Viking Acoustics

[bazelio]

@VikingHorn

Did you send this long time repeat customer poorly packed speakers after over a year of waiting and apologize for the poor packaging before they even arrived? Why? What was your plan if and when they arrived damaged? And did you expect your customer to pay for proper packaging for the return shipment after they were damaged en route to him?

Why did you send speakers to a long time repeat customer who had been waiting for over a year that were so visibly poorly finished? Did you not inspect them, or did you think the customer would be satisfied with what is shown in his pictures? Did you really respond "it gives them character" to his email inquiry after he received them?

Why didn't you take care of this customer's binding posts request? Did he send a Visio diagram of exactly what he needed? Was there any question about it on your side and did you ask him for clarification?

Did you resell this long time repeat customer's damaged speakers after repair to an unsuspecting WBF forum member and represent them as demo or floor models? And if they are now sold, did you return the paid balance in total to the original buyer? If not, why not? And if you don't intend to do so, how much of your long time repeat customer's money do you intend to retain?

Thank you. Prospective customers want to know.

 

[Gjo]

Perhaps I'm the only one who feels this way, but reading the bickering is tiresome, and it's clearly leading nowhere.

Yes, I could simply avoid reading the thread, but as one who was once considering Viking Acoustics loudspeakers, I suppose I'm interested to know what transpires.

This issue can be privately settled one way or another in small claims court. It can be done from distance. Use a web search to find the Magistrate Court of jurisdiction and follow the court's process, which can either be discovered online or by calling the court clerk.

 

[facten]

@VikingHorn

Did you send this long time repeat customer poorly packed speakers after over a year of waiting and apologize for the poor packaging before they even arrived? Why? What was your plan if and when they arrived damaged? And did you expect your customer to pay for proper packaging for the return shipment after they were damaged en route to him?

Why did you send speakers to a long time repeat customer who had been waiting for over a year that were so visibly poorly finished? Did you not inspect them, or did you think the customer would be satisfied with what is shown in his pictures? Did you really respond "it gives them character" to his email inquiry after he received them?

Why didn't you take care of this customer's binding posts request? Did he send a Visio diagram of exactly what he needed? Was there any question about it on your side and did you ask him for clarification?

Did you resell this long time repeat customer's damaged speakers after repair to an unsuspecting WBF forum member and represent them as demo or floor models? And if they are now sold, did you return the paid balance in total to the original buyer? If not, why not? And if you don't intend to do so, how much of your long time repeat customer's money do you intend to retain?

Thank you. Prospective customers want to know.

Spot on questions; on the surface seems like an avoidable situation on the front-end. The dialogue thus far has not been in the company's best interests.

 

[djsina2]

Perhaps I'm the only one who feels this way, but reading the bickering is tiresome, and it's clearly leading nowhere.

Yes, I could simply avoid reading the thread, but as one who was once considering Viking Acoustics loudspeakers, I suppose I'm interested to know what transpires.

This issue can be privately settled one way or another in small claims court. It can be done from distance. Use a web search to find the Magistrate Court of jurisdiction and follow the court's process, which can either be discovered online or by calling the court clerk.

That's a possibility that's being looked into. However, in my state if you win a small claims judgement YOU have to collect what is owed to you. There is no action by the court to collect that money. I will see what the process is like in NM. Yes, I agree, this back and forth makes no sense and all the misinformation Viking keeps mentioning is tiresome correcting. For the last time I am going to state things very clearly.

Purchased speakers for $10k ($4665 cash + trade in)
Refunded $4200

Viking owes me $5800. If Viking wants to remake the speakers I traded in, or make me some other speaker, I will accept that. Viking cannot take my trade-ins and resell AND take my new speakers and resell, then keep all the money.

 

[bazelio]

Whether or not this is getting anywhere in terms of resolving the specific situation is up to @djsina2 . Beyond that, a valuable feedback mechanism is provided here. More often than not, as in djsina's case, there is no way to know about potential problems with a merchant until disaster strikes. These aren't the type of threads I'd expect many people to follow as they're unfolding. But in the future, there will be WBF Google hits on "Viking Acoustics" searches and this thread will be a valuable point of reference for anyone researching the brand.

