VTI Customer Service Problem Rectified

Ricardo

Unfortunately IMO things have gone to a point of no return....she knows that VTI's credibility is way down in this and other forums; she knows (or should know) that even if every person that has seen this story received a personal call from you saying that she's the best in the world, it would not fix her image; the damage is done now, and I honestly think that she knows it, and I doubt that she will send you anything. Sorry to say this but that's how I see it.

She acted wrong, and she's paying for it; I don't think they will go out of business, and maybe this whole thing does not have a big (if at all) impact on their sales.....but she's probably not sleeping good right now.

Sorry that you got into this situation.

criverajr

I'm in for 10.00

CRj

Demiurge

hearingimpared wrote:

She and VTI is wrong period.

Just to be clear -- the only point I was making is that it's your problem for buying something off of eBay, not VTI's. This point is being missed because of how idiotic VTI is being in this whole thing.

That said, when you went to VTI they should have rectified your situation anyways.

If I buy an iPod on eBay and it's completely screwed up when I get it -- I don't go bitching to Apple. I'd deal with the "company" on eBay to get it resolved. If they're unresponsive I go to eBay and have them rectify the situation by getting my money back.

This is why companies don't just sell to anyone that wants to distribute their products. They authorize dealers and so on.

VTI is wrong and they deserve all of the bad publicity. I just hope you see your error in all of this as well. This is all part of the roll of the dice that is eBay. As wrong as they are, you brought it on yourself.

SLOCOOKN

criverajr 10.00
slocookn 10.00
halo 10.00
libertyc 25.00
zombie boy 2000 10.00

will end on January 5th please pm me or hI and mail by January 5th...Thanks all!!!!! 65.00 so far. If I missed any one please let me know!

halo

HI has indicated, to me at least, that he doesn't want / will not accept money from me / us for a new audio rack. He wants a new rack and a public apology from VTI - PERIOD.

SLOCOOKN

errrrkkkk....A large wheel is turning.....whooopiisssh .......the sound of whips cracking....raaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh.....the groans of beasts hard at work..........dooommmmbbbbb..... a large concussion wave....

THE CRACKEN IS RELEASED!!!!!!!!!!!

billbillw

I've been kinda slow to read up on this situation and Joe's dilema. I finally read it all today.

I think VTI's (LF) responses and her approach to this situation are unforgivable...even if they sent you a new rack, even with apologies. Its too late for that.

To give you all some persepctive, this past fall, I needed a new desk for our home office. I found one I liked at Office Max. I think it was Bush brand, but it could have been something simliar. They had to ship it from their warehouse on the company deliver truck.

As I unpacked the box to start assembly, I noticed that the wood veneer on one panel was pushed and peeling. It was a front, visible edge, so this wouldn't be acceptable, at all! I figured it happened during shipping.

I started to panic, because I knew I'd have a hard time getting the 20+ parts back into the box like they were shipped. Office Max might be a pain to replace it. It wouldn't fit into my car, the OM truck would have to pick it up. Anyway, I calmed down for a minute and looked at the instructions. There was a phone number to call if there were any problems with assembly. I called the number, which was directly to the manufacturer.

This is sorta how the call went:

"Hello, can I help you?"
"Yeah, I'm assembling this desk and one of the panels is damaged, the veneer is peeling off of a front edge."
"Ok, look on page X of the instructions, what is the model number listed there?"
"Sure, its says XXXXX-****, its the Executive Desk."
"Ok, can you look at the defective panel and tell me what the part number on the sticker is?"
"Yeah, it says XXXXXXX."
"Ok, we will send you out a replacement, it will probably ship out tommorow since its pretty late today. Can you give me your name and address?"
"Ok..."

That was it. They didn't ask where I purchased it from, when I purchased it, no copy of the receipt, nothing! They just sent it out the replacement part. I got the part 2 or 3 days later and finished assembling the desk.

