get through to anyone now. I am starting to think that my order was a cheap scam, not a legitimate order from a well-recognized and respected bran like Polk.
Look: I get it. Times are tough right now. People are working from their homes, supply chains have been disrupted, and overall the world just moves at a slower pace. But nearly a month of trying with multiple, unmet promises to help? This is absolutely unacceptable! Please help!
-Chad
Comments
-
Just crickets. This, ladies and gentlemen, is why you never buy anything from Polk Audio. I am beyond disappointed. Every speaker in my house is a Polk. I have never felt more betrayed by a company in my life.
-
Perhaps the CS department has put all of their available manpower into the development of the new forum.
They should be back to work shortly. They're probobly taking one or two victory laps following their success here. -
I recommend sending an email to: kim.jasper@soundunited.com and explain the situation.
-
-
Polk customer service hasn't existed in years. Sad but true2 Channel in my home attic/bar/man cave
2 Channel Focal Kanta 3 I Modwright SWL9.0 Anniversary Pre I Modwright PH9.0X I Modwright KWA-150SE I VPI Prime Signature w/ Soundsmith Zephyr MIMC I Lumin U2 Mini I North Star Designs Intenso DAC I Audience OHNO ICs/Audience Furutech FP-S55N and FP-S032N Power Cables/Acoustic Zen Satori I Isotek Sirius -
Thank you guys for your help. I will send emails to both of those contacts to see if we can get this resolved! I will post the results when I have them.
-
@theycallmechad sorry to hear about the challenges you've experienced trying to get support. I've sent you a PM. Send me some additional details and I'll do what I can to rectify the situation.
Thanks,
Carl
PS thank you @Hermitism for making me aware of this. -
CarlJacobson_POLK Been Trying to return my HTS-12 for two months, calling and emailing them and no response. Been supporting Polk for over 20 years, so disappointing. Everyone on this forum having the same problems should start blowing up their socials and do what they can to get some attention. I’ve done everything I can to get a damn return label and nobody responds. The 844-298-5033 return line (which I believe is Sound United) does not work, nobody will answer that line. And don’t even bother calling the customer service line to try to get through because they’ll (they being someone in foreign location) just go through their robotic responses and tell you they’ll escalate the situation and nothing will happen. I don’t know what to do, any help would be nice. -
@CarlJacobson_POLK Been Trying to return my HTS-12 for two months, calling and emailing them and no response. Been supporting Polk for over 20 years, so disappointing. Everyone on this forum having the same problems should start blowing up their socials and do what they can to get some attention. I’ve done everything I can to get a damn return label and nobody responds. The 844-298-5033 return line (which I believe is Sound United) does not work, nobody will answer that line. And don’t even bother calling the customer service line to try to get through because they’ll (they being someone in foreign location) just go through their robotic responses and tell you they’ll escalate the situation and nothing will happen. I don’t know what to do, any help would be nice.
Living Room 2.2: Usher BE-718 "tiny dancers"; Dual DIY Dayton audio RSS210HF-4 Subs with Dayton SPA-250 amps; Arcam SA30; Musical Fidelity A308; Sony UBP-x1000es
Game Room 5.1.4: Denon AVR-X4200w; Sony UBP-x700; Definitive Technology Power Monitor 900 mains, CLR-3000 center, StudioMonitor 350 surrounds, ProMonitor 800 atmos x4; Sub - Monoprice Monolith 15in THX Ultra
Bedroom 2.1 Harmon Kardon HK3490; Bluesounds Node N130; Polk RT25i; ACI Titan Subwoofer -
SeleniumFalcon wrote: »I recommend sending an email to: kim.jasper@soundunited.com and explain the situation.
Your post resonated with me...............Not meaning this in any sarcastic tone, but why are forum Members being the "Middle man" between customers and Polk Customer service?
I get they are low in man power (I assume at least) but could not "Customer Service" simply read the uh Customer service forum and see these complaints and so on, first hand?
I mean it is Their forum FOR customer service, unless I am somehow mistaken? -
"...could not "Customer Service" simply read the uh Customer service forum and see these complaints and so on, first hand?"
I believe that is what the new overall head of SoundUnited's CS department will work to accomplish as quickly as possible. In the meantime, myself and a few other members try to give advice on how to make contact with specific Polk employees to solve issues. Kim is a really good guy and will help you.