 

[oldhvymec]

Wow I didn't know they kept the money on the highly modded speakers he traded in TOO. This is really getting interesting. Plane ticket time? I'd be coming home with my speakers or file a complaint at their local police station, then come home and DRAG them into court where I live TOO. Across state lines and using mail to converse is Federal not just state.. In this case 3 different places to file, if you really want to be nasty about it. I've had to file mechanic liens across state line. Rather effective way to get paid.. It's not a bad idea to find out if they have "Other" litigation going on.

My question is why are you waiting. Small claims has a dollar limit and as mentioned you have to collect after you win. Will you win? You sure won't if you don't file.. I saw the speakers. Either they painted wet plywood or they caused the ply to heave because it wasn't sealed and the paint absorbed into the wood. It's not rocket science to see what happened. The wood got wet, it heaved and it dried that way.

I'm had a military father. Sometimes there is "NO EXCUSE". Pay, Apologize and move on.

Time to feed the chickens..

Regards

 

[djsina2]

Years ago I paid a brick mason some money up front for a job. Much less than I am owed here. Never showed up to do the job and I didn't know where he lived. I spent about a year hunting him down for small claims court and eventually collected my money through wage garnishment. I had more free time back then. Didn't really want to go down that path again, but we'll see what happens. I believe the small claims limit in NM is $10k.

 

[djsina2]

On audiogon David threw out this wild accusation that I dropped a speaker and wasn’t telling the forum. Never dropped a speaker in my life. Never heard of this until David mentioned it out of left field. I’ve been wondering why he said this and now I see this in the warranty section of his website…

 

[rspyder]

I bought a pair of Berlin Mk.IVs or IIIs back in May of this year. With Viking Acoustic it's hard to know what you're getting because its website doesn't maintain a directory of past models and associated specs. Also cabinet sizes vary within the same model.

Anyway, I wish to come to the defense of Derek based on personal experience with my Berlins. Their fit and finish is very poor, bordering on amateurish. There are lots of pictures of VA bespoke wood models but nothing up close. The pictures posted by Derek are representative of my cabinets. In my exchanges with David Counsel about the very poor appearance of my Berlin cabinets he was at least willing to admit that he struggles with the finish of speakers. That's obvious. I'd love to see a pair of the Gottenbergs up close. If Viking can't get a simple cabinet right I'd hate to see what happens when it tries to tackle something on the scale of those bad boys.

I told David that I'd pay full pop to have new cabinets made provided they are well made. He said he would but that was months ago. Crickets lately. I'm definitely not willing to double-down by trading up on another Viking Acoustic speaker. Bless Derek for his trusting heart. However, it didn't seem to pay off.

My speakers sound good, but I'd prefer to listen to them with the lights on.

 

[djsina2]

Sorry to hear it didn’t go well for you either. Obviously keep every shred of documentation if you do plan on sending them back for new cabinets. Quality issues aside I still can’t believe a manufacturer in this small industry stole my trade-in speakers. I’ve never heard of such a thing.

I think something happened internally with the transition from dc10audio to Viking Acoustics. My friend and I both owned dc10audio speakers and they were beautifully finished. With Viking everything seems to have gone downhill.

 

[rspyder]

As far as I know, David Counsel was the lead principle in dc10 Audio, and is for Viking Acoustics.

Funnily, David reached out to me yesterday about sending my speakers back to have the cabinets refinished. I first need to understand and be confident doing that will bring about a far better result.

I'm generally a fan of smaller boutique and unique audio manufacturers who take a less travelled path to audio excellence. However, with every commercial encounter there is some embedded business risk. That can be true also for big conglomerate, mass produced components.

I'm sorry that risk was realized for you too.

 

[djsina2]

As far as I know, David Counsel was the lead principle in dc10 Audio, and is for Viking Acoustics.

Funnily, David reached out to me yesterday about sending my speakers back to have the cabinets refinished. I first need to understand and be confident doing that will bring about a far better result.