That my friends is how this situation should have been handled by VTI. Anything they do now is just damage control.

zombie boy 2000

Bill... I bought an outdoor Black and Decker storage closet from Lowe's that needed assembly and had the exact same experience. Dialed a number on the manual. Had the defective piece replaced in four days. No proof needed. I was fully expecting to have to at least ship them the defective piece, and I even offered to do so... but they said it wasn't necessary. Did I mention I dialed the number on a Sunday?!?

Good to see that some companies still take pride in their customer service.

MSALLA

zombie boy 2000 wrote:

Good to see that some companies still take pride in their customer service.

I think most companies do. What VTI has done seems to be rare. Most people have too much sense to cause this kind of bad press for themselves over something so small.

hearingimpared

PolkThug wrote:

I'm not letting HI completely off the hook. I'm sure next time he will open his Internet purchases a little sooner, instead of months later.

So I can't purchase Christmas presents online and have them delivered any more that 10 days before Christmas because God forbid I don't open them up right away or within the 10 day period, which I wouldn't do because I would be giving it as a gift. LOL

hearingimpared

This is an email I received from VTI:

"Dear Joe,

I will have it sent these couple days to you. We are not too much concerned about your family and friend. More concern is on the posting on the internet. How can you fix that?

VTI Manufacturing, Inc.
11015 Rush Street #4
South El Monte, CA 91733
626-585-1860"

This is the email I sent back. . . keep in mind I want that new rack.

Dear Linda,

I think your question needs to be reworded as "how can we fix that."

I've retracted the statements I made on the internet and let everyone know that you are shipping me a new 9" rack. I also asked people who've been involved with, those who wrote or called you, to write you or call you to thank you for rectifying the problem. I also posted your email so that people can see your solution. I've also made note that the rack is a good product, (I've never said it was a bad product even when the we were embroiled in the problem). I've also asked the members of the forum to contact you and acknoweldge the fact that you have come up with a solution.

There is a problem that I can't do anything about. With all due respect Linda, I think you hurt yourself by emailing people and putting in writing that I (your customer) am dishonest and unreasonable. I think you need to address that issue because I know that many people on the forum objected to a company owner making such statements in writing in return email about a customer. Some of your emails were posted by the people that you replied to.

I've done my part and everything I can do to reverse what I've done in this issue. My humble advise to you would be to talk to your Public relations officer and ask to have a good statement drafted that you could post on the polk Audio Forum after shipping the rack to smooth things over as many forum members took your statements about me personally because I have an impecable reputation on that forum. Whatever your PR rep decides would be best for your company, I will be more than happy to back you up as you are replacing the rack.

Please let me know if I can be of more help to you

--
Thanks,

Joe

schwarcw

Maybe she'll send you a Sanus rack!:D

amulford

Good, Very good...

hearingimpared

Demiurge wrote:

Just to be clear -- the only point I was making is that it's your problem for buying something off of eBay, not VTI's. This point is being missed because of how idiotic VTI is being in this whole thing.

That said, when you went to VTI they should have rectified your situation anyways.

If I buy an iPod on eBay and it's completely screwed up when I get it -- I don't go bitching to Apple. I'd deal with the "company" on eBay to get it resolved. If they're unresponsive I go to eBay and have them rectify the situation by getting my money back.

This is why companies don't just sell to anyone that wants to distribute their products. They authorize dealers and so on.

VTI is wrong and they deserve all of the bad publicity. I just hope you see your error in all of this as well. This is all part of the roll of the dice that is eBay. As wrong as they are, you brought it on yourself.

I'm not so sure that I brought this on myself Demi. I purchased the product from a company who has their own website and sells all kinds of products. I just happened to catch their buy it now sale price which was considerably lower than any other place I checked pricing. While building the rack I had a problem. . .In big bold letters on the instruction sheet was, " if you have any questions or problems call VTI phone# XXXXXXXXX or go to our website xxxx@****.com." That is what I did. How is this transaction any different than if I drove 50 miles to an outlet and purchased an item threw it in my trunk and drove 50 miles home? then opened it with the same defect?

schwarcw

Here comes the Kracken!!!



