SVS Customer Service

DarqueKnight
DarqueKnight Posts: 6,765
edited February 2008 in Subwoofer Hookup & Bass Management
I have posted reviews of my SVS CS Ultras (I once owned two of them), my SVS PB12 Ultra/2, and my SVS SB12-Plus.

I just wanted to share a couple of anecdotes about my customer service experiences with SVS.

Anecdote #1

After receiving my SVS PB12 Ultra/2, I noticed that two of the screws were not seated properly around a port flare. This caused the edge of the port flare to be raised above the surrounding wood veneer about 1/16th of an inch. On April 4, 2006, I sent the following email to Ron Stimpson at SVS:

"Ron,

My PB12 Ultra/2 arrived safely. I'm very happy with my purchase.

There were a couple of holes for the retaining screws of the bottom port flare that were not drilled deep enough and the edge of the port flare was not flush with the cabinet side. I initially thought the screws just weren't tightened completely, but they would not easily turn when I tried to tighten them. I just drilled the holes out a little bit more so that I could turn the screws all the way down."

Ron's reply from April 6, 2006:

"This is totally unacceptable. Poorly seated screws are not tolerated in any regard. We've already issued another 5% refund for you even having to mention such a thing. Thanks for applying a fix and being so reasonable about it.

Ron"

That was very generous of Ron, but I really wasn't looking to get any cash back for adjusting two screws. The price of the PB12 Ultra/2 was $2200. Five percent off came to $110. This was just for drilling two holes 1/16th inch deeper and re-seating two screws. This 5% discount was in addition to the 5% discount I received just for being a repeat customer.:eek:

Anecdote #2

A few months after the PB12 Ultra/2 purchase, I received the following email from Erik K at SVS:

"Thank you for your purchase from SV Sound. We hope you enjoy using our products as much as we enjoy building them!

We always strive to be better than we are, so we need your help. Take our customer survey to earn 10% off your next purchase from SV Sound. Your feedback helps us to serve you, and others, better in the future. We know your time is valuable, so to thank you we'll double our repeat customer discount for you to 10% off your next speaker purchase."
That additional discount came in handy as I was looking for a small sub for my master bedroom system.:)

Such good customer service and Such Good Sound.:)
Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
Post edited by DarqueKnight on
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Comments

  • dkg999
    dkg999 Posts: 5,647
    edited February 2008
    Totally agree, SVS customer service rocks! Great company to deal with.

    I'll be getting some popcorn ready as I'm sure Fuzzball is going to have some dissenting comments :confused:
    DKG999
    HT System: LSi9, LSiCx2, LSiFX, LSi7, SVS 20-39 PC+, B&K 507.s2 AVR, B&K Ref 125.2, Tripplite LCR-2400, Cambridge 650BD, Signal Cable PC/SC, BJC IC, Samsung 55" LED

    Music System: Magnepan 1.6QR, SVS SB12+, ARC pre, Parasound HCA1500 vertically bi-amped, Jolida CDP, Pro-Ject RM5.1SE TT, Pro-Ject TubeBox SE phono pre, SBT, PS Audio DLIII DAC
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  • Ron Temple
    Ron Temple Posts: 3,212
    edited February 2008
    Perfect example of shill marketing :D

    Combo rig:

    Onkyo NR1007 pre-pro, Carver TFM 45(fronts), Carver TFM 35 (surrounds)
    SDA 1C, CS400i, SDA 2B
    PB13Ultra RO
    BW Silvers
    Oppo BDP-83SE
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  • DarqueKnight
    DarqueKnight Posts: 6,765
    edited February 2008
    Shhh...keep this between me and thee, but those shill marketing checks from SVS come in real handy. How else could I afford such nice gear upgrades?;)
    Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
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  • speakergeek
    speakergeek Posts: 555
    edited February 2008
    Yeah. SVS was an absolute pleasure to do business with.
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  • janmike
    janmike Posts: 6,146
    edited February 2008
    Great story. I'm another one that really enjoyed doing business with Ron. Companies like that will keep you coming back.
    Michael ;)
    In the beginning, all knowledge was new!
    NORTH of 60°
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  • Systems
    Systems Posts: 14,873
    edited February 2008
    speakergeek wrote: »
    Yeah. SVS was an absolute pleasure to do business with.
    I see this mentioned on many forums.:)Great products and CS.
    Testing
    Testing
    Testing
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  • Ron Temple
    Ron Temple Posts: 3,212
    edited February 2008
    They didn't send me a tee shirt with the first sub I bought nor the second. I complained about it so they sent 3 to a guy in my area. I was supposed to hook up with him at a concert in the city. We did and he brought my shirt, but I didn't feel like waiting til he got it out the coat check. Pretty shoddy if you ask me...:p

    Combo rig:

    Onkyo NR1007 pre-pro, Carver TFM 45(fronts), Carver TFM 35 (surrounds)
    SDA 1C, CS400i, SDA 2B
    PB13Ultra RO
    BW Silvers
    Oppo BDP-83SE
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  • DarqueKnight
    DarqueKnight Posts: 6,765
    edited February 2008
    You can't blame a company for wanting to save on shipping costs. You're being unreasonable.:p
    Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
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  • speakergeek
    speakergeek Posts: 555
    edited February 2008
    Not bragging, but they did give me a t-shirt with my Ultra, much to my surprise.:p
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  • Ron Temple
    Ron Temple Posts: 3,212
    edited February 2008
    DarqueKnight wrote: »
    You can't blame a company for wanting to save on shipping costs. You're being unreasonable.:p
    ...and they laugh at me when I complain...honestly, I get no respect....


    WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

    Combo rig:

    Onkyo NR1007 pre-pro, Carver TFM 45(fronts), Carver TFM 35 (surrounds)
    SDA 1C, CS400i, SDA 2B
    PB13Ultra RO
    BW Silvers
    Oppo BDP-83SE
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  • Ron Temple
    Ron Temple Posts: 3,212
    edited February 2008
    speakergeek wrote: »
    Not bragging, but they did give me a t-shirt with my Ultra, much to my surprise.:p
    That totally sucks for me...just another chip in the dam...pretty soon, I'm gonna start bashing :mad:.

    Combo rig:

    Onkyo NR1007 pre-pro, Carver TFM 45(fronts), Carver TFM 35 (surrounds)
    SDA 1C, CS400i, SDA 2B
    PB13Ultra RO
    BW Silvers
    Oppo BDP-83SE
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  • wallstreet
    wallstreet Posts: 1,405
    edited February 2008
    Yea, I got a t-shirt too. But the damn thing is too small. I think I'll send my sub back.
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  • sucks2beme
    sucks2beme Posts: 5,601
    edited February 2008
    We should start a list of all us happy SVS customers(shills?).
    Now if I just could keep up my 50 posts per hour quota.....
    "The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg." --Thomas Jefferson
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  • kuntasensei
    kuntasensei Posts: 3,263
    edited February 2008
    Back when I ordered my 20-39CS+ and Samson 1,000w amp from SVS, they ended up being out and couldn't fill my order for at least two weeks because of a shortage of woofers. As luck would have it, they got one in their B-stock the next day. Not only did I get a great deal on the sub and amp, they threw in an ART-351 EQ for my troubles. The gear arrived in perfect condition and has worked flawlessly for years now. During that time, they responded to every e-mail question I had within a few hours.

    Recently, I inquired about the advantages of upgrading the woofer in my CS+ to the new Plus 12.3 woofer (since mine was a first-run unit with the 12.1 woofer). Ed Mullen (who I'd corresponded with on forums before he was with SVS) was totally straight with me, telling me that for my listening levels and setup, I didn't really need to upgrade. You know a company is playing straight when they talk you OUT of a sale... and that's what I appreciate the most about SVS. They'll give you straight answers without trying to upsell you.

    I'll probably still upgrade to the 12.3 though. :)
    Equipment list:
    Onkyo TX-NR3010 9.2 AVR
    Emotiva XPA-3 amp
    Polk RTi70 mains, CSi40 center, RTi38 surrounds, RTi28 rears and heights
    SVS 20-39CS+ subwoofer powered by Crown XLS1500
    Oppo BDP-93 Blu-ray player
    DarbeeVision DVP5000 video processor
    Epson 8500UB 1080p projector
    Elite Screens Sable 120" CineWhite screen
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  • wallstreet
    wallstreet Posts: 1,405
    edited February 2008
    Are you shilling me?!
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  • janmike
    janmike Posts: 6,146
    edited February 2008
    kuntasensei wrote: »
    Back when I ordered my 20-39CS+ and Samson 1,000w amp from SVS, they ended up being out and couldn't fill my order for at least two weeks because of a shortage of woofers. As luck would have it, they got one in their B-stock the next day. Not only did I get a great deal on the sub and amp, they threw in an ART-351 EQ for my troubles. The gear arrived in perfect condition and has worked flawlessly for years now. During that time, they responded to every e-mail question I had within a few hours.

    Recently, I inquired about the advantages of upgrading the woofer in my CS+ to the new Plus 12.3 woofer (since mine was a first-run unit with the 12.1 woofer). Ed Mullen (who I'd corresponded with on forums before he was with SVS) was totally straight with me, telling me that for my listening levels and setup, I didn't really need to upgrade. You know a company is playing straight when they talk you OUT of a sale... and that's what I appreciate the most about SVS. They'll give you straight answers without trying to upsell you.

    I'll probably still upgrade to the 12.3 though. :)

    That is another good thing about SVS. After expaining my room size and listening habits to Ron he suggested one size. I was opting for a more expensive unit and he told me I did not need that. What does that tell you? BTW, he tossed in 2 T-Shirts here.
    Michael ;)
    In the beginning, all knowledge was new!
    NORTH of 60°
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  • DarqueKnight
    DarqueKnight Posts: 6,765
    edited February 2008
    I just came from the SVS website and I saw that they still have the 45 day money back guarantee:

    "If you are not completely satisfied with the performance of your SVS speaker or subwoofer, return it to us for a full refund of the purchase price."