-
SeleniumFalcon wrote: »"...could not "Customer Service" simply read the uh Customer service forum and see these complaints and so on, first hand?"
I believe that is what the new overall head of SoundUnited's CS department will work to accomplish as quickly as possible. In the meantime, myself and a few other members try to give advice on how to make contact with specific Polk employees to solve issues. Kim is a really good guy and will help you.
Great of you to do that!
I just saw it as something that I assumed would automatically be done, by any major company. -
CarlJacobson_POLK Been Trying to return my HTS-12 for two months, calling and emailing them and no response. Been supporting Polk for over 20 years, so disappointing. Everyone on this forum having the same problems should start blowing up their socials and do what they can to get some attention. I’ve done everything I can to get a damn return label and nobody responds. The 844-298-5033 return line (which I believe is Sound United) does not work, nobody will answer that line. And don’t even bother calling the customer service line to try to get through because they’ll (they being someone in foreign location) just go through their robotic responses and tell you they’ll escalate the situation and nothing will happen. I don’t know what to do, any help would be nice.
Corey, I've replied to your PM with more details, but for the benefit of everyone else, I want you to know that I have escalated your situation and will let you know what I hear back. Quite a few people are off today for a long Easter weekend, so I may not hear back until Monday. -
Well everyone, I just emailed Carl as he requested. I'll keep you all posted with where this goes! Wish me luck!
-
Welp, the email that Carl gave me doesn't work. Ii hope this is not an indicator of how this is going to go moving forward...
-
theycallmechad wrote: »Welp, the email that Carl gave me doesn't work. Ii hope this is not an indicator of how this is going to go moving forward...
How did he provide the email?Pio Elete Pro 520
Panamax 5400-EX
Sunfire TGP 5
Micro Seiki DD-40 - Lyra-Dorian and Denon DL-160
PS Audio GCPH phono pre
Sunfire CG 200 X 5
Sunfire CG Sig 405 X 5
OPPO BDP-83 SE
SDA SRS 1.2TL Sonicaps and Mills
Ctr CS1000p
Sur - FX1000 x 4
SUB - SVS PB2-Plus
Workkout room:
Sony Bravia XBR- 32-Inch 1080p
Onkyo TX-DS898
GFA 555
Yamaha DVD-S1800BL/SACD
Ft - SDA 1C
Not being used:
RTi 38's -4
RT55i's - 2
RT25i's -2, using other 2 in shop
LSI 15's
CSi40
PSW 404 -
We may have to change your screen name to theycallmehangingchad.
Because they consistently keep you hanging. See what I did there??? I'm here all week! -
We may have to change your screen name to theycallmehangingchad.
Because they consistently keep you hanging.
You're one smoooooth talking silver tongued devil, you handsome son of a gun.....
Whooooo weeeeeee
-
theycallmechad wrote: »Welp, the email that Carl gave me doesn't work. Ii hope this is not an indicator of how this is going to go moving forward...
How did he provide the email?
They sent me a PM, which I got both in the forums and as an email. But at least I got a human... kind of.
As for the "hanging Chad," super clever. Well played. -
@theycallmechad - I have a big hammer. I can be up to your place in about 2hrs. We'll get those babies whipped into shape! But, just in case, I’ll leave the bed of my truck empty since you’re ready to bail on all things Polk. I’m happy to load up the 2.3TL's and rid your home of their abhorrent presence. 😉Current Collection: Monitor 4a (Peerless), Monitor 5B (Peerless), Modified Monitor 7b (Peerless), RTA15TL (SL3000), SDA CRS+ (194’s), SDA SRS 2.3TL, R100's, R200’s, R300 🤩
-
theycallmechad wrote: »Welp, the email that Carl gave me doesn't work. Ii hope this is not an indicator of how this is going to go moving forward...
Um...err...did I mention I'm new? I just sent you the correct email address. ~embarassed~ -
@theycallmechad - I have a big hammer. I can be up to your place in about 2hrs. We'll get those babies whipped into shape! But, just in case, I’ll leave the bed of my truck empty since you’re ready to bail on all things Polk. I’m happy to load up the 2.3TL's and rid your home of their abhorrent presence. 😉
I've seen your hammer. It's nice, but it won't make these things work. And as for me wanting to bail on all things Polk, that is not close to the truth. I just want to bail on ordering directly from Polk in the future. I'll buy their products, but it will be from 3rd parties.
