Customer Service - The way it should be

Some of you know about the issue I had with an Auralic device, but for those that don't, here is a brief overview:

I ordered a brand new unit from Underwood Hifi on June 27th and because their warehouse is in my backyard, I picked the unit up. I set it up and was running it flawlessly for about 9 days.

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All of a sudden, the display screen had horizontal lines running through it.

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All other features worked fine, it's just the screen was messed up. SO I posted on the Auralic forum about it and the CEO posted this response:

The display module is not installed properly and mostly the FPC cable on the back or was damaged during transportation. What we usually do is to replace the entire display module in case there is any potential problem. Please contact your local distributor and have this problem fixed.

So my first thought was "fixed" ? I had just spent close to $4k on this and after 9 days it failed and they say "fixed"? ugh. To be perfectly honest, because the screen is (as clipdat said) probably the least expensive thing in there, and had the least to do with why I purchased this unit, if they fixed it - it would be ok. But a new unit was definitely preferable.

So I did as they said, and contacted Walter from Underwood. When I sent him pictures of the issue, his first reaction (within one hour of sending it) was "I'm on it". He sent the issue direct to Auralic to process the RMA. Not only did Walter do the things you would expect (contact the manufacturer on my behalf, process the RMA) but he also sent me a prepaid UPS shipping label. I know most of might think yeah, sure he did. But it's common for RMA's to be processed with the shipping liability laid at the customer's feet. Additionally, he said that as soon as I dropped off the unit and got confirmation of shipping the old unit back, he would process a brand new unit for me.

I just got the brand new unit back today - it came ground from OR so it was only delayed by distance.

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Up and running, I am thrilled to say that Walter (not that he didn't before) has a customer for life!

That is how Customer Service is defined.

Comments

  • dolbyd
    dolbyd Posts: 430
    Nice!
    We all see such horrible CS these days. Its weird when you do see it.

    Main room- RTiA9 x4, CSiA6, in ceiling Atmos RT-70 x4, SVS PC 4000 x2, Marantz 8805A, OPPO 203, Emotiva DR3 G3, Emotiva XPA-2 G3, Emotiva XPA-5 G3, Emotiva X300, Sony 75" 940E, Panasonic Plasma VT50, PS Audio Power Port X2, PS Audio AC-5 x8, AQ Rocket 33 Biwire speaker cables, AQ King Cobra XLR IC, Furman PFi20 W/Cullen cable, SoildSteel S4-4 rack, Gik room treatments

    Office- Legend L600, in ceiling Polk RC80i, Marantz 7704, OPPO 203, Pioneer Elite PDF-59 CD, PSA Stellar 300, Sony 55" 800B, Gik room treatment

    Master BR- Signature ES60, Signature S35 Center, Signature S15 Dolby Height, LSI700 in ceiling, SVS-SB4000, Marantz 5012, Emotiva XPA5 G2, OPPO 203, Pioneer DVL-919 Laser Disc, Sony 55" OLED

    Patio- SDI Atrium8 x3, Emotiva A-100 amps x3
  • tophatjohnny
    tophatjohnny Posts: 4,160
    edited July 2019
    That's great and I concur whole heartedly about Walter. His approach and execution of the business is second to none. Following the "Pigs get fat, while hogs get slaughtered" rule while maintaining amazing customer service and communication which is IMHO again, second to None. I too am on board with Underwood and would highly recommended Walt to my closest friends. Congrats Joe on a smooth replacement process and I know you'll have that baby buzzing soon. 😉
    "if it's not fun, it's not worth it & remember folks, "It's All About The Music"!!
    *****************************
  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,031
    How one handles this type of issue is what sets the great places (people) apart and really shows you why someone (someplace) is successful. Sometimes the lowest price isn't always the best deal. This shows you why.

    Glad it worked out for you.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
  • Sith_Lord
    Sith_Lord Posts: 17
    I hope some of the new guys at Polk read this, as this is how things used to be there as well. I hope they can get back to world class service once again.
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,526
    Sith_Lord wrote: »
    I hope some of the new guys at Polk read this, as this is how things used to be there as well. I hope they can get back to world class service once again.