    That kind of excessively long evaluation period is understandable when you are a new company and you are trying to get established. Now that they are a major player in the high performance sub market, I think they need to shorten it to two weeks.
    Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
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  • wallstreet
    wallstreet Posts: 1,405
    edited February 2008
    Who cares about SVS. Polk Audio rules! Where else are you going to get extended in house demos of their latest products? OK, I'm waiting...
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  • Polkitup2
    Polkitup2 Posts: 1,622
    edited February 2008
    wallstreet wrote: »
    Are you shilling me?!

    As a satisfied SVS client, I shill you not. :D
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  • doggie750
    doggie750 Posts: 1,160
    edited February 2008
    If you are in doubt....................
    GET ONE and you know why the breed is speaking out loud.........

    I lost my plugs and SVS sent me a new one with free of charge!!!!!!!!!!:):):)

    With respect to SVS!!!!
    Godspeed,
    D0661E

    AVR:Pioneer Elite SC-07
    Surrounds: RTis
    2channel:Rti100 (carver driven
    Sub:SVS PB12-Plus/2
    Dedicated AMPs:Adcom GFA535, 2xCarver 1.5t, Carver m1.0t
    Wsrn:Hitachi ultra vision LCD60, 32XBR400
    PowerConditioner: MonsterC HTS5100
    PS3, Toshiba HD A2, etc: SonySACD/ Panasonic gears DIVX.

    MR3LIGION: Polkaudio; GSXR; E46; Reeftank;
    Odyclub; Xsimulator; Sony; Zune; Canon
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  • Strong Bad
    Strong Bad Posts: 4,278
    edited February 2008
    Holy shilling scumbags Batman, i didn't get a T-Shirt when I got my PC-Ultra a year ago. :eek:

    I'm taking that POS sub to an open range and let people unload on it!

    Take that SVS, you shilling shillers! And Ed Mullens, he's the shilliest shiller of all! ;)


    ~Shirtless in Baltimore
    No excuses!
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  • BAD ASP
    BAD ASP Posts: 361
    edited February 2008
    It's in the fourth commandment I think.........Thou shill not kill.
    Home Theater
    Amp: sunfire cinema grand signature 5ch 425 wpc
    Side surround amp: Sunfire 2 X 300
    Processor: sunfire theater grand V
    Fronts:: polk sda-srs 1.2
    Rears: Polk LSiFX
    Side surrounds: Fxi5
    Center: (2)polk LSiC's
    Sub: svs pb-13 rosenut
    Hd-Dvd: toshiba xa-2
    Blue Ray: oppo bdp83se
    Projector: sony vw60
    Screen: Da-Lite 106"
    APC S20 Power conditioner
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  • bruss
    bruss Posts: 1,039
    edited February 2008
    SVS once sent a hooker to my house and came over and cleaned my gutters.
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  • jakelm
    jakelm Posts: 4,081
    edited February 2008
    I'm still waiting for the parameters for my 12.1.



    Hmmmmm... My face is turning blue...:(

    Besides that....no complaints,,
    Monitor 7b's front
    Monitor 4's surround
    Frankinpolk Center (2 mw6503's with peerless tweeter)
    M10's back surround
    Hafler-200 driving patio Daytons
    Tempest-X 15" DIY sub w/ Rythmik 350A plate amp
    Dayton 12" DVC w/ Rythmik 350a plate amp
    Harman/Kardon AVR-635
    Oppo 981hd
    Denon upconvert DVD player
    Jennings Research (vintage and rare)
    Mit RPTV WS-55513
    Tosh HD-XA1
    B&K AV5000


    Dont BAN me Bro!!!!:eek:
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  • PSOVLSK
    PSOVLSK Posts: 5,203
    edited February 2008
    I bought my SVS used and they still helped me as if I bought from them. What more could you ask??
    Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out.-John Wooden
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  • Ron Temple
    Ron Temple Posts: 3,212
    edited February 2008
    An f"ing t-shirt :p

    Combo rig:

    Onkyo NR1007 pre-pro, Carver TFM 45(fronts), Carver TFM 35 (surrounds)
    SDA 1C, CS400i, SDA 2B
    PB13Ultra RO
    BW Silvers
    Oppo BDP-83SE
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  • speakergeek
    speakergeek Posts: 555
    edited February 2008
    Ron Temple wrote: »
    An f"ing t-shirt :p


    I got a large T-shirt, and it actually fits.:p
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  • svsfanboy
    svsfanboy Posts: 12
    edited February 2008
    SVS makes the best subs.
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  • speakergeek
    speakergeek Posts: 555
    edited February 2008
    svsfanboy wrote: »
    SVS makes the best subs.


    Now this is funny!!!!:D
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