As for the 2.3TL's: you're welcome to come up any time to check them out, but don't bother emptying the bed of your truck. First, I'm not sure they'll fit, even if your bed is empty. Second, they're already home! They may be a bit ugly for a Master Bedroom, but they're amazing in their own special way. Kind of like me. -
@CarlJacobson_POLK
I have a similar story to most people here. To keep it short. Ordered two Monitor 70 II's off amazon at the end of March. One came destroyed from shipment. Sending that one back and ordered another directly from Polk in hopes they would ship it a little better. I have to return the destroyed one by the 30th of April and my hopes was to use it (since it does still produce sound) till I got the new one. It's been 10+ days and my order still hasn't shipped. Can you help me? -
Hello,
I'll forward your issue to my friend at Polk, I'm sure he'll contact you shortly. -
Ryan20_Polk wrote: »@CarlJacobson_POLK
I have a similar story to most people here. To keep it short. Ordered two Monitor 70 II's off amazon at the end of March. One came destroyed from shipment. Sending that one back and ordered another directly from Polk in hopes they would ship it a little better. I have to return the destroyed one by the 30th of April and my hopes was to use it (since it does still produce sound) till I got the new one. It's been 10+ days and my order still hasn't shipped. Can you help me?
Sending you a PM with my email address to get more details -
UPDATE! After all the help from Carl, he got me in touch with a guy named Richard and got this taken care of. Essentially, Richard told me that demand for Polk products is so abnormally high right now that they are having a hard keeping up with the demand in their customer service department. He said the service I got is never excusable, but asked that I be patient with them as they build up their customer service team. As a consumer, this makes total sense to me. It was a frustrating experience, but I am happy Richard took the time to make sure I understood what was going on. Though I will not buy anything directly from them for a few months while they get this sorted out, I have confidence that this will be a thing of the past in the very near future.
Carl, thank you for finding my post and getting this to the right person! -
It's been going downhill for a decade.....it picked up speed about 5 years ago and got speeding tickets for it the last 2...
Years past these customer service stories were all and I mean ALL were positive. People were amazed at what they covered, even out of warranty stuff was taken care of and people came to postulate how wonderful they were taken care of. It's been nearly a decade since anyone's come here to talk about how GREAT Polk CS is.
I'll believe it when they start proving is once again!
-
It's been going downhill for a decade.....it picked up speed about 5 years ago and got speeding tickets for it the last 2...
Years past these customer service stories were all and I mean ALL were positive. People were amazed at what they covered, even out of warranty stuff was taken care of and people came to postulate how wonderful they were taken care of. It's been nearly a decade since anyone's come here to talk about how GREAT Polk CS is.
I'll believe it when they start proving is once again!
Enter the soundbar.... -
ken brydson wrote: »It's been going downhill for a decade.....it picked up speed about 5 years ago and got speeding tickets for it the last 2...
Years past these customer service stories were all and I mean ALL were positive. People were amazed at what they covered, even out of warranty stuff was taken care of and people came to postulate how wonderful they were taken care of. It's been nearly a decade since anyone's come here to talk about how GREAT Polk CS is.
I'll believe it when they start proving is once again!
Enter the soundbar....
Also enter numerous speaker "lines" that do not share drivers and so on.
Back in the 80s, things were far simpler as far as having replacement drivers on hand.
We had one large shelf that contained most of the replacement drivers. A lot was shared across the Monitor, RTA and SDA lines. -
I have also been ingesting an excessive amount of ukulele music without reaching a resolution.
I am trying to return a pair of S10 surround speakers I bought from polkaudio.com back in February. I've been e-mailing and calling since March 20th, and still have not received anything back from them.
The most I've gotten out of the phone lines was a gentleman named "Alan" who gave me a reference number (210402-000106). I was told I will get an e-mail by the end of the day with an RMA label.
That was on April 1st, soooooo.... Looks like the joke is on me. I still have not seen or heard from anybody.
Polk used to have a warehouse in Vista, CA. I think it's a Sound United distribution center now. I was considering driving up (I'm in San Diego) in hopes that someone there could connect me with the right person.
But after reading this forum chain, I'll give this a shot first.
Fingers crossed.
![[Deleted User]](https://we.vanillicon.com/e87c50737f9df2ad40e383522437a0f7_100.png)
