Hi DaveyF, thanks for sharing your experience. I don't want this to get tristed around because it's not about him as a person, it's just how he runs his business period.
I never got into half of what actually took place and look at it as a page in a book that I read and have since put away, just another chapter in life.
I'll put these questions to you then;
#1 If you were Ken and someone was having issues with your product and this person is telling you that originally the transformers were quiet but now can hear the transformer humming away 30ft or so away and you say to the customer that they are being to fussy and that you never said the transformers in your amps are dead quiet. If my responce was we are talking 30 or more feet away I can hear them. "This is now the second time arround"
If I contacted you by email and by phone to make arrangements to bring them back to you and you don't reply for weeks on end, nor anyone else. Is this right?
I ended up driving for hours originally from Canada to his location in the US to pick them up due to two reason, one because they were months late and secondly finding out he ships these huge EXPENSIVE delicate heavy amps in cardboard boxes "can you believe it yes cardboard boxes" Not wooden crates or flight cases but friggen cardboard. These list at $40K
So I didn't want to take a chance of them getting damaged from shipping because these were suppose to be the last amps for my MBL SPEAKERS.
#2 It's your product that you originally sent with issues and you want me to pay for shipping back to you, some 400 lbs of amps which won't be cheap. That's just wrong, possibly down the road due to a warranty issue but not right from the get go.
Due to me not wanting to take any chances of them being damaged and/or delayed due to shipping I personally drove them to his location. Have to have a friend assist in packing due to their weight and size along with placing them into my vehicle and same upon receipt.
Pay for gas and tow's both ways never mind the time involved, 3 1/2 one way if there is no traffic.
Ken admits saying we won't pay for them to come here but will pay for them to be shipped back, doesn't sit well with me but okay.
Ken did not reimburse me one sent for anything, I asked and got nothing. So what do you think about that. I would think these would cost at least $4-500 minimum one way with having a shipping account with discounts in place and then you have insurance on top of that. When I called cheapest I could get was just under $1k plus another $600 for insurance so total of approx $1600.00 one way.
Ken did admit he pays for shipping back and that would have been 4 times x amount of money's.
So when you do talk to him kindly have him send me $2K, I'll even settle for less.
#3 I had lost confidence in him and his business as a whole while being at his place of manufacture, never mind his work station with the florecent lighting above with the huming transformer. Knowledge of endless product .... won't go there.
I asked for him to just refund the dealer back my money so I could move on with life, he would not do so. I sold them and lost money, so while talking with him ask for that reimbursement also @ $8K PLEASE! so we are now up too $10K
If he's all that and has all of these customers then why not do this, the amps are in his possession.
So how would you feel?
I'm not the only one, there are lots of others but pitty them becuase they had to deal with shipping, we aren't just talking about these specific amps either, there use to be numerous thread postings on Audigon but have vanished.
I don't want to start name dropping but I have my folder with such and Ken very well knows.
Also his amps are a hot rod design and can blow up, have no protection, boards can be taken out just with a run away tube and on.
Sorry but my house insurance would walk away if such was found in my home, most people are naive when it comes to this. When I heard a huge bang and sparks and smoke in my room thanks goodness I was right there and only marks were left on my wall and no other and that my $70K speakers or any other gear was not damaged.