I'm generally a fan of smaller boutique and unique audio manufacturers who take a less travelled path to audio excellence. However, with every commercial encounter there is some embedded business risk. That can be true also for big conglomerate, mass produced components.

I'm sorry that risk was realized for you too.

I too received an email today out of the blue, there had been no communication between us for 6 months. David says he’s going to retrieve my trade-in speakers from the person who bought them and send them to me. But, it won’t be until spring 2023 because the owner is out of the country until then. How bizarre this whole fiasco is… At that point it will have been 3.5 years since I shipped them to Viking.

 

[Tjfjmf]

Never once said you are not flexible. I appreciate that and one of the reasons I stuck with you. However, as you mention the switching of orders was not a ME issue. There were things that happened which brought that on as mentioned in other posts. Nobody’s fault, things happen. Has absolutely nothing to do with what I received.

Also, you never once mentioned sending me crates to ship them back. You told me you couldn’t get crates which is why I got them sent to me in cheapie single boxes. I’ll remind you, YOU arranged to have them picked up and YOU shipped them on your carrier account.

Is this still an ongoing issue with Viking Acoustics or has it been resolved? I am about to place an order for a pair of Tubemaster speakers. But I am hesitant to do so as I have had many concerns similar to those you have posted

 

[djsina2]

Is this still an ongoing issue with Viking Acoustics or has it been resolved? I am about to place an order for a pair of Tubemaster speakers. But I am hesitant to do so as I have had many concerns similar to those you have posted

It hasn’t been resolved. Oddly, after David’s last offer of returning my speakers in the spring they seemed to have been listed for sale on audiogon. I emailed that seller and he had no knowledge of any of this and never has dealt with David. I showed David the pictures of the ones for sale and mine and we both seemed to agree they were the same based off an exact match of identifying natural wood marking on the baffles. On the plus side I’ve had a couple civil conversations with David and he seems to be trying to make this right on some level. He asked that I write a statement describing the poor finish so he could show that to the paint shop, which I have done.

 

[ihmeyers]

I bought a pair of Berlin Mk.IVs or IIIs back in May of this year. With Viking Acoustic it's hard to know what you're getting because its website doesn't maintain a directory of past models and associated specs. Also cabinet sizes vary within the same model.

Anyway, I wish to come to the defense of Derek based on personal experience with my Berlins. Their fit and finish is very poor, bordering on amateurish. There are lots of pictures of VA bespoke wood models but nothing up close. The pictures posted by Derek are representative of my cabinets. In my exchanges with David Counsel about the very poor appearance of my Berlin cabinets he was at least willing to admit that he struggles with the finish of speakers. That's obvious. I'd love to see a pair of the Gottenbergs up close. If Viking can't get a simple cabinet right I'd hate to see what happens when it tries to tackle something on the scale of those bad boys.

I told David that I'd pay full pop to have new cabinets made provided they are well made. He said he would but that was months ago. Crickets lately. I'm definitely not willing to double-down by trading up on another Viking Acoustic speaker. Bless Derek for his trusting heart. However, it didn't seem to pay off.

My speakers sound good, but I'd prefer to listen to them with the lights on.

I bought a pair of Tubemasters from David on eBay in Dec 22. First of all it turned out he didn't really own the speakers he sold me, a fellow WBF member did as I found out when said member called me out of the blue. He told me the speakers were his and David would use the money I paid him to credit said WBF member on a pair of Kabukis (I think) that a gentleman in Boston owned that David had no firm deal on. What?? I know, the weirdest friggin transaction I have ever been mixed up in.

Then said WBF member informed me that he had to arrange and pay for free freight shipping that David offered me as a condition of sale. Turned out to not be free to me because David lied and said it was coming to my home when in fact only depot-to-depot shipping had been paid for. I insisted on reimbursing WBF member for the $250 expense he incurred to re-route them to my residence because I thought it was the right thing to do (even though David told me it was free door-to-door freight). David also agreed to provide a free pair of speaker cables to me which came months after the speakers did (almost 60 days from the sale date after many threats from me to unwind the deal through PayPal). p.s. David had offered me a discount if I had paid him via wire upfront rather than through eBay and Paypal but I never trusted him and said I was willing to pay more to ensure I had recourse. The cables were to come with custom wooden cable risers which are a standard part of his speaker cables (see below). I never got those and after a few "you will have them soon," David just stopped responding at all to me. My last 4 emails went unanswered and in my last message I told him I would simply stop asking and just document everything that transpired.