    Your avatar is terrifying.
  • Sith_Lord
    Sith_Lord Posts: 17
    Fear leads to anger, and anger to hate. Perhaps you will make a fine apprentice.
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,526
    Nooo! I'll never turn to the flea powered horn side!
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,526
    edited July 2019
    Thanks for sharing your customer service experience with Underwood HiFi, Joe. I think we all know that Walter has great prices, but it's also nice to know that he has great service as well.

    Normally you probably would've had to wait for Auralic to repair your other unit under warranty, and then that same unit would be shipped back to you. By having a new one shipped out, he really minimized a lot of your downtime. Very nice.
  • txcoastal1
    txcoastal1 Posts: 13,119
    Walter's always rocked. He's even called me on Sunday's
    Super nice guy
    2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
    Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
    Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
    Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC

    erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a
  • verb
    verb Posts: 10,176
    Wow Joe! You’re making me want to buy an Auralic! :smile:
    Basement: Polk SDA SRS 1.2tl's, Cary SLP-05 Pre with ultimate upgrade,McIntosh MCD301 CD/SACD player, Northstar Designs Excelsio DAC, Cambridge 851N streamer, McIntosh MC300 Amp, Silnote Morpheus Ref2, Series2 Digital Cables, Silnote Morpheus Ref2 Series2 XLR's, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Pangea Power Cables, MIT Shotgun S3 IC's, MIT Shotgun S1 Bi-Wire speaker cables
    Office: PC, EAR Acute CD Player, EAR 834L Pre, Northstar Designs Intenso DAC, Antique Sound Labs AV8 Monoblocks, Denon UDR-F10 Cassette, Acoustic Technologies Classic FR Speakers, SVS SB12 Plus sub, MIT AVt2 speaker cables, IFI Purifier2, AQ Cinnamon USB cable, Groneberg Quatro Reference IC's
    Spare Room: Dayens Ampino Integrated Amp, Tjoeb 99 tube CD player (modified Marantz CD-38), Analysis Plus Oval 9's, Zu Jumpers, AudioEngine B1 Streamer, Klipsch RB-61 v2, SVS PB1000 sub, Blue Jeans RCA IC's, Shunyata Hydra 8 Power Conditioner
    Living Room: Peachtree Nova Integrated, Cambridge CXN v2 Streamer, Rotel RCD-1072 CD player, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Polk RT265 In Wall Speakers, Polk DSW Pro 660wi sub
    Garage #1: Cambridge Audio 640A Integrated Amp, Project Box-E BT Streamer, Polk Tsi200 Bookies, Douglas Speaker Cables, Shunyata Power Conditioner
    Garage #2: Cambridge Audio EVO150 Integrated Amplifier, Polk L200's, Analysis Plus Silver Oval 2 Speaker Cables, IC's TBD.
  • joecoulson
    joecoulson Posts: 4,943
    Be careful. That’s a sure fire way to get Skip to call you... :#
  • WagnerRC
    WagnerRC Posts: 2,137
    Underwood audio was always top shelf on audiogon going back 15 years or more.

    Always easy to work with.
  • halo
    halo Posts: 5,616
    Very B)
    Audio: Polk S15 * Polk S35 * Polk S10 * SVS SB-1000 Pro
    HT: Samsung QN90B * Marantz NR1510 * Panasonic DMP-BDT220 * Roku Ultra LT * APC H10
  • BlueBirdMusic
    BlueBirdMusic Posts: 2,061
    joecoulson wrote: »
    neg57u25a8rb.jpeg

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    .


    Everything is MAGNIFICENT!

    "Sometimes you have to look to the past to understand where you are going in the future"


    Harry / Marietta GA
  • joecoulson
    joecoulson Posts: 4,943
    Update. All is working as it should and so happy to have this world class DAC back in action.
  • msg
    msg Posts: 9,272
    Love to hear customer service stories like this. It's good to see that this class of quality still exists.

    It's a shame that current younger generations and those following will most likely never know what it was like to have interaction with people and businesses that truly cared about their reputation and customers. It's all science now, companies making moves for fractions of profit and efficiency gains. There comes a point where there's nothing left to squeeze, so it moves to sacrifices in product quality, quantity, and/or employee treatment/benefits.

    Can't really blame a CS rep for emptily responding to an issue with a line reading, "I'm sorry to hear about your difficulty with [widget], yawn...", and actually yawning.
    I disabled signatures.