Carl

tommyboy

hearingimpared wrote:

I'm not so sure that I brought this on myself Demi. I purchased the product from a company who has their own website and sells all kinds of products. I just happened to catch their buy it now sale price which was considerably lower than any other place I checked pricing. While building the rack I had a problem. . .In big bold letters on the instruction sheet was, " if you have any questions or problems call VTI phone# XXXXXXXXX or go to our website xxxx@****.com." That is what I did. How is this transaction any different than if I drove 50 miles to an outlet and purchased an item threw it in my trunk and drove 50 miles home? then opened it with the same defect?

I am sorry if this ? was brought up before or not( I don't want to read through 8 pages), Was this "company" you bought from an authorized dealer? If it was, then Demi's quote(sorry demi, I do get your point) is meaningless for your situation.

hearingimpared

SLOCOOKN wrote:

criverajr 10.00
slocookn 10.00
halo 10.00
libertyc 25.00
zombie boy 2000 10.00

will end on January 5th please pm me or hI and mail by January 5th...Thanks all!!!!! 65.00 so far. If I missed any one please let me know!

Guys REALLY REALLY I am very grateful for your generous offers. I must please in all humility decline your gererous offers. . .this problem is going to be resolved one way or another by VTI and I will come out with a new 9" rack and a defective one which I will be able to modify and use. Please if you insist on collecting money, please donate it to a homeless shelter or a worthy charity or maybe a new guy trying build an entry level system.

I really appreciate what you are doing and am humbled by the outpouring of caring and support.

Joe

hearingimpared

schwarcw wrote:

Here comes the Kracken!!!



Carl

That's how I looked this morning when I first woke up!!!

hearingimpared

tommyboy wrote:

I am sorry if this ? was brought up before or not( I don't want to read through 8 pages), Was this "company" you bought from an authorized dealer? If it was, then Demi's quote(sorry demi, I do get your point) is meaningless for your situation.

Tommyboy, this link is the company I purchased the rack from and yes they are an authorized dealer.:)

MSALLA

hearingimpared wrote:

I'm not so sure that I brought this on myself Demi. I purchased the product from a company who has their own website and sells all kinds of products. I just happened to catch their buy it now sale price which was considerably lower than any other place I checked pricing. While building the rack I had a problem. . .In big bold letters on the instruction sheet was, " if you have any questions or problems call VTI phone# XXXXXXXXX or go to our website xxxx@****.com." That is what I did. How is this transaction any different than if I drove 50 miles to an outlet and purchased an item threw it in my trunk and drove 50 miles home? then opened it with the same defect?

The fact of the matter is, who you bought it from is moot. VTI should have never treated you the way they did. She is still playing games by trying to get you to fix VTI's rep on the net instead of running some damage control herself. It seems she has to win somehow.Tell her your done trying to make her look good. Your not typing one more word until you get a new rack. If she says no tell her your going to hand it over to your attorney. It's not worth calling an attorney but let her think you are and see what she dose.

tommyboy

MSALLA wrote:

The fact of the matter is, who you bought it from is moot. VTI should have never treated you the way they did.

Yes, it does matter. Thats why they have authorized dealers. If they weren't, VTI has the right to tell you to go screw yourself. If your product is bought by an authorized dealer, under warranty, and was defective(which he falls under), she should have been as nice as possible. Otherwise (as nicely as possible), she would kindly tell you she can't help without you paying

MSALLA

tommyboy wrote:

Yes, it does matter. Thats why they have authorized dealers. If they weren't, VTI has the right to tell you to go screw yourself. If your product is bought by an authorized dealer, under warranty, and was defective(which he falls under), she should have been as nice as possible. Otherwise (as nicely as possible), she would kindly tell you she can't help without you paying

Agreed,

zombie boy 2000

That's awesome Carl:D

Demiurge

hearingimpared wrote:

I'm not so sure that I brought this on myself Demi. I purchased the product from a company who has their own website and sells all kinds of products. I just happened to catch their buy it now sale price which was considerably lower than any other place I checked pricing. While building the rack I had a problem. . .In big bold letters on the instruction sheet was, " if you have any questions or problems call VTI phone# XXXXXXXXX or go to our website xxxx@****.com." That is what I did. How is this transaction any different than if I drove 50 miles to an outlet and purchased an item threw it in my trunk and drove 50 miles home? then opened it with the same defect?