I was very relieved that I got the speakers at all because I was convinced he would just take my money. He did not but I have no idea how it turned out for the WBF member because when we last spoke he had

a) no Tubemasters (I did)
b) no money from David's sale of Tubemasters to me
c) no Kabukis (guy in Boston wouldn't let them go until David had paid him in cash in full)

I hope WBF member got his speakers. He's a really good, honest guy and without him I know I would have been screwed. The Tubemasters are pretty good, not great but I have them in too small a room. They also sound better with SS gear than they do with tubes which is odd given the name.

I waited almost six months to write this because I told myself if David did the right thing I just wouldn't say anything. Might not seem like a big deal to some. but the speaker cables were part of the deal and the cable risers are part of the cables. IMO he is in very rough financial shape and cannot be counted on to deliver. Just my 2 cents, proceed at your own risk. I am very lucky it didn't not turn out any worse than it did.

 

[ihmeyers]

Is this still an ongoing issue with Viking Acoustics or has it been resolved? I am about to place an order for a pair of Tubemaster speakers. But I am hesitant to do so as I have had many concerns similar to those you have posted

Yeah. I think he might have lost his shop. Like I said I was 100% convinced I was going to lose my $11,000. If it wasn't for the WBF member I mentioned I probably would have.

 

[djsina2]

It hasn’t been resolved. Oddly, after David’s last offer of returning my speakers in the spring they seemed to have been listed for sale on audiogon. I emailed that seller and he had no knowledge of any of this and never has dealt with David. I showed David the pictures of the ones for sale and mine and we both seemed to agree they were the same based off an exact match of identifying natural wood marking on the baffles. On the plus side I’ve had a couple civil conversations with David and he seems to be trying to make this right on some level. He asked that I write a statement describing the poor finish so he could show that to the paint shop, which I have done.

Follow up on this… I never heard back from David on my trade in speakers or the result of me sending my statement regarding the finish. I think Viking is essentially out of business at this point. I saw a request on their website for an investor or buyer.

 

[Willgolf]

They are out of business

 

[ihmeyers]

It hasn’t been resolved. Oddly, after David’s last offer of returning my speakers in the spring they seemed to have been listed for sale on audiogon. I emailed that seller and he had no knowledge of any of this and never has dealt with David. I showed David the pictures of the ones for sale and mine and we both seemed to agree they were the same based off an exact match of identifying natural wood marking on the baffles. On the plus side I’ve had a couple civil conversations with David and he seems to be trying to make this right on some level. He asked that I write a statement describing the poor finish so he could show that to the paint shop, which I have done.

I've worked for both Fortune 500 companies and businesses I have started. I get the business risk. David however has been lying to people for months. I caught him in 2 or 3 whoppers when I bought my speakers from him in December. I was able to ascertain he was both out of money and had lost his workshop. And yet, he was solicitng for new business on both eBay and on his website , "send me a 50% deposit and you'll have your speakers in 3 months." He obviously knew he wasn't going to build them but didn't care. Who knows how much money he was holding when he closed shop. This reminds me of Bobby Palkovic of Merlin and Rick Schultz of High Fidelity Cables both of whom disappeared with a fair amount of customer funds and equipment. I know, yes, Bobby's end was very sad and I feel sorry for his family, but the fact remains he accepted funds for new gear and repairs that he kept.

I like dealing with these cottage manufacturers as well because so many of them have amazing designs. This is the risk we run though which is why I hardly buy anything other than used gear these days and not vaporware.

 

[spiritofmusic]

I'm looking at the website earlier today. Shamefully you can still give him as much of your hard earned as you'd like.