Buying anything on eBay is a risk in and of itself. Lots of the stuff on there is just plain stolen, defective, etc. If I bought it from a company I would call/email that company and ask them to deal with it. From there I would go to eBay directly and get my money back.

VTI has made some very idiotic statements, and are very wrong. You did buy a rack on eBay at the end of the day, and that does matter in terms of warranties and so on.

We're taking your word for it (and so should have VTI) that the box was sealed factory direct. How do you know it was?

Did you read the website you linked?

Return Policy:

If your products are defective, please email us before shipping returns, all returns must be done within 15 days from receiving date, defective products must be returned in the original boxes with ALL contents included and in their Original condition. No refunds or exchanges on non-defective goods, all sales are final.

Warranty:

All products carry manufacture's warranty, and the manufacture's warranty will apply from the date of purchase.

I don't know what the auction stated, but if the person selling it on eBay didn't claim there was a warranty it is sold AS IS.

VTI is truly in no way responsible because you decided to buy one of their racks on eBay. It's the responsibility of the company you bought it from to deal with VTI if they have a special arrangement, not you.

You definitely brought this on yourself, and VTI has a right to be pissed at you. The problem is they never should have expressed it to you, and should have sent you the rack at their expense no questions asked. That's where their mistake was made, and I'll never buy a VTI product because of what I have seen. In the same breath I'm just not on board with your little crusade and believing you're even close to being in the right on this one. You should have dealt with the company you bought it from and then eBay.

Sorry, just tellin' it like it is.

hearingimpared

Demiurge wrote:

Buying anything on eBay is a risk in and of itself. Lots of the stuff on there is just plain stolen, defective, etc. If I bought it from a company I would call/email that company and ask them to deal with it. From there I would go to eBay directly and get my money back.

VTI has made some very idiotic statements, and are very wrong. You did buy a rack on eBay at the end of the day, and that does matter in terms of warranties and so on.

We're taking your word for it (and so should have VTI) that the box was sealed factory direct. How do you know it was?

Did you read the website you linked?

Return Policy:

If your products are defective, please email us before shipping returns, all returns must be done within 15 days from receiving date, defective products must be returned in the original boxes with ALL contents included and in their Original condition. No refunds or exchanges on non-defective goods, all sales are final.

Warranty:

All products carry manufacture's warranty, and the manufacture's warranty will apply from the date of purchase.

I don't know what the auction stated, but if the person selling it on eBay didn't claim there was a warranty it is sold AS IS.

VTI is truly in no way responsible because you decided to buy one of their racks on eBay. It's the responsibility of the company you bought it from to deal with VTI if they have a special arrangement, not you.

You definitely brought this on yourself, and VTI has a right to be pissed at you. The problem is they never should have expressed it to you, and should have sent you the rack at their expense no questions asked. That's where their mistake was made, and I'll never buy a VTI product because of what I have seen. In the same breath I'm just not on board with your little crusade and believing you're even close to being in the right on this one. You should have dealt with the company you bought it from and then eBay.

Sorry, just tellin' it like it is.

Live and learn. I learned some internet purchasing rules today. I truely didn't know this. I must admit that I didn't see the items in red you posted. That being said I brought this on myself. I manufactured and sold a few products in my day. If a customer called me directly ( and believe me when I had my business I got plenty of calls) who purchased my product, the question about where they purchased it came up at the very end of the discussion and it was simply to find out what entity to give credit for the sale. I'm used to the old way of buying and selling. Unfortunately you have to read an encylopedia when you purchase things now-a-days.

I admit I am not up on internet buying or selling as a matter of fact that rack at that time was maybe the second item I ever purchased on ebay that includes any on-line purchases. Thanks for the ebay and internet buying lesson.

You're right Demi.:)

PS: you said little crusade . . . everytime I purchased a product since I became a member of this forum, I gave great accolades and recommended companies who gave great customer service. I felt I would do the same for awful customer service. This didn't start out as a crusade.

Demiurge

I took a couple eBay transactions in the rear myself. You often end up learning the hard way on this stuff. VTI should do more than just give you a rack for all the damage control they'll need to do after this one.

I'd say all in all you'll make out on this deal in the long run, and learned something about ePay to boot.

pearsall001

Demiurge wrote:

I took a couple eBay transactions in the rear myself. You often end up learning the hard way on this stuff. VTI should do more than just give you a rack for all the damage control they'll need to do after this one.

I'd say all in all you'll make out on this deal in the long run, and learned something about ePay to boot.

Demi, I guess I'm old fashiioned. I had an audio business in the late 80s and my crowning achievement was a record clamp that was received very well in the high end. I closed the doors permanently on the business in 1990.

In the summer of 1997 I received a phone call from a guy in New Your state who told me that he purchased the clamp in 1987 and it was the best clamp he ever owned. It had seized up on him. To make a long story short, I asked the guy his name, address and zip and sent him, free of charge, a brand new clamp, shipping on my dime. The guy offered me $500 for it and I turned it down. I even sent him a tube of this special silicone to place on the threads.

The moral of my story is that when I owned my business I was grateful when a customer purchased my product and treated them royally.

Demiurge

pearsall001 wrote:

Demi, I guess I'm old fashiioned. I had an audio business in the late 80s and my crowning achievement was a record clamp that was received very well in the high end. I closed the doors permanently on the business in 1990.

In the summer of 1997 I received a phone call from a guy in New Your state who told me that he purchased the clamp in 1987 and it was the best clamp he ever owned. It had seized up on him. To make a long story short, I asked the guy his name, address and zip and sent him, free of charge, a brand new clamp, shipping on my dime. The guy offered me $500 for it and I turned it down. I even sent him a tube of this special silicone to place on the threads.

The moral of my story is that when I owned my business I was grateful when a customer purchased my product and treated them royally.

You're exactly the same as I am in that regard.

I also think my comments may be getting mis-interpreted. Let me explain...

The mistake hearingimpared made was buying a company's product on eBay when they had nothing to do with the sale of the product. They can't guarantee the condition it was in when it was shipped, if it wasn't stolen, etc. It doesn't make him wrong, it was just an honest mistake.

It's my opinion that the person who should have dealt with his issue is the person/company on eBay that he bought it from. Then with eBay directly to get his money back. That's just how it should have been resolved.

He took it directly to the manufacturer, whom as far as I know doesn't sell on eBay, nor authorizes distributors to sell on eBay. That said, they should have done exactly what you did for your customer no questions asked. It's how I run my business to this day. There's no better marketing than sending a formerly pissed off customer away happier than a pig in mud. They're complete idiots from a business perspective, and if Wax Fang over at VTI isn't the owner she ought to be fired.

I just wanted to throw another angle out there, and that's from the perspective of a company. If a box of iPods falls off a truck and someone with an eBay store sells them as new, but all the screens are busted. Who should have to replace all of that stuff? The thief **** who sold defective merchandise on eBay or Apple? That's a case when $30 can turn into thousands, and I can see how a company would be upset. The best thing VTI could have done after they replaced his rack is to deny replacement of anything sold through eBay or unauthorized vendors.

schwarcw

DAMN! We need to call the Kracken back!

hearingimpared

pearsall001 wrote:

Demi, I guess I'm old fashiioned. I had an audio business in the late 80s and my crowning achievement was a record clamp that was received very well in the high end. I closed the doors permanently on the business in 1990.

In the summer of 1997 I received a phone call from a guy in New Your state who told me that he purchased the clamp in 1987 and it was the best clamp he ever owned. It had seized up on him. To make a long story short, I asked the guy his name, address and zip and sent him, free of charge, a brand new clamp, shipping on my dime. The guy offered me $500 for it and I turned it down. I even sent him a tube of this special silicone to place on the threads.

The moral of my story is that when I owned my business I was grateful when a customer purchased my product and treated them royally.

EDIT: Sorry I was at Phils's house tonight and wrote this up from there that is why it has pearsall001 instead of hearingimpared.